Den frosne kvinnen

Vilhelm Thygesen #9

by Jon Michelet

Thygesen har tatt en pause på 90-tallet, men trer inn i verden igjen i det nye årtusen. Han er 64 år, kledd i designerklær, har hestehale, og serverer espressokaffe av stålbørstede kaffekopper. I ekte Thygesen tradisjon blir han innhentet av virkeligheten, og viklet inn i forbrytelser. En dag i februar finner han en død, frosset kvinne i hagen sin. Funnet avstedkommer brutale hendelser med forgreninger til motorsykkelmiljø i skogene i Østfold. Vi stifter for første gang bekjentskap med Kripos-etterforskerne Stribolt og Vaage, som er satt på saken.

Den frosne kvinnen ble publisert som føljetong i Klassekampen før den kom ut i bokform.

I 2001 mottok Jon Michelet Rivertonprisen for Den frosne kvinnen. Dette var andre gang han mottok denne prisen.

Genres: Crime, Audiobook, Fiction, Thriller

271 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This was an interesting police procedural, set in Norway and Sweden. A body turns up in the garden of a shady lawyer and ex cop Vilhelm Thygesen. He calls the police and two Kripos DCIs, Vanja Vaage and Arve Stribolt. come to investigate. While more people die, the violence is not graphic and the two police inspectors work through clues painstakingly figuring out what happened. Since some of the bad guys are revealed early on, the mystery is how the two police inspectors solve the crime. I would call it a cerebral mystery. I thought that the translation was excellent.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this book.

[Linda Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman's body is found frozen in the garden of a notorious ex-lawyer with a dodgy past. He has no love of the police and is slightly amused at being their primary suspect. He states all he did was find the body and report it. So where is the proof he killed anyone?

Add a murdered biker with ties to the same notorious ex-lawyer and you've got a rip-roaring who-dun-it. And when the death threats start arriving, he gets caught up in a world of crime, especially blackmail.

This was a very slow read for me ... I think it possibly comes from the translation. I didn't like most of the characters and the dialogue was difficult to follow.

This one just didn't do it for me.

Many thanks to the Trafalgar Square Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

NOTE ABOUT AUTHOR: Norwegian author and journalist Jon Michelet lost his battle against cancer. He died, surrounded by close family, at 73 years of age. (April 2018)

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

It all begins with a body.

Vilhelm Thygesen is a lawyer who used to be a cop so when he finds a frozen young woman in his garden, he knows the drill. One phone call brings DCI’s Arve Stribolt & Vanja Vaage to his door & they’d love nothing better than to nail him for the crime. Twenty-five years ago he left the force in disgrace after being charged with murder.

Meanwhile, Terje Kykkelsrud & Oystein Strand meet up at an abandoned cabin outside Oslo. Strand is keen to celebrate his release from prison with every substance he can get his hands on but Terje has something a little more serious on his mind. Both belong to the Seven Samurai MC & apparently there’s a rat in their midst.

MP Gerhard Ryland is in a spot of trouble. Someone is blackmailing him & unless he comes up with a whack of cash, the media will hear of his ties to a young woman recently found dead in the garden of a notorious lawyer.

As Arve & Vanja struggle with the case, the story lines above play out in different spots in & around Oslo. Gradually they begin to weave together as hidden links & secret agendas are revealed. Events from each character’s past come back to haunt them & when another body appears, things only get more complicated for the cops.

This is definitely Scandi noir & those looking to be spoon fed will be disappointed. The reader is privy to everything that is happening as they travel with each character in alternate chapters. Still, the identity of the victim & why she was murdered came as a shock when all was said & done.

Of all the characters, I found Vilhelm the most interesting. He’s a world weary guy who’s tried to pick up the pieces from his past & live a quiet life. You get the feeling he actually enjoys his frequent sparring sessions with Vanja. But there’s something elusive about him that makes you wonder if he knows more than he’s telling.

My only quibble is some of the dialogue was difficult to understand. I read a lot of translations & expect to run into idioms/phrases that are unfamiliar & miss a bit of subtext. But there were whole sections, particularly during the initial meeting between Strand & Terje, where I had no clue what they were saying. Despite translation by the amazing Don Bartlett, I couldn’t grasp what they were talking about & it was only later that I could look back & understand what transpired.

It’s still an intricate & well plotted story that keeps you guessing. There are some unpredictable little twists along the way & I enjoyed how all the pieces finally fit together. Kudos to those responsible for creating such a striking cover. It certainly caught my eye.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm having no luck! It's not often I DNF a book, but I just could not connect with The Frozen Woman at all. And I usually love my Scandinavian crime fiction, but for some reason this one did not hit the mark for me.

[Janel]

DNF - I really struggled to get into this one and sadly, I have no desire to continue reading it - I tried several times to continue with the read but each time it felt forced and I put the novel down again. To me, it just didn’t have that fluidity or atmosphere Nordic Noir usually carries. However, I think the cover is amazing!

