Little Drummer by Kjel Ola Dahl Translated by Don Bartlett, #Review #Giveaway #NordicNoir #OsloDetectiveSeriesBook8

 

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

Godfather of Nordic Noir Kjell Ola Dahl returns with tense, sophisticated, searingly relevant international thriller that explodes the Nordic Noir genre, as Frølich and Gunnarstranda investigate the death of a woman whose scientist boyfriend has also gone missing…

When a woman is found dead in her car in a Norwegian parking garage, everyone suspects an overdose … until a forensics report indicates that she was murdered. Oslo Detectives Frølich and Gunnarstranda discover that the victim’s Kenyan scientist boyfriend has disappeared, and their investigations soon lead them into the shady world of international pharmaceutical deals. 

While Gunnarstranda closes in on the killers in Norway, Frølich and Lise, his new journalist ally, travel to Africa, where they make a series of shocking discoveries about exploitation and corruption in the distribution of foreign aid and essential HIV medications. 

When tragedy unexpectedly strikes, all three investigators face incalculable danger, spanning two continents. And not everyone will make it out alive…

Exploding the confines of the Nordic Noir genre, Little Drummer is a sophisticated, fast-paced, international thriller with a searingly relevant, shocking premise that will keep you glued to the page.
 

‘Dahl is a quiet master of the detective thriller, delivering complex plots and a simpatico hero…’ The Times

‘If you have never sampled Dahl, now is the time to try’ Daily Mail

‘Further cements Dahl as the Godfather of Nordic Noir, reminding readers why they fell in love with the genre in the first place’ CultureFly

My Thoughts

 Little Drummer proves that Kjell Ola Dahl has complete control over the narrative of his writing. The plotting is complex and always consistent. You follow different strands of the story across different continents as events unfold. Detectives Frølich and Gunnarstranda lead an investigation which starts with the death of a young woman. Once it becomes clear that this is not a straightforward drug overdose, you follow their lead as the story becomes darker and always suspenseful. With Gunnarstranda working in Norway, Frølich travels to Africa in the search for the instigators of murder. By the end, it is clear that there are some powerful forces at play of a political and global nature.

    The two detectives are an interesting contrast with a certain dynamic which is at times uncomfortable, although I did enjoy their early meeting when tobacco was 'mislaid'. In addition, we meet the journalist, Lise, who travels to Africa with Frølich and who carries out her own investigation. This is a well- paced thriller which ramps up the tension and is never obvious, leading you through the twists and turns of the investigations. Special mention also must go for Don Bartlett whose translation never jars and who has helped create such a readable thriller.

In short: complex plotting and powerful characterisation

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   

 

Publication day is May 26th 2022.

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 print copy of Little Drummer, just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings and good luck!

 Closing Date is May 10th 2022 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.