Son

French novelist Gustawsson (Yule Island) and Norwegian journalist Enger (Victim) introduce Oslo police consultant and “human lie detector” Kari Voss in this promising if tangled series launch. Widowed and haunted by the disappearance of her son seven years ago, Kari struggles to keep depression at bay. At the beginning of the novel, she’s drawn into the case of two wealthy teenage girls whose throats were slashed at a holiday cabin. Oslo chief constable Rowena Narum arrests Jesper, one of the girls’ troubled friends, after he confesses to killing them, but Kari’s specialties in body language and the implanting of false memories makes her skeptical he’s the real culprit. For help, she enlists her father, a retired Oslo police chief, and together they uncover a maze of sordid secrets seething beneath the shiny surface of Norway’s upper-class milieu. Kari is a memorable heroine, and Gustawsson and Enger bring the proceedings to a stunning crescendo. Along the way, however, the momentum occasionally gets bogged down by excessive red herrings and details about the specifics of Kari’s psychological expertise. Still, fans of Nordic crime will find this worth a look. (Aug.)