The Historians

 by Cecilia Ekback

The book takes place in 1943 in Sweden as the three countries, Denmark, Finland and Sweden are trying to figure out how to deal with/challenge the Germans.  The main character, Laura, is working for the Swedish government in the office of the Chief Negotiator with Germany.  Sweden had supposedly been neutral but is selling coal to German for its factories.

While in university Laura had been part of a small clique of history students who had a special relationship with a professor, they were considered wunderkids.  The prof challenged their ideas.  At one point he assigned them the task of designing a new religion.  This project causes the group to disintegrate.  Laura had kept in touch with one of the group, Britta.

One day Laura sees Britta in a restaurant with a Nazi official.  Around the same time Britta asks to meet with her.  They meet and Laura thinks Britta seems troubled but she doesn't tell her what is bothering her.  Shortly after a friend of Britta's contacts Laura to tell her that Britta has disappeared.  They search for her and eventually find her in a historical society building murdered, after having been tortured. 

Laura decides to recruit her former fellow students to try to figure out why Britta was murdered.  Soon after her apartment is destroyed by a explosion.

In another part of the story a government official receives a copy of Britta's thesis.  Not understanding what it is for he throws it out but notes the table of contents.

Meanwhile in a mining town in Sweden a young Sami girl, a trapper, has disappeared.  Her brother is trying to find her.  People seem to think she died in the woods but he is convinced she is still alive.  Then a local man wanders up the mountain near an area that is supposedly out of bounds and is found dead.  Later the mine Manager is shot.  The book has quite a bit of tension as the various people in the story are not sure who they can trust or what to believe.

It turns out that there is some secretive research on the Sami taking place on the mountain.  Like the Germans it seems some elements of Swedish society are interested in pursuing a pure Nordic race.

Laura is told by her father to leave things to the police after one of her fellow students is murdered but she doesn't take his advice and heads up the mine area.  Eventually the Sami in the mine area work together with the other miners to save the mine Manager and save the Sami being imprisoned on the mountain.  Laura is devastated to learn that her father had involvement in what was going on .

This was a well written book.  I enjoyed it and the twists at the end.