I’m thankful to the publisher for my copy via Netgalley. Unfortunately, not every book can be for everyone and this one just wasn’t for me.

[Aly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A body! That's how it starts a frozen body in a garden. I was intrigued! The cover of this book remind me of the "Encino Man" movie. This book feels like it was translated from a different language and the book had it's good moments, the story started great for me. But I was a little lost in the middle of the book. I just lost interest in finding out what would happen next and I'm not sure if it was because I feel like the translation part of the book is not coming through to me or not. I think this author is very skilled at writing a great thriller but I didn't get it in this book. This book in the end did not catch me as much as the cover did. * I received this book from Netgalley and this is my honest review*

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thrilling

[Pamela Small · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mystery starts out intriguingly. The plot has hopes for a complex police proecedural thriller. However, the storyline bogs down with a myriad of issues. Irrelevant scenes and dialogue become increasingly perplexing at best, monotonous and boring at worst. The pacing is slow in parts, frustratingly so. "Get on with it!" I internally scream. The main villains are not fully explained, nor is their smuggling criminal enterprise. The rich villain, accused of smuggling girls as mules into Sweden is never held accountable, nor his involvement explained. The story ends without the satisfying knowledge of his role in the scheme. Thus, the denouement is very dissatisfying.
The structure in the novel is perplexing as well. Numerous grammatical errors, especially in dialogue, are difficult to read. Transitions between scenes are choppy. The shifts from various POV require much concentration and focus, as they are not smooth. Swedish Idiomatic phrases and cultural references are numerous and are a hindrance to readers who have no knowlege of such. It was like reading a foreign language in parts!
I labored through the book because, as previously stated, the mystery started out as an intriguing one. Sadly, it didn't finish as one. It was not compelling and I would not read another book by this author. I received a copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Adam McPhee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love nordic noir but this one was a miss.

[Elite Group · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t speak Norwegian and doubt I ever will so I am indebted to Don Bartlett, who apparently translates Jo Nesbo too, for rendering this fiction accessible to ageing Anglos speak. However, I am sure my experience in reading it would have been enhanced if I could have experienced the native expression. As always with a translation, I feel I am getting half a book. That is no criticism of the translator, it’s just that different languages have such different idiosyncrasies.

This book has won an award for being Norway’s best crime novel. The cynics among you may pose the question, just how many crime novels does Norway have? Quite a lot in fact; NordicNoir and ScandiCrime are potent forces within the genre. The sceptics among you might inquire just why Scandinavia should merit a genre(s) of its own when other nations do not. I think this book is a perfect example of why.

For me anyway, Nordic crime, indeed broadens that to Swedish, Danish maybe Finnish and Icelandic too, is far more cerebral in its intent. The works seldom function as pure action-packed thrillers, they demand the reader pays attention and not leave all the work to the fictional detective. Is that a bit too much like hard work when you’re simply trying to enjoy a read? And is it worth it?

I liked this book but I didn’t love it. The characters were quirky and difficult to get to know. It wasn’t that they were merely functional but they seemed detached from the reader. It sometimes seemed as if they were all enjoying an ‘in’ joke that the reader wasn’t ‘in’ on!

Much of the financial, business, political and economic strands of the plot lines were lost on me but that isn’t a criticism, that’s just me. The ultimate unravelling of the actual crime was clever and well-constructed. I had the sense of jigsaw pieces falling into place. I think there were some attempts at humour to offer some light relief in what was quite a tense story but they may have lacked impact in translation.

Ultimately, I am confused by my own reaction to this book. I can’t assert definitely exactly how I feel about it which I am finding unnerving and unusual. Certainly, it’s worthwhile and I’m glad I read it but I’m more comfortable with the likes of Jo Nesbo and Anne Holt.

Whizz

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

[Sue Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The frozen woman by Jon michelet.
In the depths of a Norwegian winter Vilhelm Thygesen discovers a frozen young woman in his garden. She has been stabbed to death. A well-known left-wing lawyer and no friend of the police, Thygesen is now sixty-three, given to wearing designer clothes and taking life easy. Stribolt and Vaage, the police officers assigned to the case, assume the victim was a drug courier from Eastern Europe. Shortly afterwards a young motorcyclist belonging to a biker gang once represented by Thygesen is killed in a motorcycle accident. His bike has been tampered with. The police set out to establish the connection between the frozen woman, the awkward customer who found her body and the bikers who are terrorising the neighbourhood.
This was a good read with good characters. A little slow in places. 3*. Netgalley and Oldcastle books.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Jon's attempt storytelling. He made it seem real and his characters were very life like. Vilhelm Thygesen is a former cop and lawyer that has been disbarred living off his inherited property discovers a frozen woman on his property. Stribolt and Vagge are the inspectors from Kripos that interrogate Thygesen. Stribolt wants to arrest him and Vaage, who's kind of nasty, doesn't.

