Могила на двох

Selma Falck #1

by Anne Holt, Анне Гольт, Володимир Криницький (Translator)

У Норвезькій лижній збірній — допінговий скандал! Одну з найкращих лижниць Хеге Кін Морелл звинувачують у вживанні клостеболу. Під загрозою її участь у Зимовій Олімпіаді і взагалі спортивна кар’єра. Її батько хоче знайти тих, хто підставив доньку. І наймає для цього Сельму Фалк – колишню спортсменку, олімпійську чемпіонку і найкращу адвокатку країни. Утім, уже незабаром стає зрозуміло, що скандал із Хеге — лише верхівка айсберга залаштункових інтриг, корупції і тіньових схем, що процвітають у Федерації. І лише частина чийогось божевільного плану, що ставить під загрозу життя багатьох. Хтось готовий на все, аби покарати винних. Чи вдасться Сельмі вчасно розв’язати цю загадку і виграти?

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

352 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2018

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

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Holt writes a riveting and atmospheric Scandi-Noir set in Norway amongst the background of the elite skiing community, featuring its star competitors and the National Cross-Country Skiing Federation that oversees the sport. Selma Falck used to be an elite sports competitor turned lawyer, but her career lies in tatters, she has hit rock bottom having lost everything, including her marriage to Jesso and her adult children, Anine and Johannes, who want to have nothing more to do with her, and lost her position as a lawyer. She is in the process of moving into a mouse infested dilapidated apartment in a unprepossessing part of the city, when she is visited by a rich former corporate client, Jan Morrell, who wants to offer her a second chance, but one with stringent conditions which offers her the opportunity to alleviate her mountain of debts. He wants her to exonerate his famous daughter of the doping scandal surrounding her.

Morrell's adopted daughter, Hege Chin Morell, is the apple of his eye, and an award winning skier expected to do well in the coming winter Olympics. Hege has failed a drug test, she had trace elements of the banned Clostebol, used extensively in the past by East German athletes. Hege, now shunned by those in the sport and the NCCSF, is a principled young woman, she denies using the substance, an ingredient in a cream sold over the counter at pharmacies. The strange death of another Olympic medal hopeful suggests that there is more to this case. Selma struggles to get a handle in her investigations, and needs the help of her best friend, ex-police officer, the homeless Einar Falsen. Falsen is an ex-client of hers, and her only real friend, the only one she can confess her sins and transgressions to. Skiing is a sport that makes up an integral part of what it is to be Norwegian, providing the nation with its sense of identity, is someone trying to sabotage Norway's Olympic Skiing medal prospects? In a story of multiple murders, a manuscript, corruption, dark connections, past and recent crimes come to light as Selma begins to get an inkling as to who the true victims actually are.

Anne Holt is a talented crime writer, she gives us a great sense of location and shines a spotlight on Norway's national obsession in cross-country skiing, and its adulation of its celebrity skiing stars. Its a fascinating and twisted world, and Selma, a deeply flawed woman, fits right into that world, she knows it well and has extensive contacts within it. She is not always a particularly likeable person, a woman confident, arrogant even, in her abilities to pull the wool over other peoples' eyes, a delusion common amongst addicts. However, this makes her of compelling interest, a woman conducting a dangerous investigation, whose personal life looks ready to implode at any minute. This is a complex crime read of revenge, with stand out characterisation, dark, intense and supremely suspenseful. A brilliant piece of Scandi-Noir. Many thanks to Atlantic Books for an ARC.

[Oleska Tys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Могила то на двох, а скільки людей в неї вмістилося


"Могила на двох" Анна Гольт

Сельма Фалк була успішною адвокаткою, олімпійською чемпіонкою з чудовою сім'єю та впізнаваністю у всій Норвегії. За два тижні її життя повністю розвалилось, вона впала на саме дно: жахлива квартира, яка не бачила ремонту вже декілька десятиліть, відсутність грошей та кіт, який її ненавидить. Чудове нове життя, чи не так? Але у Сельми є шанс все повернути назад. Їй потрібно знайти хто підставив молоду лижницю Хеге Морелл. Вона звинувачена у прийомі допінгу. Це правда чи ні?

