Tracking the Mysterious Book Thief

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( Books [The Spine Collector]( For years, a mysterious figure has been stealing books before their release. Is it espionage? Revenge? Or a complete waste of time? Illustration: by Madison Ketcham On the morning of March 1, 2017, Catherine Mörk and Linda Altrov Berg were in the offices of Norstedts, a book publisher in Sweden, when they received an unusual email. A colleague in Venice was asking for a top-secret document: the unpublished manuscript of the forthcoming fifth book in Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium” series. The books, which follow hacker detective Lisbeth Salander, have sold more than 100 million copies. David Lagercrantz, another Swedish writer, had taken over the series after Larsson’s death, and his latest — The Man Who Chased His Shadow — was expected to be one of the publishing events of the year. Norstedts was guarding the series closely. Lagercrantz wrote his first “Millennium” book on a computer with no connection to the internet and delivered the manuscript on paper, at which point Norstedts mailed a single copy to each of the book’s international publishers. With the new title, Norstedts wanted to streamline the process — Lisbeth Salander’s publisher, it figured, should be able to protect itself from hackers and thieves. Mörk and Altrov Berg, who handle foreign rights at Norstedts, consulted with other publishers of blockbuster books. The translators working on one of Dan Brown’s follow-ups to [The Da Vinci Code](, for instance, were required to work in a basement with security guards clocking trips to the bathroom. Norstedts decided to try sharing the new “Millennium” book via Hushmail, an encrypted-email service, with passwords delivered separately by phone. Everyone would have to sign an NDA. [Read The Story »]( The Latest TV Recaps • [Bachelor in Paradise Season Premiere:](The Beach That Makes You Bold • [Reservation Dogs:]( Creator’s Medicine (Buds, Beer, and Backstrap) [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [What Do Fiction Writers Owe Their IRL Inspiration? “Cat Person” and Stillwater constantly betray their main characters. It’s what makes them interesting.]( [They Call Him Loop Daddy Marc Rebillet livestreams improvised music to millions of fans, often in just his boxer briefs.]( [The Beauty and the Horror of Insane Clown Posse’s Summer Festival Converted fan Nathan Rabin explains the appeal of a group once derided as a “magnet for ignorance.”]( [Nine Perfect Strangers Is Alluring But Empty The promise of a strong cast and an intriguing premise isn’t enough to compensate for this limited series’s lack of identity.]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Devour pop culture with us: [Subscribe to Vulture now for unlimited access.]( Vulture Recommends We consume it all so you don’t have to. Illustration: by James Clapham • Good finales offer catharsis. The best deny us closure altogether. We rounded up [the 101 greatest endings in movies history.]( [Read more from Vulture]( If you enjoyed reading Vulture’s daily newsletter, forward it to a friend. Or dive deeper into the Vulture universe with our other newsletters: • [1.5x Speed](: Podcast recommendations and listening notes from Nick Quah, sent every Wednesday. • [Buffering](: Joe Adalian reports on the streaming industry, sent every Thursday. • [Read Like the Wind](: Book recommendations and literary mischief by Molly Young, sent the first Tuesday of every month. • [The Housewives Institute Bulletin](: For dedicated students of the Reality TV Arts and Sciences, sent every other Friday. [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe](param=daily) | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on e-mail newsletters please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 11th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2021, All rights reserved