They have a hard time identifying the body until by putting an artists sketch of the woman in the paper, do they get anything. It sets several balls rolling. It involves biker groups, an artist who likes taking pictures on a train, and a oil mogul being blackmailed. More people are killed as a result of this woman's death. Finally people start to look at the picture of the woman and realize who she is.

This seems more realistic than some of the other police procedures you read. The characters seem to act more like real people in my book. I would recommend this book highly.

[Rowena Hoseason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comparisons to Jo Nesbo and Steig Larsson are somewhat unhelpful here: this isn’t a speed-reading spoon-fed page-turner to be read in a frenzy of tension. It has more in common with the works of writers like Leif Persson, Karin Fossum, Henning Mankell and Gunnar Staalesen. There is almost as much to be gleaned in the gaps between the words, as in the text itself…

The Frozen Woman is part of a series featuring the slightly shady lawyer, Vilhelm Thygesen, but it mattered not a jot that I was meeting him for the first time. In fact, he’s almost a bystander to this story; a tangential character whose involvement in the murder investigation is (perhaps…) peripheral.

The story focuses instead on the main players: two Olso Kripos detectives; a thoughtful male and a caustic female, and the members of a biker gang whose loose ties of loyalty are fraying under strain. The first body in the snow, a foreign-looking young woman, is unlikely to be the last one.

Michelet does not disguise the guilty parties, nor does he compress events into an unlikely time frame to force the pace. Instead he scatters fragments of ‘why’, ‘who’ and ‘how’ into a narrative which touches on blackmail, drug smuggling, prostitution, trafficking, fungal tree diseases, the construction of escapist online identities, and the development of an unlikely relationship between two initially hostile parties. Scratch the surface is this intriguing mystery and you soon discover some thought-provoking arguments about environmental protection and human exploitation.

It’s all delivered with a subtle touch which frequently leaves the reader to draw the necessary conclusion. In short, this is thoughtful writing which demands a little input from its audience. The rewards are commensurately high.

On the downside, the motorcycle sequences felt a bit artificial – as an experienced rider I wasn’t entirely convinced by them. But that’s a common complaint of mine when authors use motorbikes as plot devices.

The translation is clean and extremely readable – it flows easily in English yet retains a clear sense of the typically Norwegian, phlegmatic nature of these pragmatic people.

Occasionally oblique, understated and intelligent, The Frozen Woman introduced a new Norwegian author to my ‘must read’ list. I’m already looking forward to the translation of the next one.
8/10

There's a more detailed version of this review at
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress...

[Claire Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review: The Frozen Woman by Jon Michelet Publisher: No Exit Press (21st Sept 2017)
 
ISBN-13: 978-1843442929Source: Real ReadersRating: 2*
 
Synopsis:
In the depths of the Norwegian winter, a woman s frozen corpse is discovered in the garden of a notorious ex-lawyer, Vilhelm Thygesen. She has been stabbed to death.
A young biker, a member of a gang once represented by the lawyer, is found dead in suspicious circumstances.
Thygesen starts receiving anonymous threats, and becomes ensnared in a web of violence, crime and blackmail that spreads across Northern Europe.
Does the frozen woman hold the key?
 
Review:
I have lost count of the number of times I have picked up The Frozen Woman over the past several weeks. Usually, I really enjoy nordic crime thrillers, and this has twice won Norway's best crime novel, so there is no reason that I should not thoroughly enjoy it. I just could not get into it. At my last attempt, I got about 40% in, and then just completely lost interest again. I persevered more than I normally would if I had bought the book rather than had been given it to review, but alas, it was not for me. Thank you to the nudge team for providing a copy for me to review via Real Readers.

[Paul Bk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Frozen Woman - Jon Michelet.

