Tom Egeland
The Metusalem Project

Who was Odin, really? And who were the mysterious giants mentioned in the Old Testament? In the tenth Bjørn Beltø novel, the antihero embarks on a quest to uncover Odin’s origin.

Beltø leads the excavation of a Viking grave at a Norwegian chieftain’s seat when they find a skeleton that doesn’t belong in the grave. Alongside him is his daughter, Angelina. It turns out they’ve stumbled upon a mystery that connects ancient biblical myths and Norse mythology. An old monk writes the most important chronicle of his life. The scribe monk was a thrall and followed Leif Erikson on his journey to Vinland. He later converted to Christianity and learned to write. The chronicle is, in reality, a mission from a cardinal in the Vatican, who receives his command from the Pope. In other words, it’s a secret report to the Holy Father about the storyteller’s encounter with a man whom the Vatican suspects to be Satan.

Tom Egeland

Tom Egeland (b. 1959) is the author of the bestselling series about archaeologist Bjørn Beltø and a number of standalone crime novels. He is translated into 25 languages and has received numerous Norwegian literary prizes, including Rivertonprisen for best crime novel (Gospel of Lucifer) and Riksmålsforbundets Literary Award (The Devil’s Mask). His novel Night of the Wolf became both a movie and a TV series. Egeland has been president of the Norwegian Crime Writers’ Association (Rivertonklubben) and a board member of the Norwegian Authors’ Union for ten years. He has also been a book critic for the Norwegian newspaper VG.