У Норвегії культ лижів. На лижах тут їздять швидше, ніж починають ходити. Норвезькі лижники - найкращі в світі, кращі з кращих. Тому допінговий скандал з норвезькою лижницею - це big problem для всіх. А коли це найкраща лижниця, якій пророкують золото на Олімпійських іграх, то скандалу не уникнути.

Анне Гольт детально та з натхненням пише цю істрію. Всі деталі прописано до дрібниць (є декілька неточностей, але де їх нема), герої не з пластмаси і мають емоції (реальні емоції). Хоч розповідь іде від третьої особи, акторка максимально описує внутрішній світ усіх основних героїв, розповідає їхні істрії, мотиви.

Ще одним великим плюсом стало те, що я до самого кінця не могла знайти вбивцю. Він постійно вислизав з рук. Закручено тут добряче.

Не сподобався розтягнутий початок. Я десь два місяці змушувала себе прочитати перші 50 сторінок (клятий перфекціонізм). Спочатку все дуже заплутано і не зрозуміло. Зате решту книги прочитала за два вечори. Крутий скандинавський детектив для холодного весора (p.s. там ще холодніше).

[Antonomasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serviceable Scandinavian crime fiction, which I enjoyed for its unsociable lawyer-detective heroine, its focus on cross-country skiing (I gave up my subscription to Eurosport a few years ago for budget reasons and still miss how much skiing you could watch on there), and its complex plot which subverted a few clichés (at least by the standards of someone like me who doesn't read a lot of contemporary crime novels). I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, as Holt's grumpy detectives seem to be rather Marmite characters, and obviously the sport angle is somewhat niche. (I don't think you'd necessarily need to be interested in skiing, though it was fun to spot occasional mentions of real skiers, like Ole Einar Bjørndalen, but in some sport enough that you could enjoy a novel about athletes, a governing body and its bigwigs as well as a background of public participation.)

It's been a few years since I read an Anne Holt novel - though this is my eighth, and the first of those, 1222 was one of the first ten books I reviewed on GR, back in 2011. Of Holt's other two main heroines, Selma Falck more similar in personality to Hanne Wilhelmsen than she is to Johanne Vik, which is a very good thing as far as I'm concerned. Vik would probably have been nice to be friends with, but as an investigator she grated on me because she was so anxious all the time (quite a good way to subvert a type, but it's so not what I want in a genre-fiction detective), and because she had young children, there were way too many cloying childcare scenes, one of my bugbears in Nordic Noir and other contemporary crime writing. Selma is distinctly un-maternal, separated, her teenager/young adult kids currently don't want to talk to her, and she and more or less admits that she got married and had kids because it was the normal thing to do and it didn't really occur to her not to. So even if they get back in touch with her in later books, they are too old for all those *barf emoji* scenes about looking after them and how darling the little ones are, blah blah. If writing is going to be plain like this, I need to like the content and characters. There isn't fancy prose here to win me over to other stuff.

There's also a lot going on in this novel for Selma personally, as well as in the complex plot. It's kind of an interesting character study, and could make a novel in itself without the mystery aspect. She is something of a celebrity - a former athlete (handball, which seems to be quite big in Norway) in her fifties who became a successful lawyer after her retirement but has also appeared on their equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing and kept in touch with contacts among the great and the good of Norwegian sport - but her life has recently fallen apart, as we meet her moving into a crummy rented flat. She is a fairly antisocial person who has successfully played an expected role for years, and who can still "switch on" when she needs to. There must be quite a few ways of interpreting this aspect of the character, but mine was as a woman with asperger's who is fantastic at masking, but has become fed up with it, perhaps because a crisis showed her what a façade she was living behind.

