Clinch

An ultra-gritty piece of contemporary Swedish noir, set in a decrepit, highly atmospheric 1930s Stockholm that is a far cry from the modern, egalitarian capital city of today. Harry Kvist, the perfect fall guy, becomes the primary suspect in a murder. The only witness certain to get him acquitted, a prostitiute named Sonja, disappeared without a trace. While he searches for Sonja, Harry must evade the law and also the real killer(s) who framed him.


Stockholm, 1932. Harry Kvist is a bisexual former boxer, scarred by both poverty and alcoholism, now working as a debt collector. One night the debtor Zetterberg is murdered, after one of Kvist's house calls. Kvist becomes the main suspect, a perfect fall guy complete with a sordid past and previous dealings with the law. The only witness certain to get him acquitted is Sonja, a prostitute, who has disappeared without trace.

In an attempt to clear his name, he sets out on a hunt through the poverty-stricken capital city, moving from brothels to illegal gambling dens, from contraband warehouses to illicit upper-class clubs, from shanty towns to luxury hotels. With the help of his revolver and his powerful right-hook, Kvist may just escape with his life...

Born in 1974, Martin Holmen studied history, and now teaches it at a Stockholm secondary school.Clinch is his first novel, and the first instalment in the planned trilogy about Kvist:Out for the Count and Slugger will also be published by Pushkin Vertigo.