This week’s Monday blog is a short review of a book I
received from Kim as a Christmas gift.
Scandinavian fiction has seen a huge surge in popularity
over the last few years on television and in books. I have been swept up in
this wonderful tide of authors like Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbø and television
dramas like The Killing and The Bridge; delighting in my inner Viking. (According to legend Macleods are descended from the Norse Kings of Man.)
Written by Sissel-Jo Gazan who hails from Denmark, 'The Dinosaur Feather' adds to that canon. Her nationality was enough reason for the publisher to slap a
sticker on the book telling you that if you love ‘The Killing’ then you’ll love
this book. This is an oversimplification as the only real similarity is the
setting. This story is set in Copenhagen but it is not a straightforward
whodunit and there is nothing of the political intrigue of that brilliant
series.
The book is set in the world of academia and tells the story
of Anna Bella Nor’s struggles as a post-graduate student and single mother as
she tries to finalise her doctorate. She is close to the final stages of her
studies when both her tutor and then her friend are found dead. The death of
her tutor is possibly the most original murder I have ever read and the
intrigue surrounds the possibility that someone does not want her doctoral thesis to be published due to a difference of
scientific opinion on the relationship between birds and dinosaurs. Due to the author’s own background, there is a
lot of scientific detail covering areas such as palaeontology, ornithology and
biology but it is explained in terms that keep it interesting and it never
slows down the pace of the narrative.
The strange but engaging thing about the book is the way it
weaves a number of family tragedies through the main crimes and
then ties them up towards the end. It is a skilful piece of plotting and gives
the story an extra layer of subtly that I enjoyed.
Søren Marhauge is the featured detective but he is far removed from the typical
protagonist, as he doesn’t feature in the early part of the book and isn’t even
responsible for the revelation at the end. He has his own family troubles and they
have an effect on how he approaches his work.
This is a thoroughly original and enjoyable crime story. If
you love mystery novels and are looking for something different then I can fully
recommend this book.
Occasionally if I find a book that I think you’ll
enjoy, I’ll post a review on my Monday blog.
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