At times I got the feeling that Holt instinctively wanted to write another lesbian protagonist, like Hanne Wilhelmsen - but that perhaps she didn't want to be pigeonholed. The lesbian / masculine signals just kept appearing early in the book, such that if this were a novel from decades ago you'd assume the author was trying to write a lesbian character surreptitiously. There's team sports; her vice and fatal flaw is gambling, including poker and spread betting; the one prized possession she chose to hang on to was a prestige watch; the first mention in the book of anyone being attractive is when Selma observes it about her female client; she is physically courageous, including rugby-tackling a suspect. I noticed she is never actually defined as straight, but she had a long marriage to a man, says the only person she was ever really in love with was Morten Harket when she was a teenager - and among her oldest friends are a lesbian couple and their circle, so before her own marriage she wasn't lacking in normalisation for relationships between women. I headcanoned that she's bi and/or something like gray-asexual/aromantic. Anyway, book two is out next month in English, and a third was published a few weeks ago in Norway, so there's probably more to confirm or deny that by now. (And hopefully there isn't a sudden falling-for-a-RL-man cliché plotline. I think Holt can be better than that and I hope she is. She wrote a middle-aged lesbian detective in a wheelchair whilst making the point of it all about a stubborn misanthropic character, rather than representation for its own sake, so maybe it's not impossible that someone eventually talks about aro/ace to fiftysomething Selma, who thinks, 'hang on, that kind of sounds like me'.)

There are a few big crime-fiction clichés in the novel, like the Nordic Noir theme of high-level corruption, "something rotten in the state of…" (though I thought rather interestingly done, with the caveat I've not read any Scandi crime for a few years) - and that device where there's an old group photo of some friends or colleagues. But there were other more subversive features I liked, such as the refusal to add traditionally "likeable" and "feminine" traits to Selma, and certain things about how the conclusion panned out, which brought a bit of stubborn realism to the table. The plot is an intricate machine which, potentially, some readers might find too "busy" but which I liked a lot; there was always plenty going on, and an intricate sense of how a small country's elite networks operate. Novels often overdo material about writers, but here it never outstayed its welcome, certain stresses were very well described, and if you don't have a little bit of empathy with the character in question, I envy you your flawless record of personal organisation.

I'm not sure if it was me (I read this over about three weeks) or if the novel's mood changed somewhat as it progressed. At first I found the writing flat - though it was a good flatness as I was focused on other things and didn't want to be reading dense literary prose at the time - then it seemed as if that flatness reflected the safe, ordered, prosperous, but sometimes slightly suffocating society of Norway, whilst towards the end I was thinking it was really pretty good in its plain way, and better written/translated than Holt's earlier novels (even if there were still a few holes, and incidences of sledgehammer symbolism, like the Morells' fireplace). Near the beginning, the story and observations made me think about how crime fiction is often a way of reinforcing social norms: Selma is set 'labours' for her transgressions and has to give up a comfortable lifestyle; her homeless friend ex-police detective Einar is well outside them in his paranoia, his backstory, and his choices to live outdoors and avoid electronic devices, sometimes using a bin lid and literal tin foil as a barrier from them. (Perhaps the last was a dig at former Norwegian PM Gro Harlem Brundtland.) The novel's self-appointed moral arbite is a wealthy self-made management consultant, a very establishment figure and walking, breathing advert for social mobility (his upbringing in poverty perhaps meant to imply integrity). Yet by the end the narrative seemed more comfortable with the 'good' characters' transgressions, as long as they made *some* changes. 'Baddies' were marked out by wasting their chances or bearing grudges too strongly for too long.

There is implied to be a correct level of awareness of racism. Einar gets repeatedly told off for being paranoid about Roma and for referring to Hege as "the Chinese girl". Hege, adopted from China as a baby and now a champion skier in Norway's national sport, gets racist abuse online but says that as she was growing up, racism or her race never held her back. Racism means overt racism and it's implied to have only reared its head because of internet trolls. Cross-country skiing as an implicitly nationalist marker of Norwegian identity is raised in other paragraphs; the character of Hege is perhaps contradictory in that respect: her great talent for it disproves that, and implicitly proves the importance of nurture in high-level sporting achievement (undoubtedly in which sports one works at; inherited attributes for athleticism generally are never mentioned) - yet how much does she actually enjoy it? (Though that might be asked about athletes from many backgrounds who are likewise under the thumb of parent-managers.) Immigrants from Eastern Europe, meanwhile, only get to be servants and tradesmen. And it's implied that (structural) racism doesn't happen among liberal, cosmopolitan Norwegians - which makes the book seem quite dated in 2020 now that structural racism has gained such public awareness globally.

