FRIDA SKYBÄCK (1980) is an author and former high school teacher who made her literary debut in 2011. Since then, she has written twelve novels that have been sold to multiple territories. In 2018, Skybäck published her internationally bestselling novel The Bookshop on Riverside Drive, which was nominated for several awards. With a razor-sharp pen, Skybäck writes about complicated relationships and gruesome destinies.

In 2022, Skybäck launched a new crime series revolving around police investigator Fredrika Storm, set against the backdrop of her home region Skåne in Southern Sweden. The second installment was released in 2023, and the highly anticipated third book was published in August 2024 by Polaris. The fourth book is slated for release in August 2025.

 

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Reviews

“Birds of Sorrow is well-written […]. The characters are unique, complex, and believable and the novel deserves a special mention because the resolution does not feel contrived, but authentic and convincing.”
– BTJ (SE)

“Skybäck’s first crime novel is an impressive debut.”
– Smålandsposten (SE)

“The character portrayal is exceptional. It is here that Skybäck shines the brightest.”
– Skånska Dagbladet (SE)

“Multifaceted and fascinating characters in a very enjoyable page turner.”
– Aftonbladet (SE)

“Melancholy suspense and dark family secrets!”
– Femina (SE)

“It is wonderfully well-written  […] This is really good, and one can only look forward to the next installment.”
– Kapprakt (SE)

“A grand, new thrilling crime novel from the Swedish author that promises many more cases for this unusual team of investigators.”
– News (DE)

“Frida Skybäck has given her characters room to develop further in the next installment of the new crime series. If she knows how to take care of these opportunities, there is certainly a reason to look forward to further Skåne crime novels.”
– Ruhr Nachrichten (DE)

“Thrilling crime from Sweden.”
– Plus Magazin (DE)

“Very thrilling first case for Fredrika Storm, which will hopefully be followed by many more.”
– Mainhattan Kurier (DE)

“The author tells the story slowly, with a lot of details, and gives the crime novel space to develop.”
– Leselupe (DE)

“You don’t have to read Birds of Sorrow for long before you realize that despite its ordinary looks, this is quality work by a quality author. […] Frida Skybäck’s prose flows smoothly and the plot keeps twisting in new addictive ways. […] The pages turn effortlessly, as Skybäck is exceptionally inventive regarding both new twists in relation to clues, as well as personal relationships.”
– Kulttuuriutiset (FI)

“Birds of Sorrow is a gripping crime novel that takes place in a milieu full of contrasts.”
– Krajské listy (CZ)

“A well-written and clever crime novel”
– Allers (SE)

“A thrilling mystery”
– BTJ (SE)

“White Angel is a well-written and suspenseful crime novel, a page turner. […] Frida Skybäck succeeds in merging social issues with the crime story in a fascinating way.”
– Kapprakt (SE)

“Frida Skybäck writes on the highest level, it’s well phrased and endlessly suspenseful!”
– Pascal Engman, author of the successful Vanessa Frank series

“Enchantingly good, and with a unique twist. About sisterhood, betrayal and finding a place to heal.”
– Tara (SE)

“A charming and well written novel about difficult decisions, relationships, friends and a longing to seek one’s roots. If you like Nora Roberts’s novels about energetic and determined women and movies such as You’ve Got Mail and Notting Hill, then this is the book for you.”
– Agneta Norrgård, SVT Go’kväll (SE)

“The Bookshop on Riverside Drive is a charming story about both love and sorrow, sprinkled with entertaining references to the world of literature. Clearly Frida Skybäck’s best book so far! […] For everyone who loves to read, it is like following along into a hidden chamber of treasures.”
– Amelia (SE)

“[…] praise to Skybäck who characterizes the subjects well, giving each one a personal plot that allows them to live as a character. […] Skybäck did not disappoint me.”
– The Book Advisor (IT)

“The best feelgood novel of the year. The Book Club at the End of the World is a book which downright sparkles with reading and storytelling joy.”
– Amelia (SE)

“The tempo, suspense and curiosity drive the reader forward. The characters are sketched with warmth, and there is also a dose of humor in the picturesque environment.”
– BTJ (SE)

“Frida Skybäck captures the very essence of the uniting power of reading in a way that completely warms my heart.”
– Johanna Wistedt, Modernista (SE)

“Skybäck is a Swedish mix of Lucy Dillon and Nora Roberts.”
– Denise Rudberg, Author of Dancing Queen

“A wonderfully rich story with all the ingredients needed to create great feelgood!”
– Expressen Söndag, 4/5 Stars (SE)

“The Book Cabinet’s Secret is an intense, eventful and warm story about love, fate and courage. The two parallel stories are skillfully weaved together and makes up a well written feelgood novel worth reading.”
– BTJ (SE)

“With pure instinct and perception, the author illustrates characters, atmospheres, and emotions that are spot on. The Book Cabinet’s Secret excels in the art of combining escapism with being down-to-earth and does not shy away from portraying despair as well as breathtaking love set both during the Second World War and today. With this book, Frida Skybäck shows that she is our uncrowned queen of feelgood.”
– Johanna Wistedt, Modernista (SE)

“Strong and realistic. Rootless is as much a tense as a genuine portrayal of the divided lives of people in Malmö today.”
– Smålandsposten (SE)

“Frida Skybäck has accomplished something quite remarkable with her drama in the form of a novel. With contained rage she portrays how the victim and perpetrator meet, and how the underlying issues can arise. Rootless is a suspense novel, but also a flaming torch.”
– Ölandsbladet (SE)

“This is both a gripping novel about relationships and a suspenseful story. The portrayal of Malmö is colorful, and the people there are vividly and credibly described.”
– BTJ (SE)

“Frida Skybäck masters the different aspects of storytelling and with Rootless it becomes dramatic, thrilling and gripping about family ties, class differences and the immensity of love.”
– Kapprakt (SE)

“A touching mystery.”
– Året runt (SE)

Books

Series

The Fredrika Storm Series Learn More

Press Images

fotograf camilla gewing stalhane © Camilla Gewing-Stålhane
fotograf camilla gewing stalhane © Camilla Gewing-Stålhane
fotograf camilla gewing stalhane © Camilla Gewing-Stålhane

Awards

2024 – Nominated for the Relay KitKat Paperback Prize in the Novel category for The Bookshop on Riverside Drive
2022 – Nominated for the Feelgood of the Year Award for The Book Cabinet’s Secret
2022 – Shortlisted for the Mofibo Awards for Best Translated Fiction for The Bookshop on Riverside Drive
2019 – Nominated for the Adlibris Award for Feelgood of the Year for The Book Club at the End of the World
2019 – Shortlisted for LovelyBooks Leserpreis for The Bookshop on Riverside Drive
2019 – Nominated for the Feelgood of the Year Award for The Bookshop on Riverside Drive

 

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