Kameleonmenneskene

K2 #5

by Hans Olav Lahlum

I femte bok om K2 og Patricia er vi kommet frem til 1972. EEC-strid og kamp om oljeressurser bringer internasjonal toppolitikk lenger inn i norsk samfunnsliv.

Lørdag 25. mars brytes helgefreden av at en syklende unggutt med en blodig kniv i lommen ringer frenetisk på K2s dør. Gutten roper ”Slipp meg inn! De er etter meg, og jeg må snakke med deg før de når meg!” Forfølgerne viser seg å være politikolleger av K2. Den blodige kniven ble åpenbart brukt til å ta livet av stortingsrepresentanten Per Johan Fredriksen. Den antatte gjerningsmann forholder seg imidlertid taus, og både motivet og identiteten hans forblir ukjent.

K2 undrer på hvorfor den forvirrede unggutten syklet hjem til en politietterforsker med et mordvåpen - og på om han kan være uskyldig. Nærmere undersøkelser avslører at Fredriksen var et kameleonmenneske som kunne fremstå svært ulikt i ulike miljøer, og at hendelser fra hans fjerne fortid også kan ha betydning. I sin ungdom var han en av seks venner fra Vestfold som opplevde at en av dem, en ettertraktet ung jente, døde under mystiske omstendigheter på hotellferie i Oslo. De fem gjenlevende møttes senest på 40-årsdagen for hennes død få uker tidligere - og Fredriksens enke er søsteren til den døde kvinnen fra 1932. De politiske forholdene mellom Norge og Sovjet kommer også i søkelyset da K2 graver i stortingsmannens virke.

En hardt presset K2 ringer til slutt igjen til sin hemmelige rådgiver Patricia. Det skal raskt få dramatisk betydning for mordetterforskningen - og for forholdet til K2s forlovede Miriam.

Hans Olav Lahlum har skrevet en ny tankevekkende og spennende krim fra vår nære historie, hvor EEC-kamp og spionasje er ispedd personlig lidenskap og intriger. En ekte Lahlum-krim!

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Nordic Noir, Procedural, Scandinavian Literature

392 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

Hans Olav Lahlum (born 12 September 1973) is a Norwegian historian, crime author, chess player and organizer, and politician. He has written biographies on Oscar Torp and Haakon Lie, and a history book about all the Presidents of the United States.

On May 22–23, 2013, he was interviewed by VG for 30 hours, 1 minute and 44 seconds, setting a Guinness World Record for the longest interview ever, beating the previous record by over four hours.

Lahlum is an active chess player with a FIDE rating of 2193 as of March 2014, having been an International Arbiter since 2000.

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

DI Kolbjorn Kristiansen (K2) is feeling pretty damn content these days, thank you very much. Oslo’s criminals seem to be taking a gap year & his boy-wonder status within the police department remains intact. On the home front, he & fiancée Miriam have established a comfortable routine as they plan the wedding. Funny how all it takes is one teenager on a bike to shatter the bliss.

K2 opens his door one night to an exhausted 15 year old boy named Tor Johansen. And right behind him are the police. In short order he learns a prominant politician has been fatally stabbed, Tor was seen standing over the body & tucked in his coat pocket is a bloody knife.

So much for a quiet night in. At the station, all Tor will say is he’s innocent & knows K2 is the only one who can prove it. And despite the evidence, K2 kind of believes him. It’s the beginning of an investigation that will lead him from a politician’s dirty secrets to the dangerous world of Soviet spies & international scandal.

The book is set in 1972 Oslo & covers a time period of 1 week. The investigation aspect is initially complex & slow moving with more focus on characters & the myriad links between them. We also learn the secret of K2’s success. There are numerous references made to his high clearance rate & how it’s made him a media darling. Having jumped in at book #4, I confess I found this hard to fathom. The first half left me less than impressed with his skills as I thought the identity of the killer was fairly obvious. Enter Patricia Borchmann, K2’s secret weapon.

