The tenth and apparently final installment of the Hanne Wilhelmsen series, makes Hanne and her odd but intelligent sidekick buck against the authorities who believe a virulently white supremacist public figure committed suicide. Something they don't know is that a man who has reached his breaking point is about to do something dreadful. He once had a moment's distraction and his young daughter ran into the street and was killed. Years later, he wants revenge. The time we spend in his head is beautifully rendered but painful to read - and feels much more like a Karin Fossum novel than the usual Anne Holt investigation. I was delighted to see this series appear in English and am sorry it's over (though I think the author liked Hanne more than I did), but look forward to whatever Anne Holt decides to write next. She generally pairs intricate mysteries with a sharp eye on social justice.

Sorry, I tried to download this but discovered that it had been archived. Consequently, I am unable to review it.

Even though I haven't read any of the previous books in the "Hanne Wilhelmsen" series, I immediately tuned into this final volume. Jonas Abrahmsen, the father of a three-year-old Dina, who was killed by a car when she was three, is free from prison where he served eight years for killing his wife, Anne. Ann Holt had me in the first few pages!

Hanne Wilhelmsen, a seasoned detective, works with Henrik Holme. Hanne works from her home and serves as Henrik's mentor. Even though Jonas did not fight the case against him for killing his wife, a retiring detective hands the case over to Henrik as he is leaving. He continues to have doubts about the guilt of Jonas and asks Henrik to give it a look.

Henrik and Hanne have just finished up a court case where 22 people are on trial for terrorism, and their desks are relatively clean. Henrik wants to look at the Jonas case, but Hanne calls him and asks him to get in touch with a detective who has a new death, the suicide an Islamophobic blogger who has recently been found out to be Iselin Havorn, a wealthy businesswoman.

Henrik and Hanne do not agree on which case to follow. Their initial research reveals possible connections, and from there AH weaves a non-stop reading delight. I often zone out with the small details of criminal stories, but not this one. I was focused at all times as if AH was telling me the story in my living room. IN DUST AND ASHES is a novel not to be missed, regardless of your genre likes and dislikes. AH makes the art of writing seem so effortless! Her story flows smoothly and with empathy for all the characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read this ARC.

It's hard to believe this is the last book featuring Hanne; it seems like there could still be much to be written about her (maybe the author will change her mind about making this the final book in the series. I hope!)

This book stands alone on its own merits but I was glad to have read previous books in the series because revisiting the characters is a pleasure. I've come to really like Henrik and hope Holt starts another series with him as the main character.

Actually, Hanne isn't especially likable but she's a sympathetic character nonetheless and it's been a delight to see her work with Henrik and realize his potential.

As in all the books in this series, the story combines several mysteries that are a challenge to figure out and they come together at the end in a shocking conclusion. I was holding my breath in the final pages.

Excellent book!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for making this available for review. In Dust and Ashes is the final book in the Hanne Wilhelmsen series and Hanne will be sorely missed. She can be abrupt and seem rather cold, but when she is involved with her family there is a warmth that comes through. While she does not often show it, she has great respect for Henrik Holme, the young officer assigned to work with her on cold cases.

After a retiring detective encounters a man that he helped to convict, the detective asks Henrik to review his case file. Jonas was recently released after serving time for killing his wife, but the detective was never fully convinced that He was guilty. Jonas had recently lost his three year old daughter and had no interest in his fate, but fifteen years later he now proclaims his innocence. Henrik becomes convinced that Jonas’ wife committed suicide after their daughter’s death.

Hanne has become engrossed in the recent case of an anonymous blogger whose identity was revealed and resulted in her suicide. She is convinced that it was actually a murder and promises to help Henrik if he will assist with her inquiry. As they look into these two cases that are fifteen years apart they begin to make some surprising connections.

For readers who are not familiar with this series, Anne Holt provides a mystery that is most satisfying and characters that will have you looking for the previous books to learn more about Hanne and her fellow officers. This story builds to to an exciting conclusion, making this an excellent entry in the field of Scandinavian crime.

Ann Holt delivers the kind of beautifully crafted and challenging suspense a mystery reader can savor.

Anne Holt really mesmerized me with this book. Hanne and Henrik were both right on with there insights. We learned about suicides, greed, ill-will and more with each and every person that they interviewed. It turn out quiet noir with some of its interpretations. And the ending, I had tears, not many books do that. I suggest that you pre-order this book without any reservations. It's good.

Thank you Netgalley and Scribner for the eARC.
This is the 10th and final book in the Hanne Wilhelmsen series - unfortunately. I really hope Anne Holt starts a new series with Henrik Holme as the main character, with maybe the occasional mention of Hanne, so we can get updated on how she's doing!
In 2001, a little 3-year old girl is hit by a car and killed. Her father Jonas and mother Anne are devastated and the marriage collapses. When Anne dies from a gunshot wound not too long after, Jonas is convicted of her murder.
In 2016, Jonas is out of jail, but still a walking shadow of the man he used to be. When he is fired from his job, he has basically hit rock bottom and decides to get back at life by making a horrifying decision.
Henrik has been made aware of the case and decides to investigate - perhaps Jonas didn't kill Anne? At the same time a famous anonymous Islamaphobic blogger seems to have committed suicide after being 'outed'. Hanne believes she was murdered and both her and Henrik decide they'll delve into both cases and discover they're probably related.
This was my favorite in the series, so well written with such insight into the different characters. The mystery is a nail biter, but it's Jonas' deep sorrow, Henrik's tics and foibles (OCD with a bit of Turretts?), Hanne's avoidance of intimacy with the outside world and the people who live in it, that made the book alive for me. There are some very tense and uncomfortable scenes, as well as interesting peeks into life in Norway - all in all a book that's hard to put down. I loved it!

I cannot say enough good about this series. I absolutely love it. What is there not to love? The writing is superb, the plot lines are ingenious, the characters are quirky but driven and I unequivocally hate that this is the last book of the Hanne Wilhelmsen saga. I do not want to give this series a fond farewell and hope that Ms. Holt has more tricks up her sleeve....as I'm sure she does.

Highly recommended!

Hanne Wilhelmsen, semi-retired police officer who is confined to a wheelchair after being shot, is supposed to be working with Hendrik, a quirky young member of the Oslo Police Department on cold cases. Instead, they start looking at two ostensibly unrelated cases: one of an unpleasant right-wing activist is deemed suicide, the other declared an open-and-shut case of murder, for which the presumed culprit has spent many years in prison. It turns out there is a link which brings up questions, and Hanne sends Hendrik out to gather more details to help clarify what really happened. This book is said to be the last in the Hanne Wilhelmsen series, but I hope the author will now write some books about Hendrik.