En las fauces del león

Hanne Wilhelmsen #4

by Anne Holt, Berit Reiss-Andersen

Rare book

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Scandinavian Literature, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Nordic Noir

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Anne 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.

Reviews

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

To tell you the truth I barely gave this a 3 star. It was a 2.5 star at the most for my reading experience, and I was also sorely disappointed, as Hanne (IN age, I must say) has been a memorable character.

This is retro back to 1997, and Hanne doesn't even appear until page 85. It's centered on the politico and cabinet members, with hierarchy of investigation and journalist nags throughout as well. The best parts were for some talented characterizations of depth for BillyT and a few of the other characters of latter periods that are now and eventually more so Hanne's police workmates.

After the last couple of superlative Anne Holt, this one disappointed me. But if you like the politico intrigue mixed with past secret and loyalty type associations for pay back or not that are presently in fashion (secret being the title or subject matter ad nauseam)- then you will like this more than I did.

Maybe I'm wrong. But I also thought the translation this time was scattered and often more disconnected for continuity than I can ever remember in an Anne Holt.

[Robin Eschliman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out great, a murder scene of a prime minister and a cast of suspects in the government district of Oslo, Norway. However, by page 132 the author was still introducing suspects and motives. It was almost completely dialogue, inside of government buildings, with virtually no action--characters rarely ventured outdoors. Storstein, Severin, Storskog, Sand, Hanne, Hans, Hakon, Himmelheimer, Hansen--eventually all the names ran together in a jumble. I struggled for a month and finally finished. Surprise ending, but not particularly plausible.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hanne Wilhelmsen series from Norwegian author Anne Holt is fabulous, even if it is being translated out of sequence. Which means in THE LION'S MOUTH, Wilhelmsen, who doesn't make an appearance until later in the novel and is not the central investigator anyway, is also walking around. In the novels already made available to many of us she's in a wheelchair permanently. Allowing for the slight confusion that could cause, these books work well as you can, worse comes to worse, approach them as standalones if necessary, although obviously character introduction and development always works better when you start at the beginning.

The main protagonist of this book, Billy T is a slightly unusual Norwegian policeman, what with his complicated personal life, skinhead / punk style looks and dress sense, a love of Opera and his sons. He's also one of the very few cops (and people for that matter) who share affection and respect with Wilhelmsen. When she eventually does make an appearance in the novel - having moved to the US with her partner, she finds herself staying with Billy T, and it's obvious that these two outsiders are both good friends, and like minded investigators.

Which is just as well as the plot here is complicated without being complex. The locked room assassination of the Norwegian Prime Minister means that motive becomes particularly important, as method is not immediately obvious. Whether or not her shooting is politically motivated and even then from within her own ranks, or those opposed is not straightforward as there are a number of other complications. It's particularly sobering that this novel, originally published in 1997, also expands on the possibility of a neo-Nazi plot to murder leading figures in Norway. Other complications are more personal and much closer to home.

Where the plot has particular credence though is in the background, infighting and intrigue occurring within political circles. Given that Holt has, in the past, held the position of Minister for Justice and for this and one of her other earlier novels, credit is shared with former State Secretary Berit Reiss-Anderson, it would seem reasonable to assume that these aspects are written from a position of both knowledge and experience.

That doesn't however, overwhelm in terms of motive, and the background of the Prime Minister and her family is trawled through, as is that of her childhood friend, Supreme Court Judge Benjamin Grinde. Aside from him being the last known person to visit the Prime Minister's Office before she was killed, his position as Chair of a Commission looking into a the increase of young baby deaths around 1965 also has implications for them all.

Holt is not afraid to write strong characters with unpleasant edges that aren't sanded down and don't apologise for what they are. Here she's combined them into a plot that looks at the rights and wrongs of society and the possible implications of power, corruption and nepotism. All of which made for a really engaging read.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...

[Mariafrancesca di natura viperesca sta con gli ultimi della terra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finale scontato e trama socialpolitica all'acqua di rosa. Suspense zero.

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This kept me guessing until the end! On the one hand, this was a pretty interesting foray into Norwegian politics, medical scandals, and infidelity. On the other hand, it didn't have nearly enough of Hanne. Also I think I like the previous audiobook narrator more!