Her name pops up often but it’s not until K2 is desperate that he finally contacts her & the nature of their relationship becomes clear. Patricia is a wealthy young woman who’s lived a reclusive life since ending up in a wheelchair 8 years ago. Once they meet up, it becomes obvious she’s the brilliant brain behind K2’s impressive career. As he lays out the case, it’s Patricia who makes the connections & points him in the right direction. They’ve know each other for years & it’s an interesting relationship. K2 has tried to distance himself out of respect for Miriam who is not thrilled about the friendship. He’s also a little worried that Patricia has grown more attached to him as she’s matured. But he can’t resist the lure of her insight & they’re soon working as a team again.

I found this section of the book overlong as K2 continually questions the same characters while agonizing over whether or not to call Patricia. But as it hit the halfway mark, the pace picked up & some intriguing events jump-start the investigation. From then on, I really enjoyed the multiple plot lines & how they all played out. Running in the background is the real life political situation in Norway at the time as the country faced a referendum on whether or not to remain in the EEC. Some of the characters are involved in what was a politically bitter fight (think Brexit) & it adds to the overall story.

It all leads to a satisfying conclusion & although K2 retains his reputation as a super cop, it’s clear there are some major changes in store for him in the next book. Don’t let the dedication to Ross MacDonald throw you off. Instead of hard boiled or noir, I would classify this as a character driven police procedural. And just as as aside, big kudos to Kari Dickson. Her excellent translation results in a smooth flowing narrative that makes you forget this was originally written in Norwegian.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

“A chameleon person is someone who can move seamlessly between different circles and switch appearances depending on where they are... they can change their face, behaviour and even personality within seconds, depending on what they think will serve their interests.” p185

I must admit I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Norwegian author Hans Olav Lahlum’s K2 and Patricia series as I’ve worked my way through the first four books over the last few years. Set in the late 60s/early 70s in Oslo, Lahlum provides an excellent backdrop in cold war Norway with all the political tensions that existed in that era. Chameleon People is no exception as he weaves a classic whodunnit with political intrigue and espionage, along with a social commentary around difference that I quite like.

Chameleon People is set in 1972 and commences with a boy on a red bike, madly pedalling to Norwegian Police Inspector Kolbjørn Kristiansen’s house, with a convoluted message about a murder of a well known business and political figure. What quickly transpires links K2 to a fifty year old unsolved murder mystery, political betrayal, and a cast of characters able to change their appearance to suit their circumstances. Naturally K2 turns to Patricia eventually, but that is not without its challenge as he navigates his own feelings and those of his secret partner in crime solving and his fiancée, Miriam, finding himself caught in a complicated triangle.

What I actually love about these books is Lahlum’s depiction of disability. Patricia uses a wheelchair for mobility following an accident and is generally confined to staying at home. Clearly she has an incredible brain and is gifted in her ability to think laterally and K2 has come to rely on her as the backbone of his crime solving success.

In Chameleon People, Lahlum tackles the notion of disability and sex and rightfully positions Patricia as a sexual being, remembering that this novel is set in 1972.

“...For some reason I had clearly never contemplated the idea that Patricia could have intimate relations... My minds eye kept switching between the fully-dressed Patricia sitting in a wheelchair in front of me and the image of a naked Patricia in bed with a naked Johan....” p 352/3

This is a great series ... I’m looking forward to the next instalment and hoping that more of these get translated into English. 5 stars.

[Geevee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable and well-written adventure for the central character K2 and his civilian helper, Patricia.

This time he is presented with the murder of a well-known politician and a young boy knocking on K2's front-door. From here K2 is tested in many areas of both professional and private life. There are a number of diversions and connections that weave the story together as the case progresses to a final conclusion that impacts state, families and our main characters' lives.

Within the story are also some interesting linkages to 1970's Norway, such as the referendum on EEC membership, the Cold War and relationships with Russia, and also homosexuality.

