Set in Denmark in the here and now, The Quiet Girl centers around Kaspar Krone, a world-renowned circus clown with a deep love for the music of Johan Sebastian Bach, and an even deeper gambling debt. Wanted for tax evasion and on the verge of extradition, Krone is drafted into the service of a mysterious order of nuns who promise him reprieve from the international authorities in return for his help safeguarding a group of children with mystical abilities — abilities that Krone also shares. When one of the children goes missing, Krone sets off to find the young girl and bring her back, making a shocking series of discoveries along the way about her identity and the true intentions of his young wards. The result is a fast-paced, philosophical thriller blending social realism with the literary fantastic and pitting art and spirituality against corporate interests and nothing less than the will to war by the industrialized world. The Quiet Girl is a masterful, inventive novel that marks the triumphal return of one of the great writers of the international literary world.

"Heg built his bestselling mystery, Smilla's Sense of Snow, around the science of ice. In this labyrinthine, intellectual thriller, Heg focuses on the nature of sound, and in particular the music of Bach. In a near future where an earthquake and resulting flood have submerged a portion of the city of Copenhagen, Kasper Krone, a world-famous clown and passionate Bach fan, is about to be deported for not paying his taxes. But an official in a secret government agency known as Department H offers to make the charges disappear if Krone will help them locate a young girl, KlaraMaria, who was once his student and shares his peculiar psychic abilities. The blend of science, erudition and slow revelations could only have been written by Heg, and will appeal to his many fans and other readers with a taste for the literary offbeat." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"[An] engrossing, beautifully written tale of suspense. But in Peter Hoeg's hands, a thriller is never just a thriller." Philadelphia Inquirer

"[An] intellectual thriller combining such unlikely elements as an intimate knowledge of Bach's music, the geology of earthquakes, the Russian Orthodox Church in Denmark, and the impeccable timing of great circus clowns." Library Journal

"Overwritten and murky, but there's life in it — will appeal most to fans of Smilla's Sense of Snow." Kirkus Reviews

"Some readers may conclude that the novel spins out of control, untethered to any form of reality, but even they will respect Hoeg's genius for stretching the bounds of narrative fiction in altogether new directions." Booklist

"Hoeg has written an unusual novel that will challenge your senses and imagination." USA Today

"This is writing that sparkles to distract from its deep philosophical aspects. 'I will entertain you while I unnerve you,' any novel by Peter Hoeg promises the reader. And makes good." Los Angeles Times

"[N]ever loses a thriller's sense of go." Wall Street Journal

Set in Denmark in the here and now, Hoegs masterful, inventive novel centers around Kaspar Krone, a world-renowned circus clown with a deep love for the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and an even deeper gambling debt.

Peter Hoeg, born in 1957 in Denmark, followed various callings — dancer, actor, sailor, fencer, and mountaineer — before turning seriously to writing. His work has been published in thirty-three countries. The Quiet Girl is his fifth novel.