Faithless

By Kjell Ola Dahl

The death of a woman whose body was found in an Oslo dumpster has eerie similarities to a cold case in northern Norway, prompting the Oslo Detectives to launch an investigation that soon becomes personal…

**Winner of the Riverton Award**
**Shortlisted for the Glass Key Award**
**Shortlisted for the Martin Beck Award** 
**Winner of the Brage Literary Award**

‘A masterclass in plotting, atmosphere and character that finely balances shocking twists with the coppers’ complicated personal lives’ The Times

'Dahl has an international reputation for skilfully plotted police procedurals that are drenched in the minutiae of detection. This is a fine example of his talent, featuring two of his most famous detectives … If you have never sampled Dahl, now is the time to try’ Daily Mail

‘Skilfully orchestrated tension’ Barry Forshaw, Independent

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When the body of a woman turns up in a dumpster, scalded and wrapped in plastic, Inspector Frank Frølich is shocked to discover that he knows her … and their recent meetings may hold the clue to her murder.

As he begins to learn more about the tragic events surrounding her death, Frølich’s colleague Gunnarstranda deals with a disturbingly similar cold case involving the murder of a young girl in northern Norway. An unsettling number of coincidences emerge, and Frølich is forced to look into his own past to find the answers … and to catch the killer before he strikes again.

Dark, brooding and utterly chilling, Faithless is a breath-taking and atmospheric page-turner that marks the return of an internationally renowned and award-winning series, from one of the fathers of Nordic Noir.

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‘A chilling novel about betrayal, written in a hard-boiled style’ Sunday Times

‘Dark, stylish and suspenseful, Faithless is the perfect example of why Nordic Noir has become such a popular genre’ Reader’s Digest

‘If you want your worst fears about what goes on inside a cop's mind confirmed, meet Kjell Ola Dahl's Oslo sleuths, Gunnarstranda and Frølich … impossible to put down’ Guardian

‘I have read many clever and thrilling crime novels through my life, but often they have nothing to do with real life. If I don’t believe in them, they don’t impress me. But when Kjell Ola Dahl tells his stories, I believe every single word’ Karin Fossum

‘Fans of procedurals … will snap this one up’ Kirkus Reviews

‘A formidable talent’ Booklist

‘Superb … utterly convincing’ Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

‘Kjell Ola Dahl’s novels are superb. If you haven’t read one yet, you need to – right now’ William Ryan

• Language: English
• Publisher: ORENDA BOOKS
• Release date: Mar 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9781910633281

Kjell Ola Dahl

One of the fathers of the Nordic Noir genre, Kjell Ola Dahl was born in 1958 in Gjøvik. He made his debut in 1993, and has since published eleven novels, the most prominent of which is a series of police procedurals cum psychological thrillers (Oslo Detectives series) featuring investigators Gunnarstranda and Frølich. In 2000 he won the Riverton Prize for The Last Fix and he won both the prestigious Brage and Riverton Prizes for The Courier in 2015. His work has been published in 14 countries, and he lives in Oslo.

Reviews for Faithless

[annbury_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This psychologically complex police procedural from Norway is advertised as part of a series, but at present there is only one entry available in English. I hope that more get translated soon! The plot is compelling, and the characters are well developed. One of the police investigators has a connection to the victim, a device that often gets in the way in detective stories, straining plausibility. A rather grim read, but an excellent thriller.

[atticusfinch1048 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Faithless – a Nordic Noir ClassicFaithless from the Godfather of Norwegian Crime thrillers, Kjell Ola Dahl, and since his debut back in 1993, one of the most respected writers of Nordic Noir. Like all his previous books, Faithless is a mixture of police procedure and psychological thriller that will keep you gripped from the beginning to the end. There is a complexity in the characterisation of the thriller that keeps you guessing throughout, even though at time the lead detectives seem somewhat like the odd couple.Frank Frolich is working a missing person case, a young woman has gone missing, while on a summer course at the University. At first everything seems like a dead end until he is called out to a dead body. The body of the women is wrapped up and naked in plastic sheeting, but even more shocking is that Frolich knows the victim. Meanwhile his colleague, Gunnarstranda is investigating a similar crime up in northern Norway.While the body count is going up, the weird psychologist who has a thing for his female patients, nobody takes Frolich’s search for Rosalind M'Taya seriously, other than Frolich. Is it a comment on the underlying Nordic racist thought and actions of our Scandinavian neighbours? Whereas the blonde beautiful woman has the team gripped, even if she does mix in shady circles of immigrants who are part of a crime ring.What Kjell Ola Dahl has delivered is a dark, brooding and chilling thriller, where the atmosphere drips from the pages, and it is easy to see why he is an award-winning author. Don Bartlett’s translation is second to none, and has lost none of the eerie Nordic Noir feel of the book from the original. Kjell Ola Dahl packs more in to the 262 pages than some authors can in over 400 pages, this truly is a gripping thriller.

[rowingrabbit · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Detective Frank Frølich is in a bit of a spot. A few days ago he arrested a woman after finding cocaine in her purse. That night he attended a birthday party for old school chum Karl Anders where he met Karl’s new fiancée, Veronika Undset….yup, the woman he arrested. Well, that was awkward.Unfortunately, the next time they meet is after her horribly beaten body is pulled from a dumpster. Frank is uneasy about having personal ties to a murder investigation & requests to be left off the case. Even though they hadn’t spoken for years before the party, he knows Karl will be front & centre as a suspect. Besides, he has another case that needs attention. Rosalind M’Taya is a beautiful, young exchange student who came to study in Oslo for the summer & promptly disappeared. When Frank finds all her belongings still in her room, he knows she didn’t leave willingly. Inspector Gunnarstranda needs all hands on deck & denies Frank’s request. Another body has been found & the victim had ties to Veronika. And so they begin the process of picking apart her life, gathering an odd assortment of suspects as they dig. This is a fast paced procedural that definitely qualifies as Nordic Noir. As Frank & Gunnarstranda follow separate lines of investigation, they both encounter people who are shifty, scary and/or crazy. Early on there are hints something happened between Frank & Karl when they were teenagers that led to them drifting apart. As the story progresses, Frank has to come to terms with the event & his role in how it all played out. Along with the cast of suspects, we also meet other members of the police & forensic units. Personal details & glimpses of their private lives help flesh out the characters. But it’s Frank we get to know best as he works the murder case & continues his hunt for Rosalind. He’s a smart cop & complex man who is forced to confront past mistakes & fears. He may not like what he finds & although both cases are solved the results take their toll, personally & professionally.Many Scandinavian thrillers are very different stylistically from their typical American cousins. There’s no spoon feeding here. Not everything is spelled out & some questions go unanswered. And just as you reach the end….well, turns out the author kept a few zingers in reserve. It’s my first time reading this author & although I found 5 books listed as part of the Oslo Detectives series, I was unable to determine where this one fit in. As usual, Don Bartlett has done a stellar translation & I look forward to catching up with Frank & Gunnarstranda in the next one.