Oslo detectives Gunnarstranda and Frølich are back … and this
time, it’s personal…
When the body of a woman turns up in a dumpster, scalded and
wrapped in plastic, Inspector Frank Frølich is shocked to discover
that he knows her … and their recent meetings may hold the clue to
her murder. As he begins to look deeper into the tragic events
surrounding her death, Frølich’s colleague Gunnarstranda finds
another body, and things take a more sinister turn. With a cold case
involving the murder of a young girl in northern Norway casting a
shadow, and an unsettling number of coincidences clouding the
plot, Frølich is forced to look into his own past to find the answers –
and the killer – before he strikes again.
Dark, brooding and utterly chilling, Faithless is a breath-taking and
atmospheric page-turner that marks the return of an
internationally renowned and award-winning series, from one of
the fathers of Nordic Noir.
My Thoughts:
I jumped at the chance to review this book when asked as I really enjoy nordic noir, particularly on television but haven't really read that much fiction in this genre. I anticipated that I would find it quite hard to get to grips with but the translation by Don Bartlett was seamless and the story flowed effortlessly.
This book is part of a series but it reads perfectly as a standalone although I for one will definitely be seeking out more from this author.
Chock full of suspense, this book hooked me in from the first page. Short sharp sentences and brief narratives made this book punchy and kept me turning the pages. Frølich was something of an enigma for me but I found him all the more engaging because of this.
Frølich is shocked to discover that a body of a woman is somebody he knows, and indeed somebody he had detained previously. She was also the partner of one of his oldest friends. Frølich seems to be embroiled in something and the past may or may not play a part. Alongside this a student goes missing and it isn't clear initially if the two cases are connected.
There is plenty of suspense, mystery, lies and red herrings wrapped up in a relatively short novel. I loved the old fashioned police work and the setting for this novel and was completely and utterly wrapped in the moment. The norwegian setting worked really well for this story, and it would also work well as one of the television series of the genre I love so much.
I will most definitely recommend it and look forward to reading more of this authors work in the future. I found is engaging, exciting and original.
About the Author:
One of the fathers of the Nordic Noir genre, Kjell Ola Dahl was
born in 1958 in Gjøvik. He made his debut in 1993, and has since
published eleven novels, the most prominent of which is a series
of police procedurals cum psychological thrillers featuring
investigators Gunnarstranda and Frølich. In 2000 he won the
Riverton Prize for The Last Fix and he won both the prestigious
Brage and Riverton Prizes for The Courier in 2015. His work has
been published in 14 countries, and he lives in Oslo.
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I have yet to read this book, it is in the poor heap on my nightstand, waiting to be read! I am glad you enjoyed it! Great review!
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