American by Day

Sigrid Ødegård #2

by Derek B. Miller

A gripping and timely novel that follows Sigrid―the dry-witted detective from Derek B. Miller’s best-selling debut Norwegian by Night―from Oslo to the United States on a quest to find her missing brother.

She knew it was a weird place. She’d heard the stories, seen the movies, read the books. But now police Chief Inspector Sigrid Ødegård has to leave her native Norway and actually go there; to that land across the Atlantic where her missing brother is implicated in the mysterious death of a prominent African American academic―America.

Sigrid is plunged into a United States where race and identity, politics and promise, reverberate in every aspect of daily life. Working with―or, if necessary, against―the police, she must negotiate the local political minefields and navigate the backwoods of the Adirondacks to uncover the truth before events escalate further.

Refreshingly funny, slyly perceptive, American by Day is “a superb novel on all levels” ( Times , UK).

“Ingenious. Humorous. Wonderful.”―Lee Child

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Book Club, Suspense

352 pages, Hardcover

First published April 3, 2018

About the author

Derek B. Miller is an American novelist, who worked in international affairs before turning to writing full-time. He is the author of six novels, all highly acclaimed: Norwegian by Night, The Girl in Green, American by Day, Radio Life, Quiet Time (an Audible Original) and How to Find Your Way in the Dark. His work has been shortlisted for many awards, with Norwegian by Night winning the CWA John Creasey Dagger award for best first crime novel, an eDunnit Award and the Goldsboro Last Laugh Award. How to Find Your Way in the Dark was a Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award and a New York Times Best Mystery of 2021.

Miller is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College (BA), Georgetown (MA) and he earned his Ph.D., summa cum laude, in international relations from The Graduate Institute in Geneva. He is currently connected to numerous peace and security research and policy centres in North America, Europe and Africa, and previously worked with the United Nations for over a decade. He has lived abroad for over twenty-five years in Israel, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Switzerland, Norway and Spain.

Reviews

[Richard (on hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘America is weird’
So says Sigrid Ødegård, a forty something, Norwegian police chief going through a hard time, and watching too many American tv shows.
After a traumatic shooting incident that left an immigrant dead, Sigrid is taking time off to get her head together.
During a short visit with her eccentric father she is told that her brother, now a college lecturer in America, has gone missing. Her father has bought her a plane ticket and persuades her to go find him.
So begins an unusual odyssey that reads less like a thriller than any thriller I’ve ever read.
Once in Upstate New York, Sigrid, uncomfortably, links up with local sheriff and divinities scholar, Irving Wylie.
It’s election season and Barack Obama is tussling with with John McCain for the Whitehouse.
The hunt for Marcus, Sigfrid’s missing brother soon gets tangled with the death of his African American girlfriend, Lydia ...... and the police shooting of Lydia’s young nephew.
The way is open for an intelligent examination of American gun culture, policing methods, community tensions and how race impacts on all.
Sigrid is a thoughtful, straight talking character and America seen under her calm, critical, outsider’s eye, is the source of much deadpan humour.
This is a quirky, literary thriller which is engrossing, exciting and often very funny ......... my only issue is the pacing. The author will frequently go off on a tangent to discuss, in some detail, subjects such as cosmology, mental health, religion, politics etc, all interesting in their own right, but they do at times interrupt the narrative flow.
I ended up really enjoying America By Day, but if you are looking for a quick, slick, glossy thriller, this may not be the best choice.
Note: I realised after starting this novel that it is the second in a series, Norwegian By Night, being the first. This didn’t spoil my enjoyment, and gave me another book to look forward to.

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Derek B. Miller uses the crime/thriller format to deliver a smart literary state of the nation perspective on the US and compares it with Norway, on issues of policing, race, women, power, politics, society and the individual. He makes astute and incisive observations on burning contemporary issues in the US with wry humour and comic wit. Sigrid Odegard, arrives in Upstate New York and Jefferson County in her search for her brother, Marcus, at the urging of her father who feels something is wrong. She brings her Norwegian outsider's eye in her thoughts and opinions on the weird US. She finds Marcus has disappeared and is wanted after his presence at the scene of the death of the black Professor Lydia Jones with whom he had been in relationship with. Was it suicide or murder? Lydia's nephew, young Jeffrey Simmons had recently been shot dead by the police, traumatising the entire family and the black community, particularly after justice had been denied with the officer concerned judged to have no case to answer regarding the black child killing.

Sigrid finds herself working with and against the elected eccentric Sheriff Irving Wylie, a trained theologian, who finds himself challenged by Sigrid who identifies their differing approaches to cases. She sees an investigation as an iterative process of hypothetic-deductive reasoning, seeing facts not as evidence, facts become evidence when they are mobilised in support of an argument. This exploratory approach requires a degree of comfort with ambiguity. There is a look at the state of mental health, depression and suicide in the US, the figures for women in policing and Deputy Melinda Powell sees Sigrid as a powerful female police role model. Sigrid and Irv's relationship flowers with both being strong, intelligent characters, it has Irv going the extra mile to ensure that Marcus is not shot dead by a trigger happy law enforcement community and protecting Sigrid when her actions veer towards the outrageous. This story takes in white supremacist bikers, heightened community tensions, the grief of Lydia's family and the problematic relations between the police and the black community, and a hunt for Marcus in the Adirondacks that results in the use of Molotov cocktails.

Miller's novel is a joy to read, and his thinking on the state of the US delivered through Sigrid and Irving is both erudite and compelling. I particularly liked how perceptions, how things look matters more and politically self interested decisionmaking trumps any judicious investigations. In a conflicted US, and the differences between Sigrid and Irv, these resolved on an individual basis with their connection with each other on a personal level. It is this micro level focus on individuals relating to and connecting with each other, providing some possible answers towards solving what would otherwise be insurmountable global, national, political, cultural, racial divisions and more, that results in dividing people. This is an exciting and engaging read, written by an author who transcends the crime genre to give us a brilliant thought provoking novel that I recommend highly. I absolutely adored the offbeat characters he creates and his thoughtful and witty approach to story telling. Many thanks to Random House Transworld for an ARC.

[Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s early in the year, but I’m certain that “American by Day” will be on my 2018 top ten list for literary crime fiction. Derek Miller is a brilliant writer and storyteller, and for that alone I would recommend this book. But that is only part of the reason I loved this book. I appreciate hearing reasoned opinions and ideas about social and political issues in the US from non-US residents, and the observations and commentary of Miller were revealing and insightful, particularly about institutional racism, economic inequality, the proliferation of guns and the lack of reasonable gun control laws, and misconceptions about what constitutes freedom. In addition, Miller perfectly leavens dark drama with dry wit and very funny comments and conversations. (Now I know one of the reasons some men wear cowboy boots!) The characters are believable and deeply developed and I found myself wanting to spend time with them. I highly recommend “American by Day” and though it can easily be read as a stand-alone, I strongly encourage reading the first book in the series “Norwegian by Night” because it’s just as exceptional.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

We last left Sigrid in Norwegian by Night, after the end of a case that seriously impacted her professionally and personally. In this outing Sigrid comes to Jefferson County in search of her brother, at the request of her father. She finds her brother wanted by the police in the mysterious death of a black woman. She meets Irving Wiley, former divinity student, now elected Sheriff of the County where the death occurred. She also gets a first hand look at race relations and other oddities of a country that shares little with her home country of Norway.