I had wondered if the title might be another Poe reference - one of the subplots echoes a Poe short story - but it turns out it's to a James Bond quote.

I put off reading this ARC for over a year, but when I could no longer deny I wanted to read a random crime novel, here was one I had an undeniable excuse to read, *and* with a non-police detective. (When I read this article back in January, and especially this line, "Police departments don't need hundreds of millions of dollars of free public relations," a penny dropped - it suddenly seemed absurd never to have thought of crime fiction across media from that perspective before - I had even described crime fiction years ago as being a sort of fantasy even if it doesn't contain dragons or elves. It made me decide not to read/watch any new police-based series. Crime fiction does still enforce norms and the idea that the justice system works, so it's perhaps a token gesture to read non-police detectives - whom I'd previously been less keen to read because they are less realistic, but at least it's good to be conscious of this new way of looking at one of the most familiar of genres.)

Anyway, I for one enjoyed this novel - the December setting made it a better read for autumn/winter than for its high summer time of publication - and it made me want to read the next in series, and especially see how Selma develops as a character.

Thanks to Netgalley and Corvus, an imprint of Atlantic Books UK, for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

(Read Sept-Oct 2020, reviewed Oct.)

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost a 10.Well rounded, interesting characters,good plot,plus Selma is much more likeable than Hanne. Hope it´s the start of a new series.

[Alessia Scurati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doverose premesse: la prima è che mia madre è una grande fan di Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, ergo Marsiska Hargitay è come se fosse una persona che mangia con me tre-quattro volte a settimana, ergo una protagonista, Selma Falck, ispirata fisicamente all'attrice già aiuta tantissimo la mia visualizzazione e adesione empatica alle vicende.
Seconda premessa: nella vita reale faccio un lavoro che ha a che fare con lo sport e nella vita reale sono pure una fanatica di sci di fondo. Alla seconda pagina del romanzo, avevo già capito da dove prende l'ispirazione questa trama. Da un fatto di cronaca sportiva realmente accaduto: la positività a un anabolizzante contenuto in una pomata da mettere contro le ferite sulle labbra (comprata nel ritiro estivo di Livigno) e successiva squalifica per doping comminata a Therese Johaug. Che per colpa della squalifica non partecipò alle Olimpiadi di Pyeongchang del 2016, dove era la strafavorita per la vittoria in almeno un paio di gare - curiosità non richiesta: Johaug si è ritirata nel 2022 dopo aver vinto 4 titoli olimpici, 14 mondiali, 3 coppe del mondo generali e 5 di distanza. A parere di chi scrive è stata la più forte nelle gare di lunga distanza negli anni 2000.
Di fatto, Anne Holt (che ha iniziato la sua carriera come giornalista sportiva - spoiler: io invece non farò mai la giallista) prende spunto da quel fatto e da tutta una serie di discussioni che nacquero nell'opinione pubblica sullo sci di fondo, citando anche, come fossero dei personaggi, alcuni fondisti veri per costruire un noir bellissimo, tiratissimo, serrato.
Pieno di colpi di scena e di personaggi interessanti, molto più moderno nella costruzione dei protagonisti e della loro vicenda rispetto ad altre vecchie creature dell'autrice. Ho frequentato le prime tre avventure della coppia Vik e Stubø (non mi hanno mai entusiasmato) e ho letto dal primo all'ultimo i romanzi con protagonista Hanne Wilhelmsen - tutti della Holt. Con questa nuova avventura, secondo me, fa un salto di livello.
Molto molto consigliato per i cultori del genere, ai fan di Jo Nesbø, ai fan dello sci di fondo, a chi amam la Norvegia e ai buoni lettori in generale. Ah: anche a chi segue Anne Holt, che è molto in forma qui.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Atlantic Books for an advance copy ofA Grave for Two, a stand alone thriller featuring former Oslo lawyer Selma Falck.

