The term Nordic noir has pretty much found a life of its own with so many terrific books and authors coming out from that part of the world. Case in point: Silje Ulstein’s debut novel, REPTILE MEMOIRS, which Alison McCullough has expertly translated.

The book opens in 2003 in the quaint Norwegian town of Ålesund. Liv and her roommates, Egil and Ingvar, are high on weed when they see a python on a nature show, and they all agree that they need a snake for their apartment. So they go right out and adopt a lovely Burmese python named Nero and bring him home.

"REPTILE MEMOIRS is the perfect novel for those who like their mysteries and thrillers delivered in a manner that is a bit left of center but still contains all the crucial elements you would expect from a classic noir investigation story."

Their relationship is unique, and hearing from Nero’s point of view is something to behold. He can hiss certain words like “hunt” and “food,” and he knows when he wants “the warm woman” to find him something good to eat. I will warn those readers who are animal lovers or are just squeamish that Nero starts with eating mice but will work his way up to indulging in smaller animals that you might have in your home. Such is life in the Burmese python urban jungle.

In 2017, in the nearby town of Kristiansund, we find Mariam Lind and her 11-year-old daughter, Iben, at a big box store in the local mall. Iben angers her mother by constantly asking for a magazine. Every parent handles “the annoying child” situation differently; in this case, Mariam keeps saying “no” to Iben, and the girl storms off in a huff. As the father of a young daughter, I questioned Mariam’s judgment in letting her go off like that and not pursuing her.

When Mariam returns home that evening, her husband tells her that Iben is nowhere to be found. So they call the police to report their child missing, and Detective Roe Olsvik is assigned to the case. The members of his team --- Ronja, Birte and August --- are extremely competent and wonderful characters. The chemistry among the four of them really makes this investigation buzz and proves to be one of the book’s highlights.

REPTILE MEMOIRS is the perfect novel for those who like their mysteries and thrillers delivered in a manner that is a bit left of center but still contains all the crucial elements you would expect from a classic noir investigation story. Silje Ulstein is a talented author, and I am excited to see what she has in store for readers next.