I love this author's writing style, amusing at times, witty, but incredibly insightful. His characters are well rounded, very different people, and Wiley is one of the best new characters invented in my many reads. He is honest, can quote scripture with the best of them and can be impassioned in his arguments, but he is also able to balance his communities needs, finding novel ways to tamper down tensions. Using Sigrid, the author shows us the many ways Norway differs from the USA., Showing us how little some of the things happening here make little sense. I liked this aspect of the novel, but can see where some readers might not. Sigrid herself is loyal, clever, and not above voicing her opinion.

This a a great mix of story and character. Will appeal to those who do not like mysteries, simply because this is so much more. It is also character driven and somewhat of a social commentary. This is an author I have come to love, all three of his books for me have been fantastic reading experiences.
Can't wait to see where he takes us next.

ARC from Netgalley.

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of mystery/thrillers and occasionally one comes along which is really superior to the rest. American by Day is one of those.

Author Derek B. Miller had a moment of genius when he decided to bring the main character of Norwegian by Night, Sigrid Odegard, out of her native Norway and into the backwoods of the Adirondacks, USA. Here she is thrown into the company of Irving Wylie, a man with a masters degree in Divinity who is now the local Sheriff. This is a character driven book and these two together are wonderful. They are both smart and their attempts to outdo each other create a lot of humorous moments.

American by Day has so much in it. There are some great lines when Sigrid in particular is comparing Norway with America. There is commentary on the situation of African-Americans and on American policing. There is even a little bit of the history of politics concerning events in 2008 and Obama’s race to the White House.

I found this book to be an absolute delight and it is one I intend to keep on my shelves to read again in the future.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had enjoyed Norwegian by Night, so I was curious to see how the second in the series would go, given a different main character. Sigrid Odegard was more of a secondary character in the first book, but here she takes center stage.
The book was a little slow to start. But once Sigrid reaches America and meets Irv and Melinda, Miller’s dry wit starts to shine through. It was interesting to see America through the eyes of an outsider. The things we take for granted are viewed with fresh eyes. And Irv is just a delight. He purposely wears cowboy boots, because no one overestimates anyone that wears them. A divinity school graduate, now sheriff, he loves to engage with Sigrid discussing politics, religion, racism, sexism, policing, US news reporting, freedom and food choices. Throughout the book, they bounce opinions off each other, surprising each other when they agree more often than not.
I also hadn’t realized how timely this book would end up being given the current George Floyd protests. I sure didn’t expect a mystery about a Norwegian detective in America to discuss systemic racism. When Irving gives his talk on cowardice it’s a lesson all white people would do well to take to heart.
At times I would have appreciated a little more action and a little less philosophy. But there were also multiple times I found myself laughing out loud. So, overall, a solid four stars.
I could see this appealing to readers of Louise Penny. More humorous, but with the same insights into human nature.
Sean Mangran provides continuity, as he also narrated the first book. He does a good job and his voice works well with Miller’s deadpan humor.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paromjit wrote an outstanding, succinct review of this that I can't surpass or even equal, so please read it if you're interested in this outstanding police procedural mystery. I believe it really sums up the attitude of Americans and our society very well. This Norwegian writer knows his stuff; this is a good mystery with complex characters and a complex situation. Sigrid is a police detective from Norway who is looking for her brother, Marcus. He has gone missing in the Adirondacks and is thought to have something to do with his girlfriend's death.

Sigrid knows her brother and knows he is not a killer, but she has to find him first and convince the police not to get trigger happy. The situation is very stressful, because Lydia, Marcus's girlfriend, was black and her 12 year old nephew, Jeffrey, was recently killed by the police, who were not found liable or criminally charged.

Before Lydia dies, she tries to explain to Marcus what it's like to be black in America. "My skin is a target. . . . It's about being born into danger. It is dangerous to be black. To be called black. To be labeled black. . . .Jeffrey was born with a bull's-eye for a face. And eventually someone shot at it. The end."

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this follow-up to Norwegian by Night, Miller takes on a journey to middle America as seen through Norwegian eyes and the resulting picture is just as full of quirky characters and situations as in his previous novel.

Sigrid Ødegård was hoping to spend time recovering from the events at the close of the previous novel, visiting her father’s farm, but instead her father sends her off to America to find her missing brother, Marcus. When she arrives in the small New York college town where Marcus has been teaching she finds that he disappeared after the death of his lover, college professor Lydia Jones and is now wanted by the local Sheriff, cowboy boot wearing Irving Wylie, in connection with her death.

As a Norwegian, Sigrid is able to look at America with outsider’s eyes and see the weirdness that has been allowed to develop. A country where gun ownership is valued more than people’s lives, where a child can be shot by a police officer while playing with his friends without recrimination and where racial inequality still thrives. Through her wry observation and logic, Sigrid is able to point out these differences without causing offense. For example, Sigrid is discussing the number of police killed by guns (a rare event in Norway) with Melinda, a young female officer in awe of Sigrid:

”We actually do have a lot of guns. There’s a lot of hunting in Norway. But there’s almost no gun violence.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“On a fundamental level,” says Sigrid, “I think it’s because we don’t want to shoot each other.”

Sigrid is also fascinated by the American system of voting Sheriffs into office and the influence that politics and politicians, rather than justice, can have on policing. Sheriff Wallace (‘Irv’) is fascinating to her in his cowboy boots and laid back manner that camouflage his sharp wit and intelligence. Irv is also fascinated by Sigrid, as there are few female cops in the higher ranks in the US, particularly in small towns. Together they make a fine partnership of contrasting styles as they go off in search of Marcus.

The novel is full of quirky and inventive scenes, mostly of Sigrid’s making (such as her interactions with the local bikie gang and later the special response team sent to arrest Marcus) and is a joy to read from start to finish. In American by Day Miller has written an excellent literary thriller, on a par with the superb Norwegian by Night. 5++★

With thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for a copy of the book to read

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Norwegian by Night…American by Day. Anyone who has had the pleasure of reading the first novel will remember Norwegian Chief Inspector Sigrid Odegard – and those who haven’t read it will quickly get acquainted with her.

Here she finds herself swiftly transported to America in search of her missing brother, who is a suspect in the death of his African-American girlfriend Lydia, an acclaimed professor with a heavy heart. She teams up with the local sheriff, Irving Wylie, surely one of the more delightful sheriffs of literature, with a dry wit, a kind heart, a pragmatic mind, and a keen insight into the politics of justice.

