{"product_id":"the-assistant-9781913193652","title":"The Assistant","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA seemingly straightforward investigation into marital infidelity leads a PI and his ex-con assistant on a murderous trail, in a sophisticated, riveting, cunningly plotted historical thriller set in interwar and prohibition-era Norway.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'An expertly crafted unravelling of mixed loyalties, love, lust, lies and trust, set against the background of a world increasingly on the edge of all-out war' \u003cb\u003eJohn Harvey\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'Dark, gritty and compulsive ... feels like a classic of the genre' \u003cb\u003eWilliam Ryan\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'A stylish standalone thriller ... Dahl ratchets up the tension from the first pages and never lets go' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e ------------------------ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eOslo, 1938.\u003c\/b\u003e War is in the air and Europe is in turmoil. Hitler's Germany has occupied Austria and is threatening Czechoslovakia; there's a civil war in Spain and Mussolini reigns in Italy. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e When a woman turns up at the office of police-turned-private investigator Ludvig Paaske, he and his assistant - his one-time nemesis and former drug-smuggler Jack Rivers - begin a seemingly straightforward investigation into marital infidelity. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But all is not what it seems, and when Jack is accused of murder, the trail leads back to the 1920s, to prohibition-era Norway, to the smugglers, sex workers and hoodlums of his criminal past ... and an extraordinary secret. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Both a fascinating portrait of Oslo's interwar years, with Nazis operating secretly on Norwegian soil and militant socialists readying workers for war, \u003ci\u003eThe Assistant\u003c\/i\u003e is also a stunningly sophisticated, tension-packed thriller - the darkest of hard-boiled Nordic Noir - from one of Norway's most acclaimed crime writers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor fans of Sebastian Faulks, Lars Mytting, Mick Herron and Robert Harris.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e ------------------------ \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'Kjell Ola Dahl doesn't write novels; he creates experiences by executing a strong sense of place of a spellbinding period that leaves its readers craving more' \u003cb\u003eBooks Technica\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'Political, or intelligence thrillers are ten a penny. Dahl does something altogether different ... lush, detailed and personal' \u003cb\u003eCafé Thinking \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Praise for Kjell Ola Dahl's \u003ci\u003eThe Courier\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'Absorbing, heart-rending and perfectly plotted ...' \u003cb\u003eDenzil Meyrick\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'Cleverly braiding together past and present, the who and why of murder and betrayal are unpicked. The detail is impressive' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'A dark but richly described backdrop and a relentless, underlying tension drive this sad story. Fans of Nordic Noir will be satisfied' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'Skilfully juggles three Oslo timelines ... simply superb plotting and essential reading' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'A truly eloquent and rewarding tale' \u003cb\u003eLoveReading\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'This stunning and compelling wartime thriller is reminiscent of the writing of John Le Carré and William Boyd' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNB Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 'Masterful, detailed plotting... Dahl has given a complex, human face to such an inhuman tragedy' \u003cb\u003eCrime Fiction Lover\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Orenda Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/01\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781913193652\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 276\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.40lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.70h x 5.10w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/30\/2021\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Kjell Ola Dahl","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40894263820469,"sku":"9781913193652","price":13.56,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_98ed16e2-b34e-4fa4-b9af-378c27497c13.jpg?v=1630415044","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-assistant-9781913193652","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}