Selma Falck, former Olympic athlete, high flying lawyer and celebrity, is living alone in a rundown apartment when the author, apart from herself, of her downfall turns up looking for help and offering a kind of redemption in return. Jan Morell wants Selma to clear his daughter, Hege Chin, who is a world class cross country skier, of deliberate doping. Hege has recently tested positive for anabolic steroids and doesn’t understand how. The waters are muddied when Selma’s godson, another top skier, is found dead.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Grave for Two which is highly informative about cross country skiing and the politics involved but which, more to the point, is an engrossing read with plenty of twists and turns and an unexpected plot line. The novel is told from various points of view including a manuscript from the unnamed perpetrator and the thoughts of another unnamed man who is being kept prisoner for no apparent reason. Mostly, however, it concentrates on Selma. These different perspectives give the reader a wider view of events but I, personally, found it a bit annoying and frustrating to read the manuscript and prison accounts with no idea of how they fit in to Selma’s investigation until near the end of the novel. Call me impatient but I like to know. This minor moan aside the novel is a good read with a strong plot, a steady stream of developments and an unanticipated ending.

I found the skiing background extremely informative. It is not a sport I have any interest in but it is a large part of Norwegian culture. With Hege Chin having been adopted from China as a baby she is not stereotypically “Norwegian” and that leads to much discussion. It’s well balanced and topical in these days of nationalism. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the politics involved in doping. Ms Holt has a fine eye for motive and reaction so, sadly, her portrayal of the executives has a real ring of truth to it. I thought that the ending summed it all up perfectly.

I like Selma Falck and would gladly read more about her. Her fall from grace is spectacular as she is one of the most recognisable people in Norway. That it is self inflicted and she can’t see it makes her more human. Her journey to some kind of peace with herself is as compulsive as the plot.

A Grave for Two is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

[Oksana Ryzhkova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Дуже гарна детективна історія. Норвегія, лижний спорт, допінг, вендетта і прості людські стосунки. Сподобалось. Раджу.

[Адріана Павлич-Гресько · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хороший скандинавський детектив, де багато спорту, лижна збірна, допінг і чужі таємниці ,які здатні таки вилізти на поверхню. І дуже дивний факт, коли в абсолютно різних книжках різних авторів згадується якийсь факт, який і не має особливого стосунку до сюжету.

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read any books before by Norway's bestselling female writer Anne Holt. I decided that this book would be my night time reading in bed, well was that a good idea? In a good sort of way Perhaps not.

Even in the warmth of my bed the place that Lawyer Selma Falck lived in gave me the creeps, being icy cold, and wallpaper peeling off. Selma life Sadly has lost everything that was dear to her, her husband and her children. What is even more stressful is that she has hit rock bottom as a high-flying lawyer.

Twenty four year old Olympic skier, Hege Chin Morell failed a drug test.

My favourite chapter was The bet. Jan Morell wants Selma to work for him in getting to the bottom of how and why an honest clean elite athlete has been tested positive. But within the chapter about The Bet, there is something more going on between Selma and Jan Morell.

I found this crime story scene was one of the best unusual themes that I have read, and with that in mind, this is my main reason I recommend A Grave For Two.

[Mario · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy Anne Holt’s writing style and there were times when the story felt as if it was about to take off but I’m afraid in the end I found the first in this new series a disappointment which fell short of the excellent Hanne Wilhelmsen novels.

Partly this might be because I don’t find cross country skiing a very gripping background story but more so because Selma Falck’s character lacked any real depth or interest. I also found the story rather confusing at times and the ending pretty mundane.

I’m glad I’ve read previous Anne Holt books so I know there is every chance that this flop is a one off and hopefully when the protagonist’s character develops the series will improve. I’ll look to read the next one but another like this will be my last.

[Tetiana Dubovyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Нарешті цікавий детектив.
У цій книзі все пов’язано з федерацією лижного спорту Норвегії і нічого.

Сторінок 70 перших я не розуміла, що читаю бо сюжет взятий з різних сторін.
Також імена героїв всі норвезькі тому важко спочатку зорієнтуватися хто є хто.
Але потім - все мега дуже цікаво.
Вбивства, допінговий скандал, ігри в покер, та розслідування цього всього.

[Anna Kushnir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Норвегія, сніг, лижі, допінг скандали та вбивство. Гарна, хоч і не надзвичайна, історія для зимових вечорів.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Класний скандинавський детектив. Спочатку було важкувато з іменами, потім втягнулась.

