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Hanne Wilhelmsen #6
No Echo
When celebrity chef Brede Ziegler is discovered stabbed to death on the steps of the Olso police headquarters, it sends a shockwave through the city. Police investigator Billy T. takes on the case, but it seems nobody really knew the dead man.
While Billy T. struggles to break the case, Hanne Wilhelmsen returns to Oslo after a six-month absence following the death of her partner. Hanne discovers that not only had Ziegler been stabbed, but he had also ingested a lethal dose of painkillers. As the plot thickens, Hanne and Billy T. are pulled deeper into the nefarious world in which Ziegler lived. Was he who he said he was? And can those who claim to have known him best be trusted?
While Billy T. struggles to break the case, Hanne Wilhelmsen returns to Oslo after a six-month absence following the death of her partner. Hanne discovers that not only had Ziegler been stabbed, but he had also ingested a lethal dose of painkillers. As the plot thickens, Hanne and Billy T. are pulled deeper into the nefarious world in which Ziegler lived. Was he who he said he was? And can those who claim to have known him best be trusted?
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
109 people are currently reading
832 people want to read
About the author
Anne Holt
57 books641 followersAnne Holt was born in Larvik, grew up in Lillestrøm and Tromsø, and moved to Oslo in 1978. She graduated with a law degree from the University of Bergen in 1986, and went on to work for The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) and then the Oslo Police Department, earning her right to practice as a lawyer in Norway. In 1990 she returned to NRK, where she worked one year as a journalist and anchor woman for the news program Dagsrevyen.
Holt started her own law practice in 1994, and served as Minister of Justice in Cabinet Jagland for a short period from November 25, 1996 to February 4, 1997.
In 1993 Holt made her debut as a novelist with the crime novel Blind gudinne, featuring the lesbian police officer Hanne Wilhelmsen. The two novels Løvens gap (1997) and Uten ekko (2000) are co-authored with former state secretary Berit Reiss-Andersen.
Holt is one of the most successful crime novelists in Norway. She has been published in 25 countries.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Holt started her own law practice in 1994, and served as Minister of Justice in Cabinet Jagland for a short period from November 25, 1996 to February 4, 1997.
In 1993 Holt made her debut as a novelist with the crime novel Blind gudinne, featuring the lesbian police officer Hanne Wilhelmsen. The two novels Løvens gap (1997) and Uten ekko (2000) are co-authored with former state secretary Berit Reiss-Andersen.
Holt is one of the most successful crime novelists in Norway. She has been published in 25 countries.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
November 15, 2021
Demasiados personajes con nombres imposibles de recordar en una trama liosa que no engancha y que tiene un desenlace demasiado rápido. No me ha gustado.
December 4, 2024
Ikke like bra krim del, men veeeeldig bra skrevet alt som skjedde i politibetjentenes liv. Introduksjon av nye babes, gamle feiltagelser og Billy T. har mistet selvtilliten
March 23, 2019
This series continues to grow on me. It's great to catch up with the disfunctional lives of the detectives so the murder mystery becomes almost a backstory. They are neither bumblers nor geniuses but operate in the real world like the rest of us.
February 19, 2017
Glad to see the rest of this series appearing in English (for some reason a much later one was translated 10 years ago, now catching up!) Hanne is an interesting if exasperating character, and one can't help sympathising with the people in her life that she doesn't seem to think about too much. Some elements of this story teeter on the unbelievable, but there is quite a lot of dry humour too and somehow it doesn't come across as melodramatic as the plot might make it sound.
August 23, 2014
Al giorno d'oggi il mondo letterario è inflazionato da giallisti "ex": avvocati, magistrati, ministri della giustizia, come nel caso di Holt- Andersen.
Così anche le storie spesso sono misteri non troppo affascinanti, cioé: le motivazioni per cui l'omicidio viene commesso sono spesso faide di famiglia, vendette banali, comuni. Storie da coronaca nera, insomma. Quello che di più ne paga il prezzo è lo stile. Inoltre, troppi gialli si confondono.
