Day ten in my series showcasing my top reads of 2018, following the innovative idea of #bookvent from Jen Lucas of Jen Med’s Book Reviews.
Which novel is behind door no 10?
My 10th choice is a book I happened across through a recommendation from another author, Thomas Enger. Enger said of this chap that he “has one of the sharpest, funniest and most important pens out there.”
Now that’s quite an accolade and so I leapt straight in and was truly delighted at what I read.
SHE KNEW IT WAS A WEIRD PLACE.
She’d heard the stories, seen the movies, read the books. But now police Chief Inspector Sigrid Ødegård has to leave her native Norway and actually go there; to that land across the Atlantic where her missing brother is implicated in the mysterious death of a prominent African-American academic.
AMERICA. Sigrid is plunged into a United States where race and identity, politics and promise, reverberate in every aspect of daily life. Working with—or, if necessary, against—the police, she must negotiate the local political minefields and navigate the backwoods of the Adirondacks to uncover the truth before events escalate further.
Refreshingly funny, slyly perceptive, American by Day secures Derek B. Miller’s place as one of our most imaginative and entertaining novelists.
Why did I like this book so much? American by Day is one of those delicious finds that both lifts your heart and your mind. Intelligent, eschewing stereotypes to the point that it plays on them, witty, political and provocative this is an excellent read.
Fabulous writing set in the midst of the 2008 Obama election, it is a thoughtful and provocative piece which both delights and captivates, whilst bringing home some serious thought provoking arguments. Miller takes a hard and yet engaging look at police brutality and race relations within the American justice system. He tackles this explosive topic in a refreshingly witty and thought provoking manner, playing with the readers expectations.
The two protagonists, Chief Inspector Sigrid Ødegård and Sherriff Irving Wiley have passionate opinions on a wide variety of contemporary topics which provides for plenty of intelligent and funny sparring.
You can read my review here
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Live and Deadly 