[Tanya Fabrychenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Хороший атмосферний детектив. Трохи нерівномірний, як на мене, за розвитком сюжету: то довго топтались на місці з безсенсовими діалогами, то різко накидували багато всього і одразу.
Але відчула норвезький морозець і почула шурхіт лиж, те що треба для 30 грудня.

[Mai Laakso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Norjalaisen Anne Holtin uusimman dekkarisarjan aloitti Kuolematon kunnia. Kirjassa perätään menetetyn maineen ja kunnian perään. Kirjassa syvennyttiin huippuhiihtäjien maailmaan ja pahimpaan mahdolliseen, dopingskandaaliin. Ensimmäisen tapauksen tullessa julki, kyseisen nuoren isä palkkasi ex-juristinsa Selma Falckin puhdistamaan hiihtäjän maineen. Viisikymppinen Selma on sarjan päähenkilöhahmo. Todella mielenkiintoisia tapauksia kumpikin, sekä Selma että dopingskandaali. Selmallakin oli runsaasti menetyksiä taustalla ja se mainekin…

Selma oli tutustunut työelämässään erääseen rikosalalla työskentelevään henkilöön. Kaikenlaista ikävää voi tapahtua. Tuosta tapahtumasta johtuen kyseinen henkilö asui kaduilla. Selma oli pysynyt hänen ainoana ystävänään. Selma vei hänelle ruokaa ja piti välillä seuraa. Tuollaisilla tapaamiskerroilla rikosjuttu sai uusia suuntia ja Selma edistyi tutkimuksissa. Lisäksi hän tutustui erääseen toimittajaan, jonka kanssa ei vaihdettu pelkästään kuulumisia vaan tietoja. Terävä nainen tuo Selma. Kuolematon kunnia toi päivänvaloon kylmää lunta, pelottavaa pimeyttä sekä outoja rikoksia.

[Maggiebooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the moment I realize I'm not interested in winter sports at all. This book is set in Norway, and promises a thriller with great atmosphere and a great story. The writing is really good and it kept me reading, but I was always feeling that this is not the right topic for me.
Since I'm in holidays and I have loads of free time, I read this book really fast! It feels to me like one of those action movies that you watch and you forget about it right after you saw it. They entertain you for a moment and they are forgotten in the next.
There are some good, well written and interesting moments now and then, but overall, the story wasn't very good.
I wish I liked this book, but I have to dislike a read now and then. I can see why many people really enjoyed the book though. It centers its attention in ski and how it is affected by doping. It is definitely something that will interest some.

[Wendy Greenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had all the ingredients of a great crime novel. Flawed "detective" who is a lawyer about to be debarred; a closed organisation rife with secrecy and nepotism; a small community of elite Norwegian skiers. It is thoughtfully plotted and multi-layered and unravels how past conflicts have grown.

And yet...for me it did not hold the necessary investment in the characters which usually drives this genre. I kept wondering if it was the Norwegian names that I could not hold onto or maybe the translation or maybe this was Holt's writing style that seemed slightly off the beat. There were long sections when the narrative lost pace (in an overlong rather than slow-burn way) and I think that less could have been more.

[Наталія Федорова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Успішна лижниця потрапляє в допінговий скандал як раз перед самими олімпійськими іграми. Її батько, впевнений, що дівчина не вживала заборонені препарати, наймає відому на всю Норвегію адвокатку Сальму Фалк, щоб вона розібралася у цій справі. Ну як наймає. Він ставить перед нею умову - або вирішуєш справу і отримуєш солідну компенсацію і другий шанс. Або втрачаєш все, що залишилося. В цей же час одинокий чоловік божеволіє, закритий в камері, стіни якої поступово зближуються.
Скандинавський трилер без надмірної кривавості, але з неодмінним атрибутом складних персонажів. Це більше історія про корупцію і прийняття своєї інаковості, ніж розслідування допінгового скандалу. За розвитком персонажів набагато цікавіше спостерігати, ніж дізнатися хто вбивця.

