American by day, by Derek B. Miller

This sequel to Norwegian by night brings back the character of Sigrid Ødegård, Chief Inspector in Oslo, Norway.  In the earlier book, Sigrid has been forced to shoot a suspect, a rare occurrence in Norway, and it has left her shaken.  When she visits her father on his farm for a little R and R, she is horrified to learn that her brother Marcus, who has been estranged from his father since their mother’s death from cancer when he was twelve and Sigrid six, has disappeared.  For the past eighteen years he has lived in the United States.  Most recently he seems to have found a job at a university he enjoys, and perhaps love.  He has even reconnected by mail with his father. Now everything has come apart and Marcus may be implicated in a murder.  Within a day, Sigrid is on her way to small-town upstate New York to find him.  Miller is a gifted writer and this novel is just as full of unusual characters as the first book, as well as being an interesting critique of American gun culture and race relations.  His observations on both Norwegian and American values are very insightful.  I recommend both of the books highly.  338 pp.