There is much in this novel to enjoy. The banter between Sigrid and Irving is spot-on and there are laugh out loud moments as the two cultures clash. Derek B. Miller also provides some real food for thought about our gun culture and institutionalized racism without crossing the line and becoming pedantic. Take this, for example: “…it’s deeper than race. It’s deeper than politics It’s a culturally organizing system. It’s how we achieve Americanness. It’s how we do Americanness. It’s a kind of performance.” Miller – and by extension, his characters – believe that the American passion for individualism stand in the way of community achievement.

I was a little wary that all this would be too heavy-handed but Derek B. Miller strikes just the right tone with a smart novel that engages and entertains as well as gently teaches. There are a few times he overreaches and the ending is a bit too cinematic and tied-together for my tastes. Still, this comparison of Norwegian and American mores and values and his damaged but good-spirited characters really won me over. This is a fine book.

[Lisa (NY) · Rating 4 out of 5]

[3.5] I like the premise of this novel - a look at American culture and racism through the eyes of a Norwegian detective who comes to the US to find her brother. I was engaged and it was easy to keep turning the pages. However, the framework of the novel - Sigrid's brother's motivations and their family history just didn't add up for me.

[☮Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Derek B. Miller, it's good to know you've still got it, that incredible ability to take serious, tough topics like suicide, cancer, depression, grief and loneliness, politics and prejudice, and put them into a story that is deep, yes, but lots of fun too. Loved it!

I adored Norwegian By Night (5 stars too), so this sequel had a lot of expectations to live up to; and it managed to make me feel happy, sad, and even a little more intelligent because Miller's writing covers some heavy topics that make you really think. These are all the same feelings I had with NBN, so this book met and surpassed my expectations.

We get to know Sigrid Odegard much better here, and the New York sheriff Irving Wylie who is trying to help her find her brother is a wonderful character. Miller creates lonely, quirky souls who worm their way into your very heart.

In this town in upstate New York, an African American boy named Jeffrey was shot by a policeman who believed Jeffrey's toy gun was real. The cop was exonerated. His Aunt Lydia is dating Sigrid's brother Marcus, and Lydia is soon found dead outside a construction site, having fallen 6 floors. Whether she was pushed by Marcus, now missing, and if there was any connection between the two deaths is what Sheriff Wylie wants to know; and Sigrid intends to find her brother before the authorities do. She is much more wiley than Sheriff Wylie, but quite a pair they do make. The ending might make you cry.

An ebook from NetGalley and the publisher.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After I notoriously did not care much for Norwegian by Night, unlike the rest of my book club, I was a bit hesitant to pick up the sequel. But I was interested in the idea that it was about a periphery character in the first novel, one I didn't like all that much, the female Norwegian cop, but focusing on her journey to upstate New York to try to find her brother. It's lucky she did because he is a suspect in a murder case and people are closing in. (Also lucky because he is an adjunct professor and could never afford to defend himself.)

I liked her personal journey, questioning herself about the man she shot and killed, which of course in Norway is hugely rare. I liked the discussions about police shootings in the United States but it all had a distasteful tinge of white people sitting around talking about race instead of actually including anyone they're talking about (except as victims of shootings) so ... I am not sure that is helping anything. There's some in here about mental health and privilege too.

If this series continues I'm guessing the American sheriff might be the next main character, as he has some complexities to him, such as wearing cowboy boots so people make the wrong assumptions, but really he has degrees in theology and other things like that. The setting is ripe for more stories, a small upstate town with no major industry anymore, lots of poverty and drugs. It would be nice to see this play out through characters who actually live there rather than these random Norwegians that the author keeps wanting to write about.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC; this book came out April 3 and I'm a bit behind.

[Jonathan K (Max Outlier) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Derek B. Miller is a 'rare bird' whose insights, creativity and narratives are in some ways, life changing. Having read nearly every book he's written, this was not only a departure but one with a strong emotional impact. In Norwegian by Night we are introduced to Sheldon Horowitz and elderly man who'd moved to Norway to be with his daughter. When a 'problem' involving a young boy surfaces in the apartment building, he takes it upon himself to resolve it. Due to the legal nature Chief Investigator, Sigrid Odegard gets involved

Years later after Sigrid suffered an 'unfortunate' police incident in Norway, her father informs her he's purchased a ticket to the US since her older brother Stephen is missing. He's worked as professor at a university in upstate NY, so she becomes the classic 'stranger in a strange' land upon arrival. Sigrid finds her way to her brother's home and questions a black hooker who lives there. Frustrated, she goes the local police station where she encounters Sheriff Irving Wylie, who strange as it seems was a student of theology before being elected. As a character, Irv Wylie is unique, insightful and often funny, which is rare when you consider he's a small town sheriff. Interactions with a 'foreigner' who's challenging and insightful views of America adds to reader engagement.

Miller blends themes of loss, family, redemption, American racism/injustice in evocative and in some cases, troubling ways. I found the points/issues worthy of contemplation; things we take for granted in the US are viewed differently by those from other countries, racism and policing among them.

As the plot unfolds, we learn Sigrid's mother Astrid died of cancer when she was five and Stephen eleven. He had overheard a discussion between the parents and for reasons unknown, felt responsible for his mother's death.

Now in their forties, Stephen's guilt deepens when his black girlfriend Professor Lydia Jones falls to her death from an office building under construction. Two months previous she'd learned her teen nephew was murdered by a white police officer who was acquitted shortly after. Missing for weeks, and having heard recordings of Stephen's 911 calls where he seems to confess, Wylie decides he's the primary suspect.

Its rare that I dog-ear pages, but with this book I had several due to profound quotes associated with the themes. To wit, a conversation between Reverend Green, the black Baptist preacher and Irv Wylie. "..Why is it the black people's faith needs to be tested on both sides? Why does God take away from us, and later tell us to do nothing about it? Why doesn't he do that for white people? Deep down, does he hate us as much as America does?..."

Being able to blend high impact insights with humor, relationship, loss and spirit takes skill and Miller rises to the occasion. I place him in the same category as Percival Everett, Brian Doyle, James McBride and others hence the 'rare bird' category mentioned.

While The Curse of Pietro Houdini was profound in its own right as are elements of his others, this book raises the bar. If a story causes us contemplate change or what we take for granted, its value can't be put into words. And for me, THIS is what great storytelling is about! Regardless of which of his books you choose, I urge you to add this one with the others!

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

It pains me - really, pains me - to have to give the marvellous Miller less than the full 5-star treatment, but this book and I just, somehow, didn't gel. There's so much potential here structured via a Norwegian 'outsider's' view of America, plus an urgent attention to race and, specifically, the shooting of black citizens by white police officers (a particularly emotive example of which is in this story)... yet, it never quite felt like the book took off.