I personaggi della Holt sono ben descritti nelle loro intenzioni ed azioni, però in questo suo romanzo manca la descrizione dei luoghi, del contesto in cui un'azione si compie.
La vicenda si svolge ad Oslo, ma la Holt non appassiona con la descrizione del contesto in cui i diversi personaggi si muovono, in una trama discreta.
Alla fine, tornando ai luoghi, Oslo sembra un posto freddo ( non solo nel senso climatico: la vicenda si svolge poco prima del Natale 1999), che provoca il sistema nervoso di tutti i personaggi, la maggior parte dei quali spende la propria esistenza tra case- rifugio e centrale di polizia- caserma.
Non c'è ombra di humor, ma una malinconia sottesa, soprattutto per quanto riguarda la protagonista Hanne.
Quello che interessa a Holt, che è sicuramente il suo cavallo di battaglia sono gli interrogatori, il che non stupisce, vista la sua familiarità con la procedura penale.
Mi è piaciuto il personaggio del bambino che adotta i gatti, ma la vicenda trova poco sviluppo, a causa dei troppi personaggi in un romanzo solo.
Non è il mio genere di giallista.
Così anche le storie spesso sono misteri non troppo affascinanti, cioé: le motivazioni per cui l'omicidio viene commesso sono spesso faide di famiglia, vendette banali, comuni. Storie da coronaca nera, insomma. Quello che di più ne paga il prezzo è lo stile. Inoltre, troppi gialli si confondono.
I personaggi della Holt sono ben descritti nelle loro intenzioni ed azioni, però in questo suo romanzo manca la descrizione dei luoghi, del contesto in cui un'azione si compie.
La vicenda si svolge ad Oslo, ma la Holt non appassiona con la descrizione del contesto in cui i diversi personaggi si muovono, in una trama discreta.
Alla fine, tornando ai luoghi, Oslo sembra un posto freddo ( non solo nel senso climatico: la vicenda si svolge poco prima del Natale 1999), che provoca il sistema nervoso di tutti i personaggi, la maggior parte dei quali spende la propria esistenza tra case- rifugio e centrale di polizia- caserma.
Non c'è ombra di humor, ma una malinconia sottesa, soprattutto per quanto riguarda la protagonista Hanne.
Quello che interessa a Holt, che è sicuramente il suo cavallo di battaglia sono gli interrogatori, il che non stupisce, vista la sua familiarità con la procedura penale.
Mi è piaciuto il personaggio del bambino che adotta i gatti, ma la vicenda trova poco sviluppo, a causa dei troppi personaggi in un romanzo solo.
Non è il mio genere di giallista.
July 1, 2017
I read this right after the previous book in the series, mainly because I couldn't stand not knowing whether Hanne Wilhelmsen was going to be all right. This was a good follow-up to Dead Joker. While the crime forms the basis of much of the plot, what I enjoyed about this book was the characters. I'll be reading book 7 before too long, I think!
November 7, 2010
Anne Holt might be Norways worst writer...
January 2, 2018
Dysfunctional meets dysfunctional in Oslo.
May 5, 2021
No Echo is a standard police procedural. Murder, several suspects, a gradually revealing plot leading to the crime being solved. However there is much more to the story than that which makes it into something more interesting.
Firstly the storyline is unpredictable. There aren’t sudden twists in the plot but rather small unexpected revelations which keep things absorbing. There are a number of intriguing storylines which are investigated by the police as they delve into the lives of the characters. Not all of them prove central to the solving of the crime which keeps the reader guessing.
It is the relationships within the story that really bring it to life. They include the tensions and rivalries within the detective team as well as the everyday emotions and hidden histories of the main characters. The murder victim’s character is a complicated one and is described in the book’s title. Ultimately it’s the understanding of this character which explains why the crime happened.
The developing story of the main detective in the series, Hanne Wilhelmsen, means it’s better to read the books in order.
Not a world beater and not one of Anne Holt’s best but certainly enjoyable.
Firstly the storyline is unpredictable. There aren’t sudden twists in the plot but rather small unexpected revelations which keep things absorbing. There are a number of intriguing storylines which are investigated by the police as they delve into the lives of the characters. Not all of them prove central to the solving of the crime which keeps the reader guessing.
