Mystery and Crime · Hardback

Kismet

Norwegian title: Kismat

A gripping and highly relevant psychological thriller from bookseller favourite Abid Raja and award-winning crime author Torkil Damhaug

Abid Raja and Torkil Damhaug have written an intelligent and intensely suspenseful novel that blends political intrigue, psychological depth and a pulse that never lets up.

Thirty-five-year-old Aurang Zeb Khan is summoned to a secret meeting at the Prime Minister’s office. The lawyer, with a minority background and a rising political profile, has been named a candidate for a ministerial post. Aurang has spoken openly in the media about his turbulent youth, admitting to brushes with gangs and petty crime, and claims he has been open and honest about his past. But when childhood friend Musah Ahmad suddenly resurfaces, disturbing memories from a Quran school in Pakistan and teenage years in Oslo’s East emerge, memories that must remain buried at all costs.

Soon, Aurang finds himself under pressure from multiple sides, and it is no longer just his career on the line. It becomes a matter of survival, of old lies and a past that must never come to light. Are there forces within or around us that shape who we become and what we do? Or are our actions the result of free will?

Kismet offers a unique combination of Damhaug’s psychological precision and Raja’s first-hand insight into political and cultural environments rarely explored in Norwegian fiction. The result is an unpredictable, powerful and brilliantly written novel about power, identity and the defining choices that shape our lives.

NOMINATED FOR THE RIVERTON PRIZE 2025

«... the duo Damhaug and Raja is a stroke of genius. [...] More than a furiously exciting thriller, Kismet is a very good and multifaceted story.»Dagbladet, five/six stars

«From a crime-technical perspective, Kismet is well-composed and neatly structured. The book is easy to read and flows naturally. The conversational style of the characters we meet is spot on. [...] In terms of quality, Kismet easily elevates itself among other newly written Norwegian crime fiction. The dynamic duo of Damhaug and Raja appear to have collaborated flawlessly.»VG

«Damhaug has been one of Norway's most consistently interesting crime writers since his debut with Se meg, Medusa in 2007. Raja has been a prominent public debater for 25 years, with evolving perspectives on what it means to be Muslim in Norway. He achieved a literary breakthrough with his autobiography Min skyld in 2021. Together, they have crafted a crime novel that plays to both their strengths.»Morgenbladet

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