Synopses & Reviews
Andreas Norman, a former diplomat in Sweden's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was deeply involved in counter-terrorism work and Sweden's role in the Arab Spring. In his debut novel,
Into a Raging Blaze, Norman uses his insider knowledge to create a mesmerizing espionage thriller that reverberates with authenticity.
In September 2011, things are going well for Carina Dymek. The intelligent, determined young woman has expertly carried out her duties as EU Coordinator for the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A promotion is likely any day now.
She's moved past her divorce and found true love in the arms of Jamal Badawi, an Egyptian-Swedish national. And she's been chosen to represent Sweden at an international meeting in Brussels on joint security policy. But she gets far more than she bargained for at the conference, when a nervous-looking man who only identifies himself as "Jean" approaches her during the lunch break outside and presses a USB storage device into her hand with little explanation. Carina is shocked and disturbed by what the contents of the letter reveal: High-level plans for a new pan-European intelligence service, bound by few if any national laws or international rules of conduct in its surveillance, arrest, and interrogation protocols. And its objectives are equally questionable, with a clear agenda to curb foreign immigration into the EU, and freely violate civil rights for the sake of pre-empting Arab terrorism.
When Carina dutifully presents the documents to her superiors at the MFA, they are not happy. Before long Carina is suspended, escorted from the building by security, and under investigation by SAPO, Sweden's Intelligence Agency. Initially SAPO agent Bente Jensen--another strong, resourceful woman--focuses on the question of how a rank-and-file MFA employee obtained this ticking time bomb of intelligence.
The stakes rise for both Carina and Bente when the British MI6 muscles in to Sweden, intent on affecting a quick resolution to the situation--and by any means necessary. They're particularly interested in Dymek's connection to Badawi, whom they know to be the nephew of a Muslim Brotherhood leader under numerous counterterrorism investigations. MI6 wants Badawi's uncle, and they want to be sure anyone with information about the secret intelligence service is definitively silenced. So when they learn of Carina's relationship with Jamal, they see a possible opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
In the tradition of the classics works of espionage fiction, this gripping debut novel captures the ways in which spies and diplomats are occasionally swept up into the grinding gears of international intelligence operations--often with devastating human costs.
Review
"The action and tradecraft are good, and the book generates some real momentum."--Publishers Weekly
Review
"Rarely have I read such a well-written debut novel as this . . . Well orchestrated dramaturgy, rich language, and extremely believable characters . . . Norman has written a dizzying thriller."--Dagens Nyheter (Sweden)
Review
"An excellent and very up-to-the-minute novel . . . Into A Raging Blaze is fiction, not reportage. But crime fiction often gives a truthful picture of the society it springs from. Is this how others see us now? If so, alas!"--Literary Review
Review
"Norman, a former diplomat in Sweden's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has written a first-rate debut thriller that asks: Who watches the watchers if they don't choose to be seen? The narrative starts slow but doesn't take long to build up speed. From then on, watch out!"--David Keymer, Library Journal (Starred Review)
Review
"engaging . . . There's plenty to like in this plausible and well-written tale."--Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"An enthralling political thriller with relevance to current world's affair and the failures of global security systems. I'll be eagerly awaiting further installments as this is only the first part of the planned trilogy."--Upcoming4Me
Review
"Norman weaves EU politics, the dark reality of diplomacy, and modern espionage techniques together with a classic thriller story, creating a detailed, thoughtful exploration of ethics and sacrifices in the era of the War on Terror and WikiLeaks. Fully dimensional characters humanize this thriller, and readers will be intrigued by the European perspective on international power, which blurs the role of the U.S. as the good guy."--Christine Tran, Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"Norman spent 10 years as a diplomat, and his knowledge of espionage fuels the high-octane pace. You'll fall for his complex plot and characters-not just Carina but also her Egyptian-born boyfriend and the agent who's tracking her. Finally, a thriller for the WikiLeaks era."--Tina Jordan, Entertainment Weekly
Review
"so plugged into the present that it's hard to believe its publication in Norman's native Sweden anticipated Edward Snowden's revelations by two months . . . Norman's understanding of the dark, destructive side of surveillance is second to none . . . Into a Raging Blaze is convincing and addictive."--The Guardian
Review
"Irene is superior crime fiction, worthy of the international attention it has received . . . Once I accepted the novel's portrayals of violence, I found little to fault in Irene . . . The novel's closing chapters are as suspenseful and ultimately as shocking as the climax of any thriller I can recall; the final pages will leave readers numb. In Irene, violence ups the ante, and tough-minded writing carries the day."--Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post
Review
"Swedish writer Andreas Norman's novel starts with a spark then simmers for a while before reaching the state of its title, Into a Raging Blaze. . . While a thoroughly entertaining work of fiction, the issue of security vs. privacy in contemporary society is a fact written between every line."--Pittsburg Post-Gazette
About the Author
Andreas Norman worked for the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for ten years on security issues and counterterrorism. He has also worked for the Swedish think-tank UI and published a book of poetry.