Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All - Couverture souple

“Comic genius. . . . This book is the funniest, most irreligious fantasy since The Book of Mormon. . . .  Jonasson just gets better and better. Highly recommended.” (Daily Express)

“Enormous fun. . . . The subversive charm of it lies in the hints that God, or the Universe or whatever, is smarter and funnier than any of us.” (The Times)

“Jonasson matches the irreverence of his debut The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. . . . It’s a thrilling ride.” (Financial Times)

“Irreverent and fun.” (Irish Examiner)

A funny and completely implausible farce about a woman, a bomb and a man’s frustrated ambition to overthrow the king of Sweden? The rest of the world will chuckle all the way through it. (Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden)

A funny and improbable tale with characters from South Africa to Sweden demonstrates how even the most seemingly insignificant people can change the fate of the world. (Denver Post on The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden)

[A] witty caper. ***1/2 (People on The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared)

The anti Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. . . Jonasson’s lighthearted novel shows the softer side of Sweden. . . . hilarious. (Marie Claire on The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared)

Fast-moving and relentlessly sunny. . . . The plot is pleasingly nimble and the book’s endearing charm offers a happy alternative to the more familiar Nordic noir. (The Guardian on The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared)

A madcap new novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author of The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden

Hitman Anders, recently out of prison, is doing small jobs for the big gangsters. Then his life takes an unexpected turn when he meets a female Protestant vicar (who also happens to be an atheist), and a homeless receptionist at a former brothel which is now a one-star hotel. The three join forces and concoct an unusual business plan based on Hitman Anders’ skills and his fearsome reputation. The vicar and receptionist will organize jobs for a group of gangsters, and will attract customers using the tabloids’ love of lurid headlines.

The perfect plan—if it weren’t for Hitman Anders’ curiosity about the meaning of it all. In conversations with the vicar, he turns to Jesus and, against all odds, Jesus answers him! The vicar can’t believe what’s happening. When Hitman Anders turns to religion, the lucrative business is in danger, and the vicar and the receptionist have to find a new plan, quick.

Fast-paced and sparky, the novel follows these bizarre but loveable characters on their quest to create a New Church, with all of Sweden’s gangsters hunting them. Along the way, it explores the consequences of fanaticism, the sensationalist press, the entrepreneurial spirit and straightforward human stupidity—and underlying all of it, the tenuous hope that it’s never too late start again.