The Courier

By Kjell Ola Dahl

The international bestselling godfather of Nordic Noir takes on one of the most horrific periods of modern history, in a stunning standalone thriller … NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

**SHORTLISTED FOR THE PETRONA AWARD FOR BEST SCANDINAVIAN CRIME NOVEL**
**LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA INTERNATIONAL DAGGER**`

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‘The Courier is a stylish stand-alone thriller from the godfather of Scandi noir … Ola Dahl ratchets up the tension from the first pages and never lets go’ The Times

‘Absorbing, heart-rending and perfectly plotted. Kjell Ola Dahl’s The Courier passes seamlessly from the present to the dark past of WWII. Fabulous!’ Denzil Meyrick

‘Cleverly braiding together past and present, the who and why of murder and betrayal are unpicked. The detail is impressive’ Daily Mail

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In 1942, Jewish courier Ester is betrayed, narrowly avoiding arrest by the Gestapo. In a great haste, she escapes to Sweden, saving herself. Her family in Oslo, however, is deported to Auschwitz.

In Stockholm, Ester meets the resistance hero, Gerhard Falkum, who has left his little daughter and fled both the Germans and allegations that he murdered his wife, Åse, who helped Ester get to Sweden. Their burgeoning relationship ends abruptly when Falkum dies in a fire.

And yet, twenty-five years later, Falkum shows up in Oslo. He wants to reconnect with his daughter. But where has he been, and what is the real reason for his return? Ester stumbles across information that forces her to look closely at her past, and to revisit her war-time training to stay alive…

Written with Dahl's trademark characterization and elegant plotting, The Courier sees the hugely respected godfather of Nordic Noir at his best, as he takes on one of the most horrific periods of modern history, in an exceptional, shocking thriller.

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‘A dark but richly described backdrop and a relentless, underlying tension drive this sad story to its bittersweet conclusion. Fans of Nordic noir will be satisfied’ Publishers Weekly

‘Skilfully juggling three Oslo timelines — in 1942, 1967 and 2015 — Dahl starts his story with Germany’s occupation of Norway and the work of those who tried to resist, then brings his characters forward to a post-war unravelling of what really happened in those dangerous days — and the traumatic rewriting of personal stories’ The Times

‘A fascinating, intricate, provocative read, set in motion by events in 1942, and brilliantly highlighting human need and emotions … ‘The Courier’ sent a shiver coursing through me, it is a truly eloquent and rewarding tale, and oh that ending!’ LoveReading

‘Written with Dahl’s trademark characterisation and clever plotting, The Courier sees one of Norway’s most critically acclaimed authors at his best … This stunning and compelling wartime thriller is reminiscent of the writing of John Le Carré and William Boyd’ New Books Magazine

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

‘The kind of masterful, detailed plotting that Dahl is known for … the power of The Courier is how Dahl has given a complex, human face to such an inhuman tragedy’ Crime Fiction Lover

• Language: English
• Publisher: ORENDA BOOKS
• Release date: Jan 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9781912374441

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 The Courier

[nicx27 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Courier is quite a difficult book for me to review because, to be quite honest, it's a little out of my comfort zone, but I shall do my best.It's set in three different times. The book opens in 2015 when a woman named Turid spots a bracelet in a newspaper. The bracelet is up for auction but Turid recognises it and knows that it shouldn't be for sale. Then we move back to 1942 in Oslo where we meet Ester, a Jewish courier in danger. In 1967, Turid's father reappears. Everyone thought he had died in 1942 after being accused of killing his wife, Ester's friend Åse, but evidently he hadn't and in coming back to find his daughter he also causes problems for Ester.That's a very brief overview of what is a much more complex story. This is a literary thriller, with a setting either during wartime or when the events of the war are still seeping down over the decades. It's tense and there's a real sense of underlying secrets and horrors. The term noir was made for The Courier. Short chapters within longer sections meant that I could keep reading even when I thought I didn't have time for any more, and it certainly kept up the pace. However, this is definitely a novel that requires concentration (for me, at least) and cannot be rushed. The writing style is beautiful and the translation by Don Bartlett is impeccable. Sometimes I think translations seem a bit stilted but not on this occasion.The Courier is a historical, spy thriller, and a murder mystery, set in Norway and Sweden. It will appeal to those who enjoy wartime reads with a difference, not focusing on the home front or fighting, but on matters that are more behind the scenes, with a darker feel to the story. It's absolutely full of atmosphere.

[atticusfinch1048 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Courier – A Brilliant Standalone ThrillerKjell Ola Dahl has written a brilliant standalone thriller, that is based around one of the darkest periods of Norwegian history in the twentieth century. He bases this book around one of the most horrific periods when the Germans were in control of the country, and the Quisling government was aiding and abetting the occupation.It is 2015, and Turid notices an advert for an auction, and that one of the items for sale is a bracelet that she knows was stolen from her in 1967. As she tries to stop the sale and reclaim her wonderful bracelet. What the reader gets it a journey back to 1942, and to actions in 1967.Ester sees that her father has been arrested by his jeweller’s shop daubed with anti-Jewish graffiti, she goes home to find that her mother and grandmother have been taken as well. Ester goes to her friend Åse’s apartment which she shared with her baby Turid and Gerhard Falkum.In 1942, Ester is a courier for the resistance, but she has been betrayed and narrowly escapes the clutches of the Gestapo, and escapes to Sweden. It is in Stockholm, she once again comes across Gerhard, who tells her that Åse has been murdered and that he is on the run from the police. Ester is the liaison officer assigned to take care of Gerhard. Ester has a burgeoning relationship, until it is ended by a fire which kills Gerhard.1967, Ester has not been back in Oslo that long when an old acquaintance from the war is on her doorstep, telling her that Gerhard Falkum is alive. He wants to reconnect with his daughter and get to the bottom of Åse’s murder. Ester knows she must use her skills and revisit what happened during the war and stay alive. As Ester revisits her past it takes her closer to the truth.A truly wonderful book, a book I can highly recommend.