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A Scottish Teashop in Napoli by Jane Lambert #Review

  Today's latest novel by Jane Lambert is a perfect summer read. A Scottish Teashop in Napoli was published by Bedford Square Publishers on July 3rd. A tender and funny novel that combines the best of Scottish and Italian culture with the joys of female friendship and a cast of characters reminiscent of Jenny Colgan and Sophie Kinsella. When Lucy's childhood sweetheart stands her up on their wedding day, leaving her alone on a plane eloping to the tropical location of his choosing, their dream – now feeling like just her dream - of their bairn filled future disappears in a heartbeat (or the time it takes for her to listen to the rambling drunken voicemail he left calling off the wedding). In Naples, Elena is recently widowed and struggling to keep her husband's family's beloved and centuries old mozzarella factory afloat, whilst running her language school and bringing up their son. At risk of losing both businesses- and adding even more disruption to their li...

The Ice Swimmer by Kjell Ola Dahl **Blog Tour Review**

 I'm delighted to welcome you to my stop on the blog tour to celebrate the publication of The Ice Swimmer by Orenda Books

When a dead man is lifted from the freezing waters of Oslo Harbour just before Christmas, Detective Lena Stigersand’s stressful life suddenly becomes even more complicated. Not only is she dealing with a cancer scare, a stalker and an untrustworthy boyfriend, but it seems both a politician and Norway’s security services might be involved in the murder. With her trusted colleagues, Gunnarstranda and Frølich, at her side, Lena digs deep into the case and finds that it not only goes to the heart of the Norwegian establishment, but it might be rather to close to her personal life for comfort.

Dark, complex and nail-bitingly tense, The Ice Swimmer is the latest and most unforgettable instalment in the critically acclaimed Oslo Detective series, by the godfather of Nordic Noir. 



                                                                                  My Thoughts 

The aspect of this novel which I found to be the most compelling turned out to be the simplest aspect of the book: the author's style of writing. I could hear the author's voice clearly and I loved it. It carried me through what was a complicated plot and always gave me a compass to travel by. From the start, this was a dark tale and I followed Lena's investigations with bated breath.     

  Lena was a character who I could relate with and I always enjoyed those sections of the book which she featured in. It has all the hallmarks of nordic noir and I was not disappointed. Tension built throughout the story and I was not frustrated by the ending. I did find this to be the type of story which you had to concentrate on- it  was full of detail- but doubly satisfying for all that.  

In short: nordic noir which is brim full of tension and intrigue.

                                                                              About the Author

 One of the godfathers of the Nordic Noir genre, Kjell Ola Dahl was born in 1958 in Gjøvik. He made his debut in 1993, and has since published eleven novels, the most prominent of which is a series of police procedurals cum psychological thrillers featuring investigators Gunnarstranda and Frølich. In 2000 he won the Riverton Prize for The Last Fix and he won both the prestigious Brage and Riverton Prizes for The Courier in 2015. His work has been published in 14 countries and sold over two million copies. He lives in Oslo.
 
 Thanks to the author and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour. 

                                                          Follow the rest of the tour!




Comments

  1. Thanks so much for this great Blog Tour support x

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