The Lazarus Solution by Kjell Ola Dahl
Daniel Berkåk works as a courier for the Press and Military Office in Stockholm. On his last cross-border mission to Norway, he carries a rucksack full of coded documents and newspapers, but before he has a chance to deliver anything he is shot and killed and the contents of his rucksack are missing.
The Norwegian government, currently exiled in London, wants to know what happened, and the job goes to writer Jomar Kraby, whose first suspect is a Norwegian refugee living in Sweden, whose past that is as horrifying as the events still to come...
Both classic crime and a stunning expose of Norwegian agents in Stockholm during the Second World War, The Lazarus Solution is a compulsive, complex, richly authentic historical thriller from one of the godfathers of Nordic Noir.
About the author
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 fourteen novels, the most prominent of which is a series of police procedurals cum psychological thrillers 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.
Review
‘The Lazarus Solution’ is an outstanding blend of history and mystery that will draw you in instantly and then never let go! I would read anything this man writes. If I saw a book with his name on I would go in blind without reading the blurb and know that I was going to get an amazing book. Which is exactly what I did in this case! And it definitively did not disappoint. I love Nordic noir and I also love historical fiction so this story was a little gem for me. I will admit I knew nothing about this time period for Norway and Sweden apart from the very basics, like the Norwegian government being based in London for example. This meant that I devoured all the wee historical details in this book and I flew through this a) because of the amazing story of the death and the investigation but also b) as I wanted to learn as much as possible. I will admit I did a lot of googling and I love when that happens. This is an example of one of the best historical mysteries out there at the moment. I just loved it.
Daniel Berkåk works as a courier for the Norwegian government in exile bringing messages from neutral Sweden back into Nazi-occupied Norway. Its a dangerous job and on his last mission he is shot and killed. He was carrying a rucsack full of codes messages and newspapers and this now missing. The government wants to know what happened and have tasked Jomar Kraby to investigate what has took place and why it has occurred now. He seems to hon in on a man who crossed the border as a refugee but does the real reason lay in the past…
Kjell has this insane ability to create a book in which you instantly fall into this authentic historical world, that is populated by diverse and well-formed characters. This allows the reader to fully immerse themselves into 1940s Scandinavia. I will admit I didn't want to leave when I finished the final page as I wanted to carry on and learn even more about their lives. There is a wide cast of players in this tale of espionage and they are all motivated for different reasons, whether that be for political advantages, personal reasons or even just a hunger for power. War allows all these motivations to be amplified to the extreme and it really is the case here. Our two main characters of Jomar and Kai are both tasked with missions that have people manipulating it in the background and it makes for an exciting read. Both men are damaged and flawed and have been affected by war both at home and abroad and they are being pulled in all directions. For Jomar this is just a job, one that allows him to still kind of bum around Sweden but he is soon drawn into the mystery of it all. For Kai its more personal and I admit I loved his naivety and I was understanding of his set of circumstances.
This is a story and a history to be fair that is full of secrets, mysteries and misdirections. When you think one thing the author pulls a 180 and you suddenly believe another thread is the correct one. This is an accurate picture of any country and people involved in war, especially when there is so many big players like in the second world war. Kjell’s style of writing fits this story perfectly. He has this ability to tease out little aspects and nuggets of information that lay in your subconscious. It's not until later on in the book that you realise their significance and feel a fool. But this is an amazing this as it takes a lot to keep me on my toes and guessing right to the end. This is a complex and multilayered book that not only deals with the intriguing historical details but also looks into how families are either divided or cohesive and how this is change and meanders between the two as the years past.
I truly loved this one! Let me know if you read this one as I am sure you will not be disappointed.
