John Ajvide Lindqvist

Today (March 20th 2025) marks the release of The Spirit in the Machine, the highly anticipated conclusion to John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Bloodstorm-trilogy—his first venture into crime fiction.

The series began with The Writing in the Water, where an idyllic Midsummer’s Eve in the Stockholm archipelago turned into a nightmare. In the sequel, The Room in the Ground, Kim Ribbing sought to understand the man who had tormented him for years.

If the first book was grand and international and the second one claustrophobic and intimate, then the third one is contemporary and political. It deals with a multitude of current issues such as terrorism, right-wing extremism, activism, and AI.

In The Spirit in the Machine, Sweden is shaken by a devastating terrorist attack at Stockholm’s Royal Dramatic Theatre. Julia Malmros, returning to duty, and Kim Ribbing find themselves entangled in a complex investigation that touches on terrorism, far-right extremism, activism, and artificial intelligence. As they navigate a web of danger and deception, they must also confront their own inner demons.

Lindqvist—renowned for modern horror classics like Let the Right One In and Handling the Undead—continues to push boundaries with his distinctive blend of psychological depth and genre-defying storytelling. With The Spirit in the Machine, he delivers a gripping and thought-provoking finale, tackling pressing societal issues while keeping readers on edge.

And, knowing John we don’t believe this is the last we see of Julia, Kim and Astrid…