
By Agnes Lovise Matre
It is early summer in Hardanger. A young woman is found murdered in the woods overlooking the ferry quay in the idyllic village of Tørvikbygd. The crime scene is eerily clean,…
It is early summer in Hardanger. A young woman is found murdered in the woods overlooking the ferry quay in the idyllic village of Tørvikbygd. The crime scene is eerily clean, with no blood or other traces, and it is clear that the body has been placed there. At this time of year, Hardanger is flooded with tourists passing through, and there is an urgent need to map the crowded field of possible suspects.
When the police begin to suspect that the victim is a young Ukrainian woman involved in prostitution, talk of dropping the case quickly emerges. Police chief Bengt Alvsaker and his local team find themselves more or less alone in insisting on justice for the young woman. The investigation leads into human trafficking and prostitution rings, towards wealthy financiers and unidentified accomplices.
Then attention turns to a fourteen-year-old Norwegian boy from the area.
Foreign sales:Denmark, Straarup & Co.