Detective Exposition, Detective Plot Point

117. Blind Goddess – Anne Holt

I am hoping that the problem with this novel is just that its sense of style is lost in translation somehow. It was so flat to me that I was surprised Anne Holt is supposed to be one of the greats of Norwegian crime fiction. She has tons of actual relevant life experience, but I’ve honestly read police reports with more gripping style and those are supposed to be on the dry and objective side even when discussing super disturbing things. It was also soooo slow to read. So slow I almost gave up.

The characters were really uninspiring to me and I had a hard time understanding how this was the beginning of a series where Hanne Wilhelmsen is the lead because I can barely recall her doing much in the story. She was present, but, we didn’t seem to be following her investigating or her as a person anywhere near as much as the sad lawyer, Karen, who is married but was starting an affair with a member of the police who I also got the impression was a lawyer and not investigating exactly, it was confusing. Karen also wasn’t normally doing that kind of lawyering but she got picked off a list by a bloody, anonymous arrestee who of course had the key to some larger conspiracy. And then Karen also provided the location for an actually interesting fiery conclusion, but how she got there was being sad about affair-having and clearly longing for a cottage and a cardigan. I felt a lot of beige coming through the pages.

Finny looks over the side of the bed for clues as to how murder, drugs, and flaming vehicles could be so boring.