I look forward to the next instalment of K2 and Patricia.

[Astrid Marte]

Jeg har virkelig fått øyene opp for denne sjangeren som Lahlum har pustet liv i den historiske klassiske krimlitteraturen. Det er så ryddig og ordentlig fortalt, ikke for mange ord, bare rett på situasjon og sak. Og denne gangen klarte jeg å gjette riktig på noe, faktisk. Artig og interessant leseropplevelse.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. I think I've missed at least one of these, so picking up the story with K2 engaged and apparently distanced a bit from his secret "genius" Patricia. The action in this book takes place over one week in 1972 in Oslo, against the background of the EEC referendum, which seems strange to read about now post-Brexit (Norway voted no, but it was a close vote and a serious attempt was made to reconcile the two points of view and find a workable, acceptable way forward. I digress). A politician is murdered in the street, and K2's comfortable private life suddenly unravels as a result. There is also a classic "locked room" mystery in the background, an unsolved (even unrecognised) murder which took place in 1932 close to the dead politician's life and family, and some international aspects involving the then Soviet Union. K2 eventually contacts Patricia, although it is clear that his fiancee wants to be the one who helps him, and he keeps this from her. Patricia's involvement in his cases is of course a great secret, as his reputation for solving crimes has been achieved through her unknown input, which is a questionable spin on the traditional "amateur sleuth". There are two further murders and an abduction, and a tragic suicide, and the puzzle of the 1932 case is eventually solved, as well as the links (or lack of them) between this and the events of 1972. The historical background is interesting (it is fictional, in the case of the Soviet involvement), and the complexities of the secret consultations and relationship with Patricia are interesting. The title refers to people who change according to the company or circumstances they are in, and perhaps K2 is a chameleon person himself.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful

[Afsheen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Et drap skjer på åpen gate, en ung mann sykkler fra åstedet til k2, sånn begynner en historie on svik I nære relasjoner. Om sjalusj of utenforskap

[Anne-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Den beste i serien så langt! Og liker du lydbøker, så leser altså Nils Nordberg aldeles glimrende!

[Mal Warwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Oslo police detective known as K2 is startled one Saturday evening when a boy of about 15 frantically rushes through his apartment door and surrenders himself just moments ahead of the police officers who are chasing him. It soon becomes clear that a prominent right-wing politician has been murdered, and the boy is carrying a bloody knife. But he refuses to say anything other than that he is innocent. He won’t even disclose his name, insisting that K2 will understand soon enough.

Thus opens bestselling Norwegian crime novelist Hans Olav Lahlum’s Chameleon People. As the story unfolds and the boy’s guilt seems increasingly unlikely to K2, a growing cast of characters emerge as suspects in the murder. And the politician’s murder becomes just the first of many intertwined mysteries that K2 confronts.

Detective Inspector Kolbjørn Kristiansen (“K2” to the news media) has gained a measure of fame in Oslo for having solved a number of difficult cases. In fact, he attributes much of his success to the extraordinary mind of his secret adviser, a wheelchair-bound young heiress named Patricia Borchmann. K2 is convinced he would be fired if his boss were ever to learn that he has divulged confidential police matters to Patricia. K2’s fiancée, Miriam, contemptuously refers to Patricia as “the Genius of Frogner,” the wealthy neighborhood where her mansion is located, but never calls her by name. The two are intensely jealous of each other. Notably, K2 is 37 as Chameleon People opens, Patricia has just turned 22, and Miriam is only 25. Clearly, K2 likes them young.

Lahlum’s fourth novel in the “K2 and Patricia” series of detective novels opens on Saturday, March 18, 1972, and wraps up eight days later. The book is structured in a strictly chronological manner, day by day, and is written in the first person from K2’s perspective. Lahlum skillfully weaves together three seemingly unconnected strands of this murder mystery, lifting it from the confines of the traditional whodunit and building suspense that is lacking when an author’s clear intent is simply to misdirect the reader by layering on unlikely suspects. (As you can see, I am not a fan of whodunits.) Lahlum’s plotting is better than that.