This is consummate crime writing from a master of the craft. A police procedural with more than one kink and original twist. The Frozen Woman was published nearly twenty years ago in Norway so it's freshness is all the more remarkable. Jon Michelet is not well known in the English speaking world but I hope this novel goes a long way to addressing that anomaly. I almost missed out on the pleasure of reading 'The Frozen Woman' because in all honesty I hadn't heard of Michelet until No Exit Press published this novel. The Frozen Woman is an intelligent thriller but I wasn't particularly excited by the first few pages - it doesn't grip early on. The novel sets up the characters and their relationships, there is very little plot beyond identifying that a woman has been murdered and dumped. Without giving anything away this is crucial to the tale because thereafter brief appearances drive the plot with increasing intensity. I know a lot of novels build slowly developing characterisation but it is particularly well done and a richer story emerges because of that. Then 50 pages in a new strand to the story opens and things begin to heat up. What emerges is an original, clever and highly entertaining mystery. One that seems grounded in reality, both in the type of crime and the way the investigation unfolds. The Frozen Woman has all the sophistication of a veteran writer at the top of his game.
Vilhelm Thygesen is a left wing lawyer with no love for the police - the feeling is mutual. He reports finding the frozen body of a young woman in his garden. The two Criminal Politisentral, (Kripo), detectives called to the scene, Stribolt and Vaage, instantly suspect Thygesen of involvement. Thygesen lives in a big house, he has nice things and yet he is claiming state benefits. He has a bad reputation with law enforcement, too many dodgy connections, a murder conviction dating back nearly 30 years and a more recent charge of petty fraud in the 1990's. The murdered woman bears a striking resemblance to Thygesen's tenant, Vera Alam, who rents a small cottage in the grounds. Thygesen swears that Vera is in Bosnia working for Norwegian People's Aid. A week later the team confirm that Vera Alam is in hospital in Sarajevo being treated for cancer but very much alive. Bang goes the first theory - the victim, unidentified, becomes known as 'Picea'. Kripo are looking at any plausible link between the killing and Thygesen with no joy. Then Øystein Strand, fresh out of prison, member of the Seven Samurai bike gang, rides his bike off the road and kills himself - except it wasn't an accident the brakes were cut. How this links to the murder of the woman, the involvement of Thygesen, big business oil interests, rival biker gangs, drug trafficking and old world politics becomes clear as the story unfolds.
Michelet has woven a story around the chilling death of a woman that leaves no evidential footprint. In 2000 hundreds women from outside Western Europe were murdered in our countries and often remain unidentified. As Larsson says of the investigation, solving the crime will be difficult;
"....because there are no friends or acquaintances to report to us".
It is a haunting thought that not only could a murder occur and remain unsolved but the victim's family never known of their fate, nobody grieves at the graveside.
Stribolt and Vaage are the lead detectives on the investigation and they play off each other brilliantly; they are healthily competitive, close enough to tease each other and both hard working decent police officers. The most intriguing character in The Frozen Woman is Thygesen, the semi-disgraced lawyer, he is at the heart of the story - roguishly intelligent, slightly shady, detached but also charming. But is he the murderer, what does he know about the dead woman? Thygesen makes brief appearances in the novel but his presence overhangs the plot, even when the action heats up. He is the catalyst for the story and his relationship to the investigation and the police officers seesaws and is fascinating. Ultimately the denouement is satisfyingly pacy.
The story feels like it could be lifted from a newspaper; a crime that is tawdry and brutal, solved with good police work, a lot of luck and time. There is so much more going on in the background. The criminals are venal and stupid in equal measure, If they weren't so hell bent on cheating each other and internecine wars they would be even more dangerous to society, (ambition exceeds talent).
Jon Michelet is a well known literary figure in his native Norway; from his Thygesen crime novels and his 'a hero of the sea' series set in WWII to plays and football reportage. He is twice winner of the Riverton Prize for Norway's best crime novel, most recently for this novel, 'The Frozen Woman' his first to be translated into English for some time. Judging by the standard of this novel it is easy to believe that he is one of the leading lights of the Norwegian noir tradition. It would be great if more of the Thygesen series could be published in English in the future.

[David Keay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Frozen Woman by Jon Michelet
No Exit Press

This is another Norwegian Crime Novel from prize-winning author Jon Michelet. I could not imagine anyone who had not spent a long time in Scandinavia being able to capture the character and ambience of life there in such an accurate and sympathetic way. The contrast between the quantity and depth of resources available to deal with serious crime in this novel is in marked contrast to that portrayed in crime novels set in the US. Yet the success of the investigations is no less assured.

The local police and their national partners, Kripos, manage their investigation into murders, arson, drug dealing and other major crimes forming the backbone of this tale with a few key personnel. I felt a deep sense of understanding of the way they carried out their investigations in a way which initially felt a little amateurish. However that feeling was soon dispelled as the series of crimes escalated.

The tale starts with the discovery of a dead woman in a frozen pond within the gardens of Vilhelm Thygesen. She had been stabbed to death before being put in the pond. Initial suspicion is directed towards Thygesen because of his unsavoury background. He is a left wing lawyer who has represented criminally inclined members of a local biker group. As a consequence his relationship with the police is mutually adversarial.

Whilst the investigations into the murder are in their early phase we read about a young biker gang member being killed in a road traffic accident.. It soon transpires that this death is suspicious. The police now start to try and establish potential connections between these two events. The biker gangs and their expansive criminal plans are the subject of the evolving narrative.

The members of the gang are seriously violent with each other but have minimal impact on their law abiding neighbours. One exception is when one is involved in arson when he is trying to destroy evidence of a murder. Unfortunately when the fire flares out of control a neighbour is killed. They do manage to reduce their numbers through their violent acts such that there are very few left at the end to be arrested. Part of the fun is trying to spot who will survive and how they manage it.

I found the reading of this book to be easy and entertaining. It deals with some pretty horrific criminal activities but they are described in such a way that they allow you to view them as a dispassionate observer . I enjoyed Michelet’s writing style and his ability to show his views of Norwegian life in a clear, sympathetic and sensitive fashion. It is easy to see why he is one of Norway’s foremost authors.

