The Lazarus Solution

by Kjell Ola Dahl, Don Bartlett (Translator)

Summer, 1943. When a courier for Sweden's Press and Military Office is killed on his final mission, the Norwegian government-in-exile appoints a writer to find the missing documents in this breathtaking WW2 thriller.

Daniel BerkÅk works as a courier for the Press and Military Office in Stockholm. On his last cross-border mission to Norway, he carries a rucksack full of coded documents and newspapers, but before he has a chance to deliver anything he is shot and killed and the contents of his rucksack are missing. The Norwegian government, currently exiled in London, wants to know what happened, and the job goes to writer Jomar Kraby,whose first suspect is a Norwegian refugee living in Sweden, whose past that is as horrifying as the events still to come...

Both classic crime and a stunning exposÉ of Norwegian agents in Stockholm during the Second World War, The Lazarus Solution is a compulsive, complex, richly authentic historical thriller from one of the godfathers of Nordic Noir

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Espionage, Mystery, Crime, World War II, Scandinavian Literature

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 27, 2023

About the author

Born in 1958, Dahl's first novel was published in 1993. He is best known for his series about Oslo detectives Frank Frølich and Inspector Gunnarstranda.

Also publishes as K.O. Dahl

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.Complex,tight,twisty,well written,great characters.

[Monika Armet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is set in two locations during the Second World War: Nazi occupied Norway and neutral Sweden.

Daniel Berkåk works as a courier between Sweden and Norway and also gathers intelligence. During his latest assignment, he was carrying important documents, but he was shot dead, the documents missing.

Jomar Kraby, an out of work writer and an alcoholic is called to investigate Berkåk’s death. He is methodical and likes to diverge from the well trodden paths. He is soon going to find that things aren’t what they seem…

Meanwhile, Kai Fredly, a 27-year-old sailor, is sent home to Norway. However, he has no home to return to – his parents are dead, and recently his brother Atle was brutally murdered. Atle fought for the Nazis and he was the stark opposite of Kai and his parents, who were Communists.

Sara Krefting, a glamorous and wealthy Norwegian invites Kai to stay. She informs him that she knew Atle and that Daniel Berkåk was responsible for Atle’s death. She asks Kai to travel to Sweden to avenge his brother’s death.

When Kai arrives in Sweden, his and Krabe’s paths cross. It soon transpires that Krabe is deeply suspicious of Kai’s actions…

Ooh I simply loved this book! Historical fiction with a capital H!

It exposes the Norwegian agents in Stockholm during the Second World War. I love history and everything WWII related, but I didn’t know much about the Norwegian Stapo, neutral Sweden and the trains transporting the German troops back and forth – thanks to this book, I’ve learned something new.

Sweden, despite being neutral, was teeming with spies. People didn’t know who they could trust, there was a deep sense of unease – something that the author portrayed beautifully on each page.

The translation by Don Bartlett was flawless and the whole thing had the perfect flow.

The wonderful team Orenda have done it again! I’ve been reviewing Orenda books for over a year now (feeling extremely privileged – Karen is so amazing and supportive!) and they are all fantastic. This is an example of another fabulous book!

[David Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Lazarus Solution, Kjell Ola Dahl gives us a satisfyingly murky, noir-infused thriller set in Stockholm in 1943. The characters are exiles from the Nazi occupation of Norway, spies of various nations, patriots, collaborators. (There's even a femme fatale). Some of the people we meet are several of these things at once.

Our hero, Jomar Kraby, seems an unlikely participant in all this. A writer (whose works have been censored by the Swedish government, anxious to place the Germans and not be drawn into the war) he's asked by the Norwegian government-in-exile to investigate the killing of one of its couriers on occupied soil. Kraby, whose daily business seems to be drinking and failing to write, proves an unexpectedly skilful, resourceful and determined investigator, so much so that one feels there is more to him than we are being told.

