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A toxic father-son relationship unleashes dark impulses and unthinkable betrayals in a riveting short story by the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl in the Spider’s Web.

William’s father is a beloved opera singer in Stockholm, charismatic and unpredictable. Raised in the shadow of his father’s addictions—women, drink, and cruelty—he knows the man’s dark side. William believes he’s found the light when he falls in love with a fellow university student, a young woman named Ebba. But his father’s hold on his life is not so easily broken. Even in death.

David Lagercrantz’s False Note is part of Alibis, a collection of stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.

41 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 2, 2025

1705 people are currently reading
2400 people want to read

About the author

David Lagercrantz

83 books2,784 followers
David Lagercrantz, born in 1962, is a journalist and author, living in Stockholm. His first book was published in 1997, a biography of the Swedish adventurer and mountaineer Göran Kropp. In 2000 his biography on the inventor Håkan Lans, A Swedish Genious, was published. His breakthrough as a novelist was Fall of Man in Wilmslow, a fictionalised novel about the British mathematician Alan Turing. In David Lagercrantz' writing you can often see a pattern: major talents who refuse to follow convention. He has been interested not only in what it takes to stand out from the crowd, but also in the resistance that such creativity inevitably faces.

In 2011 his best-selling sports biography I am Zlatan Ibrahimović was published, one of the most successful books in Sweden in modern times. The biography was nominated for the prestigious August Prize in 2012, as well as shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award. To date, the book has been published in over 30 languages around the world and been sold in millions of copies.

In the summer of 2013, Lagercrantz was asked by Moggliden (the Larsson Estate) and Norstedts to write the fourth, free-standing sequel to Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. The Girl in the Spider's Web was published – in August 27, 2015 – simultaneously by 26 publishers (in 24 languages) worldwide, ten years after the Swedish publication of Stieg Larsson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Stieg Larsson's three Millennium novels have sold more than 82 Million copies to date, by 52 publishers worldwide. The Girl in the Spider's Web is sold to 47 publishers and more than 6 Million copies have been sold worldwide.

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5 stars
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3 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 739 reviews
Profile Image for Rosh ~catching up slowly~.
2,322 reviews4,724 followers
August 13, 2025
In a Nutshell: The third story in the Alibis collection and the weakest one so far. The whole story struck a false note in all aspects except for pacing. My feelings are hence quite discordant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Plot Preview:
William’s father is a renowned opera singer in Stockholm. Since childhood, William has seen not just his father’s fame but also his secret side: his vanity, his temper, his alcoholism, and his physical cruelty towards women. As an adult, William finally has a life and a love of his own, but even now, his father casts a long shadow over him. When William’s girlfriend Ebba decides that they ought to meet his father and settle the issues of the past, their lives change in an unexpected direction.


This is the third standalone story in the 'Alibis’ series, described on Amazon as “stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with.”

As far as I know, this is just the second time (the first being >Fredrik Backman's "The Answer Is No") an Amazon Original story is a translation, with this being translated from Swedish by Elizabeth DeNoma. However, I don’t think the issues I had were translation-related as they stem more from the plot and character handling than from the language or writing style.


Woohoos:
🥳 Fast pace. Easy to read the 41 pages in a single setting of 20-30 minutes.

🥳 Despite the issues I have listed below, I wasn’t bored by the story. Annoyed with the characters, yes. But definitely not bored. I was invested enough to want to know what would happen next. (Even though much of the main plot was guessable.)


IDKs:
😐 Not much of a resolution at the end. But it was still an ending I didn’t see coming, so I did like it, I think… .👀


Mehs:
😒 Flat main characters, none of whom are likeable or even relatable. It’s tough to understand why they behave the way they do with such poor detailing. Worse, none show growth or self-realisation as the story progresses.

😒 All characters have some serious daddy issues. Including the “daddy”. 🤐

😒 Unreliable first-person narration. Hate this trope.

😒 Mentions Stockholm multiple times but barely even uses the location. The plot could have occurred anywhere. (Ooh, unless it was hinting at ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, which does fit the plot to a teeny extent…? 🤔 Or it might just be because the author lives in Stockholm… Let me not overthink this.)

😒 0% mystery. 0% thrills. 90% predictable. (The balance 10% belongs to the ending.)