We are seeing more and more Scandinavian Noire books. Michelet’s languid writing style helps to make this one of the better members of this genre and I would highly recommend it.

This is a Real Readers review and has been posted on Good Reads and will be published on Amazon when eligible for review.

[Karen Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

As soon as I read the plot for The Frozen Woman I knew it was a book I wanted to read, I'm a huge fan of Nordic Noir so how could I resist a book written by a two time winner of Norway's best crime novel? Originally published in Norway in 2001, The Frozen Woman is a prescient thriller that foreshadows the ongoing issues surrounding immigration and people smuggling across Europe.
A frozen corpse is found in the garden of an ageing left-wing lawyer. Vilhelm Thygesen has a murky past, and the animosity between him and the police is mutual. He is the obvious suspect, particularly as his tenant, Vera Alam is away - allegedly overseas. However, it transpires that she is still alive and undergoing treatment for cancer so Stribolt and Vaage, the investigating officers from Kripos, are forced to concede he may be innocent and they must look elsewhere for a suspect. This proves difficult when they don't know who the woman was. As Vaage notes,
"Three to four hundred women from countries outside the Schengen Area are killed every year in Europe. Interpol never finds out who many of them are and hardly anyone is ever caught for these crimes."
Meanwhile a young biker has been killed after crashing his bike. It looks at first to be a tragic accident but soon becomes apparent that his death is rather more suspicious. He was a member of a biker gang, the Seven Samurais and seemed to know something about the murdered young woman, who has been named Picea after the Latin word for spruce. His death may be connected with his attempts to blackmail a hitherto scandal-free industrialist, Gerry Ryland. Just what does Ryland know about Picea?
At 253 pages this is a fairly short novel, yet because of the attention to detail it actually feels much longer, the action switches between the characters seemingly at random and for a while it's hard to see just how everything fits together. Jon Michelet never shies away from interrupting the plot for what at first seems a meaningless diversion - fungi disease in pine trees, potential corporate mergers and professional reputations, the deadly intentions and mistrust between the gang members of the Seven Samurai - but eventually it all makes sense. This rather fragmented unfolding of the story could have been frustrating but I found I loved reading something that really demanded my full attention. There's a dry humour to The Frozen Woman too, particularly in the exchanges between Stribolt and Vaage, colleagues who have a working relationship that is akin to that between siblings, spiky and competitive yet the teasing clearly an indication of their mutual respect and closeness. Thygesen is a fascinating catalyst to the plot, his past suggests he has a questionable relationship with the truth and with staying on the right side of the law, yet his wry exchanges with Vaage in particular show him to be undeniably charming, intelligent and erudite.
The Frozen Woman isn't a book I'd describe as a gripping thriller, instead this police procedural is a biting social commentary that shines a light on organised and gang crimes, the stigmatising of ethnic groups, the exploitation of some of society's most vulnerable and the difficulties in identifying the dispossessed. It may have originally been written almost twenty years ago but remains achingly current.
"And then there are all the children. They'll be gone, scattered like chaff before the wind, blown into ditches, swept into landfill dumps, brushed into the gutters of the Boulevarde de Stalingrad in Paris, disfigured in a backyard in Berlin, shot in a shed in Skopje."
This is a classy, thoughtful novel that deserved to be savoured. I loved it.

[Dee-Cee It's all about the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the body of a young woman is found in the garden of Vilhelm Thygesen he is automatically under suspicion. Investigating detectives Stibolt and Vaarge find themselves investigating a case with not many leads, who is the woman? Where did she come from? And as the duo investigate further they uncover a web of crime full of twists.
I’m really growing to love Nordic Noir books, so when I read the description for The Frozen Woman my interest was piqued and I was looking forward to reading a good crime thriller. I wasn’t expecting what a got though, The Frozen Woman is a story with many different threads that not only focus on the dead woman but incorporate politics, biker gangs and  blackmail with many different twists thrown in.
The opening chapter finds Thygesen finding the body of a young woman, stabbed to death and frozen at the bottom of his garden, the story then shifts to a young man, just released from prison who is part of a motorcycle gang. At first I was a little confused, I really couldn’t see how these threads were going to fit together, it felt like I was reading two different stories, both very interesting though I may add. Jon Michelet though has done a fabulous job of creating a jigsaw puzzle, slowly, slowly revealing all the pieces that fit together.
It’s quite difficult to give a detailed review of The Frozen Woman as it is a jam-packed story, with many different threads that don’t always seem connected and I really don’t want to give anything away. It’s really cleverly written, it’s not a fast paced story and I really needed to concentrate on what I was reading as there are quite a lot of characters to get to grips with but it holds your attention and when everything comes together, all the pieces are put in place at the end there is a real satisfaction to it.
Over all this is a very intricate and well plotted story, it’s easy to see how the author is the two-time winner of Norway’s best crime novel. I also must add that I absolutely love the cover for The Frozen Woman as well, it really stands out and gave me the shivers, every time she was mentioned in the story the picture popped into my head and made her seem so real.
The Frozen Woman is a definite read for anyone who likes this genre. It’s quite different to anything I’ve read before and I’d be interested in reading more from this author.