Indeed that's one of the pleasures of this book - while comparatively short, it gives the impression of a peek into a larger world, whether through the presence of the Soviet embassy (which is clearly up to something) under its grizzled spymistress, Kraby's messy unfinished business with his ex back in Norway or the administrative rivalries between various branches of the Norwegian legation. Romantic, professional and ideological motives become confounded - and that's even before we learn more about the dead man, Daniel Berkåk, and his connections to refugee Kai Fredly and his Nazi-supporting brother.

Kai's history and that of his brother provide the opportunity for a bit of necessary exposition, detailing both Marxist and Nazi ideologies and showing the events that might have shaped young men and women in Norway before the invasion. Again, it's complex, and Kjell Ola Dahl illustrates how divided loyalties can become - this isn't a book that deals in moral absolutes at all. For a crime novel, that is of course wonderful as it makes absolutely everybody suspect, but it also drives a story in which what matters is less who was where at a given time, or what the condition of a body tells us about a death, but rather, how each character stands in relation to all of the others.

As such, a writer like Kraby, used to dealing in motivations and weighing characters, is perhaps just the right figure to be investigating what happened. Less a sleuth, perhaps, than the author of a story, he moves through the shadows of wartime Stockholm - as well as Norway itself - to dark corners where all manner of mischief is going on with surprising bedfellows (in both senses of the word) up to a world of chicanery.

I loved Kraby as a central figure, recognisably walking the mean streets yet keeping his humanity, a witness to what happens in the dark without consenting to it. A witness, one feels, who will be ready to give evidence when the war ends and the reckoning - which many here, on all sides, hope for or fear - finally comes.

Simply a brilliant, compelling novel of humanity and collusion, ably translated by Don Bartlett into flowing English.

I would definitely recommend this one!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never hidden how much I love Kjell Ola Dahl's Frølich and Gunnarstranda series, and although I don't typically read a lot of historical fiction, if there is one person I will make an exception for, it is him. The Lazarus Solution is the third standalone historical novel published by Orenda Books, and from the very beginning I was completely drawn into the story, a beautiful blend of mystery and tension, all wrapped in authenticity and compelling characterisations. If you like fiction set around the time of WWII, and want to read something which takes a look at the war from a very fresh angle, then I would definitely recommend this book.

In The Lazarus Solution, Kjell Ola Dahl transports us to 1940's Scandinavia, to Sweden and Norway, geographical neighbours who may as well be lightyears apart when it comes to their position in the war. Norway is Nazi occupied, Sweden retains a neutral status, finding itself home to may Norwegian exiles who have fled their homeland for a variety of reasons. It is one such person, writer Jomar Kraby, who is engaged by the exiled Norwegian Government to find out who murdered one of their agents on his ill fated final trip into Norway. Jomar's is an investigation beset with issues and challenges, and not everyone is keen for the murderer to be exposed. With suspicion falling upon another Norwegian expat, Kai Fredly, as readers we are soon drawn into a story of family, politics, revenge and betrayal as the two man follow their own paths to try and find out the truth.

Two of the real things which always draw me into one of Kjell Ola Dahl's books are setting and character. When it comes to character, this time around the author has created a beautiful cast of diverse characters, each driven by their own motivations, be they personal or political, matters of the heart or pure greed and a thirst for power. Each one was unique, memorable in their own way, from the main protagonists, Jomar and Kai, to those who existed more on the periphery, such as victim Daniel Berkåk, or even the security guard at the offices of the Norway Legation building, Borgar Stridsberg. Slowly but surely their stories are revealed, adding new conflict and complexity to the story, and exposing some of the motivations that may be behind the heinous actions Jomar is trying to investigate.

Amongst all of the people we meet throughout the novel, it is Jomar and Kai who really hold the attention in this book, the story moving between their two perspectives and following the pattern of hunter and prey. I liked them both in their own individual ways. Both are flawed, less than perfect, both damaged in a way by the circumstances of war. I loved Jomar's dogged determination, and Kai's defiance. For Jomar, this is just a job, one that, despite an initial reluctance to engage in, he has become intrigued by. For Kai, the investigation is personal, but in spite of the suspicion surrounding him, I found myself sympathising with him and his circumstances.

