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Learn moreFrom Anne Holt, the internationally bestselling author of 1222, comes the next installment in her Edgar Award–nominated mystery series.
Chief Public Prosecutor Sigurd Halvorsrud’s wife is found dead in front of the fireplace in the family living room. The cause of death: decapitation. Her husband, who witnessed the grisly murder and is himself covered in blood, immediately falls under suspicion, though he claims his wife’s killer was Ståle Salvesen, a man he’d prosecuted years before. Detective Inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen is called in to lead the investigation with her old colleague, Billy T. Despite the circumstantial evidence, Hanne is unconvinced of Sigurd Halvorsrud’s guilt—that is, until a witness says he saw Ståle Salvesen commit suicide by jumping off a bridge days before the murder took place. Then a journalist at one of Oslo’s largest newspapers is found beheaded. What links these two horrifically violent crimes?
The demanding investigation soon clashes with a terrible crisis in Hanne’s personal life. Cecilie, the woman she has lived with for almost twenty years, has fallen seriously ill and doesn’t have much time to live.
With a savage killer on the loose, Hanne must ask herself: Is the truth worth chasing at all costs?
Anne Holt has worked as a journalist and news anchor and spent two years working for the Oslo Police Department before founding her own law firm and serving as Norway’s minister for justice for part of 1996 and 1997. Her first book was published in 1993, and her work has been translated into twenty-five languages. She lives in Oslo with her family.
Kate Reading is an Audie Award–winning narrator and has received numerous Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine. Her narration has been recognized as Reader of the Year by Publishers Weekly, and by Booklist’s 2019 Top of the List, for the American Library Association. She and her husband, narrator Michael Kramer, record at their home studio in Maryland, Madison Productions. Learn more at www.katereadingaudiobooks.com.
Anne Bruce has degrees in Norwegian and English from Glasgow University, covering both Nynorsk and Bokmål, classic and modern texts, written and spoken Norwegian, as well as Old Norse, Icelandic, Swedish, and Danish. She has translated Wencke Mühleisen’s I Should Have Lifted You Carefully Over, Jørn Lier Horst’s Dregs, and Anne Holt’s Blessed Are Those Who Thirst. She lives in Kilmarnock, United Kingdom.
Reviews
“Holt offers readers yet another dandy surprise ending.”
“The hands-down best mystery novels of the past decade have come out of Scandinavia, and Anne Holt’s Dead Joker does nothing to break that string…A first-rate thriller.”
“The pacing is leisurely, especially for a Scandinavian thriller, but the character development is the main appeal here.”
“Nuanced characters and a strong sense of place make for an immersive tale that packs an emotional punch and offers incisive commentary on the failings of the criminal justice system.”
“Series narrator Reading’s crisp, clipped accents exemplify Hanne’s characteristically rigid self-control and taciturn manner…[through her] serious yet melodious voice.”
“The pairing of Kate Reading’s narration skills with the talents of one of Norway’s premiere authors creates a real treat for psychological thriller fans…Reading’s crisp diction moves the action along smartly without losing the listener in the maze of clues and characters. Her facility with languages and convincing accents is an asset as she familiarizes listeners with Norwegian names. Fans of Scandinavian mysteries, as well as first-timers, will be delighted with Reading’s delivery of Holt’s latest.”
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