[Åse Nielsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Var mycket bedre enn å lese til eksamen

[Eva • All Books Considered · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally posted at All Books Considered: 3 STARS

Something about winter puts me in the mood for Scandinavian mysteries so I read these two back to back! I didn't even realize that this book is the fourth in a series until I was about 20% in and I had no problem getting the context of the characters so you could definitely read this as a standalone -- that being said, I will probably go and read the first three books in this series because I liked it and it scratches a certain itch for me in the Scandinavian mystery genre. Although the first half of this was a bit slow paced, it did pick up and get really interesting. I really liked Hanne, who actually has a smaller role in this book than the other ones (at least that was the context I perceived) and will read more about her. The ending, however, is abrupt and maybe that is just the nature of this series but as soon as the mystery was (pretty much) solved, the book ended in literally the same paragraph. Kind of odd but the solving of the mystery was still good and I was still surprised.

Billy T. thought about his youngest son and reflected on how life would never be the same again. Norway would never be the same. He sat facing a young girl—a poor, neglected little scrap of humanity—who apparently held the key to it all. She could tell him what had actually happened on the evening of April 4, 1997, on the fifteenth floor of the government tower block; she knew the answer, and if he coaxed a little here and cheated a little there, she would share everything she knew with him. However, Billy T. was not sure if he had the energy to cope with it.

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Scribner!
As a huge fan of Scandinavian crime novels I have read books by many Nordic authors, but this is my first by Anne Holt. It is well written and the characters are vividly drawn but I'm afraid to say that I was disappointed. Maybe it's the lack of context, as I was not familiar with the series but I was expecting Hanne Wilhelmsen to come in and solve the case. Instead, there are many political plot lines involving unlikeable characters with no moral compass. I was looking for a whodunit, for escapism, not a dissertation on the roles of the different government ministers in Norway. Hanne Wilhelmsen is almost a secondary character (at the beginning of the novel she is on sabbatical in California) and the main investigator is her colleague, Billy T. (don't call him just Billy). I really wanted to like this odd cop who loves opera and looks like a skinhead but he was too loud and irresponsible for my liking. Holt is a skillful writer and the plot is well built, this book was just not my cup of tea.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must be a glutton for punishment! This is the forth book I have read in this series by Anne Holt and was by far the least enjoyable. The pace of the novel is very slow, it plods along with the momentum of a three-toed tree sloth on valium. It was weighed down by a mass of extraneous details and frankly boring characters. This was a book too far, I am waving goodbye to Hanne Wilhelmsen. Ending on a positive note - I have read four books in the Vik/Stubø series and found them pacy and enjoyable. Just goes to show!

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noir is all I can say without giving the who'll plot away. I can say that you go into the working of the newsroom with "little" Lettvik's two hundred pounds and twenty cigarillo's a day. Billy T as the investigator with a female problem with all his sons mothers. Hanne Wilhelmsen comes out of the blue and ends up staying at Billy T's. Benjamin Grinde's suicide. Prime Minister Birgitte Volters shooting. The security guards natural death. It all adds up to some pretty good reading.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not my favorite book in the series as I was a bit disappointed in it. A lot of characters, a lot of side stories, and the end result was very obvious, but I was hoping it wasn't that obvious as I was hoping for a twist in the story. I felt that if you took out 100 pages it wouldn't have made a difference.

[Doug Dosdall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always an unusual take on the murder mystery genre. This one gets very complicated! And then there is all that scratching and belching and farting: definitely her characters are human!

[Barb reads......it ALL! · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of political mysteries, but as a huge fan of Anne Holt, I powered my way in. And it was great, this series is among my favorites. This time we are brought into the highest level of Norwegian government when the Prime Minister is found dead in her office, now no one's secrets are safe.

[Julie Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible. There were too many characters and too many plot lines. I especially did not like that the main character in this series of books,Hanne, was barely in this book. I am hoping the next book in the series focuses on Hanne. Glad to be done with this one.

[Paula Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery yarn.

[Laura Vincenzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estupendo. Le faltó sólo un poco para que me pareciera más que estupendo.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, a weaker book in the series - but still very enjoyable. I do like the take on mental illness but felt that the relationship between the members of police were not quite as interesting as in other volumes. It also relies a bit too much on coincidence for my taste.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book definitely reminded me of Jo Nesbo or Stieg Larsson. Do they teach Nordic authors how to write differently than Americans? Every Nordic author that I've read have written the same way. It's uncanny.

This one started out a little slow and has the usual way too many descriptions, but I really liked it a lot. Because of the foreign names, streets and sometimes the dialog, I wasn't able to just skip right through this one. I think I liked that about this book. If your like me and read fast, you really don't want to pay $30.00 for a book you will be done with in 4 or 5 hours. The Nordic authors are great for that.

