The Courier
In 1967, Gerhard returns to Norway to solve a mystery. Ase, his partner and mother of his child, was murdered in Nazi-occupied Oslo during WWII. Gerhard’s return surprises everyone: Svenn, a Norwegian intelligence officer with eyes seemingly everywhere; Ester, a Norwegian-Jewish resistance courier who fled to Sweden and helped Gerhard escape; and his and Ase’s child, Turid, adopted and raised by another family. All these characters try to piece together the truth surrounding this crime, while grappling with their own histories and experiences from life during the war.
The moving pieces are complex: readers will jump through three timelines and see the mystery through Gerhard, Svenn, Ester, and Turid’s eyes. No one knows who they can trust, or where they are safe, and The Courier explores a murder mystery woven into this tragic and uncertain fabric.
Dahl excels at creating tense situations without violence or even dialogue. Moments where characters are being watched, or at least feel as if they are being watched, shine better than any suspense drama on the screen. Readers will find themselves caught up in the suspense and drama of the story, even if they are not sure who to root for. The only element that distracts, rather than adds, to the suspense and story is the descriptions of female characters and their bodies that feel at odds with 2019 cultural standards. Perhaps these differences are lost in translation, but the rest of the mystery and suspense are not. Fans of Scandinavian mysteries will enjoy this historical look at WWII Oslo.
