Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Random Things Tours: Little Drummer by Kjell Ola Dahl translated by Don Bartlett



A woman is found dead in a parking lot. Her boyfriend, a Kenyian scientist, also disappeared overnight. Was it a passionate crime? Or actually the victim was one of the many drug addicts hanging around in the area where the crime was committed?

With an editorial programm that never disappointsOrenda Books offers to the non-Norwegian readers of thriller with a smart political touch a meticulously elaborated novel. Little Drummer by Kjell Ola Dahl, translated by Don Bartlett, is a journey through the dark global corridors of the pharma industry, particularly the HIV-related medication. The detectives Frølich and Gunnarstranda are joined by Lise Fagernes, the journalist that happened to discover the corpse. Together, they made it into a strong team investigating the dirty traces of the affair as far as in Africa. 

There is a special ambiance predominant in this book, of the kind of cruel realism, which may be hard to acknowledge, maybe because it is way too present in our everyday life and we are already immune to it. However, the story is easy to follow and the literary translation of news reports suits very well the noir genre. 

The writing is very precise, the story has a serious procedural framework which guides both the information and the action within under a clear direction. The team of investigators (the journalist included) do make it into a great match, working in sync to understand the intricacies of the complex international story. My favorite part of the story are the dialogues, with their sharpness and particularly pinpointed questions, making the story alive and real in its literary fictionality. 

Besides the international references, there are interesting insider´s observations about the Norwegian society, particularly when it comes to approaching the non-Europeans. With such a coordination between the global and the local perspectives, it is easy to understand the motivations of the characters and the context of the story.

Kjell Ola Dahl is the author of over a dozen of novels, non-fiction and collection of short stories, being considered one of the most brilliant representatives of Nordic noir genre. Little Drummer was my first book by this author but I am intrigued enough to can´t wait to look for another translation of his books. 

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

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