Summary: Of Darkness and Light (Soli Hansen Mysteries #1) by Heidi Eljarbo
Oslo, 1944. Soli
Hansen’s passion for art history is and always has been a way of life for her.
While she spends her days working in an art shop, WWII is taking its toll on
everyone. Apprehensive of the consequences, Soli avoids becoming entangled in
the war resistance efforts. She closes her eyes in hopes the enemy will retreat
and leave her beautiful country for good.
But when a woman
is found dead in the alley alongside the art shop and a painting from the last
auction goes missing, Soli is thrown into the thickest of the fray involving
both Nazi art theft and the Norwegian resistance.
Once Soli finds
her courage, there’s no turning back. Her personal life is turned upside-down
with danger, lies, spying, and an incredible discovery.
In this dual
timeline novel, Heidi Eljarbo paints a vivid picture of what people are willing
to do in desperate times. With unforgettable characters and rich historical
details, Of Darkness and Light will keep the reader
mesmerized until the last satisfying page.
Perfect for fans
of Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley, Katherine Neville, and Kate Mosse. (from Amazon.com)
Book Review: Of Darkness and Light
When art shop cleaner Mrs Gundersen is found dead in center of Oslo 1944, art historian Soli Hansen finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation of a person who was not who she seemed. Soli goes on a mission to prevent priceless Norwegian art from ending up in the hands of Hitler. With the Germans on her tail, she goes on a secret trip out of Oslo.
When asked by author Heidi Eljarbo to review Of Darkness and Light, the first installment in Soli Hansen Mystery series, I was absolutely thrilled for the opportunity. She is a new to me author and Of Darkness and Light seemed seriously interesting to me as well as right up my alley. Of Darkness and Light is about art historian Solveig, Soli, Hansen who experiences a murder in the art shop where she works. Investigations show the murder is connected to the arrests and deportations of Jews out of Oslo. The Germans are in the process of stealing valuable pieces of art from their homes and taking them back to Germany. To prevent this Soli puts herself in danger to keep a priceless painting hidden from Hitler’s representatives in Oslo.
Main
character Solveig, Soli, Hansen, has managed to earn an art history degree, which I
find impressive for a woman in Norway in the 1940s. It was nice to see she
became more mature as the story progressed. She was easily my favorite as she
could be both assertive and bold when called for.
Secondary
character Lieutenant Colonel Heinz Walter is searching for valuable Norwegian
art on behalf of Hitler. He is a cold and hard character who doesn't shy away
from the occasional murder when trying to steal the best pieces of art for
Hitler. He is my least favorite character as he is both ruthless and very
dangerous.
Without
revealing anything about the plot, I really appreciated how the dual timeline
element added a deeper dimension to the story. The part from the 1600s Valetta was
a favorite of mine, as I felt it was particularly well written. The research
was excellent, which made me feel I learned more Norwegian wartime history. It
was easy to feel pulled into the story as the writing was so vivid including descriptions
of food rationing, German uniforms and weather conditions of autumn in
Oslo among lots of other things.
Of
Darkness and Light (Soli Hansen Mystery #1)
by Heidi
Eljarbo is the excellently researched, exiting and interesting dual
timeline mystery story from WWII Oslo and 1600s Valetta. I enjoyed Of
Darkness and Light so much and will be on the lookout for the next installment.
Readers
of historical fiction would love this work. Those of you who like WWII fiction
will particularly enjoy Of
Darkness and Light. Fans of Heidi
Eljarbo’s previous books are sure to love this one. Similar books to
explore might be the works of Kate Morton, Lucinda Riley, Katherine Neville and Kate Mosse.
Thank you to author Heidi Eljarbo for this eARC, which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review of Of Darkness and Light. All opinions are completely my own.
My
rating: 5 stars / 5
Main
reasons: excellent plot and great research
Book Details (from Amazon.com)
Publication Date: May 12, 2020
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B086RNG5SX
Edited by: Jill Noelle Noble
Book Cover Design by: Tim Barber, Dissect Designs
About The Author (from Goodreads.com)
Heidi Eljarbo grew up in a home filled with books and artwork and she never truly imagined she would do anything other than write and paint. She studied art, languages, and history, all of which have come in handy when working as a freelance writer, magazine journalist, and painter.
After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She and her husband have a total of nine children, thirteen grandchildren—so far—in addition to a bouncy Wheaten Terrier and a bird.Their favorite retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summertime and ski the vast, white terrain during winter. Heidi’s favorites are family, God's beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.
If you would like to know more, please visit:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorheidie...
Pinetrest: https://no.pinterest.com/heidieljarbo/
Twitter: @HeidiEljarbo
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