The Lion's Mouth

December 14, 2015
First published in Norway in 1997 and coauthored with Reiss-Andersen, Edgar-finalist Holt’s compelling, character-driven fourth Hanne Wilhelmsen novel (after 2013’s Death of the Demon) delivers a one-two punch: first, the fatal shooting of Norwegian prime minister Birgitte Volter at her desk by a killer who seemingly vanishes without a trace; then, days later, the death of a Supreme Court judge in mysterious circumstances. And despite unprecedented efforts by the police and Security Service—with no lack of conspiracy theories by pundits, who point the finger at everyone from right-wing extremists to mysterious forces linked to a controversial probe into the deaths of at least 800 Norwegian children decades earlier—it looks like an investigation in danger of going nowhere fast. But as series fans know, smart money doesn’t bet against Oslo’s Chief Insp. Hanne Wilhelmsen, who’s officially on extended leave. Holt uses her surprising plot to highlight the nature of power and the extent to which it can corrupt.

February 27, 2012
Rees, Britain’s former astronomer royal and a scientist’s scientist, offers his thoughts on how science should navigate its ongoing interaction with culture, politics, and ethics in the 21st century. Rees’s major thesis is that scientists, politicians, and laypeople must engage in meaningful dialogue about how science should be deployed to address the century’s looming dangers: “the threats without enemies.” This list includes developing reliable energy sources, a burgeoning world population, climate change, diminishing biodiversity, the misuse and unintended consequences of gene manipulation, and the design of drugs that may alter human beings themselves. Rees offers no set-piece solutions, but instead suggests rational and achievable responses—some scientific, some sociological—that might ameliorate these potential dangers. He champions better funded universities and the idea that science should remain agnostic as to religion; he says that the benefits of globalization must be fairly shared, and, most intriguingly, “There are doors that science could open but which are best left closed.” There is enough hard science for this book (based on a series of lectures) to satisfy readers concerned with science’s future horizons, as well as a surfeit of wisdom on science and its role in society at large. Agent: George Lucas, InkWell Management.