There are lots of suspects and conspiracies and one agency not talking to the other and one government official talking to much to the press. There was quite a lot going on. And when I got to the ending, I was like "really, all that for that?" But I thought it in a good way, not in a negative way. It was like the Keystone Cops trying to figure out all these extreme ideas about the murders and it wasn't so far in left field after all. It was, however, very entertaining and a good read. As I said, it did have a slow start and I admit to almost putting it down, but I'm glad I didn't and saw it through. It was worth it in the end.

Thanks to Scribner for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review. Seriously, stick it out - you did it for Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and look how good that was.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable characters and a story that's nice to follow.
But two big things of dislike for me: the speed and the ending.

With speed i refer to Overdrive's limitation (2x speed of audio - i like it faster even for nonfiction). The reader had a nice set of character voices, and kept it flowing nicely, but when an audiobook becomes boring (ok, storyline issue, for the parts you want to skip) and you can't speed it up, it becomes boring.

The ending was the other issue. Unsatisfactory.

[Elen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
La idea fue interesante, la trama me atrapó, pero ese final... No es que haya sido en si malo pero con el nivel de complejidad que venía teniendo el libro (mezclando la política y el aprovechamiento de los medios con un crímen) lo ví un tanto "dibujado". Como si el autor no supiera como haber terminado la novela y sólo dio el punto final que necesitaba para cerrar. Una pena. Una idea bastante original que podría haberse ganado las 5 estrellas.

[Roz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope. Just nope.

Ok, let me try and be a bit more coherent and specific. Once again, the actual crime was interesting and kept me guessing. But that is smothered under too much unnecessary waffle, which really detracted from the plot. While that is not a "fatal flaw" per se, that was supported by unrealistic character interaction and behaviour. I am giving up on Anne Holt. Sorry.

[Linda Branham · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was not a good time for me to read this book - it is about politicians and I have definitely had enough of politicians right now
The story was a good story though - just too much about politicians and their secrets

[Carolina Edvinsson · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review in swedish ---> Romeoandjuliet

[Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six months into her term as Norway's Prime Minister, Birgitte Volter is found dead in her office, shot in the head, a shot that resounds in the corridors of power and throughout the country. Who killed the woman? How could this happen as access to the Prime Minister's office was guarded by her assiduous secretary Wenche Andersen, whose desk was placed so that anyone entering the office had to be announced and admitted by her. The last visitor had been Supreme Court Judge Benjamin Grinde, but he had left an hour ago. The Prime Minister still had not called Wenche, signalling that her "do not disturb" instruction was no longer in effect. Wenche could no longer contain her anxiety. At 7.35 pm she finally opened the door of Birgitte Volter's office to find her slumped over her desk, a large pool of blood spread outwards around her. Wenche left the office, carefully closed the doors and went to a direct line to the central switchboard of Oslo Police Headquarters. She then used another phone to call the security switchboard, instructing the man who answered to allow nobody to leave the building, and to bar entry to all except the police. Wenche maintained her calm, professional demeanour, even reminding the guard to "remember the garage." Her final call was to a four-digit number. "Fourteenth floor," answered the man who sat in a bullet-proof cage that controlled access to Birgitte Volter's office. Wenche's message was a pre-arranged signal: "This is the Prime Minister's office. The Prime Minister is dead. Activate the emergency plan."
Thus was set in motion the shock, speculation and strengthened security precautions at all government offices. Was it a political rival who killed Brigitte Volter? A spurned lover? Somebody from her past? Chief Inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen leads the murder investigation, assisted by her partner Inspector Billie T. It does not take long for 200lb. reporter "Little" Lettvik to become aware that there was intense police activity outside the government tower block. Both the police and the press, led of course by Lettvik, begin to excavate the Prime Minister's life, searching for clues that might lead to the reason for her murder. Past and present eventually collide. What past, and its impact on the present is up to the reader to discover. For this review to reveal it would spoil the thrill of the chase that culminates in a totally unexpected ending.

