HIGH RISK

The latest in Ahrnstedt’s High Stakes series (All In, 2016, etc.) sends a Swedish journalist on her toughest assignment yet—true love.

Reporter Ambra Vinter is on assignment for Aftonbladet when she begrudgingly returns to Kiruna, Sweden, where she once lived with her abusive foster parents. There, she meets surly, bearded Tom Lexington, an ex-soldier who now works for a private security firm. It’s not exactly love at first sight. He’s still recovering from a dangerous rescue mission in Chad last summer, and it doesn’t help that his ex, whose memory he clung to while he was held captive, has moved on with someone else. When the subject of Ambra’s story, 92-year-old Elsa Svensson, turns out to have a connection to her childhood, Ambra decides to stay in town to investigate. But an unexpected fling with Tom brings her closer to an even more scandalous story—one that could potentially make or break both their careers. As Ambra reports the news, grows closer to Tom, and reconnects with her foster sister, pop star Jilliana Lopez, the subplots unfold like a front page with multiple headlines, with many pages to flip through before each is resolved. But it’s a pleasure to get lost in Sweden, with its dazzling northern lights, steamy saunas, and delicious-sounding food such as “coffee cheese.”

The cold nights fly by in a blur of romance, intrigue, and adventure—a cozy read for a snow day.