It is the relationships within the story that really bring it to life. They include the tensions and rivalries within the detective team as well as the everyday emotions and hidden histories of the main characters. The murder victim’s character is a complicated one and is described in the book’s title. Ultimately it’s the understanding of this character which explains why the crime happened.
The developing story of the main detective in the series, Hanne Wilhelmsen, means it’s better to read the books in order.
Not a world beater and not one of Anne Holt’s best but certainly enjoyable.
May 27, 2018
Jo Nesbø calls Anne Holt “the Godmother of modern Norwegian crime fiction. I had read only one of her novels up to recently and this one came as a refreshing surprise. Holt writes procedurals and this one is about a complex murder involving a prominent Oslo restaurateur, Brede Ziegler. He is found stabbed to death on the steps of the Oslo Police Department shortly before Christmas. The investigation into his death is stymied by the fact that Oslo’s best detective, Hanne Wilhelmsen, is on leave, mourning the death of her friend and lover, Cecilie. Hanne is bisexual but had a single relationship for years. Chief Inspector Billie T. a rotund 235-pound inept cop, and one of her former male sexual partners, is left with a team of investigators who need leadership but Billie T. is not the one to lead them. When Hanne does reappear, it is only logical that she take over the job but she hesitates out of sheer lack of energy and interest. The police, in general, are as incompetent as Billie T. but nobody wants to admit it since it would reflect on all of the if the truth were told. Hanne collects an indigent prostitute and drug addict, Hairy Mary, and begins to slowly rehabilitate her, but that is a side issue. There are many characters in the novel, almost all of them at one time or another a suspect, at least in Billie T.’s books, but it takes the sensible and professional Hanne to sort out the wheat from the chaff. There is much gentle humor in the writing, from all in the large cast, and the pace is generally leisurely, though consistent. The final clue is easy to see for Hanne and the perceptive reader, but it may be a mark of the incompetence of the police in general that allows it to remain hidden for so long. It came as no great surprise to discover that Holt lives in Oslo with her long-time “registered partner” and their daughter. Her most recent novel was published in 2016.
July 23, 2022
Den eneste bog, jeg manglede at læse i Hanne W.-serien, og jeg blev mindet om, hvor meget jeg holder af persongalleriet og hvor meget det betyder for mig i bogserier. Fik lyst til at læse serien igen bare for at genfinde Hanne W. Og ikke mindst Billy T.
October 7, 2021
You just have to like a crime novel where the victim is killed twice and at least three side plots may tell you why. But if you haven't read the earlier Hanne Wilhelmsen novels, this one will be hard to swallow: Most of its dynamic stems from the interpersonal conflict between the people working the case - especially between Hanne, who vanished without a trace before her life partner's funeral in the previous book, and her former best friend, whom she left without a best man or any idea where she might be after basically ending that friendship over one romantic night. It's all very complicated and very telling when it comes to her and Billys character, but without the context of earlier books, many actions will not seem very plausible.
But I enjoyed it, even if the case seemed a bit constructed at times. It's all about the people, I guess. And for Hannes development, this is one of the top three books. So, my recommendation stands: If you can, read the entire series - but better start at the beginning.
But I enjoyed it, even if the case seemed a bit constructed at times. It's all about the people, I guess. And for Hannes development, this is one of the top three books. So, my recommendation stands: If you can, read the entire series - but better start at the beginning.
December 12, 2016
Detective Hanne Wilhelmsen has spent six months in Italy recovering after her lover died. She returns to Norway and is put on a case of the death of a celebrity chef. She is needed because the detectives who are working on the case are not doing very well. The angst of some of the characters is a little over the top although the mystery is interesting.
March 15, 2017
Enjoyed the characters and loved the nameplay of the title. Will read more of her books. I just felt it was a little bit disjointed at times...maybe that is her style of writing.
April 4, 2017
Serie Hanne Wilhelmsen.Buona trama.Grande capacità di delineare i personaggi, grande “umanità” direi.Mi è piaciuto, come i precedenti.
