Murder on the Bergen Line

Few locations have inspired crime writers more than the railway line. The Bergen line in particular, with its unruly weather, steep banks and endless plains has been inspiring authors long before Agatha Christie cast Hercule Poirot in the starring role of her novel set on the Orient Express. “The Hardanger glacier had a helmet of fog on its head and the high mountains lay there huddled under a blanket of snow. The rotating snow plough groaned with the exertion as it ate the snow and sprayed it out through its nostrils like a whale”. This is a scene described by Øvre Richter Frich in the novel “The clenched fist” in true Agatha Christie style. In the Bergen lines well over 100 year old history, there have been many novels and works of fiction published which have been set on the line between Oslo and Bergen. In Norway it is traditional in the Easter holidays to devour crime stories both in the form of books and television series, either at home or at the cabin. This special Norwegian phenomenon known as “påskekrim” originated in the opinion of many, from the novel “Bergen train looted last night” by Nordahl Grieg and Nils Lie which was published in 1923. So, if you are tired of listening to me, I can absolutely recommend a good crime book from one of our famous Norwegian authors. Maybe the author Jo Nesbø can tempt you? His book the “leopard” has been translated into 40 different languages and the action takes place in this region.