From Booklist
Norwegian Dahl’s second U.S. title, following his knockout thriller, The Fourth Man (2008), features the same police characters, Inspector Frank Frolich and Chief Inspector Gunnarstranda, but lacks the thrill and punch of the earlier novel. In a longer but not necessarily more complex story, Frolich and Gunnarstranda investigate the bizarre murder of octogenarian antiques dealer Reidar Folke Jesperson. Written almost as a documentary-style police procedural, the novel lacks the rich characterization of The Fourth Man, as Dahl records the slow gathering of information on the victim and suspects and the eventual discovery of links to World War II and the German occupation of Norway. Fans of Jo Nesbo’s Redbreast (2007) who enjoyed the WWII subplot in that book would be the best audience for this novel, though readers of Helene Tursten’s procedurals set in Sweden may also find appeal here. This is a definite disappointment after Dahl’s American debut, but Scandinavian crime fiction fans shouldn’t let him drop off their radar quite yet. --Jessica Moyer
Review
International Praise for The Man in the Window
“Kjell Ola Dahl has written a captivating detective story with plenty of nuances, and there is no reason for him to hide in the shadow of Mankell.” --Zillo (Germany)
“Kjell Ola Dahl masters the art of tightening the intrigue to maintain the suspense until the very well-conceived end.” --Sala Allehanda (Sweden)
“Kjell Ola Dahl writes like Volga. Calm and powerful. Everything falls into place at the end and it is constantly suspenseful.” --Dagens Nyheter (Sweden)
