Like her Oslo police officer Hanne Wilhelmsen, Holt too is a lesbian.
She obviously writes what she knows.
Blind Goddess (1993) was her first book, not translated to English until many years later. Some say the translation is uninspired. I’m not inspired to read any other of her books.
She’s very popular in Norway. This book was turned into a TV-series in 1997.
About the only character of interest to me is Billy T, a hulking maverick drug squad investigator.
I learned nothing about Norway.
I read this book immediately after a similar murder mystery – In the Woods by Tana French.
It’s not easy being an author from Ireland. People want to compare you against Joyce, Wilde, Swift.
Author Tana French is a superb writer, however. This was her first book.
In the Woods is a 2007 mystery novel by Tana French about a pair of Irish detectives and their investigation of the murder of a twelve-year-old girl. The novel won several awards …
Detective Rob (Adam) Ryan is the narrator. Negative and off-putting. He made me want to quit the series. One of the most annoying characters in fiction I can recall.
His best friend and partner, Cassie Maddox, is awesome. (She trained as a gymnast.)
I’ll download book 2 in the Dublin Murder Squad series — The Likeness — because Cassie is the lead character. Rob Ryan is barely mentioned, I understand.
In the Woods is long. Too long, I felt. The plot is not all that great, either. Be warned.
Humans (stylised as HUM∀NS) is a British science fiction series exploring themes of artificial intelligence and robotics, focusing on the social, cultural, and psychological impact of the invention of anthropomorphic robots called “synths”.
Season 2 is not as good as season 1. But it is worth watching.
The humans are very human. Some of the synths are believable as androids.
It may be that Letitia Wright will end up the biggest star of the cast. She’s superb as a human who wants to be a synth.
Critics have been generally favourable, though even positive reviews have commented that the show’s murder-mystery plots are occasionally unsatisfying convoluted puzzles or come to a “rushed, melodramatic and fairly preposterous conclusion.”
Each episode is a 90 minute feature film. A big commitment to watch. It took me months to get through season 1.
But I have continued to season 2.
Everything is excellent. But for me the plots are too convoluted. I don’t think I’ve yet been able to guess an ending.
… the series explores the themes of artificial intelligence and robotics, focusing on the social, cultural, and psychological impact of the invention of anthropomorphic robots called “synths”. …
Depending on whom you ask, Franzen is either the premier living American writer or the last literary dinosaur: a pompous white male Luddite who gazes disdainfully down at us tweeting, Facebooking fools from his comfortable perch of astronomical sales and critical adulation. …
Purity is one big and ambitious book. I was prepared not to like it. Prepared not to finish it.
I assumed every character would be educated and talented. Yet find ways to make themselves miserable.
And I was right.
But the plot got me hooked. It’s complex, interesting and entertaining. If you are up for a challenge, I do recommend Purity.
Purity by Jonathan Franzen
The multigenerational epic jumps back and forth across decades. Moves from Germany, to Bolivia, to several different locations in the USA.
I did care about some of the lead characters.
Purity (Pip) Tyler was quite convincing, I thought.
German Andreas Wolf runs a WikiLeaks-like site called the Sunlight Project. Daniel Craig will play him in the planned Showtime adaptation. Purity would make good TV, I think.
Journalist Leila Helou did not do much for me much as a character. But her story was fascinating.
Charles Blenheim, Leila’s husband, a literary has-been, is not a lead character. But I did find him very entertaining.
Tom Aberant is the most important character, I’d say. An idealist who somehow got himself roped into an insane marriage. He’s the character I identify with most.
It’s only got a 3.6 / 5.0 rating on GoodReads. Critics like it better than do regular folks.
Of his 4 other books, the only other I’ve read is The Corrections. Purity is better IMHO.
It sounded like it would be good. Award winning crime fiction author Anne Holt is a lawyer and former Minister of Justice of Norway.
In the Woods
It’s based on a Swedish TV series called 