Miller's trademark gimlet wit and absurdist humour are still here in places, and he makes some fine points via Sigrid on America's discussion-stopping rhetoric of 'freedom', and Lydia's thesis on the connection between the American valorisation of individualism and debates about race. There are also moments of LOL sniggering caused by Melinda, and some of the interactions between Sheriff Irv Wylie, Melinda and Sigrid.

Yet, for all this, I felt the story lacked incision. Too much of the substance has already happened (Lydia's death, Marcus' misunderstandings, the police shooting of a 12-year old boy) and the present story is mopping up the aftermath. The options for what happened to Lydia - suicide or murder? - are too narrow why does no-one consider accident?, and the plot seems to ramble around too much trying to find a direction.

Most of all, I missed the brilliant characterisation that I would consider a trademark of Miller: Irv Wylie is no Sheldon Horowitz (Norwegian by Night) or Arwood Hobbes (The Girl in Green), and his act of self-knowledge, confession and reparation at the end seems to come out of nowhere. Sigrid, too, is fine as a minor character but can't, for me, carry the book. And don't even get me started on her whine-y brother who beats himself - and everyone else - up for getting things wrong.

Set against the run-up to Obama's first election, I felt more could have been made of this to offer a more integrated story. And some of Sigrid's amazed reflections on America - 24-hour diners! massive food portions!- are tired and surely ill-fitting coming from a 40-something professional woman who has visited the US before and, in any case, lives in Oslo where, surely, US TV/films are ubiquitous?

For all my issues, Miller is still one of the best, funniest, clear-sighted and politically-astute writers today - this just isn't his best work.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 2 in the Sigrid Ødegård series published 2018.

Let’s get this out of the way first.
This was an exceptional reading experience.
But what kind of book was it?
Is it a mystery? For sure it most certainly is.
But there’s a lot more going on here than a just straight forward mystery.
What the author Derek B. Miller does is have bloody good crack at dissecting the American national psyche.

When Chief Inspector, of the Norwegian Police, Sigrid Ødegård gets a phone call from her father telling her that her brother Marcus is missing in America and he wants her to go there and find him.
Sigrid, who is on compassionate leave when, not that long ago, she shot and killed a crazy madman, an incident that has left her in state of shock.
With nothing better to do and with the hope that maybe the trip will help her mend she decides to go.

It doesn’t take long for Sigrid to find out that her brother is wanted for the murder of is girlfriend who happens to have been an African American woman, College Professor and a much loved member of the local community.
Local sheriff ‘Irving Wylie’ wants Sigrid’s help and input but does not want Sigrid interfering with his investigation. But Sigrid can’t help herself, Marcus is her brother after all, she gets involved.

This is where the important stuff happens. As Irving and Sigrid work side by side comparisons are for ever being made on the different approaches both nations’ police forces would operate.
This, for me, made for fascinating reading as Sigrid tries to impress on Irving where the American’s have got it all wrong whilst Irving argues with passion in favour the American way of life. Mind opening with lots of food for thought.

A great read and highly recommended. 5 stars.

[Paul Lockman · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up.
Derek B. Miller has quickly become a favourite author of mine and American by Day didn’t disappoint, though I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as Norwegian by Night, one of my absolute favourite reads of 2017.

Straight up I think we should warn our Goodreads friends from the USA that throughout this book he takes the piss out of American culture quite a lot. A hell of a lot actually. Some of it is light-hearted e.g. lousy coffee, terrible take away food, but a lot of it is pretty serious stuff. Institutionalised racism, the excessive use of firearms along with unnecessary and unjust police shootings and the excessive focus on the individual and individualism all come in for some biting and at times scathing criticism and the country is often depicted as downright weird. So don’t say you weren’t warned.

Whilst he is an American citizen and presumably has spent a decent chunk of his life living in the US, Derek B. Miller is married to a Norwegian woman and currently lives in Oslo, Norway. To me, his cross-cultural experience is one of the main influences behind many of the characters and the plot in both books. No doubt his PhD in International Relations and experience in international policy contributes too.

Chief Police Inspector Sigrid Ødegård has to leave Norway for the land of the free, that great country across the Atlantic, America, to search for her missing brother Marcus who is implicated in the strange death of Lydia, an African-American academic with whom he had been in a relationship. Sigrid arrives in upstate New York and has to befriend the local police, led by Sheriff Irv Wylie, and the local police seem to have made up their minds about what happened to Lydia and what should happen to Marcus. Some months prior to her death, Lydia had lost her young nephew Jeffrey, the victim of a senseless police shooting by officer Roy Carman, and she was absolutely devastated. Not long before leaving Norway for the USA, Sigrid had shot and killed an offender, an extremely rare thing for a Norwegian police officer to have done so she is battling her own mental demons about police shootings. The relationship and the banter between Irv and Sigrid plays a major part in the book and here is an excerpt of them talking about gun control, crime rates and police shootings.

“There is a war on the police out there, Sigrid. America is an armed country and we have hardened criminals. Personally, I’m in favour of gun control because I think the opposite of gun control is gun out-of-control and that seems wildly irresponsible. However, all that’s immaterial because…there are lots of guns out there. Which means we’re sworn to serve and protect in a gun-rich environment that makes our jobs scarier. And we’re legitimately scared. Anybody would be.”...............
“There is no war on the police in America,” Sigrid says. “I recently read an article on this. While we don’t know how many citizens are killed by the police, we do know how many cops have been killed by criminals. For one thing, the overall number of murdered officers has been dropping in a nice flattening curve since the 1970s. In fact, the last time there was a war on the police was in the 1920s during Prohibition. What’s also interesting is that since the 1970s, there has been a growing number of officers. It’s almost double what it was then. That means, if you do the math, that the absolute number has dropped and the relative number has plummeted. It is barely more risky today to be a police officer in America than it is to be a citizen in most cities. Oh, and the crime rate has been going down too. America is safer than ever. But according to the media, the country is doomed. The fact is, Irving, the war on the police is a fabricated lie supported by a misperception. That fabricated lie is complicit in the murder of Jeffrey, because it planted a false idea in the head of the cop with the gun. It’s the same idea that puts my brother at risk.”

Irv then asks Sigrid why she’s so angry about it…......

“I’ve stood in that moment between Jeffery and Roy,” says Sigrid. It wasn’t the same but it was close enough that I can see it vividly. Despite being cleared by my department, I am not convinced that I needed to kill Burim because I’m not sure he was really planning to hurt me. I’m not even sure that he was conscious at all. The men inside were hardened criminals, and that went as it had to. But outside, on the grass, in front of my car, I could have done more. I could have looked with different eyes. I could have seen more. I could have understood it differently. And if I had, I could have saved his life rather than ended it. I’m no Roy Carman. I’m not guilty of the racially motivated murder of a child. But I’m responsible. I just can’t figure out for what. I don’t think I ever learned a vocabulary for it. In any language. It’s possible,“ she says, “that figuring this out is the next big thing that needs to happen. Not only for me, but for everyone.”

