American by Day

Finished July 12
American by Day by Derek B. Miller

I really enjoyed Norwegian by Night by Miller, and this is a follow-up book to that one. Set in 2008, shortly after the earlier book ended, but published this year, there are occasional allusions to some of the events of the present, which I enjoyed.
Chief Inspector Sigrid Ødegård has taken a leave after the conclusion of an investigation into the case covered in the earlier book, and finds that instead of relaxing on the family farm, her father is sending her to the United States to look for her older brother, Marcos, who appears to be missing.
Marcos was an adjunct professor at a small college in upstate New York, and Sigrid flies through Iceland, to Montreal, and then on to Watertown.
Sigrid's reactions to her environment, her questions about the things happening around her, and the reactions of those she interacts with are a big part of this book, and a source of humour, insight, and storyline.
When Sigrid arrives she finds that her brother is indeed missing, and that he is connected to the death of a professor at the same college he worked at, a professor he was involved with romantically, and a professor who was African American and wrote and researched race issues. There is another death connected to the professor on a personal level, also race-related, and Sigrid's view of the situation is vastly different than the one the police seem to have.
The sheriff of the area seems like a nice man, but he ignores the media to his peril, and sometimes bends too much to the political pressure of the state authorities. He takes a close watch on Sigrid, asking that they work together, but, as Sigrid envisions a different outcome she isn't always on board with his actions.
This is a story that involves American race relations, politics, the view of "outsiders," mental illness, police relations, motivations, and communication. There is also guilt, perceived and felt, and the search for what is right. A wonderful read.

In the Darkness

Finished February 16
In the Darkness by Karin Fossum

This is the first book in the Norwegian mystery series featuring Inspector Sejer, although it was one of the more recent ones translated to English. Here a man, Egil, missing for months turns up dead in a local waterway, and his injuries show the violence to which he succumbed. He went out, apparently to show his much-loved classic car to a potential buyer, and while the car was found splattered with blood, his body hadn't until now. It is not the only unsolved murder case on Sejer's desk. He has another one that occurred just a few days before Egil's disappearance, a prostitute found dead in her own apartment. He can't help but wonder if there is some connection between the cases.
Eva, a local struggling artist, is divorced and shares custody of her young daughter with her ex-husband. She lives in hope that she will one day be "discovered" and gain the attention she believes her art is due. Meanwhile, she struggles to put food on the table and keep her bills paid, relying on a small Arts Council grant. She visits her father, who lives in a nearby town and whose health is failing, on a regular basis. But her life has changed recently and when she receives a phone call one day from a stranger, her unease grows.
This book introduces Sejer, his dog, and his family situation, but doesn't yet develop the characters of the other police officers.

Redbreast

Finished February 10
Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, read by Sean Barrett
This is the first Jo Nesbo book I've read, but he's been on my "want to read" list for a while. At first reading this as an audiobook required more concentration as the book moves between different time periods, but it soon started to flow for me.
This book is the third in the series featuring Harry Hole (pronounced Hulla) and includes a high profile incident involving Harry and the aftermath of that incident. Harry is reassigned to a surveillance position, and becomes interesting in a report of a rare and very expensive gun that seems to have entered the country surreptitiously. There is some question of a connection of this gun to recent neo-Nazi activity, and we find ourselves being led back to World War II. Norway was an occupied country, and Norwegians fought on both sides of the war. This novel includes the issues surrounding that time period, Norway's image around that and the myths about how Norwegians behaved during the occupation. Harry's investigation regarding the gun takes him to both South Africa, where the gun came from, and Vienna, where he believes the gun's new owner once was.
There are also issues around Harry's former partner, who dies in this book, and Harry's love life. Intriguing, complex and with an amazing plot, this novel has me hooked on the series.

Latest from mystery writer

Finished October 3
The Water's Edge by Karin Fossum
This is Fossum's lastest featuring Inspector Sejer. As usual it is a masterpiece of psychological fiction.
When a couple is out walking in the country, they meet a man who seems scared and evasive. Later in their walk they find the body of a young boy, obviously abused. Are the two connected? As Sejer and Skarre look for the reasons and person behind the boys death, they also discuss the nature of urges and paedophiles.
Despite public appeals, the man in the woods does not come forward.
When another boy from the same school disappears, the whole community is on edge. Parents are driving their children to and from school, and everyone is impatient for the case to be solved.
This is full of suspense as well as psychological issues. We see inside the mind of the man responsible, as well as the woman in the couple who saw him. We are asked to wonder why people behave the way they do.
An excellent and interesting read.

Departure for Author

Finished October 4
Broken by Karin Fossum
I've long been a fan of Fossum's mystery series, but this book is a departure for her. It took me a lot longer than usual to get through and I didn't enjoy it. I think that was partly because I didn't really like any of the characters.
The story is about an author and one of her characters. It begins with an author who looks out at the queue of characters waiting for her to write about them. She then goes to bed and as she lays there hears someone come into the house and up the stairs. The person comes into her bedroom and sits down in a chair. It is one of the characters, who has jumped from his place in the queue because he is so desperate to have his story told. She ends up complying and the story goes back and forth between the character's story and the interaction between the author and the character. The idea is interesting if bizarre, but it just didn't do it for me. The author wasn't very interesting in herself, and the character I found weak and unsympathetic. I kept wanting to slap him to get him to have some backbone.
I hope she returns to the style used in her earlier books.

Scandanavian Mystery

Finished August 14
What Never Happens by Anne Holt, translated by Kari Dickson
This is an interesting mystery from a Norwegian author, and part of a series, although this is the first one I've read.
When a famous woman TV show host is killed and her tongue has been cut out and displayed on the desk in front of her, the media is agog. The police, led by Adam Stubo, struggle to find motives and suspects in the crime. When a second woman is killed, this time an up-and-coming politician, the police are unsure whether the crimes are committed by the same person. Stubo calls on his wife, Johanne Vik, who is on maternity leave, to assist in finding the answers to the crimes. Vik trained as a profiler with the FBI, but left the organization with a bitter taste in her mouth and no desire to revisit that past. As celebrities continue to die, Vik is forced to call on her FBI education and her intuition to figure out who is killing and why.
This book has an interesting plot, and the whys of the murders are even more interesting. We see into the characters of the various people involved.
I liked it.