The Birthday
A Missing Child
A Broken Family
A 24-hour Chase for the Truth
It’s a beautiful morning when Samuel’s mother, his father and his new stepmother gather to celebrate his seventh birthday. Together they arrange the cake, light the candles and head to Samuel’s room singing. But as the door opens, silence falls. Samuel’s bed is empty, the window wide open.
Police are quickly called and a heavily publicized search operation begins. But as the hours go by, questions and suspicions arise – the atmosphere between ex-wife, father and stepmother thickens. When the corpse of a family member is discovered, the situation escalates. All three would have an interest to get Samuel out of the way, but their stories just don’t add up. What really happened the night before?
The Birthday is the first part in a new suspense series by Sofie Sarenbrant and Carina Bergfeldt.
info
Year of publication
2023
Original title
Födelsedagen
Page count
405
Original publisher
Bokförlaget Forum
Original language of publication
Swedish
Rights sold
FinnishDanishEstonian
Info
Film and TV Rights optioned by Nordisk Film.
Reviews
Leena Balme, WSOY
"The Birthday is a book you literally can’t stop reading once you start. In a scary way it feels as if you could be reading about people you know, friends and relatives, and their struggles in their new (and old) relationships. It’s intense and fast-paced and a brilliant start to a new series!"
Jennie Sjögren, Forum
"The Birthday had me caught from the very first sentence. It’s an accomplished fast-paced story, a true page turner! The intriguing plot with the broken family is both cunning and contemporary. And I love the way the story is told from different perspectives, and in a 24-hour whodunnit-style with the clock continuously ticking. It’s been a great pleasure being part of developing The Birthday and launching this star author-duo's debut to an eagerly awaiting audience."
Christel Brinkløv, People's Press
"The Birthday by Sofie Sarenbrant and Carina Bergfeldt is a page-turner that keeps the reader on the torture bench until the dramatic finale. It's a great start to a new series, and at People's we look forward to presenting it and the new female super duo to the Danish readers. It's going to be big!"
BLT
"Carina Bergfeldt and Sofie Sarenbrant are skilled authors in their own ways and having read many books by both of them before, I thought it would be noticeable who wrote what… Just as the duo said in an interview the other week, it's impossible to know who wrote what. They are interconnected and have woven together their different writing styles into an exciting masterpiece.”
Du i Fokus Magasin
"Nowadays, there are many different author constellations. Some are more successful than others, Sofie Sarenbrant and Carina Bergfeldt are one of those. In their joint book "The Birthday" we not only get a taste of superb authorship, but also of when a collaboration is at its best. This is nothing short of world class!"
Kapprakt.se
"There is a lot going on during these 24 hours, all the way to a very spectacular resolution the next dawn. A lot of secrets are revealed during a fast-paced read that becomes fantastically entertaining."
Borås Tidning
"I read 400 pages straight in the space of 8 hours. I haven't read Carina Bergfeldt before, but Sofie Sarenbrant is here sharper than ever … the new duo has written a real page-turner."
Dagens Nyheter
"A fast-paced thriller."
Göteborgs-Posten
"A strong thriller build-up."
Kristianstadsbladet
"A page-turner like no other."
Awards & Nominations
Nominations
Adlibris Prize
2023
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