New Book: ‘A Stronger Faith’

Today marks the publication day of Kaja Nygaard’s new book A Stronger Faith, the sequel to the breakout debut A Darker Water, in the series featuring police officers Martha Krogh and Erik Gjerde.

Summer has settled over a tourist-filled Stavanger when a grisly discovery shakes the city: a severed head is found impaled on a statue. Simultaneously, a young woman named Stine vanishes without a trace after a night out. Soon, the police identify the severed head as belonging to Fredrik Gundvall, a heavily criticized drag-queen. The police suspect a hate crime – until a second victim is found impaled on a statue, with no apparent connection to the queer community. The murders seem almost ritualistic. As the police dig deeper, a horrifying pattern begins to take shape, and police officer Martha Krogh is forced to consider that Stine’s disappearance could be connected to the statue murders, but as the investigation progresses, the truth turns out to be far more sinister than anyone could have suspected.

A Stronger Faith is the second book in Kaja Nygaard’s series following the flawed yet relentless heroine Martha Krogh and small-town police officer Erik Gjerde. Written in the vein of authors such as Samuel Bjørk and Jo Nesbø, Nygaard crafts a narrative steeped in unease and unrelenting elegance. In this chilling tale, Scandinavia’s new suspense star explores the dark depths of humanity, revenge and faith and how far people are willing to go to find belonging.

A Stronger Faith is published by Bonnier Norsk today, March 24th, 2025.