😒 Limited number of characters, so it is not very difficult to pinpoint the culprit. No subtlety or suspense.

😒 Man writing woman – ugh!


Overall, the potential in the story is amazing, but with barely any detail to the characters and minimal suspense, it is tough to like the story more.

I haven’t read this author before. I knew his name only for being the author chosen to continue the late Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series. After how this went, I think I will stick to Larsson’s original trilogy and not continue the series beyond that.

Might work as a quick one-time read but not at all a must-read.

2 stars.

This standalone story is a part of the ‘Alibis’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
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Profile Image for Zain.
1,878 reviews276 followers
July 15, 2025
Just Like Stieg Larsson

David Lagercrantz, was born in 1962, in Sweden. He wrote The Girl in the Spider’s Web, in 2015. The book is a continuation of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy series. He also wrote for the series, The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye. And lastly, he wrote, The Girl Who Lived Twice, as the end of the Millennium Trilogy.

We don’t know if he has finished with this series or if he will someday continue to write more stories about the girl from the Millennium Trilogy.

False Note is a different kind of story from those books. And is about the problems between a father and son. The father is an artist. A baritone opera singer. He is famous because he is very talented and popular.

The son hates him and is jealous of him. He is determined to stay away from any career that is similar to his father’s. As talented as he is as an opera singer, he would never let anyone know that he has the ability. He has the talent, but not the charm or charisma that his father has.

I hope you enjoy the story as l have. It is delicious.

Four stars. 💫💫💫💫
Profile Image for Phrynne.
3,995 reviews2,692 followers
June 8, 2025
The third book in the Amazon Originals Alibis Collection. This is a series about lies, truth and deception and this story certainly fits that bill. The problem in the end was whose lies were believed, but there was a certain natural justice in the result.

I enjoyed this short story which was written by the author who wrote the second three books in the Millennium series, begun by Stieg Larsson and starring the famous Lisbeth Salander. I only ever read the first three books but I am tempted now to try the ones written by Lagercrantz.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Profile Image for Dez the Bookworm.
553 reviews361 followers
June 19, 2025
The story had me going but the ending….

I pretty much pegged a part of the story but I don’t think the author was trying to conceal it, so I didn’t take off any stars for that.

This is a on-sit read/listen and although the storyline was intriguing…The ending was incredibly lacking. I rolled my eyes and wanted to immediately cleanse this book from my brain. I struggled with even liking the book after the ending was so unfulfilling.

Might just be my personal preference for wanting some sort of justice, so you may like this if you’re not big on that.
Profile Image for Suzy.
461 reviews403 followers
June 20, 2025
3 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The third book in the Alibis short story collection. Not too bad. Dark, unlikeable characters with a fairly interesting storyline.

Profile Image for gavie (busy with life).
151 reviews365 followers
June 6, 2025
This was boring and I couldn’t care less about the characters in this book.
Profile Image for Jonetta.
2,561 reviews1,301 followers
July 17, 2025
the setup…
William Homberg is the son of Stockholm’s beloved baritone opera singer, Knut. He was raised solely by him following his mother’s death. Knut lived in excess…alcohol, women and lavish spending on himself and sadistically cruel to the women who adored him. William has lived his life dedicated to not be like this man and rarely sees him. However, when his beloved girlfriend Ebba encourages him to reach out to Knut with her at his side, he agrees and it’s life changing.

the heart of the story…
This was on the bleak side but compelling in a foreboding way. When Knut turns up murdered, all the evidence points to William, who has an alibi but is reluctant to reveal it. I had a feeling where this was going and my heart began to ache for William who was losing the struggle to not be the man his father was.

the narration…
Graham Halstead made all the difference in my enjoyment of this story. I would encourage everyone to listen to this one versus reading. He completely captures William and his storytelling is superb.

the bottom line…
This one will haunt me because William is such a tragic character, trying to not be his father and sort of failing in the attempt. I saw betrayal coming and just wanted to save him.

