Satellite People

Hans Olav Lahlum

2016 Nominee

Petrona Award

12 February 2015
9780230769540
288 pages

Synopsis

A gripping, evocative and ingenious mystery which pays homage to Agatha Christie, Satellite People is the second Norwegian mystery in Hans Olav Lahlum's series.

Oslo, 1969. When a wealthy man collapses and dies during a dinner party, Norwegian Police Inspector Kolbjørn Kristiansen, known as K2, is left shaken. For the victim, Magdalon Schelderup, a multimillionaire businessman and former resistance fighter, had contacted him only the day before, fearing for his life.

It soon becomes clear that every one of Schelderup's ten dinner guests is a suspect in the case. The businessman was disliked, even despised, by many of those close to him; and his recently revised Will may have set events in motion. But which of the guests - from his current and former wives and three children to his attractive secretary and old cohorts in the resistance - had the greatest motive for murder?

With the inestimable help of Patricia - a brilliant, acerbic young woman who lives an isolated life at home, in her wheelchair - K2 begins to untangle the lies and deceit within each of the guests' testimonies. But as the investigators receive one mysterious letter after another warning of further deaths, K2 realises he must race to uncover the killer. Before they strike again . . .

Ingenious . . . A Scandinavian crime novel with a difference.
The second instalment of a captivating murder mystery series set in 1960s Norway sees Inspector Kolbjørn Kristiansen seek the advice of Patricia, a brilliant young amateur sleuth confined to a wheelchair, to work out which of 10 dinner guests killed a business tycoon and former resistance fighter during the Second World War. As the inspector tries to untangle the lies and deceit he receives a series of letters warning of further murders. Lahlum keeps the reader guessing until a clever and satisfying conclusion.
A continually fascinating novel which not only holds true to the spirit of Agatha Christie but also has a 21st century take on themes and subjects that never would have been tackled by the Queen of Crime.