It is the summer of 1852 in Kengis, the northernmost part of Sweden. The pastor and revivalist Lars Levi Læstadius literally picks up a young Sami boy from a ditch. The boy's name is Jussi, and he has run away from home to escape violence and hunger. The pastor takes him under his wing, and Jussi becomes his student and loyal follower on his botanical treks along the Pajala trail.

When a milkmaid goes missing in the forest and is found dead, and a second girl is attacked, the pastor takes on the role of a detective with Jussi as his assistant. Villagers attribute the attacks to a large and angry bear that is tormenting the area, but the pastor suspects that a far more dangerous predator is on the loose.

KÓKA BJØRN is a captivating novel that details the impact of dire events on a small society. It is a crime story in the northernmost part of Sweden, set in a past that reeks of liqour, sweat and hunger. It is a book that pierces your heart.