I've finished with Mankell, Adler-Olson, Arnaldur Indridason (the best of the bunch!), Nesser, Sjowall/Wahloo's classic Beck series, and Fossum; a couple of Turstens were enough. Yrsa Sigurdardottir and Nesbo didn't appeal to me; Larsson made me feel ill. So I pulled this Scandi Noir off the library new book shelf and gave it a whirl. A crisp, dramatic procedural that evokes the bitter winter of Oslo, it features a sturdy, smart female detective with a lousy love life (and taste in men, it seems) and a brush with breast cancer. Sharp writing (though there were some translation infelicities here and there), a many-branching plot ranging from homeless drug addicts to multinational corporate greed and malfeasance, and dicey politicians. I could have heard a lot less about Lena's continual problems finding a parking space, and the breast cancer issue felt almost written-in just to give her another problem, and was never really realized. But the story trotted along nicely and made for a couple evenings' competent entertainment. As I found some of Lena's colleagues as interesting as her, I will follow up and read more of Dahl. ( )

Nordic noir for sure ... ( )

This is the sixth English translation from a police procedural series set in Oslo. For those who've followed the series, the ensemble of characters and their relationships is likely familiar. The lead protagonist this time is Lena Stigersand, who's tidying up the probably accidental death of man who toppled into the harbor. A few too many drinks, a brutally cold night . . . but something's going on, because a politician is furious when Lena asks her about the dinner she had with the victim, and the higher ups want her to back off. Meanwhile, a drug-addicted woman has died in a train tunnel, evidently a suicide that . . . isn't. It turns out she was pursued into the tunnel, and she likely knew something about how the man ended up in the harbor. Along with putting together the case, there are some dynamics among the detectives that factor into the story, and Lena herself has quite a lot going on in her personal life.

I found the book a bit of a plod, though that was probably my mood, not the book - Publisher's Weekly gave it a starred review. I was also (unreasonably?) irritated with Lena for being attracted to and quickly involved with a journalist who seemed to be obviously in it for himself. It seemed immature and he was not portrayed as being so clearly attractive that I was persuaded a cop would fall for him so easily. The final pages, that explain the title, seemed different in tone and a bit tacked-on, but that's just me being grumpy.

The Ice Swimmer – A Nordic Classic

Kjell Ola Dahl returns with the Ice Swimmer once again proving why he is one of the best crime writers in Norway, now making headway here. If you have never read any of Dahl’s work, then you really are missing out on classy Nordic Noir. What he delivers on every page is powerful and convincing and the best example of Nordic Noir and why it is one of Britain’s favourite crime genres.

Detective Lena Stigersand already has a stressful life, she does not require it to be made any more difficult, but you do not always get what you want. When a civil servant is pulled from the freezing water of Oslo Harbour her life is about to turn for the worst. Which just before Christmas is not the most welcome thing.

Besides trying to crack a case that at first looks like suicide but turns into a murder case, having to deal with a cancer diagnosis, stalker, a new boyfriend whom seems to have secrets. Life is not easy, as her mother is on at her about the forth coming Christmas.

Working alongside her colleagues, who she has trusted throughout her service, Lena digs deeper and finds herself in a political storm not of her own making. Someone within the Police Department seems to be letting them down, as the newspapers seem to be ahead of the Police, which piles pressure on them.

The Ice Swimmer is a taut, tense explosion of Nordic Noir, that is beautifully written, and Don Bartlett once again translates and does not lose any of the power or the beauty of the text. Dahl is such a talented writer whose writing is powerful and so convincing, you will enjoy reading. The only fault being the crime gets solved and life moves on! ( )

A dead man has been found floating in the freezing waters of Oslo Harbor. There are no signs of foul play. The death looks like an intoxicated man who fell into the water and couldn't get out.

A woman throws herself in front of a metro train. CCTV footage reveals that she was being chased by a mysterious hooded man. Did she really commit suicide or was she pushed?

Oslo detective, Lena Stigerstand is put in charge of the drowning case. She quickly finds herself involved in the workings of local politics and Norway's secret services in connection with this death. To make matters more intense, Lena's personal life has taken crazy turn, after crazy turn. She has a new boyfriend who isn't quite what he seems, a stalker, and a cancer scare. With the help of her trusted colleagues in the Oslo police department Lena will hunt for the answers that draw these two seemingly unrelated cases together. Can she track the killer before they strike again?

Last year I started my journey in to reading more Nordic noir. When I was researching where to start Kjell Ola Dahl's name was one that kept popping up, so when Orenda reached out to me about participating in the blog tour for Dahl's latest installment in his Oslo Detective series I jumped at the chance! Despite this being the eighth book in a long standing series I felt like I was able to follow along without any issues. I got a feel for the trust between colleagues, which I'm sure has been built up over the last seven books, without feeling like I was missing pieces to the puzzle. I think my favorite part of this book, aside from the fascinating case, was Lena Stigerstand. The world of Lena is turned on it's side and then flipped again and again in this book and yet somehow she remains a pure badass detective. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a multi-layered crime fiction story with strong detectives leading the case. I'm looking forward to picking up some other editions in this series and getting to know these detectives a bit more in the future!

Thank you so much to Orenda Book and Kjell Ola Dahl for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to the fabulous Anne Cater for setting up another #teamorenda tour full of fantastic bloggers! Please be sure to check out the rest of the blogs showcasing this book on its blog tour! ( )