The Oslo Conspiracy

Norwegian author Skredderberget’s uneven U.S. debut, a series launch, introduces Milo Cavalli, an extremely wealthy Norwegian cop assigned to the Financial Crimes Unit. Because Milo is Italian on his father’s side, his superiors dispatch him to Rome to help investigate a Norwegian citizen’s murder. Ingrid Tollefsen, a researcher who worked at the Oslo office of an American pharmaceutical company, was found strangled in her hotel room in Italy, but with no other signs of violence. Milo is surprised to learn that two years earlier the victim’s 15-year-old brother was executed near his school in Norway by gangsters who also gunned down a teacher. Meanwhile, Milo’s personal life resembles a soap opera as he deals with tension with his significant other, romantic temptations, and dramatic revelations about his family. Milo’s antics won’t be to every taste, nor will the plot contrivances. For example, the cop who assists Milo in Italy lost a parent in a naval catastrophe that also affected Milo’s family. (Oct.)