Celebrating Indie Publishing with @ko_dahl & @OrendaBooks @annecater

It’s a great honour to be able to showcase some of the wonderful books and authors from indie publishing, and today is no exception.

Today’s book in the spotlight is The Courier by Kjell Ola Dhal, known affectionately as “one of the fathers of Nordic Noir”, he has written several books over the course of his writing career including a series of police procedurals cum psychological thrillers (Oslo Detectives series) featuring investigators Gunnarstranda and Frølich.

Ebook publication was January 2019, and paperback publication is set for March 2019.

• Title: The Courier
• Author: Kjell Ola Dahl
• Publisher: Orenda Books
• Paperback Publication Date: 21st March 2019

Early copy received from publisher for review purposes.

Description:
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.

My Thoughts:

Kjell Ola Dahl has the wonderful gift of writing something so full of tension, atmosphere and intricate detail that truly moves the reader. And so, when you start this book you know that what lies ahead will be a literary treat, but you cannot begin to imagine where the plot will take you and how it will affect you.

I have always found WWII and Occupation settings fascinating, something about the strength and courage exhibited by the characters is truly remarkable, their determination to survive leaves a lasting impact on me. And the characters here were no different, I found that the more I read about Ester, the more invested I became in her fate. As she makes her way through the dark world of resistance movements and the threats posed by shadows and enemies unknown, readers witness her strength to survive despite her heartache over what has happened in Oslo. Seeing her father being taken by Gestapo shakes Esther, her turmoil and anguish feel so real, and it’s hard not to be affected by this, the eternal ‘what ifs’ that run through Ester’s mind were ones that I found myself pondering too.

Ester is not the only character that draws the reader in, each of the characters is rich in detail, their backstories and motivations are depicted so vividly that it’s hard not to imagine these as real people. It’s hard not to be moved by the circumstances and situations they face, Kjell Ola Dahl writes so beautifully that this becomes more than just a book, it becomes an experience.
Quite possibly the best things about this book is the portrayal of the female characters. Each of female is depicted as strong, strong enough to take on any man and indeed they do. In a time when males were the driving force of power, government and espionage, we see a force to be reckoned with in the females of this book.

I raise my hat to Don Bartlett once again for his translation skills, allowing more readers to enjoy this masterpiece, he ensures that the English version of The Courier is not only readable, but exceptionally enjoyable.

A tension filled thriller that packs a remarkable amount of story into just the right amount of words to carry a reader off on a wave of emotion and render their heart both broken and mended within the space of a few hundred pages.