Lars Kepler

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Lore & Background

Alexander Ahndoril grew up in Upplands Väsby, north of Stockholm, and initially wanted to be a painter, producing large oil paintings inspired by Caravaggio. He practiced Muay Thai, was accepted into a ranger unit, studied philosophy, religion, and film at university, and had his first novel published at age nineteen. Before writing as Lars Kepler, he had written nine novels, twenty theatre plays, and one opera libretto. Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril grew up in southern Sweden, trained as an actress at the National Academy of Mime and Acting in Stockholm, earned a master's degree in literary science, and began a PhD dissertation on the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. She published three historical novels before collaborating with Alexander. The couple married in 1994 and have three daughters, living in central Stockholm.

Reader's Guide

The Lars Kepler pseudonym carries layered meaning: 'Lars' honors Swedish crime author Stieg Larsson, who inspired the duo to write crime fiction, while 'Kepler' references the German scientist Johannes Kepler, whose calculations of planetary orbits paved the way for Newton's theories on gravity. The secrecy around the pseudonym was intentional, allowing the books to be judged without prejudice and letting Lars Kepler stand independently. The Ahndorils' earlier individual work explored the blurring of fiction and reality—Alexander's novel The Director crafted a fictive story about Ingmar Bergman, and Alexandra wrote about Fernando Pessoa's use of heteronyms. In autumn 2015, a stand-alone novel titled Playground was published under the Kepler name. On 18 February 2020, Albert Bonniers Förlag announced that Lars Kepler was the best-selling author of the decade in Sweden across all categories, genres, and formats. The first Joona Linna novel, The Hypnotist, was adapted into a 2012 Swedish film directed by Lasse Hallström, submitted as Sweden's entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards. An Apple TV series titled Nocturne, based on the Joona Linna series, is set to premiere on October 30, 2026.

Did You Know?

• The pseudonym Lars Kepler was revealed by Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet in August 2009, after initial speculation had pointed to Henning Mankell.
• Alexander Ahndoril practiced Muay Thai and was accepted into a ranger unit before becoming a writer.
• Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril trained as an actress at the National Academy of Mime and Acting in Stockholm and later earned a master's degree in literary science.
• The stand-alone novel Playground was published in autumn 2015 under the Lars Kepler name.
• On 18 February 2020, Albert Bonniers Förlag announced Lars Kepler as the best-selling author of the decade in Sweden across all categories, genres, and formats.