Private investigator Selma Falck is enjoying a drink with friends when a shot rings out. Her best friend is dead and she herself has a flesh wound. Who was the real target and why?
A Memory For Murder is the third book to feature Selma Falck but it is the first book in the series that I have read. There are tantalising mentions of events in the past which I assume were covered in the first two books.
The majority of the book is written through Selma’s third person narrative as she struggles to come to terms with her friend’s death and the subsequent investigation. Meanwhile she gains password protected information about child welfare concerns. And more bodies are discovered…
There are also sections of the book from a man at the grave of his wife and this raises questions about the relevance to the main plot. This provided an emotional pull which was minimal in the rest of the book, as well as a mystery as to his identity.
The book is set is Oslo and deals a lot with politics as well as having a brief mention of a looming pandemic. This is not a country I am overly familiar with so it was interesting to read about how the government and police work in Norway.
I found it difficult to relate to Selma. I wonder if I would have warmed to her more if I knew more of her backstory from the previous book. She is a flawed character with her gambling addiction barely under control. Yet she doesn’t seem to be very emotional even though someone has been in her apartment and her friend is dead, possibly an accident when she herself was the true target.
The character that really shone for me was Einar. I loved his vulnerability, excitability and anxious personality, and he seemed to be well developed compared to the other characters that feature in the book.
A Memory For Murder is an interesting book and I hope to read the previous books in the series.
A Memory For Murder book blurb
To remember the truth, she’ll have to forget the lies…
When former high-powered lawyer turned PI Selma Falck is shot and her oldest friend, a junior MP, is killed in a sniper attack, everyone – including the police – assume that Selma was the prime target.
But when two other people with connections to the MP are also found murdered, it becomes clear that there is a wider conspiracy at play.
As Selma sets out to avenge her friend’s death, and discover the truth behind the conspiracy, her own life is threatened once again. Only this time, the danger may be closer to home than she could possibly have realised…
Author bio
ANNE HOLT is Norway’s bestselling female crime writer. She spent two years working for the Oslo Police Department before founding her own law firm and serving as Norway’s Minster for Justice between 1996 and 1997. She is published in 30 languages with over 6 million copies of her books sold.