The dialogue between Irv and Sigrid does get a bit highbrow at times, stretching credibility a little that two police officers could be so articulate and smart but they are depicted as university educated, highly intelligent people so I cut the author some slack there because it was often witty and made for interesting reading. To give an example, in this scene Sigrid has concerns that Irv and his staff have already decided what’s happened and she’s keen to get enough time as possible to work out why her brother has disappeared after Lydia’s death….....

“What I’m worried about here, Irv,” says Sigrid, crossing a leg, “is that you have a very specific idea about what happened and now you’re working your way backwards toward proving it. It’s harder to be proved wrong that way, and investigators have a tendency for theory fixation.”
“I like it when you talk shop like this,” Irv says.
“This is what I can talk about best in English.”
“What’s hardest for you to talk about in English?”
“I couldn’t say.”
“Well played.”
“What I try to emphasise at home, with my staff,” Sigrid says, “is how to take an exploratory approach rather than building a formal hypothesis, testing it, and reformulating it with findings. Investigation shouldn’t be an experimental science, both because it’s the wrong approach and also because cops aren’t scientists trained at falsifying claims. In my experience, if an investigator picks a hypothesis too soon it starts to look like a convenient conclusion rather than a target for refutation. You know Charles Peirce?”
“No.”
“Founder of Pragmatism?”
“Sure,” he lies.
“He talked about the ‘provisional entertainment of an explanatory inference.’ It means we have to hold an idea loosely at first and allow new pieces of knowledge to enrich our understanding rather than sum things up too quickly and be wrong too early. It requires an open mind and a comfort with ambiguity that most cops don't have, It also requires police leadership that isn’t pushing cops to close cases as soon as possible.”
“I’m not the top of the food chain, Sigrid. There is a big and hungry leadership above my head that think I look like a cupcake.”
“You need to get us the time we need to learn and act wisely.”

I hope this gives you a bit of context and an idea of Derek B. Miller’s writing. Whilst his novels do involve crimes, I would describe them more as sociocultural commentary as the crimes take somewhat of a back seat. I also notice this one is down as Sigrid Ødegård #2 but I don’t really think of it as a series and I also don’t think it’s necessary to read Norwegian by Night first. But do yourself a favour and read NbN if you haven’t already done so. I thought it was a blast, full of laugh out loud, absurdist, Catch-22 type humour and a great central character Sheldon Horowitz. The bar was raised very high for American by Day and I really enjoyed it but it just fell half a star short for me.

[Truman32 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Derek B. Miller’s American by Day blew me away like a loosely gripped bunch of balloons in the gust of the powerful Santa Anna winds of Southern California.

I was familiarized with this title after reading several raving reviews from my close and devoted dear dear friends on Goodreads. Now some of you may feel I am overemphasizing my relationship with these Goodreads amigos. You don’t really know them, you might say. They could be practitioners of witchcraft. They could be fans of the musical stylings of hard rocking ‘90’s band Creed. Why they might even be trolls from Russia attempting to hijack the next presidential election. And sure while Goodreads friends might not be the correct term, (soul mates, life partners, people who will take care of me when I am old and infirmed and can’t wipe myself, are all probably more accurate expressions… eh?) I have no doubt that each and every person I communicate with here on Goodreads will be more than welcoming when I show up on their front lawn at 3 A.M. on a Tuesday stinking of discount gin. And really, these Goodreads folks are smart. I’d even say they’re wiser than that wizened old man who sits on his rock at the top of some dramatic summit dolling out sage advice to the poor schmos who climb up to see him baring gifts of cash, baked goods, and American jeans. Because with American by Day, they really nailed it!

Norwegian Police Chief Sigrid Ødegård, still reeling from the horrific events that I know nothing about having not read the previous book in this series, travels to America to aid her brother who is on the lam from the po-po. It seems Johnny Law has been on his tail ever since his girlfriend was killed by the act of defenestration. Sigrid’s brother is white and his deceased girlfriend black, causing consternation and unrest in the community. Sigrid must team up with the local New York sheriff to get to the bottom of this mystery before a race war that could conceivably incinerate all of northeastern New York ignites!

First off, this book taught me the word defenestration (which to those who might not know means: the action of throwing someone or something from a window). The English language is great. Just think, there is actually a word for throwing somebody out of the window. That’s cool!

American by Day is not so much a whodunit (though the characters do work to uncover a death) as much as it is a character study of Sigrid and Sheriff Irving Wylie. Through these character’s observations, the funny things they say, the things they say but don’t mean, and the unsaid, a clear picture is drawn of them and their identity. Casting a big shadow over everything, like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar blocking out the sun as he stands behind you in the line to get movie popcorn, is the United States of America. And like the NBA’s greatest center of all time, our great country comes across as conflicted, deeply influenced by the unequal treatment of African-Americans, wearing goggles and pulling off a killer skyhook.

American by Day is an engaging and compelling novel. My Goodreads friends have done it again!

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book consisted of rather preachy social and political commentary about race relations in America, but was somewhat redeemed by the often light and humorous tone to the writing. I have not read the previous book featuring Chief Inspector Sigrid Ødegård, so I don't know what I may have missed, but this book worked fine as a standalone. Sigrid has to go from Norway to upstate New York to try to find her brother Marcus, who disappeared after the violent death of his girlfriend Lydia. Lydia was black and she died soon after her 12 year old nephew was shot and killed by the police while he was playing a Harry Potter game with his friends. The police officer was not charged in the killing and the incident threw Lydia, and the black community, into a tailspin. Sigrid joins forces with Sheriff Irving Wylie to try to find out what happened to Lydia and how Marcus was involved in her death. However, I would not characterize this book as either a mystery or a police procedural.

There was one point in the book where I thought that the author neatly skewered generic crime fiction. "It is uninformed by the realities of police work and does not acknowledge the existence of women unless they are the source of sexual tension or else have been physically dismembered." But then he turned around and forced a sexual relationship between Sigrid and Irving. Did he not read his own book? A note to author, if I were a cop and a male colleague casually ripped off his bath towel and exposed his naked self in my room, I'd arrest his sorry ass. This is not "flirtatious" behavior.