April 5, 2019
Love this comment:
"Doug Dosdall
Mar 23, 2019
This series continues to grow on me. It's great to catch up with the dysfunctional lives of the detectives so the murder mystery becomes almost a backstory. They are neither bumblers nor geniuses but operate in the real world like the rest of us."
To which I add:
And the non-work concerns are not bizarre. The price of one child's Christmas gift equals the gift money saved for all of the children. But that doesn't matter because all the gift budget will be spent on the baby's car seat.
I love that Anne Holt's characters often can not explain themselves to themselves, let alone others. The world is not full of people leading purposeful lives.
And there is mundane bad luck.
I think that is what draws me in to many Scandinavian crime novels.
I wonder if there was a Scandinavian author that was a contemporary of Agatha Christie. I'm not a fan of gore or perverse crime.
(Not that this book has either of those elements. In fact. it has variations of two of my favorite crime murder methods. That's probably what made me wonder about a Scandi-Cozy.)
A flick of the knife, a shot in the dark, a poison in the curry ... then the body whisked away.
That's my cup of tea.
Because of the order of translations I have been reading this series out of order, and that is unfortunate. Hanne's growth through the series is well developed and nuanced.
I began with 1222, book # 8, because it was the only one my library had. I did not realize other books had been translated when I snatched up Offline . Another reader and I have taken turns requesting the other titles since the fall.
Hanne Wilhelmsen series My Read Date
1. The Blind Goddess (1993) April 2015
2. Blessed Are Those Who Thirst (1993) Oct. 2018
3. Death of the Demon (1995) Oct. 2018
4. The Lion's Mouth (1997) x
5. Dead Joker (1999) Dec 2018
6. No Echo (2000) April 2019
7. Beyond the Truth (2016) x
8. 1222 (2007) April 2015
9. Odd Numbers aka Offline (2017) Sept 2018
10. In Dust and Ashes (2017) x
"Doug Dosdall
Mar 23, 2019
This series continues to grow on me. It's great to catch up with the dysfunctional lives of the detectives so the murder mystery becomes almost a backstory. They are neither bumblers nor geniuses but operate in the real world like the rest of us."
To which I add:
And the non-work concerns are not bizarre. The price of one child's Christmas gift equals the gift money saved for all of the children. But that doesn't matter because all the gift budget will be spent on the baby's car seat.
I love that Anne Holt's characters often can not explain themselves to themselves, let alone others. The world is not full of people leading purposeful lives.
And there is mundane bad luck.
I think that is what draws me in to many Scandinavian crime novels.
I wonder if there was a Scandinavian author that was a contemporary of Agatha Christie. I'm not a fan of gore or perverse crime.
(Not that this book has either of those elements. In fact. it has variations of two of my favorite crime murder methods. That's probably what made me wonder about a Scandi-Cozy.)
A flick of the knife, a shot in the dark, a poison in the curry ... then the body whisked away.
That's my cup of tea.
Because of the order of translations I have been reading this series out of order, and that is unfortunate. Hanne's growth through the series is well developed and nuanced.
I began with 1222, book # 8, because it was the only one my library had. I did not realize other books had been translated when I snatched up Offline . Another reader and I have taken turns requesting the other titles since the fall.
Hanne Wilhelmsen series My Read Date
1. The Blind Goddess (1993) April 2015
2. Blessed Are Those Who Thirst (1993) Oct. 2018
3. Death of the Demon (1995) Oct. 2018
4. The Lion's Mouth (1997) x
5. Dead Joker (1999) Dec 2018
6. No Echo (2000) April 2019
7. Beyond the Truth (2016) x
8. 1222 (2007) April 2015
9. Odd Numbers aka Offline (2017) Sept 2018
10. In Dust and Ashes (2017) x
May 31, 2017
This wasn't the best of this series and definitely not the worst, either. It's a set I'm still liking a great deal. Even though certain portions of this one left me totally baffled, I have to say. I'm not sure if I'm alone in that, I'll look at others' reviews once I've done mine. I'll be interested to see if others struggled a bit with it at times.