As for setting, there is no denying the authors ability to transport me as a reader right into the heart of the action. I can't lie, I knew little of Norway and Sweden's place in the war prior to reading the book, but it is instilled with enough information to give readers a real sense of the time without overloading the story with historical fact. the book portrays the complexity of the political landscape, the dangers inherent at the time, even in a neutral state like Sweden. There is a feeling of tension, low and rumbling as it is, that underpins the whole story, and scenes where Jomar travels back to Norway, at great personal risk, really keep the tension and the pacing high and serve to illustrate the danger that threads throughout the book. And then that ending ... leading towards the ultimate in jeopardy in order to expose the full truth of what has come before. A very fitting ending.

This is a story full of secrets and misdirection. So much subterfuge, from the author every bit as much as his characters, that is kept the suspense high and my attention glued to the story. It is not an all action war story, and if you have come searching for that you're in the wrong place. This is a complex, rich and layered story, one that speaks of the Norwegian resistance effort, of agents who serve to undermine the Nazi propaganda in their homeland. It is also a story of family, of love and of the ties that bind. If you loved The Courier and The Assistant then this is most certainly recommended.

[Peter Fleming · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite being neutral Sweden was in a bit of an invidious position sandwiched between an occupied Norway and Finland who at times were fighting the Germans and then the Russians. Selling iron ore to the Germans and turning a blind eye to major troop train movements.

A strange situation which is captured perfectly within the novel, a country without the deprivations and restrictions faced by many, carrying on as normal but developing a siege mentality and a sense of paranoia. There is a pervading sense of mistrust as operatives from both sides work in the shadows and Norwegians may be loyalists or home-grown fascists. The territory may well be neutral but for some it will never be safe.

They story effectively has two central threads; Jomar Kraby’s investigation to establish who has murdered Daniel Berkåk and Kai Fredly’s search to discover what happened to his brother, a Nazi-sympathiser who has been murdered. The narrative moves seamlessly between the two until their inevitable intersection.

Asking an alcoholic failed writer to act as investigator seems a strange choice, but it is a clever one. He possesses the investigative journalist’s skills and instinct, but his shambling persona who can be overlooked as no threat. With a near nihilist attitude at the start, he brings a dour world weariness to proceedings which works so well in these stories. He is very perceptive though and is the one who sees through the subterfuge.

In comparison Kai is more of the innocent abroad, quite fittingly as a demobbed sailor. Unlike his brother he is antifascist but is naive enough to be taken in by Nazi sympathisers such as Sara Krefting. He stumbles around seeking the truth in a largely polarised world, struggling to determine who is friend and foe. The catalyst for his search is a simple photograph, one that features his brother, that becomes a motif throughout the story and one that fixes his brother at a point in time.
The war ended up dividing families, blood ties bind us, but some found fascism seductive and a solution rather than a problem. In occupied Europe some saw collaboration and staying alive a better a prospect than resisting and ending up dead. A dilemma for Kai to face up to, loyalty or betrayal.

The plotting is tight, with few distractions, and the style is wonderfully dark and atmospheric as one might expect from a classic Noir writer. Don Bartlett’s translation is on point as usual, it is impossible to tell it is translated from reading the prose and includes some typical English phrases which I would love to know what the Norwegian equivalent is.

There is pervading sense of bleakness, as a serious subject given suitable treatment with little lightness to break up the dark. The inhumanity of the Fifth SS Panzer Division is summed up in a flippant matter of fact way as they murdered Jews, Gypsies and other bipeds. There was little honour in the war on the Eastern Front as Kai discovers. There is no wisecracking in this Noir.