Sigrid waivers between being smug and superior about America and being overly sentimental. "Taking another American bus deliberately was not going to happen. That smell of rotting processed meat and stale cigarettes, the whiff of urine from the platforms, the exhaust fumes, the sweaty feet up on the armrests..." "It feels to Sigrid as though the town has discovered a way to live in harmony with its own American self, and the source of her attraction to it comes from its integrity." Annoyingly, she also has answers to everything including race relations, gun control and police procedure. I liked the writing style enough to try another book by this author, but this one sort of irritated me.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following the absolutely stunning Norwegian By Night which has been a stalwart recommend of mine as a bookseller, it was with some degree of excitement that I greeted the arrival of American By Day. Instead of keeping you in suspense as to my reaction to this book, I will quickly say that it has already claimed a position in my top reads of the year so far, and here’s why…

This book reunites us with Norwegian police chief inspector Sigrid Odegard, who finds herself on a journey, both professional and personal, to track down her missing brother in upstate New York. By marrying the disparate methods of beliefs and practice of law enforcement between Odegard and her American counterpart Sheriff Irving ‘Irv’ Wylie, Miller weaves his dialogue between them with emotional punch, feisty exchanges and differences of opinion, but never losing sight of the fact that they are both are fundamentally on the same side, albeit moulded and shaped by differing social influences. The verbal sparring, but growing mutual respect, is beautifully depicted, and the frisson of tension between them never feels contrived or clichéd as is all too common in crime fiction.

Odegard’s character in particular carries with it a weight of self doubt, constant self appraisal and moments of vulnerability that really resonate with the reader, and she is without doubt one of the most roundly drawn, authentic, and empathetic female characters that I have encountered of late. As she grapples with the gaps in language, cultural differences, and her growing fearfulness as to her brother’s fate, Miller effortlessly carries the reader on her journey of discovery and epiphany, engaging us completely as the story progresses. The dialogue throughout the book is beautifully controlled, infused with wit, gaps in understanding, and envelops the reader in the definition of the characters, their relationships, their emotions and how they perceive and seek to make sense of the world around them.

By aligning these protagonists from two entirely different cultures, Miller has afforded himself the opportunity to provide a mirror to the social and racial issues that plague American society both in the timeline of 2008, with the election looming, and perhaps more pertinently how these conflicts plague American life still. One review I read of this book made a sniffy comment about Miller’s didacticism, and yes, there is a strong sense of authorial comment pervading the book, which is inevitable in the time period, and with the social, racial and political issues the narrative gives rise to. However, I think any reader with a modicum of intelligence will have the gumption to embrace the author’s more cerebral observations, be they objective or subjective, and process this information for themselves. Personally, I had no problem with Miller’s exploration of the American psyche, the ever present issues of racial division, police brutality and so on, as I don’t believe that anyone can claim ignorance as to the existence of these divisive issues. Harking back to the quote from Karin Slaughter that crime fiction is the best medium to reflect the true ills and division of society, this is the lasting impression of this book for me. I found Miller’s juxtaposition of a compelling and emotive plot, with the exploration of race, violence, mental illness and social conflict a perfect blend, and his balance between the two streams of narrative are never less that completely absorbing.

I think it’s safe to say that a significant number of people that read, aside from the pure enjoyment of reading, do so to provide themselves with an enhanced comprehension of the world around them, and to encounter and experience people, places and cultural differences, and this is what Miller achieves here. American By Day is smarter than your average thriller, but containing all the essential components of good crime fiction that keep us reading and reading. Highly recommended.

[Alex Cantone · Rating 5 out of 5]

“If sadness is normal, it makes no sense to me to treat it with drugs as though the brain is broken.”

In the sequel to Norwegian by Night, Police Chief Sigrid Ødegård has been exonerated for shooting a knife-wielding Kosavo refugee at a siege near the Swedish border. Yet it does not lie well with her, wondering if she could have done more to diffuse the situation. She takes leave to visit her father, who has received a disturbing letter from her brother Marcus, who had taken an adjunct professor post in America, and is now listed as a missing person. He sends Sigrid to find him.

Set in Upper New York State prior to the election of Barack Obama as POTUS, as with the previous book Miller writes in the third person, present tense, switching between America as seen through an eyes of an outsider (Sigrid): the food, buildings, judicial system and a firearms policy that defends the rights of an individual over the collective good, and Sheriff Irving Wylie (Irv), a divinities graduate with a great sense of humour and humanity, trying to keep a lid on a powder keg racial situation. Weeks earlier a twelve year old black boy was gunned down in his yard by a white police officer, who was exonerated. The boy was the nephew of Lydia, Marcus’ lover, who fell to her death from an unfinished building. Sheriff Irv wants to work closely with Sigrid to bring her brother in for questioning, while fielding political pressure from above.

“The pickle that I’m in Chief – and this has nothing to do with my love of ambiguity or women, because let’s face it, they’re a matched set – is that I’m worried your neo-zen-pragmatism is going to slow us down...”

Matters escalate when a reporter sensationally publicises Sigrid’s shooting in Norway, and links her to a white-supremacist bikie gang. Throw in a prostitute who works all the angles, a bitter black community and a trigger-happy leader of the local SERT (Special Emergency Response Team) and the Sheriff needs all the help he can get to diffuse the situation.

Irv has always been suspicious of Joe Pinkerton. He grew up in a tough part of Brooklyn, was sent the navy to get straight, turned himself into a SEAL, and didn’t so much get straight as master the skills to be grade-A asshole.

Sigrid learns that her brother enjoyed hiking in the Adirondacks and senses that he may be hiding out there, and is determined to find him ahead of the authorities. She draws on the raw courage displayed by American octogenarian Sheldon Horowitz, who led a young boy to safety from his violent Kosavon father, while skilfully eluding the Norwegian Police.

This is a genuinely funny yet touching book; brilliantly written and thought-provoking. The ending came as a surprise, and shows that if enough good people display genuine leadership, a community can be brought together.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

American by Day – A touch of class.

Derek B. Miller follows up his highly successful debut with a touch of class, in this brilliant thriller with a nod to Scandi Noir, American By Day. The prose flows like water and is as smooth as silk, this could easily be placed amongst literary thrillers as it crosses both genres easily and at no time do you feel being preached at.

While we must work out whodunnit, we are given a psychological study of small town American policing, boarding on the paramilitary. While asking how a white police officer can shoot a child who is playing with his friends and then not be brought up on a charge. Drilling down into how united the United States really is when there are clear dividing lines between rich and poor, black and white. This is a book reflecting on society while there is a story of two foreigners out of their depth.

Chief Inspector Sigrid Ødegård is taking a well-deserved holiday, especially after recent events, when she had to shoot an offender. She needs to rest and get herself back together and the best place for that is her father’s farm in Northern Norway. When she gets there, she finds her father is worried about her older brother, Markus, who has gone missing. He wants Sigrid to find him and has bought a flight ticket to America to find him.

When Sigrid eventually arrives at Markus’ house he is long gone and needs to find the local sheriff, which she does. Sheriff Irving Wylie, could have come straight from central casting, a god fearing, cowboy boot wearing, sheriff to serve Jefferson County, New York. Both are suspicious of each other and their motives in Marcus’ case. To Americans he is a wanted murderer, who should be shot on site, to Sigrid he is her brother and there may be more to this than meets the eye.

Eventually a strange partnership between Irv and Sigrid, seems to work the case, while respecting each other. Irv who is trying to control the forces that wish to crack a nut with a sledgehammer while recognising this will not actually solve anything.