[Gill Chedgey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t speak Norwegian, doubt I ever will so I am indebted to Don Bartlett, who apparently translates Jo Nesbo too, for rendering this fiction accessible to an ageing anglospeak. However I am sure my experience in reading it would have been enhanced if I could experienced the native expression. As always with a translation I feel I am getting half a book. That is no criticism of the translator, its just that different languages have such different idiosyncrasies.

This book has won an award for being Norway’s best crime novel. The cynics among you may pose the question, just how many crime novels does Norway have? Quite a lot in fact; NordicNoir and ScandiCrime are potent forces within the genre. The sceptics among you might enquire just why Scandinavia should merit a genre(s) of its own when other nations don’t. I think this book is a perfect example of why.

For me anyway, Nordic crime, indeed broaden that to Swedish, Danish maybe Finnish and Icelandic too, is far more cerebral in its intent. The works seldom function as pure action packed thrillers, they demand the reader pays attention and not leave all the work to the fictional detective. Is that a bit too much like hard work when you’re simply trying to enjoy a read? And is it worth it?

I liked this book but I didn’t love it. The characters were quirky, difficult to get to know. It wasn’t that they were merely functional but they seemed detached from the reader.It sometimes seemed as if they were all enjoying an ‘in’ joke that the reader wasn’t ‘in’ on!

Much of the financial, business, political and economic strands of the plot lines were lost on me but that isn’t a criticism that’s just me. The ultimate unravelling of the actual crime was clever and well constructed. I had the sense of jig saw pieces falling into place. I think there were some attempts at humour to offer some light relief in what was quite a tense story but they may have lacked impact in translation.

Ultimately I am confused by my own reaction to this book. I can’t assert definitely exactly how I feel about it which I am finding unnerving and unusual. Certainly its worthwhile and I’m glad I read it but I’m more comfortable with the likes of Jo Nesbo and Anne Holt.

[Sam Woodfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's quite a weird one this. Hidden underneath this novel there is clearly a skilled written who can create good thrillers and exciting plots. However I think there is an element of lost in translation here which disguises this skill and makes this novel fairly mediocre.
The novel starts with 'The Frozen Woman', an unidentified young woman dumped in a garden in the middle of winter, explaining her name. The garden belongs to an ex-lawyer known for his controversial left-wing views and causing controversy in the cases he takes. It is down to Detectives Stribold and Vange to not only find the killer but also identify the young woman and find out how she got there. As a series of seemingly unrelated deaths show connections to the woman, the net starts to close on the murderers who can't be found.
As a plot this is actually quite good. There are lots of sub-plots within this novel which the death of the young woman manages to thread together quite well. As a reader you can see these connections but the intrigue comes from wondering if the detectives will ever get this same insight. When the plots do come together it's all a bit quick for me and over before its begun.
There are lots of characters introduced in this novel, but I think this is where the novel.is let down slightly. I got to the end of this novel and didn't have any real insight into any of the characters and don't feel that I really knew them. I think the intention is that Stribolt and Vaage become well loved by the reader, particularly Vaage who starts out quite cold, but this didn't happen. Not knowing anything about the victim until the end also left me wanting a bit as in many thrillers this is the character for whom you have a connection and empathy. I think this is something that really let's the novel down and makes this a pleasant read rather than a gripping thriller.
All this said, I think underneath there might be a really good writer as the plot is intriguing and the sewing together of the sub-plots is done very well. As with many translations, there are portions of this novel which are very clunky and so.it is difficult to work out whether this is just a disappointing novel or the things that give it an edge are just lost in translation.

[Hayley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Frozen Woman, by Jon Michelet
ISBN 9781843442929
Printed by Oldcastle Books ltd., No Exit Press (imprint)

Review submitted for Real Readers on Nudge (nudge-book.com/nudge-reviewers) based on a proof copy of the title.

There is no preamble to this book: it jumps straight in with the police questioning a man, Vilhelm Thygesen, in his kitchen after his discovery of the frozen body of a woman in his garden. Thygesen is an unusual character. A retired lawyer with a ponytail and a drinking habit, who smokes a pipe and knows how to butcher animals, he is the axis around which the book is built, with his links to different people, through his work and personal life, forming the crux of the investigation into who the dead woman is and how she died.

There were points in this book that I just did not follow. I am not just referring to elements of Norwegian culture or geography, both of which I admit my ignorance of. It is more that there are leaps in the plot that left me doubting that I had read all of the previous pages. Weeks pass between chapters, with characters acting upon decisions that the reader hasn’t been privy too (for example, one character is suddenly considering resigning from his job).

