mpr2000's review
4.0
It’s not easy to make a review when a book is good and you can’t stop thinking about it! This had been a slow paced rollercoaster, with multiple characters and very interesting subplots, it was easy to lose track of time while I was reading “The Assistant”.
This book has two different time frames in Norway, not to distract the reader but to show how everything started and how it will end… (maybe?). The story is told from Jack Rivers’ perspective, the assistant of the PI Ludvig Paaske that will accept a case that will change both of their lives forever.
Jack and Paaske had a past together, but now that they are working as a team, trust is the most important thing. But the new case, a marital infidelity, is not as simple as it seems, Jack has a past connection with the wife; and when he starts hiding important information to Paaske everything will be at risk. Jack doesn’t seem to be a bad man, he is a hard worker and a good friend; but he has a weak point, a young woman she met a long time ago. But now she has reappeared to his life, with a new name and a new German husband. Their story together is truculent and it will be revealed slowly as the story passes; sadly, love and pain are always linked together.
This is a mystery, but it has so many layers and historical details that it felt difficult to only give it one label; friendship, war, spies, love, vengeance…
This is not a book to rush, everything will be revealed, you only have to let the story flow and be absorbed by it, it’s worth every page, believe me!
Are you ready to discover “The Assistant”?
This book has two different time frames in Norway, not to distract the reader but to show how everything started and how it will end… (maybe?). The story is told from Jack Rivers’ perspective, the assistant of the PI Ludvig Paaske that will accept a case that will change both of their lives forever.
Jack and Paaske had a past together, but now that they are working as a team, trust is the most important thing. But the new case, a marital infidelity, is not as simple as it seems, Jack has a past connection with the wife; and when he starts hiding important information to Paaske everything will be at risk. Jack doesn’t seem to be a bad man, he is a hard worker and a good friend; but he has a weak point, a young woman she met a long time ago. But now she has reappeared to his life, with a new name and a new German husband. Their story together is truculent and it will be revealed slowly as the story passes; sadly, love and pain are always linked together.
This is a mystery, but it has so many layers and historical details that it felt difficult to only give it one label; friendship, war, spies, love, vengeance…
This is not a book to rush, everything will be revealed, you only have to let the story flow and be absorbed by it, it’s worth every page, believe me!
Are you ready to discover “The Assistant”?
harrynathan404's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
happilyeveramy's review
3.0
#giftedby #randomthingstours @annecater14
*Synopsis*
Oslo, 1938. War is in the air and Europe is in turmoil. Hitler’s Germany has occupied Austria and is threatening Czechoslovakia; there’s a civil war in Spain and Mussolini reigns in Italy.
When a woman turns up at the office of police-turned-private investigator Ludvig Paaske, he and his assistant – his one-time nemesis and former drug-smuggler Jack Rivers – begin a seemingly straightforward investigation into marital infidelity. But all is not what it seems, and when Jack is accused of murder, the trail leads back to the 1920s, to prohibition-era Norway, to the smugglers, sex workers and hoodlums of his criminal past ... and an extraordinary secret.
So I part liked this book and part not sure. This is the first time I've read a historical thriller and I'll be honest, I'm not too sure it's for me!?
Usually I'm not bad with different time frames and going from past to present. But this book I got confused at times (even though the chapter states which timeline we're in). I don't know whether it's because this story is very heavy into politics and also a war with Nazi's and Hitler and politics in books aren't my jam unfortunately. I can probably get past the era of this book but politic wise a lot of the time I got bored and just felt like skim reading to the end.
However, the thriller aspect of this book was good and it kept me guessing throughout the story which helped make me continue reading. The two characters Jack and Ludvig are very interesting, especially Jack and his shady past which we got an insight in. They certainly were entertaining and interesting, albeit Ludvig seems a lot more cold and reserved.
I do see a lot of potential in this book and the writing is done so well, the author knows how to capture you into the story. I think for historical fans and nordic-noir fans, you'll love this. I just prefer books not to be in the past or heavy on politics and wars.
*Synopsis*
Oslo, 1938. War is in the air and Europe is in turmoil. Hitler’s Germany has occupied Austria and is threatening Czechoslovakia; there’s a civil war in Spain and Mussolini reigns in Italy.
When a woman turns up at the office of police-turned-private investigator Ludvig Paaske, he and his assistant – his one-time nemesis and former drug-smuggler Jack Rivers – begin a seemingly straightforward investigation into marital infidelity. But all is not what it seems, and when Jack is accused of murder, the trail leads back to the 1920s, to prohibition-era Norway, to the smugglers, sex workers and hoodlums of his criminal past ... and an extraordinary secret.
