Q&A: Anders de la Motte, Author of ‘The Mountain King’

We chat with author Anders de la Motte about The Mountain King, which is an atmospheric and sinister mystery, perfect for fans of the Nordic thrillers of Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson, and follows an overachieving female inspector investigating the darkest side of humanity.

Hi, Anders! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hi everyone, my name is Anders de la Motte (first name Nordic, last name French that makes all kinds of bookings and reservations a bit of a challenge…)

I’m Swedish, born in 1971 and grew up in the countryside in Southern Sweden. I’ve worked as a police officer in Stockholm, and later as a a Security manager first for UPS, later for DELL – covering Europe, Middle East and Africa. Since 2012 I’m a full time writer. I live in south Sweden with my wife Anette, who is also a writer, our dog Alba (a Welsh springer Spaniel) and our two boys. We also live part-time in Spain and we travel to NYC and Italy any chance we get.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

My mother is a librarian so I was introduced to books at a very early age. My ever first written note is from when I was five (it is a complaint about too early bed time). I’ve always loved that instant teleportation you get from a book – in just seconds you can travel to the end of the universe, back in time, or way into the future. And you can meet any sorts of people, follow their actions and experience their thoughts and emotions.  Like all authors I’m first and foremost a reader. I’ve been sitting in the backseat enjoying thousands of stories from fantastic authors, and at some stage I realized I wanted to try to drive the car myself. So I climbed into the drivers seat and gave it a try. And since more than 10 years I’m one of the very fortunate people to have my hobby as a job, a job I absolutely love!

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Oh, hard question. I started so very early and went through all the childrens books at the library. (Astrid Lindgren is of course mandatory for Swedes and just as imprinted in our DNA as IKEA furniture) But I clearly remember the sensation of reading my first Agatha Christie (Evil under the sun), when I was around 8-9 or so. That was probably the first adult fiction I read, and I absolutely loved it.
• The one that made you want to become an author: The New York trilogy by Paul Auster – no question!

Your latest novel, The Mountain King, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Suspenseful, thrilling, dark-humoured,  familiar yet innovative (Ok so that was probably six…)

What can readers expect?

A classic police-procedural-thriller-chasing-a-killer but in a new format, with some very unusual main characters in a very unusual section of the police. Add to that some very thrilling Urban Exploration sites, a touch of Nordic folklore and off-course the Mountain King himself – a serial killer with a very, very innovative Modus Operandi.  “True Detective” meeting “X-files” with a touch of “Silence of the lambs” would be my elevator pitch.

Where did the inspiration for The Mountain King come from?

When I was a young rookie cop we worked in a dark basement that resembles the one in the book. At the end of the corridor were three closed doors that we thought were empty offices. After about a month there, somebody brought in birthday cake. Magically, the three doors swung open and three gentlemen, slightly red-eyed and mint-smelling, nodded politely, got their cake and returned to their offices, never to be seen again.

I’ve always wondered who they were and what they did, so for the mountain king I invented “the department of lost souls”, as place where cases as well as careers go to slowly die.

And to create friction I came up with Leonore Asker, a classic over-achiever who is “promoted” as department head. Forcing Leo to work with her total opposites created the tension that I needed to get started. I’ve also been fascinated by figurines and model landscapes, there is something chilling about those moments  that are sort of frozen in time and only come alive the seconds that the model train passes. And also, I’m really into Urban Exploration, so that is why I invented Martin Hill, professor of architecture and avid Urbexer. Abandoned places are a perfect back-drop for a thriller.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I enjoy them all, but perhaps in particular the odd team at the department of lost souls. They are very difficult to manage, but as Leo discovers over time – can also be very useful if motivated properly. (cake helps…)

What led you to writing crime fiction?

I’ve loved crime fiction since my first Agatha Christie, and I have explored many of its sub genres. I really enjoy building suspense and the cloak-and-dagger games that you as a writer play with the reader. I sometimes describe writing crime fiction as being a magician or an illusionist. We trick the reader to look the wrong way at a critical moment in order to perform our tricks. This trick has to be executed perfectly in order to impress the audience.

The main difference is that the magician gets to pull the rabbit out of the hat and then go home. As a writer you have to explain how you did the trick and invent an new one for the next book.

As you probably can tell, I really love my job!

What’s next for you?

In May me and my (half Italian) wife Anette are releasing a murder-mystery/whodunnit story here in Sweden. It is the first in a hopefully long series called “Murder under the Sun” and is set in Italy, revolving at little Nordic/Italian travel agency. Agatha Christie meets White Lotus with pasta, wine and off course a clever murder-mystery, would be the elevator pitch. Style, plot and characters are very different from the Asker series, but I really enjoy using all the tools in the crime-writers toolbox.

After that I will work on the third book in the Asker series titled “The Rust woods”. Very much looking forward to that. (second installment “The Glass man” has already been released here.)

Lastly, are there any 2024 book releases that you’re looking forward to?

See above, SO looking forward to releasing a book with my very gifted and clever wife and doing joint book-tours.

Will you be picking up The Mountain King? Tell us in the comments below!