Review “A terrific globe-trotting page-turner, rich with complex conflicts and a big, meaty, chillingly credible conspiracy.” (Chris Pavone, author of The Expats and The Accident)“An interesting gambit.... [Zander is] a smart, fluid observer.” (New York Times Book Review )“Effortlessly structured and perfectly paced, The Swimmer is a globetrotting page-turner whose vibrant cast of characters vividly brings to life the harrowing complexities of our modern political landscape.” (Kimberly McCreight, author of Reconstructing Amelia)“An international thriller with the pace and intensity of a Jason Bourne adventure…. Skillfully moving between the past and the present, from Sweden to Syria to Washington and back again, Zander weaves an increasingly tight web of intrigue and suspense…. A compulsively readable page-turner with unexpected heart.” (Kirkus)“How can The Swimmer be a first novel? It is dazzling not only in its plotting and character portraits, but in the sophistication of its structure, which keeps us breathless and guessing. An impressive and memorable work, comparable to the best of John le Carré.” (Joseph Finder, author of Suspicion)“Truly polished and compelling…. Tension and action abound. But it is the depth of Zander’s characters and the quality of the writing, which at times touches elegance, that make The Swimmer a winner…. Zander looks to be a very talented new branch on the flourishing tree of Scandinavian crime fiction.” (Booklist, starred review)“Page-turning….This Swedish former lawyer’s hypnotic first book is already drawing comparisons to the work of famed spy novelist John le Carré.” (Entertainment Weekly)“The Swimmer is hypnotic and intoxicating, pulling us relentlessly across the globe from page to page, intrigue to intrigue.” (Olen Steinhauer, author of The Cairo Affair)“Swedish author Zander’s entertaining first novel owes more to Forsythe and Ludlum than to Larsson and Mankell…. Given Zander’s literate, descriptive style, it’s easy to see why this thriller has been a bestseller in Europe.” (Publishers Weekly)Praise from Sweden: “Impressive . . . a fast-paced thriller written in an international style. Joakim Zander has a good story to tell, a story that touches on both moral questions as well as guilt and atonement, culpability and revenge.” (Borås Tidning) Read more From the Back Cover On a remote Swedish island, a little girl, Klara, grows up without a father. Now, thirty years later, she discovers a secret—one for which powerful men will kill to keep undisclosed.On the other side of the world, an old spy hides from his past. He used to be the best agent in the field. These days the only thing he lives for is swimming in the local pool.When Klara is thrown into a terrifying chase across Europe, only the Swimmer can save her. But time is running out. . . .Utterly mesmerizing and harrowing, The Swimmer is a riveting read right up to its stunning conclusion.A deep-cover CIA agent races across Europe to save the daughter he never knew in this electrifying, “hypnotic” debut thriller  (Entertainment Weekly). Read more See all Editorial Reviews
M**H
Keep reading; it gets better
This is a book review, not a summary, so I won't simply regurgitate a quick sketch of the entire book. It took me awhile to get into this novel; the characters seemed so disconnected and the book kept bouncing back and forth between the early 80s and the present day. Also, switching between the first-person voice in some chapters, and the third-person voice in others was a little off-putting. Following the Mamoush character was like driving along a winding mountain road, thinking it might lead somewhere exciting, only to find out you'd taken a wrong turn and the road just peters out into a dead end. However, once I got about 60% through the novel, things started to pick up and all the loose threads began to form a cohesive whole (again, except for the Mamoush character). I wish more time had been devoted to the George Loow character. In fact, it would've been better if the Mamoush character hadn't existed at all, and the Loow character had been given all of Mamoush's history (as well as his own); that would have really tightened up the story arc. Another throwaway character was Cyril; he could've been better developed or left out entirely. Still, all in all, it was a story that kept me reading until the end. I'd like to read more from this author.
