Dead Woman Walking and Ordeal

It is definitely turning into the long, hot summer here.  I'm still walking, but early in the morning.  It is hard to love summer when the lows are 78 or higher and the humidity is considered wonderful at less than 70%.  Sultry is not my thing.  Fortunately, there is air conditioning and books to help me through the sweaty months.

Dead Woman Walking begins with an unusual and intense hot air balloon ride that moves from a celebration to an unmitigated disaster when an event the passengers observe on the ground turns the balloon and its passengers into a target.  

The terrifying opening episode is the best part of the book as far as suspense goes, but there are plenty of twists to come. Typical Bolton to keep the reader uncertain and perhaps a little confused about who/what/why.  

This will delight most Bolton fans, but I would prefer to see more books like her Little Black Lies.

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press

Suspense/Thriller.  Sept. 5, 2017.  Print length:  368 pages.

Ordeal by Jorn Lier Horst is the first book I've read in this series featuring William Wist, a detective in Larvik, Norway.
There are 10 books in the series, but not all of them have been translated.

This is one of the best police procedurals I've read in a long time.  Wisting is a dedicated investigating officer, and (because the author was a Senior Investigating Officer for the police in Norway) the investigation rings true. Superb plotting and characters that feel genuine make Ordeal a pleasure to follow, not an ordeal to wade through.  No tricky stuff, no bizarre murders, no mad serial killer--just an intriguing investigation and a sense of William Wisting's humanity.

Sofie Lund and her year old daughter move into the house she inherited from her grandfather.  Frank Mandt was a well-known criminal, and Sofie wants no reminders of him.

When Sofie runs into Line Wisting, William's daughter, who has also recently moved back to Larvik, the two women renew an old friendship.  Both women are single--Sofie with her child and Line pregnant but without a partner.  The two women built a solid support system in a short time.

William Wisting's investigation into the disappearance of a local taxi driver has been stalled for the last six months.  However, a safe in the basement of Sofie Lund's grandfather's home offers information that may affect Wisting's case...if he knew about it.

Ordeal is an excellent police procedural that feels authentic and does not need to resort to the flashy or the grotesque to keep the reader involved.

Highly Recommended.  And I guess I'm going to have to purchase the books that have been translated because it is that good.

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press

Police Procedural.  Aug. 8, 2017.  Print length:  353 pages.