The Human Flies

Oslo, 1968: ambitious young detective Inspector Kolbjørn Kristiansen is called to an apartment block, where a man has been found murdered. The victim, Harald Olesen, was a legendary hero of the Resistance during the Nazi occupation, and at first it is difficult to imagine who could have wanted him dead. But as Detective Inspector Kolbjørn Kristiansen (known as K2) begins to investigate, it seems clear that the murderer could only be one of Olesen's fellow tenants in the building. Soon, with the help of Patricia—a brilliant young woman confined to a wheelchair following a terrible accident—K2 will begin to untangle the web of lies surrounding Olesen's neighbors; each of whom, it seems, had their own reasons for wanting Olesen dead. Their interviews, together with new and perplexing clues, will lead K2 and Patricia to dark events that took place during World War II. This gripping, evocative, and ingenious mystery—the first in a series featuring K2 and Patricia—pays homage to the great Agatha Christie and will plunge readers into Norwegian history, and into a world of deceit and betrayal, revenge, and the very darkest murder.

Hans Olav Lahlum is a Norwegian crime author, historian, chess player, and politician. The books that make up his crime series, featuring Criminal Investigator Kolbjørn Kristiansen (known as K2) and his precocious young assistant Patricia, are bestsellers in Norway.