[Željko Erceg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ovo je moj prvi susret s Anne Holt, iako vidim da je prati titula "kraljice norveških krimića". Moglo bi se spočitati malo izgubljenosti u pojedinim dijelovima, ali to bi doista bilo sitničarenje. Nije ovo nikakvo životno djelo, ali uživanje je pročitati tečno napisani skandinavski thriller, još više kad ga prati tečno napisan prijevod, u kojem se ne spotičete, ne korigirate, ne lektorirate u sebi. Vrlo interesantno zamišljena junakinja, i mogla bi se ova serija razvijati u izvrsnom smjeru. Volite li thrillere, pročitajte, nećete pogriješiti.

[Понкратова Людмила · Rating 4 out of 5]

Спортивний детектив. Читала з задоволенням. Можливо, не вистачило динаміки розвитку сюжету

[Ярослава Литвин · Rating 5 out of 5]

Атмосферний, напружений скандинавський детектив. Ідеальний для зимових вечорів

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich hatte bisher die Bücher von Anne Holt sehr gerne gelesen. Möglicheweise, da eine neue (unbekannte) Protagonistin und deren Umfeld vorgestellt wird, kam es mir etwas lange und zeitweise langweilig vor.

[Леся · Rating 5 out of 5]

Цікавий норвезький детектив про проблеми в норвезькій федерації лижного спорту, допінгові скандали. залучена колишню адвокатку Сельму Фальк до пошуку відповідей.
В цілому про те, як події минулого впливають на сьогодення.

[Maria Strale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok. Den var ok. Men inte mer.
Nu får Anne Holt vila i frid för mig. Det bestämde jag sista gången jag läste henne också men nu känns det definitivt.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Selma Falck - wife, mother, lawyer and former Olympian. Seemingly had it all then walks away from it all… What and why? There’s a lot of interest and speculation but very few know the real truth.

When Norway’s top female skier returns a positive drugs test close to the Winter Olympics, Selma Falck is asked to investigate. Was it sabotage and how could you prove it was? The case doesn’t seem to be going anywhere and then suddenly Norway’s top male skier ends up dead from an apparent training accident and later returns a positive drugs test.

How is it possible that the countries top male and female skiers both test positive to the same drug? What are the chances these are linked? Something decidedly not right is happening when this drugs scandal involves a drug not not available in Norway and when only trace amounts of the drug are detected, an amount which isn’t enough to enhance their performance. Not only that but now one of them is dead.

The more Selma Falck investigates the more she uncovers. Not all of it makes sense but it quickly becomes clear that this is much bigger than just a positive drugs test.

And the funny thing is that although personally and professionally she’s lost everything, this investigating work is something she’s actually good at, something she can do. She might have lost it all but she’s also found something too.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Grave for Two – Who knew Norway Could be this Dangerous

Anne Holt is Norway’s bestselling female crime writer and with A Grave for Two it is very easy to understand why. While still being part of the Scandi Noir genre, this is not as dark as some and most of the names are not tongue twisters.

Selma Falack’s life has come crashing down around her, she finds herself in a small apartment that even her cat does not like. She is about to be reported and lose her lawyers licence and is going nowhere fast. When her former client and the person responsible for her downfall rings her door and offers her away out of the predicament she is in, if he helps her. Jan Morell’s daughter, Hege, a champion cross-country skier all set for the Winter Olympics, but now she has been found to have broken the doping controls.

Jan challenges Selma to find out who has sabotaged Hege and get her back in to the running for the Olympic Games. If she does that, he will stop his investigation and not tell the world she embezzled money from him.

When a male skier whom Hege knows is found dead and his post-mortem shows there is a link between the cases. What Selma discovered was that there was a sinister web of corruption, lies and scandals in a highly competitive sport. It did not help that the Sport’s Federation had built a glass palace, sat high on a hill and everybody seemed to have their hands in the till. But the stories never came out, but it would be only a matter of time.

Seeming going nowhere Selma realises that she needs to see the bigger picture and who actually gains from the supper star athletes being banned. With the death of a photographer little does Selma realise how close she is to death herself.

Anne Holt likes to leave clues as to who the perpetrator may be while weaving an intricate thriller, whether you can solve the question of whodunnit before the reveal is the big question.