The murdered guy was mentioned a lot long after the killing and it was oft-repeated that he was unwell at the time and had a stomachache. I couldn't find any mention of it and I just found that perplexing. There were a lot of K names in one room at a time quite often which is more confusing for me when they're foreign names-Klaus, Karl, Karianne...then I didn't understand the mention of the import of food regarding the Mafia ??
I was a little upset with Hanne's selfcentred reaction to Cecilie's death. I found that disappointing as I'd thought better of her than the way she behaved. I wasn't sure what to make of Nefis. She's very.....deep. Billy T wasn't his usual affable self in comparison to Hanne, either. I assume he is married now but it's not wearing well on him !! He's still totally oversexed. One of the theories he persisted with in this case was so far off the wall it seemed nonsensical, very unlike him. I did warm to Hairy Mary, I have to say. She'd had a tough life and yet still appreciated any small kindnesses.
There were the odd mistakes..."it's unfortunately outwith my budget" lost something in translation, and again in "The visit was outwith all his appointed times" and prized was used and not prised and also the odd apostrophe misplaced which comes with the e-book territory. One time Claudio's mother was referred to when it should've been the uncle's mother. That confused me, too. When Karen stood up in court to make a declaration we're then told she "knocked the desktop back into its normal position before resuming her seat" and that was puzzling as well. However, Karen does refer to Billy T's hellishly confused investigation and she wasn't far wrong there !!
So while I was a little bewildered during a lot of this, I still enjoyed it and need to get hold of the next instalment very soon.
The murdered guy was mentioned a lot long after the killing and it was oft-repeated that he was unwell at the time and had a stomachache. I couldn't find any mention of it and I just found that perplexing. There were a lot of K names in one room at a time quite often which is more confusing for me when they're foreign names-Klaus, Karl, Karianne...then I didn't understand the mention of the import of food regarding the Mafia ??
I was a little upset with Hanne's selfcentred reaction to Cecilie's death. I found that disappointing as I'd thought better of her than the way she behaved. I wasn't sure what to make of Nefis. She's very.....deep. Billy T wasn't his usual affable self in comparison to Hanne, either. I assume he is married now but it's not wearing well on him !! He's still totally oversexed. One of the theories he persisted with in this case was so far off the wall it seemed nonsensical, very unlike him. I did warm to Hairy Mary, I have to say. She'd had a tough life and yet still appreciated any small kindnesses.
There were the odd mistakes..."it's unfortunately outwith my budget" lost something in translation, and again in "The visit was outwith all his appointed times" and prized was used and not prised and also the odd apostrophe misplaced which comes with the e-book territory. One time Claudio's mother was referred to when it should've been the uncle's mother. That confused me, too. When Karen stood up in court to make a declaration we're then told she "knocked the desktop back into its normal position before resuming her seat" and that was puzzling as well. However, Karen does refer to Billy T's hellishly confused investigation and she wasn't far wrong there !!
So while I was a little bewildered during a lot of this, I still enjoyed it and need to get hold of the next instalment very soon.
July 8, 2018
This is another Hanne Wilhelmsen crime novel. Hanne Wilhelmsen is an Oslo, Norway detective. She is definitely a complicated person. The book opens with her on leave from her job living in a spartan room in Villa Monasteria. Her partner, Cecilie, had died and Hanne did not handle it well at all and left the country. It is now time to go home and once she gets there she is thrown into the murder investigation of a famous chef who was stabbed to death outside the police station. Once again, there are twists as the story progresses and there are lots of colorful characters. This is also the book where Hairy Mary is introduced (I am reading these books out of order) and she is definitely quite the character. There are multiple people who had reason to murder Brede Ziegler as he was not a well liked individual. The book was a little slow in the beginning but I am glad I stayed with it as it ended up being a good read. Will definitely continue reading the other books in the series.