[Mike Cuthbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Holt is one of my favorite Nordic Noir writers because of her ability to meld horror, puzzles and characters in a smooth mixture with a soupçon of humor and sex thrown into the mix. Here, the murder is immediate: the Prime Minister of Norway is shot to death with her son’s rare pistol in her locked office. A Supreme Court justice is arrested, wrongly, a security guard goes missing and is later killed in an avalanche while skiing and it is not long before the Justice himself is found dead, an apparent suicide victim. But they are just victims. The real fun begins when Billy T, all six-seven of him, and Hanne Wilhelmsen, lesbian Chief Inspector of the Oslo police, enter the plot. Billy T knows of Hanne’s lesbianism and he knows her lover, Cecilie, who at the moment the action begins is back in California, enjoying the last of a holiday she spent working with Hanne. Hanne comes back because she’s a bit homesick and even ends up sleeping in the same bed as Billy T but without benefits. Though she’s still on leave for her California break, the murder of a Prime Minister is not something she could ignore or would ignore even if she could. Various sub-plots reverberate through the narrative: one of the officers is suffering from the fact that his pregnant wife did not deliver on her due date; an obese reporter named Little Lettvik is on the case and meddles with everybody she can in order to get the story. One of Holt’s strengths is her ability to capture character in short images. Lettvik is described thus: “Suddenly she looked at her watch, a plastic Swatch with a wide pattern of eczema around its strap.” Ruth-Dorthe Nordgarden, a member of the PM’s cabinet, gets involved, primarily through an affair with another officer of government and almost everybody else in the case is at one time or another a suspect. Did I mention that Billy T, a former Norwegian champion in martial arts, loves opera? He likes to play it loud and one of his favorites, which he refers to often, is Madama Butterfly. Everything proceeds as one expects in a procedural but smoother than in most of the rest of the genre. The case is solved, albeit with a few loose ends that might bother some of you, but logically and neatly. This is the kind of example of Noir that one finishes with a regretful sigh that it has concluded at last. A choice example of the genre.

[A Reader's Heaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Less than six months after taking office, the Norwegian Prime Minister is found dead. She has been shot in the head. But was it a politically motivated assassination or personal revenge?
Hanne Wilhelmsen, Chief Inspector of the Norwegian Police, is on leave in California but when the death shakes the country to its core, she knows she can’t remain on the sidelines of such a crucial investigation. The hunt for the Prime Minister’s killer is complicated, intense, and grueling. When secrets begin to unravel from the Prime Minister’s past, Hanne and her partner, Billy T., must piece together the crime before a private tragedy becomes a public outcry, in what will become the most sensitive case of their career.

This is the 4th book in the Hanne Wilhelmsen series. They have been translated in a weird order so I have read others before this - but they actually take place after this one. But never mind that. Not important.

Despite the slow, plodding plot, the late arrival of Hanne, and the foreign names to get used to - despite all that, I really did like this story. Even the combination of political intrigue and murder mystery didn't worry like it does with other authors...

The thing is, Nordic crime thrillers are really unlike anything else out there. Even an average one is on par with a really good American thriller. They rely on atmosphere and suspense to sell the story, as opposed to blood and guts, and lots of swearing.

This story in particular? Fantastic in its own way. Entertaining and suspenseful, this tale of conspiracies, government agencies and murder all come together in typical Holt fashion. There are lots of characters to get to know...but that's okay. They all have something to do with what's going on so that makes sense to me. Lots of plot twists and turns which I think could have been too much for some authors but I think the author handled it all very well and gave us the satisfying conclusion this book deserved.


Paul
ARH

[Anders · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hanne Wilhelmsen 4. Efter trean (om barnhemmet o den förrymde tolvåringen) är det nu istället minister-mord, Oslo 1997. Den fiktive efterträdaren till Gro HB, arbeider-partiets Birgitte Volter, Statsminister, är skjuten på sitt kontor. Men nästan ingen har ju varit där?

Persongalleriet nästan intakt, när Billy T tar över taktpinnen. Hanne har nån slags amerikanskt sabbatsår, men kan inte hålla sig o åker hem för att konsulta lite oklart vid sidlinjen. Det drar igång en stor utredning, som samtidigt roterar lite märkligt kring Billy, hans kompis på säkerhetspolisen, en journalist-tant Liten Lettvig. Håkon är åter o får precis bebis 2. I Cluedo-stil listas minister-konkurrenterna, sekreterarna, o det grävs också i en gammal - typ - vaccinskandal med tusen oväntade spädbarnsdödsfall efter inköp av östtyska orena vaccin på sextio-talet.

Lite som ett känt Anne Holt-mönster maler utredningen på, bland förhör o ivrigt läsande av ”alla morgontidningarna”. En efter en kan en väktare , den politiske karriäristen socialmininster ”Ruth-Dorte” samt en högerextremist som gömmer vapen i sin stuga avskrivas.
Birgittes gamle bekante Benjamin Grinder, som råkar vara jurist i högsta domstolen, ska tydligen utreda spädbarns-dödsfallen, men det är lite oklart när han plötsligt också skjuter sig.

