Anne Holt is a very good mystery writer, a worthy representative of the Nordic school, in which the criminal plot is never disconnected from society.
In this case the mysterious murder, nothing less of a Prime Minister woman, is linked to a scandal of the past related to health care, to an ruthless journalistic investigation, to a social and political climber woman, to the rampant far right and much, much more. I have to say that, being an avid mystery reader, I soon suspected what the real solution was, yet Holt's beautiful writing kept me glued to the pages until the end.

It is hard for the police when the victim has two identities - one is Birgitte, the second is the Norwegian Prime Minister.

This one is probably not the best from the series. Too many politics, which might be very interesting for the readers from Norway , but unfortunately not so much for the non-Norvegian ones (at least for me).
The solution to the mystery is also quite abrupt - a pity, as the book is quite prolonged with many unnecessary details.

But I have read other novels by Anne Holt, so I know that she can do much better.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Less than six months after taking office, the Norwegian Prime Minister is found dead. She has been shot in the head. But was it a politically motivated assassination or personal revenge?
Hanne Wilhelmsen, Chief Inspector of the Norwegian Police, is on leave in California but when the death shakes the country to its core, she knows she can’t remain on the sidelines of such a crucial investigation. The hunt for the Prime Minister’s killer is complicated, intense, and grueling. When secrets begin to unravel from the Prime Minister’s past, Hanne and her partner, Billy T., must piece together the crime before a private tragedy becomes a public outcry, in what will become the most sensitive case of their career.

This is the 4th book in the Hanne Wilhelmsen series. They have been translated in a weird order so I have read others before this - but they actually take place after this one. But never mind that. Not important.

Despite the slow, plodding plot, the late arrival of Hanne, and the foreign names to get used to - despite all that, I really did like this story. Even the combination of political intrigue and murder mystery didn't worry like it does with other authors...

The thing is, Nordic crime thrillers are really unlike anything else out there. Even an average one is on par with a really good American thriller. They rely on atmosphere and suspense to sell the story, as opposed to blood and guts, and lots of swearing.

This story in particular? Fantastic in its own way. Entertaining and suspenseful, this tale of conspiracies, government agencies and murder all come together in typical Holt fashion. There are lots of characters to get to know...but that's okay. They all have something to do with what's going on so that makes sense to me. Lots of plot twists and turns which I think could have been too much for some authors but I think the author handled it all very well and gave us the satisfying conclusion this book deserved.


Paul
ARH