However, the writing style in Chameleon People is the flattest I’ve ever come across from anyone who has managed to publish more than one novel. Perhaps this is the work of a translator who is better suited to instruction manuals. Or maybe Lahlum’s prose is just that unexciting. For his sake, I hope the explanation lies with the translator.

[Helene Barmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book series is very different from what I normally read. It is inspired by the crime novels of the past by authors such as Agatha Christie and Ross Macdonald. The language is quite simplistic and as far from flowery as you could come. Hans Olav Lahlum is a skilled historian and places his stories into a very realistic context. This time we are in 1972 and the fight over possible Norwegian membership in EEC sets the tone for the book. A famous politician is killed on the street and his apparent murderer gets on his bike and goes to K2’s house before he is captured by police. He says that he is innocent and it is now up to K2 to find out if he is or not. During his investigation there seems to be a connection to another murder 40 years ago and he finds that in addition to the murder victim many of the people surrounding him are chameleon people who can present as quite differently in different situations and environments.
Throughout the book K2’s relationships with the two women in his life, Miriam and Patricia, is also an ongoing theme. I don’t find this part of the book that interesting. It might be because even though the murder plot is quite interesting the people are not that interesting to me. Both K2 and Patricia are not that sympathetic or complex. Miriam is probably my favorite but even she seems a bit shallow and not explored in depth. I would like to see more digging into the characters but I’m not sure that is Lahlum’s strength as an author.

[Geir Tangen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Av de fire første hele romanene om K2 og Patricia, så er nok denne dessverre den svakeste. Lahlum beveger seg her farlig nær stupet når det kommer til stivt og utilgjengelig språk. Jeg synes også K2 sine tanker rundt sitt eget kjærlighetsliv og det sjalusidramaet som blir tegnet opp i denne boken, er krøkkete, keitete og full av blødmer. Lahlum er også langt mer pratsom i denne romanen og kunne med fordel ha fått en langt sterkere regi.

Selve mysteriene og løsningen på disse er som vanlig i gode hender når Lahlum skriver, men jeg savner de geniale og intelligente krumspringene som vi har sett i de tre første bøkene. I denne blir kanskje plottet i overkant sammensatt og sakene har for mange tråder. Så virker det nesten påtvunget, men også veldig overforklart at hvert eneste menneske har kameleonegenskaper og skifter ansikter. Jeg skal si det enkelt: Jeg liker Lahlum godt. Jeg liker de tre første bøkene i serien hans godt, men jeg likte ikke denne historien. Satser på at Maurtuemordene har mer å by på av det jeg vet han kan.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I missed a book in the series, The Catalyst Killing. Now I have to go back and read it because I like the idea that played out in his last book Chameleon People between Criminal Investigator Kolbjørn Kristiansen and Patricia going out to dinner. Even when he had Miriam as his lover you wondered why he never liked Patricia in that way. It all comes out in Chameleon People. It's like reading Agatha Christie only better because there is not the hint of anything being taken for granted.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series has only improved as the books go along. I’m not sure how much of a role translators play in the book itself, but the language of this novel flowed much better than some of the earlier ones.

K2’s development is also really well done, Patricia to a lesser degree (because she does show up until almost 200 pages in). A really twisty mister with lots of red herrings, but the secondary story held more of my attention.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fascinating Norwegian crime story, this one is set in 1972. It is especially interesting for its historic detail about the debate in Norway's over whether or not to join the EEC (Common Market). Characteristic of author Lahlum, the story takes unexpected twists. Told in the first person voice of the police detective Kristiansen, the subtleties of humor are typically Scandinavian, adding to the enjoyment for me.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second of the K2 series that I have read. I won't be reading any more.