Posted on Blue Mood Café

(Thanks to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for the entire collection. All opinions are my own.)
Profile Image for Mallory.
1,897 reviews280 followers
June 7, 2025
I listened to the audiobook for this one and I liked the narration. This is a short story and it was a quick listen. This is a story about the toxic relationship between a father and a son. William’s father is a famous opera singer in Stockholm who has been selfish his whole life. William was raised in the shadow of his drunken cruelty so he has been pretty distant from him since becoming an adult. When William has a series girlfriend she talks him into seeing his father and this decision changes everything. The story is quick but one that made me think. Definitely an author I will keep an eye out for.
Profile Image for Casey Reads 🌸.
426 reviews379 followers
June 2, 2025
This is my least favorite of the 4 of these short stories I have read so far. I was disconnected from the writing style for some reason.

I honestly only ended up getting half way through. I think it might have been a ‘me problem’, because I can’t even put my finger on what was wrong with it.
Profile Image for Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while).
2,583 reviews2,456 followers
October 4, 2025
EXCERPT: My suspicions only grew stronger, and I had trouble breathing. The oxygen seemed to vanish from the room. And it wasn't the bruises on Ebba's cheek that I was thinking about most. It was how they'd gotten there - because I knew exactly how it worked. For Dad to beat you, you first had to love him: That was the brutal logic.
He only beat people who fell in love with him, stayed overnight, and slept with him in his big king-size bed.


ABOUT 'FALSE NOTE': A toxic father-son relationship unleashes dark impulses and unthinkable betrayals.

William’s father is a beloved opera singer in Stockholm, charismatic and unpredictable. Raised in the shadow of his father’s addictions—women, drink, and cruelty—he knows the man’s dark side. William believes he’s found the light when he falls in love with a fellow university student, a young woman named Ebba. But his father’s hold on his life is not so easily broken. Even in death.

MY THOUGHTS: Nature vs Nurture (or learned behavior).

False Note is a dark tale of betrayal.

William's father lives a life of excess and violence. William is determined not to be like him. Does William's nature win out over the behavior he has learned at his father's knee?

I didn't like any of the characters by the end, but enjoyed the story more than I expected to.

David Lagercrantz's False Note is part of Alibis, a collection of stories about lies, truth, and deception. It’s just a matter of what you can get away with. They can be read or listened to in one sitting.

⭐⭐⭐.5

#FalseNote #Alibiscollection #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: DAVID LAGERCRANTZ, born in 1962, is a journalist and author, living in Stockholm.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Amazon Original Stories via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of the Alibis Collection for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Profile Image for Ceecee .
2,703 reviews2,272 followers
June 8, 2025
3.5

The best of this mixed bag collection so far. It’s dark, very unlikeable characters but nonetheless a good short story.
Profile Image for Matt.
4,717 reviews13.1k followers
July 24, 2025
Wanting to fill my summer with a mix of novels and short stories, I came upon this collection of short pieces called the Alibi Collection. This short story by David Lagercrantz deals with the romantic tug-of -war between a father and son, with the woman in the middle proving to be the most damaged. The piece how two men can have such a toxic relationship and the lengths to which they will go to try one-upping the other, until a body is found. Lagercrantz does well in this short piece.

Living in the shadow of his father, William struggles on a regular basis. The elder is a renowned opera singer with a temper, using fists and then romantic gestures to patch them up. When William’s girlfriend wants to meet the legendary man, they reluctantly agree to a dinner. It is at this meal that the two men begin playing an awkward competition for the woman’s affections. After the police arrive weeks later to announce the elder man’s death, William remembers the night and events that followed, choosing not to share his alibi. Still, there is something problematic about the entire thing. Lagercrantz delivers a short piece I feel was lost in the translation.

I enjoy short stories with the ability to lure me in. David Lagercrantz writes something that never fully succeeded at that, a struggle I have had with this author in the past. The narrative works but does not spark anything for me. There are decent characters, though their development fails to pull me in from the outset. The plot seemed apparent, with a few twists, but the impact was once more lacking. David Lagercrantz seems popular, but perhaps Swedes have more patience with him, as this was nowhere as good as the other pieces in the collection I have read.

