Six Days in August, David King
Six Days in August, David King
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

Six Days in August
The Story of Stockholm Syndrome

Author: David King

Narrator: Jefferson Mays

Unabridged: 8 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 08/04/2020


Synopsis

The definitive account of the bizarre hostage drama that gave rise to the term “Stockholm syndrome.”
On the morning of August 23, 1973, a man wearing a wig, makeup, and a pair of sunglasses walked into the main
branch of Sveriges Kreditbank, a prominent bank in central Stockholm. He ripped out a submachine gun, fired it into
the ceiling, and shouted, “The party starts!” This was the beginning of a six-day hostage crisis—and media circus—
that would mesmerize the world, drawing into its grip everyone from Sweden’s most notorious outlaw to the prime
minister himself.

As policemen and reporters encircled the bank, the crime-in-progress turned into a high-stakes thriller broadcast
on live television. Inside the building, meanwhile, complicated emotional relationships developed between captors
and captives that would launch a remarkable new concept into the realm of psychology, hostage negotiation, and
popular culture.

Based on a wealth of previously unpublished sources, including rare film footage and unprecedented access to the
main participants, Six Days in August captures the surreal events in their entirety, on an almost minute-by-minute
basis. It is a rich human drama that blurs the lines between loyalty and betrayal, obedience and defiance, fear and
attraction—and a groundbreaking work of nonfiction that forces us to consider “Stockholm syndrome” in an entirely
new light.

About David King

A Fulbright scholar with a master's degree from Cambridge University, David King is the author of Finding Atlantis, which was a Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and which has been translated into several languages. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with his wife and daughter.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Naomi's on November 18, 2021

It was so interesting to learn about the origin of the phrase “Stockholm Syndrome”! I enjoyed the chronological and balanced structure of events. This book starts off with the Morning one of the six day bank heist and it follows all the players (police, hostages, criminals, press) as the story progr......more

Goodreads review by Erin on December 23, 2020

Wonderful book! An exciting and nailbiting account of this historic moment! David King is an absolutely wonderful writer!......more

Goodreads review by Wulfwyn on June 30, 2020

I first heard of Stockholm Syndrome with Patty Hearst and her kidnapping. I have since heard it, recently, being applied to women who stay in domestic violence relationships. I never knew how or why the term came about though. When I saw this book I knew I wanted to read it. I was afraid, though, th......more

Goodreads review by Caroline on December 10, 2020

This is not a book you should read if you are looking for a fast-paced, embellished retelling of the incident that came to define "Stockholm Syndrome." While the book lags at times due to the sheer amount of detail King provides on the bank robbery and police/media responses to it, I was impressed b......more

Goodreads review by Audrey on January 22, 2025

Six Days In August by David King is a nonfiction account of the hostage situation that occurred from August 23 to August 28, 1973, that began when Janne Olsson robbed Kreditbanken, a prominent bank in Stockholm, Sweden. The police would soon bring convicted criminal Clark Olafsson from prison to the......more