This for a Scandi noir thriller is a great read, her narrative is perfect, and the energy of her writing is second to none. There is not even a cliché in sight.

[Lena St · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5*/5*

Якщо в цілому - це непоганий, але і не так щоб хороший детектив, який просто трішки обманув мене із темою. Я очікувала, що це буде спортивний трилер, щось на кшалт романів Діка Френсіса, тільки про лижні перегони, а це, як виявилося, просто антураж для доволі стандартних жанрових подій.

Хоча головна героїня мені прийшлася до душі, вона знає чого хоче, не прагне сподобатися та й людина вона не така щоб аж приємна, є в ній щось справжнє. Але, мабуть, це і є все оригінальне у цьому творі, бо зрештою багатообіцяюча історія про заплутаний випадок із допінгом у зіркової молодої спортсменки перетворилася на доволі стандартну оповідь, як хтось колись Скоїв Жахливий Вчинок та Помста Його Наздогнала у такий вивернутий спосіб.

Вигуляні всі жанрові кліше, тож попри доволі бадьорий початок, дочитувався роман вже із нудьгою. А, ну і ще там є мій нелюбимий троп, коли герой чогось так хотів, так шалено прагнув, а потім змінився і зрозумів, що то йому не треба. Ну а якщо читач переймався за цю його цінність, то най гуляє новерзьким лісом.

[Lesetiger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Autorin kannte ich bisher noch nicht, doch der Klappentext hat mich neugierig gemacht, da ich bisher zum Thema Skifahren und Doping eher selten etwas gefunden habe.
Der Schreibstil ist gelungen und das Buch wird aus verschiedenen Perspektiven erzählt, was mir grundsätzlich gut gefällt.
Die Anwältin Selma Falck ist in ihrem Leben ganz unten angekommen, als Jan Morell ihr Hilfe braucht. Seine Tochter behauptet unschuldig zu sein, was die Doping-Vorwürfe gegen sie betrifft. Und dann wird ein toter Skifahrer gefunden. Die Lage ist ernst.
Der Fall beginnt spannend und man begleitet die unterschiedlichsten Personen bei ihren Aktivitäten, was mich als Hörer einfach neugierig gemacht hat, wie alles zusammenhängt. Die Autorin beschreibt die Gegebeneiten sehr ausführlich, wodurch sich leichte Längen einschleichen.
Es gibt viele verschiedene Handlungsstränge und man muss echt aufpassen, dass man nicht den Überblick verliert. Dazu haben sicher auch die norwegischen Namen beigetragen, die mir nicht so geläufig waren.
Die Protagonisten Selma wurde tiefgründig geschaffen und dennoch hat ich so meine Probleme, sie sympathisch zu finden.
Was degegen gut gelungen ist, das war die Auflösung des Falles, mit der ich so nicht wirklich gerechnet habe.
Ich habe mir das Hörbuch angehört und die Sprecherin Katja Bürkle war ebenfalls neu für mich und auch etwas gewöhnungsbedürfitg. Sie hat zwar eine angenehme Stimme, aber manchmal hätte ich mir ein bisschen mehr Gefühl beim Vorlesen gewünscht. Da das Buch zwischendurch Längen hat, konnte sie diese mit ihrem teilweise monotonen Vortrag nicht ausgleichen.
Fazit:
Ein interessanter Klappentext, der für mich leider nicht das gehalten hat, was er versprochen hat. Von mir gibt’s solide 3,5 Sterne.

[Oleksandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Анне Гольт «Могила на двох» — дуже сильний скандинавський детектив. Захоплює атмосферою холодної напруги, продуманим і добре закрученим сюжетом та справді живими персонажами. Це та історія, де не просто стежиш за розслідуванням, а щиро співпереживаєш героям і вболіваєш за них до самого фіналу. Книга тримає увагу й залишає приємне післясмакове відчуття якісного трилера.

[skattkatten_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Det tog ett tag innan jag förstod upplägget men visst var det snillrikt. Anne Holt berättar alltid en bra historia och denna gången om Norges nationalsport. Ska bli spännande att följa hennes nya figur, Selma Falck.