January 17, 2021
I usually prefer Euro detective novels, Hennig Mankel and Peter Robinson's books would be my preference, they are usually easy to follow even with two cases running at once. This story by Holt (my first in the series) was OK, the plot was decent and her character descriptions are good. I sometimes bog down with Scandinavian names, in this one I forgot at times which gender they belong to. One thing, if you lose your way a bit like I did now and then, the last ten pages summaries it all nicely just in case you were scratching your head at times like I was near the end. Like all Euro crime stoppers, this group of cops suffers from the same general psychological malaise that most of those writers seem to build into their characters. I know it's a tough job but with all the issues they seem to carry with them (marriage, sexuality, children, job pressure, drinking, smoking, poor health, etc), I'm surprised that more of them hadn't moved on to some other line of work.
January 29, 2021
¡Me gusto la novela! Los personajes, la historia y el final son unas joyas! sin duda yo recomendaría este libro.
Yo estoy acostumbrado a los detectives hombres o bueno la mayor parte de libros que he leído fueron hombres, pero este libro con Hanne Wilhelmsen fue totalmente diferente. Su personaje me lo imaginé tal cual lo menciona en el libro, eso sí, creo que hubo un poco de relleno al explicar cosas innecesarias, pero esto no quita que el desarrollo fue muy bueno de como Hanne llega a la estación policial y comienza a atar los cabos sueltos sin duda es maravillo y sobre todo las entrevistas!.. Sin palabras por este libro.
El que tengas el tiempo de leer esta recomendación, créame que está haciendo una buena inversión.
Yo estoy acostumbrado a los detectives hombres o bueno la mayor parte de libros que he leído fueron hombres, pero este libro con Hanne Wilhelmsen fue totalmente diferente. Su personaje me lo imaginé tal cual lo menciona en el libro, eso sí, creo que hubo un poco de relleno al explicar cosas innecesarias, pero esto no quita que el desarrollo fue muy bueno de como Hanne llega a la estación policial y comienza a atar los cabos sueltos sin duda es maravillo y sobre todo las entrevistas!.. Sin palabras por este libro.
El que tengas el tiempo de leer esta recomendación, créame que está haciendo una buena inversión.
July 2, 2017
This one took some time to get into. I had trouble following along during the first 2/3 of the book. But once I did, it proved to be just as good as all the others.
I do wonder if I somehow missed the story of Cecile's illness and death, and I will go back to see if I skipped a book, but in any case all was explained satisfactorily even though for the longest time I was very confused about what was going on.
Oh, the extra long time reading: I checked this out from my local library and only got a little way into the story and my lending period was up: there was a waiting list and I just got it back to finish it.
I do wonder if I somehow missed the story of Cecile's illness and death, and I will go back to see if I skipped a book, but in any case all was explained satisfactorily even though for the longest time I was very confused about what was going on.
Oh, the extra long time reading: I checked this out from my local library and only got a little way into the story and my lending period was up: there was a waiting list and I just got it back to finish it.
August 28, 2017
This is the fourth book I have read in this series and I was a little disappointed. I note in the edition I read it says "Copyright Anne Holt and Berit Reiss-Andersen" so presumably this was a joint effort. There does seem to be more black humour in this book than in the others I have read.
There are a lot of plot threads in this book and I found it a bit too disjointed for my liking. Having said that I do like Hanne Wilhelmsen who does solve the murder even if there are some unlikely coincidences. At the end I was left a bit dissatisfied that some things, such as the relationship between the murdered man and his wife, were not adequately explained.
There are a lot of plot threads in this book and I found it a bit too disjointed for my liking. Having said that I do like Hanne Wilhelmsen who does solve the murder even if there are some unlikely coincidences. At the end I was left a bit dissatisfied that some things, such as the relationship between the murdered man and his wife, were not adequately explained.
March 3, 2018
I really must try and read these books rather than listen to them! That might make a difference.
This was so long, so complicated, and so bizarre.
After the death of her lover, Hanne left her home and took an extended leave out if the country. After many months away, she decided to return to her job, without notifying anyone!
Of course they were in the middle of a difficult investigation. The case was being handled in such a complicated, disorganized fashion and getting nowhere. It seems that this particular murder squad was incapable of running inquiries in any sort of logical manner. So inept.