This is a brilliant book as you look at the American psyche during the 2008 election and the dividing lines in American life. With touches of comedy relieving the tension and aimed at the right characters just simply adds to the story.

This is simply a crime story you will want everyone to read and enjoy, while opening their minds, and sometimes not charging in like a bull in a china shop really is the best option.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

American By Day is the second novel by award winning American-born author Derek B. Miller which features Chief Inspector Sigrid Ødegård of the Oslo Politi. Sigrid first appears in Miller’s debut novel, Norwegian By Night (another excellent read!). Readers with any intention of reading Norwegian By Night are strongly advised to do so before reading this one as there are significant spoilers for NbN in American By Day.

Paternal pressures and concerns see Sigrid Ødegård travelling to upstate New York to make contact with her suddenly-incommunicative older brother, Marcus. She discovers that Sheriff Irving Wylie is looking for him too, wanting to question Marcus about the death of his (black) lover, Professor Lydia Jones.

There on the scene, Sigrid also learns that Lydia’s young nephew was, weeks earlier, shot and killed by a police officer in what could have been a racially motivated attack. All this against a backdrop of the country gearing up for an election that may deliver America’s first black President.

How then - with a black community demanding justice for their dead, a pacifist sheriff (with a divinity degree, no less) under pressure from the county commissioner, a SWAT team, a gang of white supremacist bikers, a trigger happy SERT squad leader, a couple of Molotov cocktails and a Norwegian police chief who is certain her brother is innocent - how will this not end up in a bloodbath?

Readers looking for an action-packed crime thriller are in the wrong place. Miller gives the reader a piece of literary crime that is punctuated by thought-provoking discussions between the characters as they wait. And that’s realistic, even if that’s the bit, all the waiting between dramatic events, that the thrillers omit. That said, there are definitely exciting bits.

Miller’s characters are mostly appealing, for all their flaws, and even the ones who are there to be despised are not complete stereotypes. It’s difficult not to care about what happens to these people, and Irving is likely to be a favourite. He continues to surprise throughout the story, and his speech to the black congregation is wonderful.

Miller gives his characters opinions on a myriad of issues, both topical and perennial: politicians and election campaigns; guns and gun crime; institutionalised racism; the pressure to be seen to be taking action; sadness and depression; individualism vs cooperation; fatal police shootings. The debate is usually balanced, always intelligent, and yes, sometimes the characters get a bit preachy, as people do on any controversial issue about which they are passionate.

As with Norwegian By Night, this novel features a protagonist who is a stranger in a strange land. Sheldon could speak no Norwegian. Sigrid speaks good English, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she fully understands all that is being said, or can always make her own meaning clear. And America, she has decided, is definitely a weird place. Her observations about America are insightful and often amusing.

The characters’ dialogue and their inner monologues are consistent sources of humour. It is sometimes subtle, often dry, occasionally tongue-in-cheek and at times, very dark, but Miller gives the reader plenty of laugh out loud moments. He also treats the reader to some marvellous descriptive prose: “She fires up the bus, which rumbles to life with the enthusiasm of an old man passing gas. The hydraulic doors seem to suck the passengers inside; like a giant vacuum it clears the platform and removes all traces of humanity except the lingering smell.”

Rather than being numbered, the chapters are meaningfully titled from the text. Enclosed within an evocative Hopper Nighthawks-esque cover, this funny, moving and thought-provoking novel is a brilliant sequel to Norwegian By Night.
With thanks to Transworld Publishing and the author for this proof copy to read and review.

[Amos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A "fish out of water" story that occasionally gets a bit too politically heavyhanded, but I still enjoyed revisiting these characters and learning how they came to see their worlds as they do. There's also a new character, a theologian-turned-sheriff, who I couldn't get enough of; deadpanned and hilarious.
All in all, another enjoyable tale from Mr Miller!

3 1/2 Conflicting Stars

[Derek Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi. I'm the author. I provided a "rating" for another of my novels, HOW TO FIND YOUR WAY IN THE DARK (2021). There, I provided a rather lengthy explanation of why Goodreads authors rate their own books. It is — seemingly — preposterous. I understand that. Given that understandable reaction I therefore explain it in some detail. The reason is not cynical or narcissistic (though I suppose it could be for some people). The short answer is the oddities of cyber-culture and the way Google uses metadata. Take a look there is you're interested (and check out HOW TO FIND!). All the very best, DBM (Sept. 2021)

[Mary Lins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Derek B. Miller's, "Norwegian by Night" and "Girl in Green", so I leapt at the chance to read his latest novel, "American by Day"! Miller's gift for creating compelling and sympathetic (yet human and imperfect) characters, his wit, his flair for dialogue, and his ability to construct a propulsive mystery plot are all on display here.

I highly recommend reading "Norwegian by Night" first, because this novel spotlights Sigrid Ødegård, an Oslo police detective who is featured heavily in "Norwegian by Night", and there are some spoilers for that previous mystery/thriller. Plus it's a darned good book!

Sigrid, tasked by her father, finds herself in America for the first time, looking for her older brother, Marcus, a college professor, who has disappeared. Sigrid must use her skills as an investigator, plus her knowledge of her brother, to search in an unfamiliar place (America) which she finds "weird". Seen through a stranger's eyes, this proves to be apt!

In America Sigrid meets Sheriff Irving (Irv) Wylie, and I fell in love with him immediately. He reminded me so much of various Richard Russo characters I've loved (this is HIGH praise from me - I'm a super-fan of Russo's). Several times I literally (yes, I know the definition) laughed out loud when reading conversations between Irv and Sigrid. Witty, wise, and smart banter between characters is just one of Miller's many talents as a gifted writer.

This is a "fish out of water" story at its best. Sheldon, the American protagonist of "Norwegian by Night" was a "fish out of water" in Norway. As indicated in the title, "American by Day" flips the story to Sigrid. This allows Miller to take us through some heavy stuff. It's not just the dramatically different ways that cops in the US look for evidence and investigate crime; Miller also weighs in on America's fraught relationships with race, guns, and our individualistic culture. It's quite thought-provoking, whether you agree with his hypotheses (via Sigrid and Irv), or not. These passages are part of what makes this novel a terrific candidate for a thoughtful - and uncomfortable - book club discussion.

Interestingly, "American by Day" is dedicated: "For Sheldon". I wonder if there is a real Sheldon in Miller's life, or if he's referring to his character? Or both! While Sheldon is not an active character in "American by Day", Sigrid often "channels" him in a sort of "what would Sheldon do?" kind of way. (Another reason to read "Norwegian by Night"!)

If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. It will, without a doubt, be on my Top Ten list for 2018, and I'll be purchasing copies for gifts. Now, I just have to try to wait patiently for Miller's next novel! I hope he's already on it!

