A Memory for Murder: The third book in the Selma Falck series, from the godmother of modern Norwegian crime fiction

I found that 'A Memory for Murder' was a slow burner at first, but it turned into an exciting thriller by the end. The book centres around Selma Falck, a lawyer turned private investigator, who narrowly misses being shot. Whilst wondering who wants her dead we quickly discover that all is not as it seems and question whether she was the intended target. With the help of some acquaintances and the police, Selma starts to unravel some of the mystery of what has happened. The story is a well thought out thriller with new information introduced at gradual intervals. At first I found the book to be a bit confusing. The book switched between the perspectives of characters every few pages which made it hard to keep up with who was who and how it fit together. However, about half way through I had the characters figured out and so the switching became easier to keep up with. Overall this is an enjoyable book but can take a while to get to grips with.

A Memory For Murder doesn't beat about the bush to begin with; after a first chapter (when a worse for wear 30-something woman is made pregnant by a much younger male) worthy of its own mystery, there's a homicide seven pages into the novel when a junior MP - and friend of private investigator Selma Flack, who is initially thought to be the target - is killed. That page-turning promise isn't maintained, with a series of rambling paragraphs following for the next 100 pages or so, but things pick up again when two more people with links to the murdered politician are found dead and seemingly random sections such as the old man who visits his wife's grave (and the aforementioned opening) finally begin to make some sense. Although the author's knowledge of the subject matter is evident, some characters are as cold as the snow-capped cabins, mountains and trees that adorn the front cover (Falck, for example, can be very blunt and plays fast and loose with colleagues, acquaintances and even her own daughter who forbids her from seeing her grandson) and there's an element of 'blink and you miss it' about the finale where Falck is confronted by the killer.