Into Their Stride
A chance encounter between newly minted journalist Anna Lendorph and rookie detective sergeant Christian la Cour, leads to a tour de force chasing real criminals in Copenhagen anno 1910.
Both draw on their rather unusual skill-sets in solving a crime that reaches across Europe, involving the aristocracy, a famous author, and a very long list of international suspects.
Blending historical fiction with true crime this is just the beginning for the merits of Lendorph and la Cour.
Available as paperback, at various webshops around the world like Barnes & Noble. E-book: choose your shop
Reviews (from Danish language version)
At the same time as the liberated young Anna Lendorph starts at Aftenbladet as a journalist, former ballet dancer and now police officer Christian la Cour is hired in the Detective Police. Two young, forward-thinking, and intelligent individuals with unconventional attitudes, just waiting to be swept into Copenhagen’s criminal world to solve a series of daring jewel heists with international connections.
The book’s exciting events provide a refreshing impression of Copenhagen and its inhabitants on the brink of the modern world we know today. There are human destinies on both sides of the law from all social classes, and the story is carried forward by the interesting main characters and exciting events without unnecessary dramatisation and gore.
The fiction is based on actual events and people, and at the end of the book, we get a brief introduction to what is history and what is fantasy. There are illustrations from police reports and newspapers throughout.
Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Flemming Kristensen on Goodreads
I can’t stand reading crime novels – they are too busy conspiring, contemplating the destruction, setting traps, and sticking to a sick plot – in short, they consume my energy and my desire to learn about the world. But this crime novel is different.
Freya Anduin set out to tell about old Copenhagen. About the streets, the rules, the smells, all the things we have forgotten, she paints a picture of, and for that, she used a diamond heist. The story of the two young and newly appointed as a female journalist and a promising male detective, Copenhagen’s life around 1910, and an absolutely cleverly executed diamond heist becomes an enthralling cocktail.
Time, place, and the well-composed characters become instantly clear, and because of their youthful natural curiosity, the plot becomes exciting and drives the story forward without obstruction and intrigue.
Can you really write a crime novel without grumpy old men wading in blood, frantic car chases, and swearing to death and destruction, so it is at the same time exciting, well-told, and has a richness you can be present in while reading – that is what Freya Anduin has written – a feel-good crime novel. I hope the two young people can continue their collaboration in new challenges. I have read with pleasure, and I hope that the two young people will have more adventures together.
Birgitte Zimling
A charming new series from the early days of the police
The novel is a fine historical crime novel, where there is an emphasis on describing the period in detailed terms. We are well into the period when we have read the story. And it is not a blood-drenched murder or a frantic chase through the city to catch the villains. It all takes place on the terms of the time. If you are interested in the period, it will be perfect reading about the life of the time, for both the middle class and those of the lowest class.
Krimisiden (The Crime Page)
‘The period and environments in the novels are very clearly and finely drawn…’
Eiler Jensen, Municipal Association for Pedagogical Learning Centres
About the narration:
“It is read very well. You capture me in the story and make it more exciting.”
Ninette Bøgebjerg