Odd Numbers

On an early April afternoon, a bomb goes off in the Oslo offices of the National Council for Islam in Norway, killing twenty-three people. The police and security service suspect an extremist organization to be responsible for the attack, a suspicion that grows stronger when threats reach authorities of a bigger explosion planned for the celebration of the Norwegian constitution.
As a special advisor on cold cases, Hanne Wilhelmsen has cut her official ties to the Security Service and lives contentedly-or at least as contentedly as she can manage-in solitude with her partner Nefis and their young daughter. A small computer monitor is Hanne's only window to the outside until the day of the attacks, when her closed-off world is broken open. Hanne is approached by her long-lost friend, Billy T., whose son Linus has recently undergone some disturbing changes. As the mood of the city darkens, Hanne tries to help Billy T. reach out to Linus and realizes that Oslo is up against forces far more terrible and menacing than ever before.
"Skillfully melds terrorism and parental issues in an absorbing compact plot…Maintains high suspense while emphasizing the myriad characters' personalities…Holt's storytelling at its finest."
"Odd Numbers shows Holt's storytelling at its finest."
"An irresistible combination of a heated race against time in the bomb-story plot line, and a slower paced cold-case story…Holt cleverly ties all the threads together, brings her rich gallery of characters to life, and deals with the difficult issues of our time."
"Outstanding…Holt sheds a vital humane light on one of today's most lethal social problems."
"A prophetic counterterrorist procedural whose bold central conceit is likely to grow more depressingly plausible with every passing week."
"The mystery unfolds within a realistic portrayal of Europe's burgeoning immigrant population and the violent extremism-on both sides-this phenomenon has engendered. One key recurring character is sacrificed in this book, but a fascinating new character in the person of Hanne's new assistant, Henrik Holme, is added. Readers will want to read more about him."
"As is always the case with Anne Holt's books, the plotting is well-paced, the characters and their interactions are in every way plausible, and the story is very much of the moment."