The Bucket List
An Agent John Adderley Novel
Peter Mohlin and Peter Nyström’s The Bucket List is a classic Nordic noir thriller—tight, layered, and so chilly that it shivers.
In the picturesque Swedish hills, Emelie, the daughter of a family of billionaires, goes missing. Other than a cryptic photograph posted on her Facebook account and a tiny packet of cocaine, there are no clues that point to her killer. Ten years later, in 2019, the cold case is assigned to a team that includes former FBI agent John Adderley.
Half-Nigerian, half-Swedish, John is at home in the space between his cultures, countries, and families. His undercover work is focused on infiltrating a drug cartel in the United States; it becomes a bureaucratic nightmare. In comparison to mules, bullets, and bloodshed, “CEO protection” seems like a better career path. However, John isn’t prepared for the sickening, secretive world of the ultra rich. When he receives the file on Emelie, the heir to an international garment business, John enters the past—his own, Emelie’s, and the families’. The decade between Emelie’s disappearance and John’s assignment blurs; it soon becomes apparent that the past has a powerful hold on the present.
Subtle psychological elements make each scene rich. John’s co-agent Trevor, a new father, emanates positivity, while details, including of Emelie’s unusual tattoo and the car that John’s father drove, dot the well-crafted narrative. The novel suggests that clues are everywhere, if one knows where to look. As John tugs at the threads of Emelie’s case, the whole web begins to quiver, threatening to awaken the spider at its center.
The Bucket List is an ambitious crime thriller that crosses a decade of secrets, lies, and family stories.
Reviewed by
Claire Foster
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
