Now sole owner of the Second Sun art gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Alix Thorssen has managed to get renowned Norwegian artist Glasius Dokken to make a guest appearance during the upcoming Nordic Nights Festival. The day he arrives, the temperamental artist seems to hit it off right away with Alix’s visiting mother and stepfather Hank (nicknamed the “Swedish meatball”), leaving with them to visit local hot spots for the evening.

Early the next morning, Alix is called to the local police station; it seems Hank has been arrested for murder of his new friend! Dokken was discovered by the police in a hotel room with an ice pick in his back and Alix’s stepfather kneeling beside him.

Much to Alix’s concern, not only are the local police disinclined to look for another suspect, but Hank himself is amazingly tight-lipped about what they had been doing that evening, referring all questions to his flamboyant attorney. Alix’s Mom staunchly defends her husband and announces her intention to drive the parade float with her husband’s entry, a to-scale replica of a Viking longboat, in the Nordic Nights parade that night.

Along the parade route the boat sails are set afire by a careless torch bearer -- and Alix burns her hand trying to disengage them before they do too much damage. Strangely enough, a friend’s photos later reveal that this was no accident, although Alix is at a loss as to why anyone would want to destroy such a beautiful piece of work.

Shortly thereafter, Alix’s mother reluctantly confides that she and Hank have found what they believe is irrefutable proof that Vikings were exploring America long before Columbus. It was this carefully guarded evidence they were showing the artist Dokken the night of his murder. Of course, when Alix goes to retrieve the evidence from its hiding place, it’s gone. The scheme to reclaim the goods leads to betrayal, the answer to Dokken’s murder and a close call for Alix.

There are references to events that happened in the past -- her partner’s death, a crooked nose from an unpleasant encounter -- but this book still stands well on its own. The author does a fine job of developing Alix, balancing her need for solitude and reflection with her desire to connect in a real way with her friends and her loved ones, especially her stoic, non-demonstrative mother.

Norse mythology is deftly woven into the plot, as well as fake psychics and rune stone predictions. One thread is left dangling, but maybe that was a deliberate omission and part of Alix’s future only the Nordic gods know for sure.

Nordic Nights is altogether an enjoyable story, worth a few evenings of your time. Curl up under the afghan with a cup of cocoa and enjoy!

--K. W. Becker