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Thomas Quick: The Making of a Serial Killer Kindle Edition

by Hannes Råstam (Author), Elizabeth Day (Foreword, Introduction), Henning Koch (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 63 ratings
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This journalist’s revealing investigation into the notorious case of Sweden’s most prolific serial killer reads like “a real-life Scandinavian crime novel” (The Observer, UK).

In 1992, Thomas Quick confessed to the murder of an eleven-year-old boy who had been missing for twelve years. Over the next decade, Quick confessed to more than thirty unsolved murders, revealing that he had maimed, raped, and eaten the remains of his victims.

In the years that followed, investigative journalist Hannes Råstam became obsessed with Quick’s case. He studied the investigations in forensic detail. He scrutinized every interrogation, read and re-read the verdicts, watched the police re-enactments and tracked down the medical records and personal police logs—until finally he was faced with a horrifying uncertainty.

In the spring of 2008, Råstam travelled to where Thomas Quick was serving a life sentence. He had one question for Sweden’s most abominable serial killer. And the answer turned out to be far more terrifying than the man himself . . .

“Sweden’s most suspenseful murder mystery may not be a fictional account from Stieg Larsson or Henning Mankell. It may end up being the true story of Thomas Quick.” —The Wall Street Journal

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  1. Print length
    479 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Canongate Books
  5. Publication date
    July 4, 2013
  6. File size
    2869 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Reads like a real-life Scandinavian crime novel (Elizabeth Day Observer)

The book is at its best when the quick-witted R�stam is in charge, asking the right questions, cutting through the lies and getting to the bottom of things. In fact, our intrepid investigative sleuth, with his barely concealed excitement and curious reporter's glee is one of the most delightful things about this book (We Love this Book)

It's appalling, it's true, and it's utterly phenomenal reading (Leif GW Persson)

Memorable (Ed Caeser The Sunday Times)

The case of convicted serial killer Thomas Quick is an absolutely amazing story, which if it weren't true, you would not believe. In his gripping account, Hannes R�stam reveals the most extraordinary series of failures and credulity on the part of the so-called criminal justice experts. Piece by piece, R�stam strips away the evidence against Quick until there is nothing left but the awful question of how he was ever convicted of murder, not just once but eight times (Alex McBride author of Defending the Guilty)

The book is a superb work of journalism. R�stam sadly died last year from cancer, but he would no doubt be proud to have this as his legacy (Killing Time Crime)

About the Author

Hannes R�stam was an investigative reporter for SVT (Swedish Public Broadcasting). He won a number of awards for his work, including the Golden Spade, the Great Journalist Award, the Prix Italia, the Golden Nymph and FIPA d'Or. After a battle with cancer, R�stam passed away while finishing this, his first book.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00CD49LKQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Canongate Books; Main edition (July 4, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 4, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2869 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 479 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 63 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Henning Koch

    Henning Koch

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    Henning Koch was born in Sweden but at an early age moved to England. After studying English Literature at London University, he spent a decade traveling and working in Asia, the United States, Spain and South America. He has a strong interest in literary translation and he has introduced a number of Swedish writers on the international stage. His love for Mediterranean and Hispanic culture has been a strong influence in his writing. His short story collection "Love Doesn't Work" and his novel "The Maggot People" are both published by US independent publisher Dzanc, and his novel "A Bit of Black" is available on Kindle.

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  2. Hannes Råstam

    Hannes Råstam

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Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
63 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

PB
5.0 out of 5 stars Mind boggling!
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2023
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I could not put this book down once I started it! One of the most fascinating books I have ever read. The task Hannes Rastam set out to perform was nothing short of Herculean, yet he accomplished it. I do not know which is more mind boggling, that fact, or the incomprehensible chase Sture Bergwall led everyone on. A spell-binding read!
2 people found this helpful
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Marlene Burrows
4.0 out of 5 stars very interesting
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2014
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How easy it is to fool people who want to be fooled. The ending of the book was disappointing, what happened to Thomas Quick,
One person found this helpful
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Robert Reardon
5.0 out of 5 stars Do yourself a favor ...
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2014
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If you're a true crime fan, do yourself a favor and read this book. Most true crime books are so formulaic, but this one breaks the mold - shatters it! I was shocked and pleasantly surprised and compelled to read further.
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking and Disturbing
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2013
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This book is a must-read for any fan of true crime novels, especially those with an interest in serial killers. The book is well-written and well-documented and describes a legal and judicial travesty in Sweden.
2 people found this helpful
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Gail Merrill
4.0 out of 5 stars Caught my attention. Interesting read.
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2015
I found the title intriguing. The author did a fabulous exploration of the facts; a lot of detail. The therapists, the police, the prosecutors, the newspapers, they all played a role, a significant role, not one you might wish for. And the patient, what will you think of his role? The impact on families. This book is an education, memorable. I would have loved to read more of the author's work.
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Top reviews from other countries

