Marked for Life

Swedish author Schepp makes her U.S. debut with this stellar first in a crime trilogy. Prosecutor Jana Berzelius heads the investigation into the shooting murder of Hans Juhlén, the person in charge of asylum issues at the Swedish migration board, whose wife found his body at their home in Norrköping. Clues include a stash of threatening letters, large amounts of cash withdrawn monthly, and fingerprints belonging to a child whose body turns up a few days later. As the case evolves, it dredges up Jana’s long-repressed memories. She remembers nothing of her childhood before she was nine years old and woke up in a hospital room; soon a wealthy couple adopted her. Jana and her team get on the trail of a human-trafficking operation, which unleashes even more of her memories. Schepp couples an insightful look at the personal and professional lives of her characters with an unflinching multilayered plot loaded with surprises. Agent: Lena Stjernström, Grand Agency (Sweden). (June)