[switterbug (Betsey) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still have one more Derek B. Miller book to read—the one that preceded this one, NORWEGIAN BY NIGHT, featuring forty year-old section chief Sigrid Ødegård of the Oslo police department. Both novels take place in 2008, but of crimes that are entirely different. Miller’s last novel, THE GIRL IN GREEN, was one of my favorites of 2017, as he transports us to the Middle East during wartime 1991 and then 22 years later, focusing more on the perception, influence, and insanity (and sometimes inanity) of the media. Miller has a knack for juxtaposing the horrific with the absurdist, which in turn makes the story even more poignant.

AMERICA BY DAY focuses on a police investigation, and again, like a dart, he targets perception vs. the truth. In this case, saliency with high profile cases that involve race in America, and then contrasts it with the Norwegian approach of catching a criminal. But, there’s also a universal link to police instincts in crises that turns a bit of the contrasting theories on their heads.

Sigrid is compelled by her father to go to the US, specifically, upstate NY, to locate her possibly missing older brother, Marcus, an adjunct professor that has been teaching there for the past 20 or so years. Sigrid is plagued by events that have distanced her and Marcus from each other. She also just went through a stressful event on the job, and longs for some time away from work.

Sigrid’s arrival in the US is so spot-on—her absorption of American manners, culture, and procedures is so observant, witty, and thoughtful that I was reminded that I am in the hands of a writer that sees the world with subtly acute and intelligent eyes. She is thrown together with the philosophical sheriff Irv Wylie, with a background and master’s degree in Divinity. Rather than narrowing his focus on religion, his studies has given him a savvy skill set for understanding human behavior, and the ability to pierce the pernicious side of institutional conduct and racism that he is forced to withstand. Together, these two provide the reader with the wittiest clash-of- cultures banter you can hope for.

On approaching crime-solving, Sigrid points out that Americans tend to quickly create a hypothesis and then work their way back to prove it, whereas her approach is slower, more exploratory, without presumption, and based on evidentiary facts. It is only when these are collated that you can connect the dots. In her estimation, doing things right is what speeds things up. As Irv notes, …”it’s most true when people care about the results. Usually they don’t, though. They care about perception, and it’s easier to perceive something in motion, and fast is more exciting than slow… They want conclusions that make them look good.”

Miller commands this page-turning narrative with both open generosity and restraint. He allows his characters to win us over with their resilience, flaws, vulnerability, and humor, but the author doesn’t impose any political or social views of his own. In fact, he steers clear of giving us pat answers and instead we feel the burden of doubt and incertitude to any system, community, or institutional philosophy. Irv understands that the American culture of individualism embraces performance, to a fault, and the quest for achievement can be blind to justice for all. And Sigrid learns that uncertainty has its place, and stepping blind into the fray has a nervy legitimacy, too. What the reader comes away with is an exuberance and optimism for the human spirit.

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful novel opens in Norway as Sigrid returns to visit her father, Morten, who runs a small farm. Her father shares his concerns about Sigrid's brother Marcus, who has been in the United States for many years. He suffered greatly as a child when his mother died and appeared to pull far away from his father and even Sigrid, with whom he'd once been very close. Marcus had been writing to Morten but the letters stopped and the last letter was puzzling and of deep concern. The final sentences of Marcus's last letter to his father states "What I now understand is that it was my fault. And also yours. But you, I forgive."

Sigrid is a Chief Inspector in the Norwegian police department and Morton wants her to travel to upstate New York, where Marcus lives, and bring him home. Marcus has been implicated in the death of a woman and both Morton and Sigrid feel sure he wouldn't have hurt anyone.

As Sigrid debarks in the United States she repeatedly notices how weird this country is and constantly experiences culture shock She meets Irving Wylie, the Sheriff in charge of the case, and requests that she be able to participate in the search for her brother. The interactions between Sigrid and Irving make up for some of the best parts of this novel. Irving, an elected sheriff, has a master's degree in theology and his take on the world is very different that one would expect from a small town sheriff.

Sigrid is battling her own demons. Just prior to leaving Norway, she was involved in a case where she felt impelled to shoot a criminal. Living with the fact that she shot a man eats at her and she perseverates on whether there was another choice, if she did the right thing in taking a life.

This novel examines not only the differences between Norwegian and American culture, but explores issues of racism, socioeconomic differences, and ways that people can meet one another on common ground despite differences. The writing is excellent, sometimes tongue in cheek, and the book kept my interest to the last page. Thank you Mr. Miller.

[SueKich · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Scandi cop and the cowboy-booted sheriff.

This is the follow-up story to Derek B. Miller’s wondrous debut Norwegian by Night which should be read first to gain maximum enjoyment from this one.

Sigrid Ødegård is an efficient 40-year old Norwegian cop on extended leave from her senior post after a police operation ended in debacle. Her older brother Marcus, a depressive, has lived in upstate New York for many years. When Marcus’s letters dry up, their long-widowed father is so concerned that he buys Sigrid a plane ticket to the States to investigate his son’s disappearance.

Sheriff Irving Wylie (“Irv”) is the local voted-into-office police chief, a Republican, a Divinity scholar, a good man and a wise one (notwithstanding the fact that he wears cowboy boots). He is also looking for Sigrid’s brother, in connection with the fatality of a prominent black college lecturer with whom Marcus had been in a relationship.

The mis-matching of two police investigators is a familiar trope in American movies but here it has the added frisson – nicely underplayed – of attraction. Miller treats us to lots of smart US-style dialogue and although some of it may sound less than convincing coming, as it does, from the mouth of a Norwegian cop, I’m prepared to waive my reservations as I enjoyed Sigrid’s scenes with Irv so much. Ditto the interaction with Melissa, the young new rookie cop.

Deeper points are made – this is a Derek B. Miller book, after all – about racial tensions in America, politically-pressurised policing, the enlightened acceptance of female cops in Norway compared to America (particularly in positions of seniority), the value of the church in the community, the stance on gun-ownership between the two countries and the huge disparity between their gun violence statistics. This is both fascinating and timely.

The dazzling and genre-defying Norwegian by Night is a tough act to follow. But this quote from Sigrid towards the end of the book will give you something of the flavour and humour of this very enjoyable spin-off: “She is angry at men. All men. For their stupidity, their lies, their egotism, their irrelevant words, their aggressive personalities and hairy backs. She is angry at them for what they did and didn’t do. For what they say and leave unsaid. For the timber of their voices and the length of their strides, the ease by which they open jars and their inexplicable incapacity to return even the smallest objects to their rightful locations.” I'm not the only one to find men messy then.

My thanks to Penguin Random House UK for the review copy courtesy of NetGalley.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really disappointed in this book. "Norwegian by Night" was so artful in blending character, suspense, and sociocultural conflicts - this one is VERY heavy-handed, with dialogue that sounds like a political debate forced into the characters' mouths. Issues of race and social justice in the US are very important, but just weren't handled in a way that felt organic. Also the suspense wasn't really there, the action slowed down by all the didactic dialogue.