[Pirate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent thriller set in Sweden and Norway during World War II. Great cast of characters from the dissolute poet/playwright Jomar Kraby to former seaman and Communist sympathiser Kai Fredly -- whose brother Atle who fought with the Germans in Russia has been murdered -- and the Nazi sympathising femme fatale Sara Krefting to the mysterious Iris. Beautifully written and provides interesting insights into what life was like in neutral Sweden even though they still allowed German soldiers to be transported through the country and on to Finland. There is also intrigue aplenty involving the various Norwegian departments that have settled there -- as much at war with each other as with the collaborators back home -- and add a dollop of Soviet interest too. It is rather moving too as when Jomar comes to say farewell to the love of his life the married Hjordis at the train station: "The woman in his life was only one of many silhouettes on the platform, but when she raised her hand, it seemed to Jomar that he had never seen her so alone, not even on the stage." It is a humdinger of a story and I pray there are more with the same set of principal characters -- translated into English of course!

[Mal Warwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A GRIPPING TALE OF INTRIGUE IN WARTIME STOCKHOLM AND OSLO

For most Americans, World War II was all about the war in the Pacific and what took place after the Allied invasions of Italy and northern France. But it was, of course, a global war. It lasted at least from 1937, when Japan invaded China, to 1945, when the Red Army occupied Berlin. And a great deal happened far from the titanic battles on the oceans and the eastern and western fronts in Europe. What transpired in Scandinavia is a case in point. There, tens of thousands of Nazi troops occupied Denmark and 300,000, Norway. And supposedly-neutral Sweden allowed German soldiers to travel in force on its trains. In The Lazarus Solution, Norwegian author Kjell Ola Dahl brings this reality back to life. It’s a complex tale of murder and intrigue set in wartime Stockholm and Oslo.

WHO MURDERED DANIEL BERKÅK?
At first, it seems to be a simple story. Daniel Berkåk, a Norwegian courier for the Home Front resistance, is shot and killed shortly after crossing the border into Norway. He had been carrying a load of underground newspapers and a bundle of secret documents, which were now missing. Who murdered him? Was it a border guard working for the Nazi-run government? A home-grown Nazi? Or someone with a personal motive?

The Norwegian government in exile in London wants to know. And they have passed word to a top official in their legation in Stockholm to investigate the case. Which leads the legation staff to recruit a reluctant Jomar Kraby, who describes himself as “an impecunious bohemian and alcoholic.” He is, in fact, a well-known author and playwright. But he possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the political scene and the war in Norway as well as the soul of an investigative journalist. And in short order Kraby will discover that the murder of Daniel Berkåk was anything but a simple matter. For Kraby will discover hidden layers of deceit and Intrigue stretching from Stockholm to Oslo and back.

HIDDEN LAYERS OF DECEIT IN WARTIME STOCKHOLM AND OSLO
Dahl’s story revolves around two men, both of whom we get to know intimately. Kraby, of course, who emerges from the page as brilliant and needy and shrewd. And a younger man named Kai Fredly, whom at first we think is a simple seaman. But we soon learn there are depths to Fredly’s character and secrets in his past. And Fredly had an older brother, Atle, who was also recently murdered.

Kai is determined to kill whoever was responsible for killing his brother. Which is why he has accepted a lucrative mission from a mysterious woman in Oslo to murder Daniel Berkåk. She has told him it was Berkåk who killed Atle. In fact, the relationships among all these characters revolve around the politics of the time. Atle was a Nazi who had even fought on the Russian front as a member of the Waffen-SS. Kai is a Communist who went to Spain to fight. And that mysterious woman seems to travel in Nazi circles. So, there’s much more going on here than relationships on a personal level. And Jomar Kraby will gradually unravel the surprising truths behind it all.

SWEDEN AND NORWAY IN WORLD WAR II
When the Second World War broke out in Europe in September 1939 with the Nazi invasion of Poland, both Norway and Sweden were neutral. And they both intended to maintain their neutrality. But it was not to be. Seven months later, in April 1940, Germany invaded Norway. Both Norwegian forces and the British fought a futile battle to dislodge them, and the Nazi occupation lasted for five years.

