Lady justice takes a walk in the snow

Author: Anne Holt
Title: Blind goddess
Published: 01/01/13
Pages: 352

     A drug dealer is battered to death in the outskirts of Oslo. A young Dutch student, covered in blood, walks aimlessly through the streets of central Oslo. He is taken into custody, but refuses to speak. Five days later a shady criminal lawyer called Hans Olsen is murdered. The two deaths don't seem related, but Detective Inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen is unconvinced.

     This is the first Anne holt book I've read. And also as it turns out the first in the series for the Hanne Wilhelmsen books. It has to be said some times the pitfall of foreign translated books is that they come out of order and we a privy to information that might alter our reading of the books that come before. in this case no such worries.

     Having picked this up in a book store I was drawn by blurb on the back a tale of murders and high conspiracy's. Now it has to be said I'm more usual drawn to the bloodier side of crime fiction. but I was not disappointed with this one. the story plays out carefully and with intent. And that's not such a bad thing it takes time to follow each strand of the spiders web. I do appreciate this is not the kind of story telling for all. the author is a former lawyer and minster for justice for Norway. and you can feel this permeate in to the writing.

    The charters are well thought out and have flesh to them. The lead charter is both strong a flawed . Hanne is a lesbian but her colleges don't know. Her sexuality is never played out to lure in readers but just a fact of her life. Through the story we get to see her struggle as she tries to keep her personal life and work separate. Håkon Sand her partner in the police attorneys office is also dealing with his own turmoil in his private life. The interaction between these two characters come across as a genuine. as they struggle to put the peace's together.

    The story is all to believable while set back in 1993 it is just as conceivable to be happening in the present day of crime, politics and international drug dealing. for me this did not play out like you traditional who dun it. more of thriller than a crime book where no one really come out well. and the police are left feeling frustrated more than once. from snow strewn stake outs to the offices crooked lawyers  and mysterious codes this will keep you stuck in it web to the last page.

    I found this an interesting book to spend a few hours with. And at 352 pages it never felt to bogged down or made me want to turn away.  And knowing more of them have been translated I hope to spend some more time getting to know them better in the future.