The Hidden Child

The Hidden Child (Swedish: Tyskungen) is a novel written by Swedish writer Camilla Läckberg. Crime writer Erika Falck, wife of Detective Patrik Hedström, is shocked to discover a Nazi medal wrapped inside a child's dress stained with blood, and a wartime diary among her late mother's possessions dating from the World War II era. Haunted by childhood memories of a cold, detached mother, she decides to investigate, unwittingly endangering her husband and newborn baby. Plot This is regarded as one of the more plot-driven novels in the series, with more emphasis on the story. Erika wants to write a 'great book' so Patrik goes on paternity leave to look after their baby while Erika writes her book. However, she becomes distracted by the discovery of her late mother's wartime diaries and a Nazi medal and consults with a local World War II historian. However, shortly after her visit, he is brutally murdered and it becomes clear that the past is still very much a part of some people's lives. The plot focuses on the discovery of a child's blood-spattered dress plus other memorabilia. Who would murder so cold-bloodedly to bury secrets so ancient? It soon becomes a masterfully interwoven plot of neo-Nazi Swedish politics, old friends with old secrets, ex-wives coming back into play, and a poor Patrik trying desperately to balance his role as a new father and his desire to help his fellow detectives.