Kudos, Mr. Lagercrantz, for a valiant effort.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Profile Image for Alya.
376 reviews108 followers
July 15, 2025
I think I unlocked myself a new author .. I loved this so much for how short it was and my God I wish it was longer!! it's difficult to give lengthy reviews with short reads without giving anything away but this follows Knut Homberg, his girlfriend and his dad .. who ends up dead
Profile Image for Laura.
371 reviews66 followers
June 13, 2025
This was actually kind of terrible. The writing wasn't great, and the story just isn't enjoyable at all. None of the characters are likable. This was only 42 pages and it was almost a DNF for me.
Profile Image for Zizi.
284 reviews210 followers
June 11, 2025
This book was so weird and uninteresting, and I probably wont even remember it
Profile Image for paula ♡.
216 reviews467 followers
July 16, 2025
1,5 ⭐

I can't believe the last chapter ruined the book... How could you leave the ending open? 💀
Profile Image for Cristina Neves.
138 reviews7 followers
June 20, 2025
I had such high hopes for this story but it was a huge disappointment!
The plot was predictable from start to finish, the characters unloveable and unrelatable.

Where's the writer of the amazing last 3 books of the Milennium series????
☹️☹️
Profile Image for Karla.
1,414 reviews361 followers
September 30, 2025
Story 3 stars**
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator Graham Halstead
Profile Image for Gohnar23.
952 reviews28 followers
July 13, 2025
#️⃣3️⃣4️⃣1️⃣ Read & Reviewed in 2025 🌀🌊💠
Date : 📬 Saturday, July 12, 2025 🫧🛌
Word Count📃: 10k Words 🛢️✈️

𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚ 💧🥏🩻 ‹𝟹 𓇢𓆸 𓂂 𓇼˚。 •

ʚ(。˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ My 25th read in "Why is Lorde's latest album so bad" 🩻 July

2️⃣🌟, too short
——————————————————————
➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗

There is literally only three characters.

THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean this is 10,000 words, what do u even expect?

The plot is very (un)predictable because of how nothing it is. Because it's just "someone killed his father", who the fuck is it?

A. Him
B. His gf
C. (Dad def committed suicide)
D. A totally random character that we don't know about

Ok choose who.... You got your answer? Ok good because scratch that, IT WAS NOT EVEN REVEALED! It was supposed to be a short psychological on how the cycle of abuse happens all throughout families most especially the cycle of masculinity, i can give points for that but still. WE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHO KILLED THE FATHER. IT WAS ALL FOR NOTHING (or to give that PSA awareness type shi on the cycle of abuse towards men idk) i've seen many books that tries to do the same thing as this, but this one just TRIES to do a book about abuse, then disguising it as a mystery thriller when solving the murder and catching the culprit of the guy who killed his father. 😒
Profile Image for anzhelika ୨ৎ.
198 reviews148 followers
June 3, 2025
⋆ ˚。⋆୨୧˚ 2 stars ˚୨୧⋆。˚ ⋆

i don't exactly know how i feel about this one. i know that i didn't like it and that i felt disconnected from the story. but yeah that's pretty much it.

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories, and David Lagercrantz for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗
Profile Image for KDub.
226 reviews9 followers
June 3, 2025
This was awful. I don't even want this to count towards my books read for the year.
Profile Image for Tori.
466 reviews8 followers
June 2, 2025
This one definitely was a bit harder to get into. I think both the son and the father deserved what they got because wow are they both terrible people! I would've liked to see a few chapters here and there in Ebba's point of view to add some spice. Sadly, I just don't think reading this really did anything for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Originals for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Profile Image for MM Suarez.
955 reviews68 followers
June 14, 2025
I am not even going to get into this one other than to say it was boring and pointless, one could say that it might have lost something in translation but I don't think that's it. I am done with the Alibis Collection, not worth the time.
Profile Image for Keith Book Korner.
170 reviews32 followers
July 23, 2025
Good idea just not a good execution plus the ending not good at all..
Profile Image for STEPH.
527 reviews65 followers
June 11, 2025
The best in this collection so far in my opinion.

This short story is filled with betrayal, deception and lies. I love the shocking twist at the end.

Very dark and disturbing. The ending was quite vague and I pretty much have my own version of the truth. Who really killed William's father?

Pick this up!
Profile Image for April.
463 reviews148 followers
June 5, 2025
An overall decent & entertaining short story. This story shows how the toxic relationship between a father and son. When his father ends up dead, William has to do all things possible to avoid being a suspect especially with the toxic level of their relationship! I enjoyed the narration in the audiobook..

Rating: 2.75
Format: Audiobook
What I enjoyed: narration
Length: 1 hour 9 minutes

Thank you Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for this listening copy. All opinions are my own.

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