Sweden’s experience in the war was different. Nominally, the country maintained its sovereignty. Spies from all sides filtered into Stockholm, as the novel reveals. But Sweden faced entrenched Nazi forces in every direction: occupied Denmark and Norway, German troops battling the Russians in Finland, and the German Navy in the Baltic Sea. And the pressure forced Sweden to bend its neutrality laws. Germany tapped Swedish iron ore to feed its arms factories. And, according to multiple sources, “by 1943, the German military had made about 250,000 trips across Swedish territory taking soldiers to and from the warfront.” Trains taking those troops figure in Dahl’s story, too.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
To date, Kjell Ola Dahl has written sixteen books in his native Norwegian, most of them novels. Seven have been translated into English. Dahl is best known for a series of eleven Scandinavian noir novels featuring a pair of detectives in Oslo. He has also coauthored two screenplays. Dahl was born in 1958 and is actively at work as a writer.

[Karen Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lazarus Solution is Kjell Ola Dahl's third standalone historical crime fiction novel and as with The Curator and The Assistant, it's a grimly fascinating exploration of one of the darkest periods of history.
Set in 1943, events take place during a period when people are starting to believe that Germany will be beaten but this isn't an all-out action thriller and while what occurs here is perhaps not significant on a grand scale, it's these smaller stories which are the backdrop to any war. The impact on people's lives, whether through loss or estrangement is devastating and as much as this is a complex murder mystery, it's particularly powerful as an examination of human strengths and frailties.
The narrative follows two main characters; Jomar Kraby is a writer and social commentator whose heavy drinking and chequered past has taken its toll on his body, while Kai Fredly might be the younger man but has his own demons to deal with. Kraby may be an unlikely investigator – he describes himself as an "impecunious bohemian and alcoholic" – but instructions from London, passed to the Norwegian Legation in Sweden, see him initially reluctantly but later doggedly trying to discover who murdered the courier, Daniel Berkåk. Throughout the book it seems as though Jomar is living on his wits and although he strikes a rather shambolic figure there are some intense scenes which convey just how much danger he is in. Readers are also given an insight into his personal life, which is often quite melancholic and tinged with regret. However, Kraby is still a likeable character who, despite his many flaws, is an erudite, perceptive man.
I found it harder initially to warm to Kai Fredly but his behaviour means that he is obviously the more opaque character and as the novel progresses, it becomes increasingly apparent that his declared story may not tell the whole truth. I certainly pitied him; his own experiences fighting fascism in Spain, the loss of both his parents and the murder of his Nazi-sympathiser brother, evidently weigh heavily on him. However, his obsessiveness and secrecy ensure it's impossible to know whether he can be trusted. He is both vulnerable and suspicious and as much as I could empathise with his predicament, his actions are puzzlingly ambiguous. The characterisation is superb throughout and although Kraby and Fredly are the central protagonists, the secondary characters are equally as well-drawn.
The juxtaposition between neutral Sweden and Nazi-Occupied Norway is especially intriguing – the understandable ambivalence of the Norwegians towards their host country, where they have been given refuge but watch German soldiers travel unimpeded by train is particularly thought-provoking. While the constant danger of Nazism is claustrophobically chilling, the shadow of Communism hangs over proceedings too. Throughout the book, the sense of place engendered is as richly atmospheric as I've come to expect from Kjell Ola Dahl and praise should be given to Don Bartlett, too, for his seamless translation.
As readers and characters are forced to repeatedly question just who can be trusted, the shocking conclusion finally reveals the meaning behind the book's curious title. The Lazarus Solution is an intelligent, complex novel with a tense, eloquent storyline that, despite being a slow burner, packs a satisfying punch. I thoroughly recommend it.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

1943. Daniel Berkåk, courier for the Norwegian Press and Military Office in Sweden is killed on a dangerous cross-border mission in German-occupied Norway, and the important documents he was carrying have gone missing. Who murdered him, and for what reason, is a mystery.