K**U
Another European writing about what a bully the CIA is
As I approach my sunset years, I find I am getting more and more annoyed with authors who portray the U.S. as an evil bully. LeCarre, long past his George Smiley glory days and formerly one of my favorite authors (read the stuff he wrote in the 60s and 70s), has been (pun) a prime example. And now we have Joakim Zander with his debut novel, "The Swimmer". Only he takes his monster CIA one step further; it has evolved into a creature prepared to destroy its own.Time Out ! That's an automatic one star deduct. Maximum possible score 4.0That aside, the book is quite good. The story takes a bit too long to develop, but once all the background is in place, all the characters are introduced and well positioned, things become very interesting. The McGuffin here is information, although that doesn't become quite clear until the second half of the story. The bulk of the timeline occurs over six days preceding Christmas, and the plot unfolds with growing tension in shorter and shorter chapters, told sometimes in third person, other times in first. Most of the story is set in Belgium and Sweden, and how many books have you read with the focus in those two places. This is not an action thriller ala Mission Impossible, but there is enough here to make a big movie. Women play key roles but I don't think you'll see Angelina Jolie running through a snowy forest in a Gore Tex suit when it comes to your Cineplex. The climax is very well done, not protracted, no dynamite, but just the right dash of pragmatism. This will not be a series, but I am looking forward to the next book. Hopefully, by that time Zander will be smart enough to pick a different bad guy.
A**K
Stylistic tic that gets in the way
This writer has a tic that prevented my enjoying the book. It's OK that he rotates among the parallel narratives of his several characters, but he seems to feel that every chapter has to end in a cliff-hanger, no matter how ridiculous. For example, she is going to open her lover's bedside table drawer; will she find a picture of his family? Tune in next time around. One or two cliff-hangers per novel is plenty. They are not necessary to carry the plot along or to help the reader remember what was happening, and having too many just gets in the way.
K**E
A Great Spy Novel for 2015
The Swimmer is as good a spy novel as I've read in recent years and I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could. It's definitely a 5-star beach novel.The Swimmer was originally written in Swedish. This translation into English is excellent. And the story itself is first rate. It focuses more on non-spies Klara, Mahmoud, George, and Gabriella and less on the CIA and the intelligence community. There were a couple of geography mistakes that bugged me: referring to Prince George's County, MD, as St. George's County; and having the Swimmer drive down MD Route 245 into Washington when what was meant was I-295. Don't know whether those minor miscues were the fault of the author or the translator.The novel typifies the genre. There's not a lot of character development, many shifts in time and identity of the narrator, lots of action, and suspense. Much of the action takes place in Belgium and Sweden which adds a wonderful European flavor to the story.The Swimmer is definitely a great read.
D**L
Terrific Spy Thriller!
This was a complex, exciting story with interesting, well developed characters. Set in Europe, mostly in Brussels and in various locations in Sweden, the story moves around as young Swedish Klara, who works in Brussels as an aide to a delegate to the EU Parliament, receives a call from a old lover, Mahmoud, a former soldier currently studying for his PHD, who is running scared b/c fairly certain he's being followed. This suspicion is proven accurate after an attempt is made on his life. Klara agrees to follow his intricate instructions to make sure she isn't being followed before meeting him. Thus begins their flight, as they try to keep a few steps ahead of this unknown adversary. Another character is Klara's father, an American CIA agent who gave her up as a baby after her Swedish mother is killed in Beirut by a bomb meant for him. He leaves her at the Swedish embassy and she is returned to Sweden where she is raised by her grandparents. Guilt has caused him to keep track of his daughter even though she has no idea of his existence. Add in Afghanistan and some of our "enhanced interrogation" techniques, and you have a complex plot. Not for readers who think America can do no wrong.
S**F
Not up to the hype, for me, but some good writing, an intgeresting feel for the global environment.
I had high expectations because of glowing reviews, and was disappointed because of that, though it's not a bad book. I was annoyed by the skipping around in time and place, very confusing, the latest fad in writing these books. If you read it, keep pen and paper handy, to try to keep track of what is happening where when. In general, I felt the author is good at exploiting all the sensational tricks of the trade, but so what? Some really nice passages of writing, though, and an interesting feeling of the global environment these days.
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