Markus Lutteman is a Swedish journalist and author of twelve books, both fiction and non-fiction. His debut, ”El Choco”, a documentary novel based on the spectacular story of Jonas Andersson, a Swede who served time in the infamous San Pedro prison in Bolivia, has sold more than 200,000 copies in Sweden.

The second book, Utsatt (Exposed), tells the fascinating real life story of adopted girl Ester Jansson, while at the same revealing the shadier parts of the international adoption industry of yesterday and today.

In 2011 Lutteman co-wrote the best selling auto biography of high jumper Patrik Sjoberg, triple Olympic medalist and former world record holder. In the book Sjoberg for the first time revealed that his coach and stepfather Viljo Nouisainen had sexually abused him as a young boy.
Click here to read a Reuters article about Patrik’s story. Or watch him set the world record in this video clip from 1987.

The next collaboration resulted in ”Per Holknekt 1960-2014”, a biography about the unlikely life of Swedish skateboard pro, fashion designer, entrepreneur, millionaire, song writer and alcoholic Per Holknekt.
Read more about Per Holknekt in English. Or watch this TV-interview. Or why not catch a glimpse of his skateboarding talents in this clip from California, 1984.

In 2014 Markus Lutteman entered the world of fiction. He teamed up with world renowned crime novelist Mons Kallentoft to write a series of thrillers in which they use elements from the Greek myth of the twelve labours of Hercules to write modern dark stories of Stockholm’s criminal underworld. The first novel in the series, ”Zack”, was an immediate success in Sweden, and international rights have so far been sold to twelve countries, including France, Germany and the USA. Zack was followed by ”Leon” in 2015 and ”Bambi” one year later. Book number four is titled Heroine, and was released in Sweden on June 12, 2017.

On September 22, 2016, Markus Lutteman released ”Blodmåne” (Blood Moon), a critically acclaimed and well researched thriller about rhino poaching and the multi million dollar illegal wildlife trade. As part of the research, Markus camped in the South African bush, surrounded by lions, leopards and other wild animals. Watch the trailer here.

In 2019 Markus Lutteman once again took his writing in a new direction. ”Floden” (Surface)  is a haunting and evocative story about unhealed wound and the fear of being unable to escape one’s fate. Using elements of suspense and connections to literary classics, the novel poses questions that make us reflect on how we live our modern lives and what happens after death.

Markus returned to non-fiction with Förortssnuten (Ghetto Cop),  the true story of Hanif Azizi, who grew up on a military base in the Iraqi desert. His parents were fighters for the Iranian rebel movement, the People’s Mujahedin, and the struggle against Khomeini permeated every aspect of life. After his father was killed in the war, nine-year-old Hanif took his younger brother by the hand and began an escape that eventually brought him to Sweden. Drawn back toward the militant movement of his parents, he returned to Iraq to fight their war, before a turning point led him to pursue a career as a police officer instead. The book explores exile, radicalization, and the challenges of policing in Sweden’s marginalized neighborhoods.

Markus Lutteman’s latest book is Smugglarens väg (Way of the smuggler), which tells the unique, true story of the only Swede who has worked for both the Medellín Cartel and the Cali Cartel, Colombia’s most powerful cocaine empires at the time. It is a tale of crime, betrayal, and violence – and of a family trying to hold together as the world around them falls apart.