Coincidentally, on the same day, Kai Fredly a Norwegian sailor crosses the border seeking asylum in Sweden. His story does not quite add up, and the recent murder of his Nazi-sympathiser brother puts his loyalties under suspicion.

The Norwegian government, exiled in London, is keen to find out what happened to their courier, but they need to tread carefully. In an unexpected move, the job of finding out who killed Berkåk is given to writer Jomar Kraby, who has a sharp mind, but is struggling under Swedish censorship. They hope that his unconventional methods might be put to good use in getting to the truth without attracting too much attention. What Kraby discovers is a web of deceit on both sides of the border, and he is sure that Kai Fredly knows more about the mysterious murder than he is letting on...

What a treat it is to delve into a brand new Kjell Ola Dahl book, especially one of his delicious evocative wartime novels, which I adore.

There are so many lovely elements to this book that it is hard to know where to begin, but it is essentially a wartime murder mystery threaded beautifully into a gripping espionage thriller. Kraby is a once-lauded, alcoholic Norwegian writer, somewhat at a loss now he has been exiled from his homeland and with a lot of baggage, but his dysfunctional attributes to make him the perfect tool for a challenging mission.

Around Kraby, Ola Dahl builds a network of characters with murky motivations, which makes for lashings of suspense on both sides of the Norwegian-Swedish border, and he plays cleverly with the contrast between a country openly at war on one side and one in which the battle lines are hidden under false diplomacy on the other. The tension is palpable throughout, with icy fingers trailing up and down your spine, as it is impossible to really tell who is friend or foe, and as their real intentions are exposed the pace of the story reaches a delectable fever pitch - with the most impressive twist and twist again finale that reveals the hidden meaning behind the title of the book.

The themes are layered in this novel with accomplished flair, as I have come to expect from Ola Dahl. Family dramas, shared histories, divided loyalties, and deep-seated hatred form the bare bones, which Ola Dahl floods with storylines around political ideology and distorted notions of patriotism, ambition and revenge, that are brimming over with passion. Many of the characters examine what they have learned about the true nature of war, expressing bittersweet reflections of sadness and regret which give the story fathomless poignancy too.

I have yet to read a book that brings alive the brittle atmosphere of the hot-bed of spies that Sweden was at this time in history so well as this does. It has everything I want from an authentic espionage thriller from the likes of celebrated authors like Le Carré, but with the added dark Nordic Noir charm that I love so much - and it is another fine job from translator Don Bartlett. I am already craving more...

[Tripfiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

WW2 thriller set in NORWAY / SWEDEN



The Lazarus Solution is a very well thought through, and pretty complex, thriller. It is set in Sweden and Norway during WW2. Sweden is ‘neutral’ and Norway is occupied by the German army. As a result Stockholm is a hot bed of intrigue – Brits and Norwegians spying on the Germans, and the Germans in turn spying on the Norwegian Resistance. There are two opposing factions in Norway. First there is the Quisling puppet government appointed by the Germans (and supported by a fair proportion of the population), and second there is the Resistance, who are working towards a British rescue invasion. There is a great deal of illegal border crossing by members of the Resistance based in Stockholm transporting messages and papers to their brothers in Norway itself.

One courier is murdered as he crosses the border. But who was responsible for his death? There is no shortage of suspects… Jomar Kraby, a writer, is asked by the Norwegian government in exile in London to investigate. Kai Fredly is a demobbed Norwegian sailor with left wing sympathies. His brother, a nazi sympathiser, has been killed. Are the cases in any way linked? Kai is certainly one of Jomar’s key suspects.

Kjell Ola Dahl weaves a tale of suspicion and intrigue. Rarely is anything quite as it appears to be. People with history pop up on either side of the border. Many of the Norwegians exiled in Stockholm have pro German nazi sympathies. Kai falls for a mysterious and beautiful woman, but who exactly is she and where do her sympathies lie? The book moves to a pretty convincing conclusion.

