The Seven Doors

Twists and turns right to the end. I absolutely loved this book.

The Seven Doors is the story of Nina, a university professor, who finds out that the tenant from one of her properties has gone missing, only a few days after an awkward encounter with Nina and her daughter. Feeling guilty, Nina starts to investigate the disappearance herself and things start to get a little too close to home.

I absolutely loved this book. It's written in a style that makes it easy to just keep reading, very much one of those books where you say to yourself 'oh just one more chapter' and then end up reading the whole thing. It has lots of twists and misdirection, especially the second half which I ended up speeding through to find out what had happened. I'd changed my mind three or four times about how I thought it would end but even with the resolution in hand, the last page was still a killer ending.

Nikki Whitmore

A real life Greek tragedy for a professional Norwegian family with a breathtaking conclusion.

Professor of Literature Nina Wisløff is in the throes of a midlife crisis largely brought on by the compulsory purchase and imminent demolition of her childhood home in Bergen. Her work feels immaterial, her husband, Mads, is a busy doctor and member of the local council and she has a difficult relationship with her abrasive adult daughter, Ingeborg. Mads owns a house nearby that he inherited from his aunt and Ingeborg takes it upon herself to pay a visit to the young single mother tenant, Mari Nilsen, and announce her own plans to move in, much to Nina’s chagrin. The encounter leaves Nina feeling awkward and concerned for the woman that her daughter brushed aside and when Mari goes missing and leaves her son behind just days later she is filled with an nagging sense of guilt about the part they may have inadvertently played in her vanishing.

When the police make little headway with probing Mari’s disappearance Nina feels compelled to start her own investigation but as she delves into Mari’s life in a search for answers she is forced to confront the fact that it may have irrevocable consequences for her respectable family. A seamless translation and short chapters edge the tension ever higher as Nina unravels a web of secrets with a shocking denouement that caught me unawares swiftly followed by a jaw-dropping conclusion.

Atmospheric, psychologically astute and set against the bleak backdrop of a Norwegian winter, this is a sublime piece of crime fiction that expertly teases out the identity of missing Mari.

Rachel Hall

A single mother disappears in Bergen leaving behind her young son. Nina investigates to find out why, not realising the impact the truth will have on her own family.

The Seven Doors is translated from the Norwegian and is another great offering from the scandinoir camp. Reflecting in detail the ordinary life of an extended family, well off, professional people whose lives are turned upside down by deceit and lies.

Nina, a professor at a local University, turns investigator when a tenant disappears leaving a young son behind.

 A great storyline with a steady pace which belies the emotion that is stirred up by Nina’s investigations. Characterisation especially of the females is well rounded and the plot reveals itself gradually. A great read which ended a bit abruptly for me, leaving a lot to the reader's imagination.

Jillian McFrederick