Lite svag bärande story, centralt är den slumpmässigt genererade intervju-listan kring spädbarnsdödsfallen, där även statsministern skulle ge sin bild, av sin nyfödda dotter som dog ett par månader gammal, efter vaccinering. En natt, för länge sen, där tydligen hon kände sig jätteskyldig av att ha festat loss o lämnat bort bebisen till en barnvakt…

Lite anti-klimax, efter att ha peggat upp med andra lösningar. Anne H påminner för övrigt om sin kompis Jan Guillou, i hur det gemytligt partajas i slutet, o Hanne W typ ”drömmer fram” lösningen.

Nja, lite väl otajt kanske?

[Jez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Norwegian crime story. We’re thrown straight into the crime right from the start, and at first it seems like we’re going to head down a fairly formulaic ‘hunt the criminal’ type affair… but, one thing leads to another, and a whole catalogue of scandals/betrayals opens up as the book progresses. I don’t want to say too much as it will give the game away - suffice to say it’s pretty mind boggling how scratching the surface opens up a whole range of unexpected avenues of investigation!

This book has a lot more politics and government than others in the series, but it doesn’t delve too deeply into the mundane murk of a dry political thriller. It is kept fresh, with the crime at hand, and the private lives of those sucked into the chaos that unfolds. Despite the age of the book (late 1990s), it still stands the rest of time, and doesn’t feel ridiculously dated.

At first I thought Hanne Wilhelmsen was going to be absent, but she does make an appearance eventually. It is another of the Oslo contingent (Billy T.) who takes up the primary position this time. The characters are wonderfully distinct, and little descriptions here and there (like a short tail hanging out, or a coffee stained jacket) really bring them to life, in a soap opera kind of way.

I like this series of books. For me the story, no matter how complex, flows along nicely. There is plenty going on, and I don’t get bored. There are flashes of humour to keep it interesting, despite the sometimes dark subject matter. I thought the ending in The Lion’s Mouth was a bit sudden, but then that might be because I was enjoying it so much.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second Hanne Wilhelmsen novel I have read.

Hanne Wilhelmsen, Chief Inspector, is on an extended leave, staying in the United States, when the Norwegian Prime Minister is murdered. Her right-hand detective, Billy T., is on the case, along with about 200 other members of various law enforcement agencies. Birgitte Volter was a prime minister who appeared to have no hidden secrets and no serious enemies. Naturally, there were those who wanted her out of office but it was hard to see any of them putting a gun to her head.

Hanne hears of the assassination, of course, and decides she needs to take a break from her break. She flies back to Norway to observe and detect on the sidelines.

There are many characters of interest, from the dedicated secretary who found her to various ministers and of course, her husband and son. Sleuthing along is Little Lettvik, reporter, a determined and unrelenting investigator who would stop at almost nothing to get the story. Little is not little, but rather a large woman who does not bother about her appearance. As the story unfolded, I found I rather liked her in spite of her unsavory methods.

Is Hanne able to get ahead of Little? Well, maybe.

[Anu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aloitin kirjan lukemisen jo viime syksynä. Se vaan jäi kesken kun tarina ei vienyt mennessään. Yleensä rakastan dekkareita mutta tämä jätti kylmäksi. Nyt helmikuussa kuitenkin annoin kirjalle uuden mahdollisuuden. Se ei edelleenkään vaikuttanut kovin hyvältä mutta sain kahlattua kirjan loppuun.

Hanne Wilhelmsen on virkavapaalla Yhdysvalloissa mutta ei malta pysyä pois kun muut työtoverit ratkovat Norjan pääministerin murhaa. Epäiltyjä on useitakin ja kun niistä 2 löytyy kuolleena, ovat poliisit umpikujassa. Lehdistö paljastaa asioita jotka yritetään pitää salassa eikä poliisilla ole tietoa mistä lehdistö saa tietonsa. Onko kyseessä sarjamurhaaja, tekikö murhaaja itsemurhan vai kuka oli oikeasti kohde. Poliiseilla on monta ryhmää, jotka tutkivat eri juttuja mutta vasta kun he yhdistävät voimansa ja alkavat miettiä kokonaisuutta, alkaa koko touhuun tulla selvyyttä. Yllättävä loppu.

Itselleni kirja oli iso pettymys, sillä olen ennenkin lukenut Anne Holtin kirjoja eikä ole muistikuvaa että olisivat olleet näin tylsiä.