Historian Hans Olav Lahlum branches into crime fiction with The Human Flies. Set in Norway in 1968, and harking back to WW2, this is essentially a locked-door murder mystery. A hero of the Norwegian resistance is found shot dead in his apartment, but there seems to have been no way for a murderer to have got in or out, and other tenants were on the stairs at the time of the shooting.

Inspector Kolbjorn Kristiansen, known as K2, is called in to investigate. He is baffled but receives some unexpected help when an old family friend introduces him to his wheelchair-bound daughter Patricia, who has some clever ideas about the crime. K2 and Patricia investigate together and soon turn up a sordid tale of murder, adultery, disputed inheritances and other skullduggery. Few if any of the tenants in the building are able to be ruled out of consideration, even as the investigation progresses.

Lahlum dispenses with the locked-door aspect of his novel pretty quickly, which is a bit disappointing, as I think he could have made more of that. K2 seems pretty useless as an investigator, relying far too much on Patricia's insight. I think this novel would be better if K2 had more to offer. The resolution is OK, but the aftermath is played out a bit too much as Lahlum rather too obviously sets up his characters for a series outing. ( )

3.5 ( )

The Human Flies is set in 1968 Oslo where newly promoted detective Kolbjorn Kristiansen, known as K2, is given his first high-profile case. He's called to the apartment building of Harald Oleson, where the popular politician and former hero of the Resistance has been shot and killed in his inside his locked apartment. This is a locked room style mystery and no one can figure out how Oleson was actually killed. There are plenty of false leads in the investigation which kept me from figuring out how the murder happened.

K2 is an interesting character but I felt like the real star of the book was wheelchair-bound genius Patricia, a young woman styled in the manner of Sherlock Holmes. She is an integral part of the investigation and offers K2 some much needed assistance. I've never heard of this author before and I thought he did an excellent job of keeping the reader involved in the story. The translation had a slightly old-fashioned feel and the mystery was neither gritty nor cozy. The characters are wonderful and I'm definitely going to read the next book in the series, [b:Satellite People|28004062|Satellite People|Hans Olav Lahlum|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461082429s/28004062.jpg|17747762]. ( )

The Human Flies – Simply Buzzing

Hans Olav Lahlum I am told is a bestselling Norwegian crime writer and famous historian, yup me neither. But then with a population of just under
6 million I am sure even I could be famous or preferably infamous as that would be more fun! Well having read Hans Olav Lahlum’s The Human Flies I am sure he will be pretty famous outside of Norway pretty soon. This is a different Norwegian novel besides the usual noir fair there is a clear nod to the great Agatha Christie in the style of the story which makes it quite a pleasant and enjoyable read.

The Human Flies is set in Oslo 1968 and is narrated by the hero and main star of the novel detective Inspector Kolbjørn Kristiansen (he is known as K2) who is newly promoted is called to a murder in an apartment block. This is no ordinary murder in that the victim is a legendary hero of the Norwegian Resistance during the occupation and former Cabinet minister in post-war governments.

There is no clear reason to why he would have been killed and even though there is an ex-Nazi worker in the same apartment block even he was not interested in killing Olesen. But when the ex-Nazi in a suicide note admits to the killing K2 realises all is not right. Fortunately for K2 he has the help of Patricia who is one of the most intelligent and brilliant young women in Norway the only problem is that she is confined to a wheelchair and rarely ventures outside.

K2 and Patricia need to unravel a web of lies that exist in the apartment block amongst all Olesen’s neighbours and the further they delve the more they have to go back in to Norway’s dark history of the Nazi Occupation. The more they look in on the neighbour’s lies the more confused the story seems as they all could have a reason or reasons to kill Olesen. The more they dig the more questions the more interviews take place as they are able to slowly put together their jigsaw of answers.

This really is an enjoyable, very gripping and ingenious mystery in that we are taken to the dark depths of Norwegian history, which ticks all the boxes for a crime novel with deceit, betrayal and revenge. The tactic of using both K2 and Patricia is ingenious K2 is the Poirot to Patricia’s Miss Marple is a big nod to Agatha Christie especially with the reveal at the end as they announce who the killer or killers are. It should not really work but it does and I cannot wait until the next book in this new series is published. ( )