The Lazarus Solution is a cut above most spy thrillers. Certainly one I would recommend.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read previous novels by this author I was really looking forward to this book and was not disappointed. A great stand-alone WWII thriller set largely in Norway and Sweden. It is mid 1943 and a courier, Daniel BerkÅk, is found dead in Norway. He had been regularly travelling between Sweden and Norway carrying documents and arms for the resistance. Well written with a great but complex plot that becomes clearer as the book proceeds. I was glued to the pages despite the fact that the Swedish and Norwegian names and places did not trip easily off the tongue!

Briefly, Jomar Kraby is employed by the Norwegian Government in exile in London to investigate. His suspect is a refugee Kai Fredly who is living in Sweden and had a brother who was working with the Nazi party but had been killed recently. The story is told from the POV’s of Jomar investigating BerkÅk’s murder and Kai investigating his brothers death.

An exciting historical thriller which highlights the activities of Norway and Sweden during the war with neutral Sweden portrayed as acting as an ally to the Nazis. The images of German troops being willingly transported by train through Sweden to help fight the British forces at Narvik was to me quite chilling. It was intriguing to see how the two threads finally came together, seamlessly. An enthralling and quite brilliant read with twists and turns and an explosive and bloody finale.

[B.S. Casey]

Kjell Ola Dahl has been called Royalty in the Nordic Noir circles and it's always clear why. The Lazarus Solution is a gritty, searing and incisive historical thriller that throws the reader right into the middle of fraught warzones, tense political climates and deep conflict in the most vividly engrossing ways.

Now this might be a weird thing to say about a story set during bloody war and surrounded by death and betrayal, but there is a strange kind of beauty in Dahls writing. The way he brings characters to life in front of us, the little strands of their personalities that weave together to make such an intensely intricate and fully realised character. The settings are masterfully created to be so vivid that we are transported to a not too distant past in painstaking detail.

As we jump between perspectives, we move quickly through the story that's part procedural, part thriller - it's clear it's been methodically researched and thought out throughout. There is a steady pace, moving scene to scene at speed but taking it's time revealing the many layers of deception and deceit that eventually come together to reveal an astounding snapshot of life in a warzone.

[H.R. Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable slow-burn thriller

I have read and enjoyed previous books by Kjell Ola Dahl and when the opportunity to receive a review copy of The Lazarus Solution came up, I was keen.

It didn't disappoint. This is a Nordic noir, historical thriller set in Scandinavia in the 1940s. The plot draws on the tensions between Nazi-occupied Norway and neutral Sweden (and the Norwegian exiles living in a country where German troops travel freely on the trains to their posts.)

Jomar Kraby is investigating the murder of a courier transporting sensitive material from Sweden into Norway. Kai Fredley is a Norwegian refugee, a man who was an avid communist and fought in Spain. His brother had become a Nazi while Kai was away, and now he's dead.

This is a layered story, the writing is sparse and direct, but the story resonates with the times, tensions, conflicts, and mistrust of that era. It is rich in historical details, draws beautifully on the setting, and presents us with the complexities of the different interest groups and their political manoeuvering.

An intelligent and atmospheric book. I highly recommend it.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not quite as good as his other historical mysteries, although it's still well-written and evocative of time and place.

The two protagonists, Jomar Kraby, a Norwegian journalist in exile in 1943 Sweden, and Kai Fredly, brother of a murdered Norwegian Nazi, are central to the investigation of the killing of a courier in occupied Norway. Internecine struggles amongst Norwegian institutions in Stockholm and several mysterious females complicate matters while Kraby’s experiences in Norway add an element of real tension.

However it does meander at times; more a 3.5 stars.

[Mark Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent-enough-for-passing-the-time WWII spy suspense thriller with a good pace. There were a few good turns in the narrative, and some small surprises. The characterization wasn’t that well-handled; the differences between many of the male characters were so slight that they began to blend, and the same with the smaller cast of women characters.