Jippu
5.0 out of 5 stars The biggest court scandal in Sweden
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2014
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This is an indispensable book on what arguably is the biggest judicial scandal in Sweden after the war. A severely drugged and overtherapized man succeeded in confessing and being convicted of nine murders, none of which he had committed and had not even been near the places. What is worse, Sweden's highest overseer of the legality of decisions still believes that the courts did not do anything wrong and even insinuates that the man might be guilty. Hannes Råstam was an investigative journalist who became interested in the matter, looked at all the facts, and was able to show that all the judgments were wrong and single handedly achieved the annulment of the judgments. Unfortunately, Råstam died before the matter was completely closed. Thomas Quick a.k.a. Sture Bergwall (his original and present name) is still kept in the mental hospital. because the hospital does not want to admit its mistakes. There is a parallel book by Dan Josefsson (in swedish only for now) which looks more closely into the second scandal, that of Quick's treatment by psychoanalysts who believed in recovered memories and duped the police investigators to believe that his memories were real (although they has a built-in interest to slant get him convicted).
Warmly recommended!
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Ross
3.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic case but a frustrating book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2014
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I don't really know where to start with this review, I suppose a brief premise. Thomas Quick, real name Sture Bergwall, confessed to upwards of 30 brutal and vicious murders across Sweden over a series of years. Yet upon analysis of the evidence by astoundingly meticulous journalist, Hannes Rastam, the sinister reality of the situation begins to emerge.

In my mind, it's important to make a division in this review namely because I found the book to be of far less interest than the case itself. As a Swedish friend of mine who grew up hearing about the case pointed out, Rastam died during the writing of this book and his assistant was forced to finish it. Although the exact overlap or moments of transition between the two authors can only ever be speculative, there were instances where I felt it was obvious.

The book begins with an excellent 160 pages+ which are written extremely well and seemed to breeze past. Around this mark however, the book makes a descent. It begins to become extremely detail-oriented and is not aided by the the extremely staccato style which at times often felt like an extremely long and elaborate list of bullet points. To my mind, at least, this betrays perhaps the assistant's unfamiliarity with the subject matter and a desire to convey everything that Rastam had garnered over his obsessive (not pejorative) investigation. The book continues to do this for many of Quick's cases (which were ultimately very similar) and for me, it really stunned the pace and diluted tension. At these points, I found it best to let the details wash over me and unless you are an aspirational detective or a manic details-hund, you would do best to follow suit or risk being inundated with repetition. The book's approach to reinforcing it's premise (that a miscarriage of justice had occurred) was nothing short of exhaustive and verged on insecurity (likely that of the assistant to do right by Rastam).

Speaking of tension, the primary "turn" or reveal of the mystery outlined in the blurb is done within the first 200 pages (i.e. what motivated Quick). I can't discuss it in too much detail without giving it away but the book could have been chronologically structured in a far more effective and novelistic manner. As such, this stifling of tension meant perhaps the only thing that kept me reading was a general interest in the case which is in itself nothing short of fascinating. (EDIT: However, I've since been told by aforementioned Swedish friend that the people of Sweden were hearing about Quick's case almost daily so for them, the main mysteries lied in the unravelling of the cases as Rastam has done.) As you progress through the book, you wonder how such an extensive perversion could take place and wonder what the people responsible were truly thinking. This is where the terror of the case truly lies along with the fact that those responsible for the murders Quick confessed to are still at large.

That said, there is an invaluable lesson at the heart of this grisly fable. This book is far greater than the sum of its parts as there is real virtue to be gleaned in the form of an upgrade or at very least a reinforcement of your own critical faculties. For myself, it reminded me to always question and never accept information at face value; to stay critical.

The Thomas Quick case is absolutely enthralling but whether the book is the optimum vessel for conveying it, I don't know as I'm yet to find an English-subtitled version of Rastam's SVT documentaries.

Still, this book is a must for anyone interested in true crime and the functioning (or not) of legal systems.
4 people found this helpful
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John Prentice
3.0 out of 5 stars Fairly good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 21, 2014
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the story was not consistent enough for me.much too complex I will stick to American true crime by tried and trusted authors.
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DGC
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2017
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Gripping. Never heard of it but well written and definitely 'different'
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