Karin Alvtegen -- without any training or thought of becoming a novelist -- resolved to write her way out of some family tradedies: The result was her first novel, "Guilt" ("Skuld"), which was published in Sweden in 1998, to rave reviews. This was followed in 2000 by "Missing" ("Saknad"), which won Scandinavia's prestigious Glass Key award for Best Crime Novel of the Year, and went on to win an award for bestselling Scandinavian paperback. Her third novel, "Betrayal" ("Svek") -- coming next year from Felony and Mayhem -- was shortlisted for the Glass Key award, and also for the Swedish Crime Writers Academy award for Best Swedish Crime Novel of the year. And Swedish reviewers have called Alvtegen's most recent novel, "Shame" ("Skam") (also to come from Felony and Mayhem) her finest novel to date -- the work, in the words of one critic, of "a modern-day Strindberg." Karin Alvtegen is the great-niece of Astrid Lundgren, author of the ever-popular "Pippi Longstocking" books.