I read to the end because it moved fast, but even given the Nazi context it was hard to care about the characters that much, although I guess there were a few nice touches in their moral dilemmas. The pretty bland thoughts of the characters were overused. I doubt I’ll be going on to further books in this series. May give another series by this author a shot at the right price. There was nothing overtly bad, but nothing special either. And there’s nothing here that Henning Mankell or John Le Carré don’t do much better.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lazarus Solution, Kjell Ola Dahl, Don Bartlett. April 27, 2023 iBook 5.99. 5/5.

Excellent writing, a very good read. Characters very well formed. A real page turner. Highly recommended.

“”Both classic crime and a stunning expose of Norwegian agents in Stockholm during the Second World War, The Lazarus Solution is a compulsive, complex, richly authentic historical thriller from one of the godfathers of Nordic Noir””

[Robert Reeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learn so much reading stories written by authors from foreign lands. In 1943, Norway was occupied by the Nazis while Sweden remained neutral and unoccupied. This story is set mostly in Stockholm, where many Norwegian refugees have escaped to. It's a noirish tale with many interesting characters attempting to discover who knocked off a Norwegian courier who traveled at night between Stockholm and Oslo, delivering maps, plans, and documents to the resistance. Very clever and entertaining read.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read anything by Kjell Ola Dahl until this book caught my eye.
The Lazarus Solution is a thriller, set in Sweden during the second world war. The plot centres around the murder of a Norwegian agent, and the investigation into said murder.
The book is as intriguing as its title suggests and well worth a read if historical fiction is your bag.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh boy, this was a struggle and I nearly have up several times...I am not even entirely sure why - might have been more my own frame of mind than the book, but I struggled with who the characters were and why I should care about them. The plot felt slow and lacking in suspense.

Such a shame as I had been looking forward to understanding more about this area of European history.

[Louise Fincham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is set in Norway and Sweden during the period of the Nazi occupation of Norway. Sweden claimed neutrality, nevertheless spies and rumours abound in Stockholm where most of the action takes place. The plot is intricate with several strands which culminate in a thrilling and unexpected denouement.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

WWII and Norway has fallen to the Germans, their government is in exile in London and many Norwegians have escaped to neutral Sweden. So much intrigue and layers and layers of spying.
This time period and these two countries come together for an excellent read. I had no idea of how the book would end but it was all well worth it.

[Robert Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spy versus spy

World War II in Sweden was a nest of intrigue - Norwegian refugees and intelligence agents, Russians, English diplomats - with many knowing and working with each other. Enter a Norwegian writer who is asked to do some detective work. Does it get confused, convoluted and hard to put down? Yes!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book "checks all my boxes" being both about Norway and Sweden, and WW II and the resistance.
Of course, there is murder, mystery and intrigue - spies, double crossing, loss and grief. But a gripping story well told.

[Annette Walen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actually, after reading 30 pages and being confused, I skipped ahead 100 pages and didn’t feel like I missed anything. Then I read the end and called it done. Too much dialogue for my liking and I didn’t have enough background knowledge of Norway and Sweden during WWII to follow the story well enough.

[Malcolm Schaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ended up a bit disappointed by this book . Seemed fascinatingset in Norway/Sweden in Second World War with a variety of mysterious characters on different sides . A good plot line but it all got a bit stuck three quarters way through and didn’t pick up until the final denouement . Expected more

[Tandy Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compelling read and I was educated about the complexities of the situation in Norway and Sweden during the Second World War. The struggles, brutality and families divided by loyalties to different groups was well explored. Tense and gripping.

[Studvet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rather a static novel but absorbing in it's complexity and characterisation.

[julie young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tense Nordic Noir. Dark, atmospheric thriller set during WW2. Deception and retribution.

[kikbim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding WW2 thriller set in Sweden and Norway.

[Sreader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t finish this. Not worth the effort!