Normally for a murder mystery you have to have at least a modicum of empathy for the victim, if only if it’s wanting to know who killed them. I found myself often forgetting completely that there was actually a dead woman involved in the whole plot. She almost became a plot device, something to weave the stories of the police officers and the bikers around. For most of the book, she is even known under another name.

At first, I liked the analytical style of the book: it is not bogged down with fluffy prose and describes the surrounds in a very minimal, cursory fashion. The landscape, particularly the forests, is like an actual character in the book. Ever present like air, the constant mentioning of the trees adds an unexpected calmness. But after a while I became inured, not feeling anything for most of the characters. I know Scandi crime novels have an expectation for being bleak, but this was just a bit too far.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Frozen Woman - a review by Rosemary Kenny

Being new to this Nordic noir author, (though a great fan of Kenneth Brannagh's tv rendering of Henning Mankell's Wallander novels) and being reliant on a translation from the original language to convey the moods of the protagonists. The bleakness of the winter setting and the complicated relationships between a variety of characters, may also have resulted in making the pace of the story somewhat stilted and not initially engaging to those expecting the usual type of US and UK crime/police procedural novels..

The main plot on The Frozen Woman is the discovery of the frozen body of a young woman, nicknamed Picea (= spruce) - possibly a trafficked Eastern European forced into prostitution - in the garden of 63 year-old, disgraced radical ex-lawyer, Vilhelm Thyssen and his becoming chief suspect, when he finds and reports it to the police. Lieutenants and partners Vaage and Stribolt seem at times like squabbling siblings in their interactions, though this may be somewhat of a front, as they eventually solve the crime in a satisfactory manner, despite Vaage's fledgling friendship with Thyssen and Stribolt's overthought decision to resign, (even going so far as to draft his resignation letter, though not as far as actually posting it). Unfortunately, the police's habit of not involving the Press in appeals for information as the the victim's ID works against them, delaying matters even further.

What is Thyssen's connection with the Seven Samurai biker gang? Why is he being blackmailed with photos of 'Picea' before she was stabbed to death? Who is Oystein Strand and how did he die?
Where had he been before his unexpected death? Was his death accidental or deliberately caused?
What explanation did Thyssen give as to why he took so long to report finding the woman's body?

Though some might think it laboured and others think its effect is somewhat 'lost in translation', due to the the diversity of locality, customs and language, the patient reader will be well rewarded and most satisfied with the eventual solution. I think it will please all who finish it!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m slowly dipping my toe into the Nordic Noir books, they used to be completely out of my comfort zone but now I take them at face value and ‘allow’ myself to try! The cover of The Frozen Woman is enchanting, strange observation possibly but look into her eyes. The blurb sounded intriguing so I began.

Now the first piece of advice I can give is don’t try to read this quickly. The complexity of the character names, the nuance of translation requires deep concentration at least it did for me. On the other hand though it also adds to the murky tension. Murder and crime appears extra chilling for some reason.

No surprise a body is found, but the circumstances behind it’s location make it interesting, in the garden of Vilhelm Thygesen, is he responsible? And who is she? This forms the basis for detectives Stibolt and Vaarge to investigate.

It becomes a lot more complex when a motorcycle gang and blackmail enter the agenda. Thygesen has a dodgy past as a lawyer and openly despises the police so it would be simple to cast him as prime suspect.

There are so many running strands to this story, at times I was so confused I just couldn’t see the wood for the trees. Had no idea how it could all be tied up, but stick with it. A fascinating book that makes you think about subjects outside the police procedural process.

Thanks to the author, translator, publisher and Anne Cater for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

[Leah Moyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Frozen Woman is a wonderful slice of Nordic Noir, that has been seamlessly translated by Don Bartlett. A multi layered story that was intriguing and at times harsh. I really enjoyed the descriptiveness of the Norwegian landscape and the fact that the Author pulled the reader in with a taut plot. The pace is not hurtling as has been known with some thrillers, but this book is as equally engaging.

The body of a Woman is found in the garden of Vilhelm Thygesen, the police have nicknamed her Picea. Thygesen used to be a lawyer who is somewhat disgraced, a dishonest and slippery character. Detectives Stribolt and Vaage are called in to investigate and it isn't hard to see why Thygesen is their prime suspect.

As the story progresses further strands of the story develop and the richness of the plot develops from here,biker gangs and blackmail play a part. I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between the two detectives, Vaage and Stribolt. They don't always see eye to eye but they are as equally competitive and both strive for results.

If you are looking for a fast paced thriller then this one probably isn't for you. However I relished the fact that this novel made me concentrate on the intricacies of the plot. It is a fairly short book but one that can't be rushed.

