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A review by rowingrabbit
The Frozen Woman by Don Bartlett, Jon Michelet
4.0
3.5 stars
It all begins with a body.
Vilhelm Thygesen is a lawyer who used to be a cop so when he finds a frozen young woman in his garden, he knows the drill. One phone call brings DCI’s Arve Stribolt & Vanja Vaage to his door & they’d love nothing better than to nail him for the crime. Twenty-five years ago he left the force in disgrace after being charged with murder.
Meanwhile, Terje Kykkelsrud & Oystein Strand meet up at an abandoned cabin outside Oslo. Strand is keen to celebrate his release from prison with every substance he can get his hands on but Terje has something a little more serious on his mind. Both belong to the Seven Samurai MC & apparently there’s a rat in their midst.
MP Gerhard Ryland is in a spot of trouble. Someone is blackmailing him & unless he comes up with a whack of cash, the media will hear of his ties to a young woman recently found dead in the garden of a notorious lawyer.
As Arve & Vanja struggle with the case, the story lines above play out in different spots in & around Oslo. Gradually they begin to weave together as hidden links & secret agendas are revealed. Events from each character’s past come back to haunt them & when another body appears, things only get more complicated for the cops.
This is definitely Scandi noir & those looking to be spoon fed will be disappointed. The reader is privy to everything that is happening as they travel with each character in alternate chapters. Still, the identity of the victim & why she was murdered came as a shock when all was said & done.
Of all the characters, I found Vilhelm the most interesting. He’s a world weary guy who’s tried to pick up the pieces from his past & live a quiet life. You get the feeling he actually enjoys his frequent sparring sessions with Vanja. But there’s something elusive about him that makes you wonder if he knows more than he’s telling.
My only quibble is some of the dialogue was difficult to understand. I read a lot of translations & expect to run into idioms/phrases that are unfamiliar & miss a bit of subtext. But there were whole sections, particularly during the initial meeting between Strand & Terje, where I had no clue what they were saying. Despite translation by the amazing Don Bartlett, I couldn’t grasp what they were talking about & it was only later that I could look back & understand what transpired.
It’s still an intricate & well plotted story that keeps you guessing. There are some unpredictable little twists along the way & I enjoyed how all the pieces finally fit together. Kudos to those responsible for creating such a striking cover. It certainly caught my eye.
It all begins with a body.
Vilhelm Thygesen is a lawyer who used to be a cop so when he finds a frozen young woman in his garden, he knows the drill. One phone call brings DCI’s Arve Stribolt & Vanja Vaage to his door & they’d love nothing better than to nail him for the crime. Twenty-five years ago he left the force in disgrace after being charged with murder.
Meanwhile, Terje Kykkelsrud & Oystein Strand meet up at an abandoned cabin outside Oslo. Strand is keen to celebrate his release from prison with every substance he can get his hands on but Terje has something a little more serious on his mind. Both belong to the Seven Samurai MC & apparently there’s a rat in their midst.
MP Gerhard Ryland is in a spot of trouble. Someone is blackmailing him & unless he comes up with a whack of cash, the media will hear of his ties to a young woman recently found dead in the garden of a notorious lawyer.
As Arve & Vanja struggle with the case, the story lines above play out in different spots in & around Oslo. Gradually they begin to weave together as hidden links & secret agendas are revealed. Events from each character’s past come back to haunt them & when another body appears, things only get more complicated for the cops.
This is definitely Scandi noir & those looking to be spoon fed will be disappointed. The reader is privy to everything that is happening as they travel with each character in alternate chapters. Still, the identity of the victim & why she was murdered came as a shock when all was said & done.
Of all the characters, I found Vilhelm the most interesting. He’s a world weary guy who’s tried to pick up the pieces from his past & live a quiet life. You get the feeling he actually enjoys his frequent sparring sessions with Vanja. But there’s something elusive about him that makes you wonder if he knows more than he’s telling.
My only quibble is some of the dialogue was difficult to understand. I read a lot of translations & expect to run into idioms/phrases that are unfamiliar & miss a bit of subtext. But there were whole sections, particularly during the initial meeting between Strand & Terje, where I had no clue what they were saying. Despite translation by the amazing Don Bartlett, I couldn’t grasp what they were talking about & it was only later that I could look back & understand what transpired.
It’s still an intricate & well plotted story that keeps you guessing. There are some unpredictable little twists along the way & I enjoyed how all the pieces finally fit together. Kudos to those responsible for creating such a striking cover. It certainly caught my eye.