Too much information, too many red herrings, too many characters, just too much going on.
This was so long, so complicated, and so bizarre.
After the death of her lover, Hanne left her home and took an extended leave out if the country. After many months away, she decided to return to her job, without notifying anyone!
Of course they were in the middle of a difficult investigation. The case was being handled in such a complicated, disorganized fashion and getting nowhere. It seems that this particular murder squad was incapable of running inquiries in any sort of logical manner. So inept.
Too much information, too many red herrings, too many characters, just too much going on.
May 25, 2018
This is an okay book. It is pretty jumpy. I often like jumbled time chronology but this just seems a bit messy. A young woman and a 6 year old are run over, and detective Ann Lindell is called in. The husband, Josefin, is a scientist with a drug company, with connections in Spain, and odd trips to Costa Rica, murders abound, and Ann’s love affair with Edvard, is a source of emotional upheaval The plot just ends with the discovery of human experiments, and is not too interesting. And there is really no end. The best thing is the portrayal of Ann, a complicated emotional woman and great detective.
November 1, 2022
Tis episode in the Hanne Wilhelmsen saga was very interesting and I believe it's one of my favorites right up until the last 50 pages. That's where the mis-handling of the case falls apart under Billy T.'s erratic leadership. Even with a toothache, we see him losing control and his decision making is incomplete and scattered. The return of Hanne to the fore straightens them all out and there are many nice friendships and bonds forming as the policing world in Oslo changes over the years. The chef is a person of little importance except that he is twice dead. The No Echo title is apt for a narcissist. A very satisfying read over all.
December 31, 2017
A celebrity chef is found stabbed to death on the rear steps of the police station. Hanne is staying at a nunnery hotel in Italy. Billy T is the chief inspector assigned to the chef's death. Inter-department rivalries, multiple suspects, false leads, lack of coordination or cooperation the return of Hanne and plain old incompetency add to the total frustration in solving the case. As side issues some low level cheating & embezzlement are uncovered as well as an attempted murder of the stabbed victim. Would you believe that the case was solved by a neck scarf?
November 19, 2022
To read this book I feel you really need to have read at least book 5 to help you understand where Hanne and Billy T are in terms of friendship and colleagues. I really think the pain is felt not only in the reading but in its impact on the investigation of the death of a celebrity chef on the police station steps. The fractured life of the celebrity is echoed in the lines of inquiry and only when clearer heads intervene does the perpetrator become clear. A special mention of Hairy Mary is due for the moments of humour in her interactions with Hanne and the team.
May 6, 2018
A little jumbled, some of which is because I haven't read the previous novel, "Dead Joker," because I haven't found it translated into English yet. Hanne has been in Italy for 6 months, so Billy T takes over as head detective, with rather disastrous results for the current case. Hanne saves the day. Too bad there aren't any other good detectives in Oslo, but we are reminded just how perceptive Hanne is. No one can compare.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2020
Dopo essere sparita per mesi Hanne torna a Oslo in concomitanza con l'omicidio di un famoso chef. Le indagine affidate a Billy T. (che la evita accuratamente) stentano a decollare. L'aiuto (imprevisto) della "puttana più vecchia di Oslo" e di una buona dose di intuito, faranno sì che il caso venga risolto pochi giorni prima di Natale. Nuova compagna per Hanne, ma la mancanza di Cecile si avverte, così come quella di Hakon e di Karen Borg. Molto bello comunque per atmosfere e per scorrevolezza.
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November 18, 2025
Die ersten Bücher der Hanne Wilhelmsen-Reihe hatte ich schon vor vielen Jahren gelesen und so war es schön, hier wieder einmal einzusteigen. Der Plot ist gut konstruiert, auch wenn schon sehr früh Fährten gelegt werden, denen man gut folgen kann. Wie immer sind die Figuren gut konstruiert, wenn auch an manchen Stellen überzeichnet. Trotzdem macht es Spass, ihnen zu folgen und ich nehme mir gleich den nächsten Band vor, den meine Online-Bibliothek im Angebot hat.
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