Alex Dahl Books

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Alex Dahl is a half-American, half-Norwegian author. She writes novels in the crime and suspense genres. She came to fame when she wrote ‘The Boy at the Door’. Dahl was born in Oslo. Her father was Norwegian. Her mother was American.

She spent her childhood in West End Oslo. Dahl lived in many places, which is why it was never easy for her to identify a single location as home. The author has quite an impressive resume, having acquired a B.A in Russian and German Linguistics, an MA in Creative Writing (Bath Spa University), and an MS in Business Management (Bath University).

Dahl was always enamored with writing. She always dreamed of becoming a published author and her interests never deviated. Though, like most authors, unexpected circumstances kept preventing Dahl from pursuing her dream.

Her journey to publishing success was filled with numerous twists and turns and only Dahl’s strong will kept her from dismissing her writing dreams altogether. The author did not intend to neglect her writing. Rather, challenges kept arising, the most prominent being her decision to pursue a Master’s Degree in Business Management.

This was after having kids when she was still too young. With a family that required most of her attention and a school schedule that left her little room to breathe, Alex Dahl realized that every step she was taking kept pulling her away from the career she wanted.

So she stopped making excuses and decided to take writing seriously. Even with her packed schedule, the author found free moments that she dedicated to her writing habit.

After writing several short stories for English and American publications, she eventually published ‘The Boy at the Door’. It should be noted that Dahl’s first novel was technically ‘Before I Leave You’. She wrote it in 2013.

But many people recognize ‘The Boy at the Door’ as her first book because it was such a hit. It was eventually translated into ten languages, with ‘The Times’ praising it as one of the best crime novels of the year it came out.

‘The Boy at the Door’ was the first novel Dahl wrote in the English language. The success it received encouraged her to publish another English-Language novel a year later, proving to fans and critics that ‘The Boy at the Door’ was far from a fluke.

As a half-American, half-Norwegian writer, Dahl believes that she has a specific perspective that she brings to crime fiction. She feels like an outsider in Norway and the US but she can still capture the distinct aspects at the heart of the two cultures she inherited from her parents.

Some of the stories the author tells are inspired by her own experiences as a single mother. Dahl has been known to inject some of her traits into the personalities of her protagonists and antagonists to make them compelling characters with sympathetic intentions.

Dahl’s stories are dear to her. Some of them are therapeutic tools that she uses to work through the fears and anxieties that plague her from time to time.

Alex Dahl Awards

Dahl’s first English-Language novel was shortlisted for a CWA Dagger Award.

Best Alex Dahl Books

Even though Dahl writes crime fiction and thrillers, she prefers to read books in other genres, such as classics like Dostoyevsky. Some of the best books in her bibliography include:

The Boy at the Door: Cecilia Willborg had a loving husband and two amazing daughters. They were the perfect family and Cecilia worked very hard to maintain this facade. Her strict schedule did not permit unexpected distractions, which is why Cecilia was less than amused when she found herself taking a little boy back to his home after his parents forgot to pick him up.

After discovering that the boy’s home was empty and abandoned, Cecilia took him to her home, unaware that his quiet presence was about to stir memories she thought she had discarded.

Heart Keeper: Alison’s world ended when her daughter drowned. Nothing could console her. She couldn’t even muster the strength to smile at her son. But then she learned that Amalie’s heart had been donated to a girl who lived just around the corner. This revelation birthed in Alison an idea that was about to change everything.

When Does The Next Alex Dahl book come out?

Alex Dahl doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Girl Friends and was released on April, 11th 2024.

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