Ниеми Микаэль: To Cook a Bear

"So much to relish here . . . the plot is gripping, and the writing is just lovely!" DIANE SETTERFIELD, author of Once Upon A River

"The year's most memorable narrator . . . An unusual and intriguing crime story" SUNDAY TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR

"Niemi succeeds in constructing a story that works as a murder mystery and as a compelling study of a dangerously inward-looking community" SUNDAY TIMES

"A riveting, psychologically astute mystery . . . It is not to be missed" BOOKLIST

"An original and gripping crime story" THE TIMES

**NOW SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA INTERNATIONAL DAGGER**

It is 1852, and in Sweden's far north, deep in the Arctic Circle, charismatic preacher and Revivalist Lars Levi Laestadius impassions a poverty-stricken congregation with visions of salvation. But local leaders have reason to resist a shift to temperance over alcohol.

Jussi, the young Sami boy Laestadius has rescued from destitution and abuse, becomes the preacher's faithful disciple on long botanical treks to explore the flora and fauna. Laestadius also teaches him to read and write - and to love and fear God.