Three Seconds

Three Seconds (Swedish: Tre sekunder) is a dark thriller by the Swedish crime-writing team of Anders Roslund and Borge Hellström. First published in Sweden in 2009, it was translated into English in 2010. The novel deals with criminals in contemporary Sweden, the Police and Probation Officials who monitor these offenders, and the government who wants to use them as undercover operatives. Throughout, the story cross-cuts between characters, giving alternating points of view of Piet Hoffmann, a former criminal turned double agent; his handler, Erik Wilson; Ewert Grens, a determined detective whose efforts to solve a case threaten to expose Hoffmann; and officials from various agencies involved in Hoffmann's operation.