Niente è ciò che sembra, nemmeno un omicidio. Trame terroristiche, vendette personali, cosa avrà causato la morte del primo ministro?
Anne Holt è bravissima a condurci sino alla fine per la rete intricata di tutte le cause possibili, ma la verità è molto semplice. Descrizioni spassose, considerazioni profonde, non solo giallo ma una scrittura molto intelligente e piacevole, da gustare! ( )

This is the first Hanne Wilhelmsen book that I have read and I just didn't like the characters and so probably will not go back to the beginning of the series.
Basically the plot is - after only been in office for a few months the Prime Minister of Norway is shot while sitting at her desk. What could be the motive - a personal one against her or against the office of P.M. (I did work out the solution).
I felt the book would work well as a film but did drag as a book.
A NetGalley free book. ( )

This is one of Holt's earlier novels that has, just like some of her later ones, the Agatha Christie plot connected with political and historical Norwegian angles and a lively cast of interesting characters. Just the fact that almost all the politicians are female is so refreshing.
But -- I found the very ending inconsistent, with a major plot hole. ( )

The second Hanne Wilhelmsen novel I have read.

Hanne Wilhelmsen, Chief Inspector, is on an extended leave, staying in the United States, when the Norwegian Prime Minister is murdered. Her right-hand detective, Billy T., is on the case, along with about 200 other members of various law enforcement agencies. Birgitte Volter was a prime minister who appeared to have no hidden secrets and no serious enemies. Naturally, there were those who wanted her out of office but it was hard to see any of them putting a gun to her head.

Hanne hears of the assassination, of course, and decides she needs to take a break from her break. She flies back to Norway to observe and detect on the sidelines.

There are many characters of interest, from the dedicated secretary who found her to various ministers and of course, her husband and son. Sleuthing along is Little Lettvik, reporter, a determined and unrelenting investigator who would stop at almost nothing to get the story. Little is not little, but rather a large woman who does not bother about her appearance. As the story unfolded, I found I rather liked her in spite of her unsavory methods.

Is Hanne able to get ahead of Little? Well, maybe. ( )

The Hanne Wilhelmsen series from Norwegian author Anne Holt is fabulous, even if it is being translated out of sequence. Which means in THE LION'S MOUTH, Wilhelmsen, who doesn't make an appearance until later in the novel and is not the central investigator anyway, is also walking around. In the novels already made available to many of us she's in a wheelchair permanently. Allowing for the slight confusion that could cause, these books work well as you can, worse comes to worse, approach them as standalones if necessary, although obviously character introduction and development always works better when you start at the beginning.

The main protagonist of this book, Billy T is a slightly unusual Norwegian policeman, what with his complicated personal life, skinhead / punk style looks and dress sense, a love of Opera and his sons. He's also one of the very few cops (and people for that matter) who share affection and respect with Wilhelmsen. When she eventually does make an appearance in the novel - having moved to the US with her partner, she finds herself staying with Billy T, and it's obvious that these two outsiders are both good friends, and like minded investigators.

Which is just as well as the plot here is complicated without being complex. The locked room assassination of the Norwegian Prime Minister means that motive becomes particularly important, as method is not immediately obvious. Whether or not her shooting is politically motivated and even then from within her own ranks, or those opposed is not straightforward as there are a number of other complications. It's particularly sobering that this novel, originally published in 1997, also expands on the possibility of a neo-Nazi plot to murder leading figures in Norway. Other complications are more personal and much closer to home.

Where the plot has particular credence though is in the background, infighting and intrigue occurring within political circles. Given that Holt has, in the past, held the position of Minister for Justice and for this and one of her other earlier novels, credit is shared with former State Secretary Berit Reiss-Anderson, it would seem reasonable to assume that these aspects are written from a position of both knowledge and experience.

That doesn't however, overwhelm in terms of motive, and the background of the Prime Minister and her family is trawled through, as is that of her childhood friend, Supreme Court Judge Benjamin Grinde. Aside from him being the last known person to visit the Prime Minister's Office before she was killed, his position as Chair of a Commission looking into a the increase of young baby deaths around 1965 also has implications for them all.

Holt is not afraid to write strong characters with unpleasant edges that aren't sanded down and don't apologise for what they are. Here she's combined them into a plot that looks at the rights and wrongs of society and the possible implications of power, corruption and nepotism. All of which made for a really engaging read.

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/review-lions-mouth-anne-holt ( )