The Dark Day

A crime novel with thriller elements about family secrets, missing children and a society that has failed those it was supposed to protect.

Sixteen-year-old Sara disappears during a party in a holiday home in the Swedish Lapland mountains, just as a violent snowstorm rolls in. At first, the guests think she went out voluntarily. But when her mobile phone is traced to the mountains and a lone diadem is found in the drifting snow, it is clear that something much darker has happened.

Mountain rescuer Mira Salo is drawn into the search effort together with the police. For Mira, the case quickly becomes personal – Sara is not just another name on a map, but a young woman she has known and guided. At the same time, Mira is carrying her own unhealed grief after her sister Hilda's mysterious disappearance the year before.

At the same time, a series of people die under brutal and mysterious circumstances. The police soon see a connection between the murders and Sara's disappearance, which becomes part of the full-scale murder investigation. The victims turn out to have been part of a system that once betrayed a vulnerable girl: the school counselor who failed to act, the social worker who misplaced her, the journalist who chose silence. Now it seems someone has decided to take their own justice.

At the center is Sara's seemingly perfect family: a successful entrepreneur father with a need for control, a mother who is slowly suffocating behind the facade and a family where everyone seems to be hiding something.

The Dark Day combines classic detective mystery and police investigation work with psychological thriller, where the threat constantly creeps closer to the main characters. In a snow-covered Kiruna and Björkliden, where nature can be as deadly as people, the story is driven towards a climax where the truth risks costing more lives.

Part 2 in the series about Mira Salo in Kiruna. Mira is forced to navigate wild natural forces and human darkness, while trying to keep her private life together.

Reviews: 

"Masterclass in escalation. The author has created a strong concept that she clearly enjoys working with. We readers do too!"  -Kapprakt

"It is a tight, skillfully interwoven plot in which secrets are revealed until the reader finally understands what happened on that fateful day. The suspense mounts and delivers surprises right up to the resolution, which lays bare raw personal traumas and boundless ruthlessness toward the vulnerable. The landscape of Northern Sweden enhances the portrayal of the dark events, the characters, and their interrelationships. This is a truly well-written thriller that combines narrative drive with psychological depth." - 5 out 5 , BTJ Library Services. no 15 2026 , Helene Ehriander

"Wow, this was so exciting! And beautifully written! The motive and the catalyst for the events are well-conceived and moving, and Gabriella has woven the storyline together masterfully. The settings—and the skills Mira possesses, in particular—add even more to the atmosphere.

It was a totally immersive read from start to finish; even though I rarely have the energy to read late at night, I stayed up well into the night to finish it!" - Boksann

"I consider this to be one of Gabriella Ullberg Westin’s best books, and it’s going to be a long wait for the third installment." - Basilicablogg