You can tell that Jon Michelet is an experienced writer, this is more than just Nordic Noir, it touches on some of the social issues of our lifetimes. I feel enriched from having read this one.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Nordic noir opens with the body of an unidentified woman being discovered in the back garden of a controversial character who has some history on both sides of the law. What follows is the story told from several different perspectives via all the characters connected to the crime.
At first I thought this was going to be a stylish but standard police thriller as the key protagonists at the start are a male and female police officer investigating the case, however very quickly the narrative switches to other characters.
This is the first Nordic thriller I have read and at times I did find recognising Norwegian names, places and references a little confusing. This meant I did have to refer back to previous chapters at times, however that did keep me engaged and I felt the pace of the book didn’t suffer as a result. Some of the content referring to political and economic conditions in Norway was totally lost on me and I felt that didn’t add a great deal to the plot.
I did enjoy the book and really liked the technique of having so many characters who at first appeared unconnected eventually complete all elements of the story. All in all a great read and a more thoughtful book compared to many crime novels.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to reading this book as I have previously enjoyed other Nordic crime thrillers including those by Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson. However I found it very difficult to get into, which is highly unusual for me, as I tend to become so engrossed in a book that I finish it within 2 or 3 days. I think this may have had something to do with the translation as I found that the text simoly did not flow naturally and I had to really concentrate or re-read sentences to take on their meaning. It soon became a chore to read and I found I had to force myself to proceed. This may have been easier had I actually engaged or empathised with any of the characters but I did not find any of them relatable. The story itself did nothing to hold me either and I found myself frequently drifting off or speed reading to get through it then re-reading to actually understand. By the end of the book I felt that I had spent too much time and tried too hard to get some enjoyment from it and it simply did not deliver. This was very disappointing as not only do I love reading in general but this genre in particular.

[Cheryl M-M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finding a dead body in your garden is either really bad luck or you have something to hide. Unfortunately Thygesen has a dodgy past, which kind of points the police straight in his direction.

Thygesen is eccentric and a wee bit quirky, which is part of the charm I suppose. It simultaneously comes off as creepy, passive-aggressive and endearing. Vanja is eventually drawn in by the eccentricity, despite it being her job to find the killer, and becomes perhaps a bit too close to the possible suspect. The lines between her job and what she thinks she wants as a person become skewed.

The reader sees the story of how the dead body came to be in his garden, why she is there and who she is, through a seemingly separate story. Eventually small links and connections appear and things become clearer. The frozen woman is suddenly connected to criminal biker gangs with a taste for brutal retaliation and little regard for human life.

Michelet gives readers a fast-paced story filled with that special brand of snark and humour reserved for the Scandinavian crime genre.
*I received a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher.*

[Translator Monkey · Rating 3 out of 5]

In what may be a case of mistaken identity, a woman is murdered and dumped in the garden of a shady lawyer. We're given a fairly decent bundle of clues as to who did it, but the why remains to be seen.

The book starts off with a bang, but bogs down after the first handful of chapters. Only once the reader is aware that the book may be reaching its climax does the pace pick up again. Another obstacle for me was the introduction of so many key figures throughout the book, and trying to juggle the two dozen Norwegian names was trying for me. I don't recall having this issue with other Norwegian thrillers, but for some reason, in this one, I had a hard time keeping the characters straight in my head.

I will also fault the translator in somewhat, because the translator's job is to do more than translate: there were a few jokes that probably fell flat because the wordplay didn't bridge the languages. A good editor would have made suggestions to correct this.

Overall, an entertaining read, but at times it felt like a chore. 3.5 stars. There's a reason it's not gotten any 5-star reviews on Amazon.

[Celia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this at all! I was looking forward to reading it as I thought it was my sort of book. I enjoy the Scandi Noir genre as a rule and this seemed to fall into that category. However, I found it moved fairly slowly and with fairly unattractive characters and an unappealing setting, to me at least. It was a translation from the original Norwegian and this was quite obvious, with a number of rather grating words or phrases that to the English ear and eyes did not flow at all well or feel or look right. There were a lot of tricky names to remember, though that was to be expected of course - I was not always sure whether they were male or female to start with because of this. I found the whole book complicated to follow and with a not very interesting or flowing plot at all and struggled to finish it or really care who had done what I'm afraid

[Terry Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 stars

Attorney Vilhelm Thygesen discovers the frozen body of a woman in his yard. She has been stabbed to death. He phones DCI and two policemen arrive, one of them Arve Stibolt who doesn't care much for Vilhelm and he wonders if he might have killed the woman.

Shortly thereafter a young biker is accidentally killed on his bike and Stibolt tries to connect that death to the frozen woman. They travel all over Oslo seeking clues into the deaths. Lots of politics, biker gangs, and twists that took me a while to connect the dots.

The plot is good and so is the writing although at times I felt a little disconnected from the story. Pay attention so you retain what you read, otherwise you'll be dumbfounded half way through the book and have to start over.

Bottom line: I enjoyed the Nordic Noir .