There is just something I find distasteful about a series where a white middle-aged male hero advances his career by taking credit for the insight and advice given to him by a younger, smarter, disabled woman, without ever acknowledging her contribution. It reeks of exploitation.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5. I liked it at first, but grew tired of it. I still don´t particularly like the characters, and wasn´t very impressed by the writing in this one. There´s nothing exactly bad about it, it´s just not engaging.

[Elin Ravnås · Rating 3 out of 5]

Likte de første bøkene i serien godt, men denne ble for dryg. Mye fram og tilbake i samtaler lenge før det blir litt med action på de siste 100 sidene ca. Kommer likevel til å gi de neste bøkene i serien en sjanse.

[Martine Vold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeg har i denne boken funnet ut at denne K2 altså er 37 år gammel. Mildt sjokkert over dette. Hans kjæreste er altså typ 19? Det var litt i det meste laget spør du meg. Ellers er for så vidt mordgåten spennende altså.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 A little editing down would have made it a 4 for me.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminiscent of Agatha Christie's crime mysteries. Entertaining but quite convoluted. Denouement not entirely unexpected or satisfying but a decent enough read.

[Jayesh Thawrani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable book in the detective series.

[Karmen212 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the story but despised the writing.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stilted language in translation. Good paced story after you get used to the language. Predictable ending. Good book for reading after exhausting yourself shoveling heavy snow

[Barbro Hultgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Selv om jeg liker å få frisket opp historiske hendelser er nok dette siste gang jeg orker mer av den innbilske K2.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elsker måten Lahlum skriver på, koser meg skikkelig med denne typen krim.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Norway

[Nicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book from nudge-book.com in exchange for an honest review.

Chameleon People is the fourth book in the police detective K2 and Patricia series set in Oslo in the 1970s. This particular book starts off with the murder of a well known politician in the year of the referendum on Norway's potential membership of the EEC. The child suspect says he is innocent, but won't disclose his name or and other details leaving Detective K2 with a seemingly impossible situation. Add to this a few plot twists and dubious characters and there is the potential for an intriguing murder mystery.

I haven't come across this author or the series before so was interested to read something set in Norway in this time period. I really struggled with it but was determined to read it through, mainly to find out who the killer was. I'm not sure if it was the translation or the Nordic style, but I didn't warm to any of the characters as they all felt very distant and unknowable. I can't even tell you what any of them looked like as there wasn't much facial description. What there was however was a lot of describing of the minutiae of K2's day, which I actually found rather boring and unnecessary. The plot twists were very good though and I liked the title, Chameleon People, as a great analogy for people who have more than one public personae.

I love a good paced crime novel and this certainly wasn't fast by any means. I don't think I'd recommend it as unless you enjoy slow murder mysteries. It could be a good choice for a book club as there are some interesting themes running throughout.

[Ida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeg liker måten Hans Olav Lahlum skriver krim på, selv om det til tider kan bli noe gjentagende og simpelt språk. Plottene er likevel ikke alltid like lett å gjennomskue, og så lenge språket er greit nok (han har en litt spesiell skrivestil), så klager ikke jeg. Kameleonmenneskene er intet unntak og jeg føyer den inn i rekkene av bøker jeg likte å lese. MEN jeg klarer ikke å bestemme meg for om jeg liker Patricia eller ikke. Hun virker så unødvendig sur og kald.

[Judy Nappa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was shocked to discover that K2 was engaged to Miriam when the chemistry between Patricia and him is positively electric! The plot took some interesting twists and turns, I really questioned his consulting with Miriam on the murders rather than Patricia and almost thought that Miriam was somehow involved in the murder...but I was wrong. This is really a great series and as I move on to the next volume, I'm really hoping that there will be more English translations of future books.

[Margaret Fast · Rating 3 out of 5]

book has potential: interesting, albeit convoluted, plots, characters that have some redeeming chacteristics; political background. However, needed to lose all the rambling repetitious introspection. Details of thoughts and minutiae of life boring. Patricia Ppears to only sit at home and have meals prepared and smoke cigarettes. Only 3 people in entire police force.