So I part liked this book and part not sure. This is the first time I've read a historical thriller and I'll be honest, I'm not too sure it's for me!?
Usually I'm not bad with different time frames and going from past to present. But this book I got confused at times (even though the chapter states which timeline we're in). I don't know whether it's because this story is very heavy into politics and also a war with Nazi's and Hitler and politics in books aren't my jam unfortunately. I can probably get past the era of this book but politic wise a lot of the time I got bored and just felt like skim reading to the end.
However, the thriller aspect of this book was good and it kept me guessing throughout the story which helped make me continue reading. The two characters Jack and Ludvig are very interesting, especially Jack and his shady past which we got an insight in. They certainly were entertaining and interesting, albeit Ludvig seems a lot more cold and reserved.
I do see a lot of potential in this book and the writing is done so well, the author knows how to capture you into the story. I think for historical fans and nordic-noir fans, you'll love this. I just prefer books not to be in the past or heavy on politics and wars.
beckylej's review
4.0
1924: Jack is a driver. And while he does drive passengers, he also delivers illegal alcohol. But when he's caught and arrested by Ludvig Paaske, he's let go. He isn't the man they want. They want a much bigger fish--Jack's boss.
1938: Jack now works for Paaske at his detective agency. A woman has hired them to tail her husband. She says she's convinced he's having an affair and wants proof. But nothing is straightforward about this case. And the woman in question resembles someone from Jack's past. It doesn't take long for the case to drag both men back to that very past. To a time when they were on opposite sides. To the events that brought them together in the first place.
I read quite a bit of Nordic Noir these days, but this one is probably the most noir of all so far!
It's not just the overall tone and style, which feels reminiscent of classics of the genre, but the time period in which the book is set. Alternating between 1924 and 1938, The Assistant focuses on Norway's pre WWII days, something I know absolutely nothing about!
From the very beginning, I was absolutely drawn into this book.
We meet both Jack and Paaske while Jack is making a booze delivery. It's prohibition-era Norway, a period that lasted until 1926. And the two men are very much on opposing sides. Paaske is a cop and Jack is a smuggler. In fact, Jack delights in basically pulling one over on Paaske as often as he possibly can.
And then we jump immediately into 1938 and realize the two of them are now partners! How they came to work together is just one of the many elements that I loved discovering in this book.
Kjell Ola Dahl is well known as one of the biggest names in the Nordic Noir business and though The Assistant is my first of his books, it's clear to see why he has so many fans!
The Assistant absolutely bleeds atmosphere and I cannot wait to dive into more of Dahl's work now!
1938: Jack now works for Paaske at his detective agency. A woman has hired them to tail her husband. She says she's convinced he's having an affair and wants proof. But nothing is straightforward about this case. And the woman in question resembles someone from Jack's past. It doesn't take long for the case to drag both men back to that very past. To a time when they were on opposite sides. To the events that brought them together in the first place.
I read quite a bit of Nordic Noir these days, but this one is probably the most noir of all so far!
It's not just the overall tone and style, which feels reminiscent of classics of the genre, but the time period in which the book is set. Alternating between 1924 and 1938, The Assistant focuses on Norway's pre WWII days, something I know absolutely nothing about!
From the very beginning, I was absolutely drawn into this book.
We meet both Jack and Paaske while Jack is making a booze delivery. It's prohibition-era Norway, a period that lasted until 1926. And the two men are very much on opposing sides. Paaske is a cop and Jack is a smuggler. In fact, Jack delights in basically pulling one over on Paaske as often as he possibly can.
And then we jump immediately into 1938 and realize the two of them are now partners! How they came to work together is just one of the many elements that I loved discovering in this book.
Kjell Ola Dahl is well known as one of the biggest names in the Nordic Noir business and though The Assistant is my first of his books, it's clear to see why he has so many fans!
The Assistant absolutely bleeds atmosphere and I cannot wait to dive into more of Dahl's work now!
emlo's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I have never read any books by this Author but definitely will now. This was a tense, brooding thriller, spread across 2 timelines in the inter-war period in Norway. The main focus was on the intertwining lives of several main characters. As the story progresses, you find out how their actions, both past and present, impact on each other. Each of the characters is flawed, but still well rounded, so I felt invested in their lives.
ellen_w's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
More...