The Courier by Kjell Ola Dahl translated by Don Bartlett #Review #Giveaway

My thanks today go to Orenda Books for my place on the Blog Tour for Kjell Ola Dahl's historical thriller, The Courier. I am delighted to say that I have a copy for you to win. Details of this Giveaway are at the foot of this post.

In Oslo in 1942, Jewish courier Ester is betrayed, narrowly avoiding arrest by the Gestapo. In great haste, she escapes to Sweden whilst the rest of her family is deported to Auschwitz. In Stockholm, Ester meets the resistance hero, Gerhard Falkum, who has left his little daughter and fled both the Germans and allegations that he murdered his wife, Åse, Ester’s childhood best friend. A relationship develops between them, but ends abruptly when Falkum dies in a fire.

And yet, twenty-five years later, Falkum shows up in Oslo. He wants to reconnect with his daughter Turid. But where has he been, and what is the real reason for his return? Ester stumbles across information that forces her to look closely at her past, and to revisit her war-time training to stay alive… 

Written with Dahl’s trademark characterisation and clever plotting, The Courier sees one of Norway’s most criticallyacclaimed authors at his best, as he takes on one of the most horrifying periods of modern history. With its sophisticated storytelling and elegant prose, this stunning and compelling wartime thriller is reminiscent of the writing of John Le Carré and William Boyd.

‘Kjell Ola Dahl’s novels are superb. If you haven’t read one yet, you need to – right now’ William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier and A House of Ghosts

My Thoughts

The Courier continues in Kjell Ola Dahl's high standards with a beautifully crafted plot and a measured tension which mounts as the story evolves. It illuminates a dark period in Norwegian history when the Germans invaded the country and the Jewish population was arrested, deported or sent to concentration camps. Many fled to Sweden or to the UK.  I knew little of this so found this a horrifying but a fascinating read. 

    The story is set in three periods- 1942, 1967 and 2015. You see how the terrible events of the past have had consequences and how some secrets have remained hidden over the decades. In common with the air of secrecy and espionage which is the background to the story, you are never too sure who to trust and in that, you get a flavour of how Ester must have felt. After she has fled to Sweden, you get to see Ester's will to survive and how the loss of her family has never left her. 

    This is a beautifully measured mystery with elements of the espionage novel threaded through the historical genre. Most of all, I loved the tone of the novel which must be due in part to Don Bartlett's translation. It was never over dramatic or gruesome but through the use of little details, the horror of the situation hit home. Ester seeing her father being taken away is a shining example. 

In short: Kjell Ola Dahl has done it again! A stunning piece of nordic noir.    

About the Author 

One of the fathers 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 he lives in Oslo.

You can follow Kjell Ola Dahl on Goodreads  |  Twitter

 

Book link: Amazon UK Kindle  |  Amazon UK Paperback  

Publication day is March 21st 2019.

Thanks to Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the blog tour. 

 

                                                         Check out the rest of the tour!

 

 

Giveaway (UK only)

 

 

To win a copy of The Courier, just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings.  Closing Date is 21st March 2019 and there is one winner.

*Terms and Conditions – UK only.  The winner will be selected at random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.