Queen of Thieves by John Rundberg translated by Annie Prime

“They’re going to live in a place called the Apple Farm,” whispers Margit. “They call it that because the house is surrounded by apple trees. In May the trees are white with flowers, and by summer, they’re covered with apples as sweet as sugar. They’ll all live together in a big house. The ground floor is Henrietta’s. Rufus, Kristina, and Ossian each have a room upstairs. The sea is so close you can smell it, and it’s light blue and crystal clear, not gray like the water here. And no one will ever go hungry ’cause there are chickens on the farm and wild raspberries growing everywhere.”

First off, I suggest you go back and take a look at my post about the first book from this series - The Moonwind Mysteries. I think this second book (2024) can stand alone but your reading enjoyment will be made all the richer if you can meet the characters and setting in Stockholm in the first book. 

The Night Raven

Mika lives in an orphanage. She has been there so long that now she is given responsibility for care of the young children. The kids trust her and usually tell her everything but then she sees two of the young children sneaking away. She follows them into the city and sees them enter a building only to emerge some time later in finer clothes. Ossian is being sent away to work for a foster family but he has run away, Rufus has found an apprenticeship as a chimney sweep, Kristina is acting very strangely - she clearly has a secret, and baby Nora is not well. 

As a reader I was sure the woman who promised a kind of utopia (described above) to the orphans should not be trusted but I had no idea about the diabolical robbery she had planned and of course no reader will ever guess the amazing way Mika working with Constable Hoff will manage to thwart her.

Here are a few text quotes:

“As previously reported, the Vega expedition is on its way home and currently located near Copenhagen. The scientist Nordenskiöld was the first explorer to sail through the so-called Northeast Passage. In addition to many scientific discoveries, it is rumored that the expedition has collected spectacular gifts from the many nations it has visited.

“Sweetheart, all I have to do is look at you; you’re like an open book. I see you sitting at the edge of your seat, as if you have no right to be here. And I know you work night shifts for a pittance with a wicked drunkard. But that’s not why I’m curious about you. I want to know why Constable Hoff sought you out in the first place. And what happened when your little mission ended? Were you hoping it would lead to something more?” The hairs on the back of Mika’s neck stand on end. It feels like Henrietta is looking straight into her. Reading her thoughts, the ones she’s never dared speak aloud. “Such a pity that Constable Hoff wasn’t who you thought he was,” says Henrietta sympathetically. 

“I knew you’d come.” While they are hugging, Mika notices a familiar figure behind Kristina. A tall, thin boy with dark, curly hair is sitting at the table in the living room. It’s Ossian. He briefly raises a hand in greeting and then turns away in shame. Mika wants to tell him she’s not angry with him, but then she hears the clacking sound of high heels, and Henrietta appears. As always, she’s wearing one of her long-sleeved dresses with lace trim. When Henrietta sees Mika, she is suddenly on her guard. Collectedly, she leans forward and whispers something to Kristina, who disappears into the living room and closes the door. With one quick snap of her elbow, Henrietta conjures a knife out of her left dress sleeve and holds the handle in her palm. With her back against the wall, she leans forward and vigilantly scans the stairwell.

Valdemar listens intently all the while. When Mika is done, he sits quietly. “How can she steal the gem in a room full of guests?” he asks finally. “The House of Nobility is always guarded. There will be guards inside and outside the hall.” “I don’t actually know,” admits Mika. “The kids are helping Henrietta with the performance. My job is to pick the lock to the Great Hall and steal the coat of arms.” The kitchen chair wobbles under Valdemar’s weight as he leans back and pensively strokes his beard. “So, in summary: you have no evidence and no idea how the theft is actually going to take place.”

The Vega crew are sitting at the head table; she recognizes Nordenskiöld from the newspapers. The king and queen are sitting at the head of the table closest to Henrietta. Next to the royal couple is a lower table displaying some of the items from the expedition. Mika sees sculptures, parts of a suit of armor, a bow, bowls, and various kinds of tools. In the middle of the table is a velvet pillow, and on top of the pillow sits a magically shimmering gemstone—the Magatama. ... She sees Kristina’s hair standing up straight from the centrifugal force. The blue line of a bulging artery in her throat. The white tablecloth on the head table. A disturbance to distract the audience. In that moment, Mika realizes the extent of Henrietta’s diabolical plan. The distraction isn’t going to come from a spilled wineglass. But from a torrent of blood.

Here is a review with more plot details.

A captivating game of cat and mouse. Kirkus

Listen to an audio sample here. This book was previously published as Tjuvdrottningen.

Bookseller blurb: After a merciless winter, spring has sprung in 1880 Stockholm, and the city awaits the arrival of the SS Vega, the first ship to have sailed the Northeast Passage. Life is busy at the orphanage, but twelve-year-old Mika quickly notices that the older orphans are up to something—and it doesn’t look good. When Constable Hoff approaches her with information about thefts around the city, Mika becomes even more concerned about what the other kids are up to—and what they might be planning for the Vega celebration. The police will have no sympathy for orphans, and she’d hate to see her friends condemned to life in jail. But Mika soon finds herself in a bind she can’t get out of—one that could condemn her own life. Can Mika uncover who is really behind the thefts in the city and keep her friends safe, without getting caught?

Johan Rundberg is an award-winning author of children’s books who lives in Stockholm. He has written picture books, early readers, and middle grade, including Kärlekspizzan, Knockad Romeo, and the series Häxknuten. In 2021, he was awarded Sweden’s most prestigious literary prize, the August Prize, in the children’s and YA category for Nattkorpen, the original edition of The Night Raven, the first book in the Moonwind Mysteries series. Nattkorpen was also the winner of a Swedish Crimetime Award in the children’s and YA category. There are now four books in this series published in Sweden.