'Suddenly it struck him: the windows had not fogged up as they usually did in the winter when his wife hung up the laundry inside. There was a sour smell and the house was unusually quiet.
'Where are the children?' he asked, receiving no answer.
On opening the door to the bedroom, Artur saw the large, round copper washtub sitting just inside. It was half full of water, and the rest had spilled out onto the floor. The water left in the tub contained traces of vomit.'
It is a cold Easter in the spring of 1929. Artur leaves his wife and three children alone for a few hours to go fetch firewood in the forest. When he returns, his world has collapsed. The story about Ingeborg Andersson and what happened that day in 1929 was a well-kept secret for seventy years. The tragic family drama is now being retold by Ingeborg Andersson's grand-niece, Maria Bouroncle.
A compelling and horrifying tale that will grip true-crime fans as Bouroncle's extensive research and tireless investigation slowly sheds light on her family's tightly-guarded family secret.
Maria Bouroncle is a Swedish author. An economist by profession, she spent over 25 years in the field of international development before publishing her first novel in 2018. It Came to Me on a Whim has been translated into several languages and is currently used on the Scandinavian Crime Literature course at UCLA. She lives in Washington, DC.
"Maria Bouroncle takes us deep into a story of real-life murder to show us the humanity – even love – behind the crime. A riveting read – haunting, atmospheric, and ultimately, heartbreaking."
Manil Suri, author of three acclaimed novels, including The Death of Vishnu, and a former contributing opinion writer at the New York Times.
