American by Day

By: Derek B. Miller

Narrated by: Sean Mangan

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

A gripping and timely novel that follows Sigrid - the dry-witted detective from Derek B. Miller's best-selling debut Norwegian by Night - from Oslo to the United States on a quest to find her missing brother.

She knew it was a weird place.

She'd heard the stories, seen the movies, read the books. But now police Chief Inspector Sigrid Ødegård has to leave her native Norway and actually go there - to that land across the Atlantic where her missing brother is implicated in the mysterious death of a prominent African-American academic. America. Sigrid is plunged into a United States where race and identity, politics and promise, reverberate in every aspect of daily life. Working with - or, if necessary, against - the police, she must negotiate the local political minefields and navigate the backwoods of the Adirondacks to uncover the truth before events escalate further.

Refreshingly funny, slyly perceptive, American by Day secures Derek B. Miller's place as one of our most imaginative and entertaining novelists.

©2018 Derek B. Miller (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Not just a crime drama, it’s a manifesto

This book is a terrific crime drama with some continuation from Norwegian by Night, also excellent. You don’t have to read (or listen to) that book first, but I recommend it. It will help you understand the complexity of Sigrid’s state of mind. But, beyond the excellent drama, the exquisite writing, the wonderful biting sarcasm heard in almost every line, this book is a manifesto about the problems of gun usage in the US, concepts of “freedom” in the US, racism in the US, and even the American diet. Every point was brilliantly made. The narrator is excellent, though sometimes the dramatic tone he used was overdone for certain lines. Not every sentence needed to be read like it was part of the unfolding drama. I forgive him that, though, because overall he did a find job. Derek, please keep writing more books in this series! Maybe there is an excuse for Sigrid to go to some other countries, say France, and we can get her critique of that location (but it is less likely that she’d speak French, right?)

Not quite as good as...

....Norwegian by night which has a high “quirk value”. This follows on but is a little too preachy about us culture and bad behaviors versus Norway. Still it’s worth it. Good ending.

Thoroughly Enjoyable

I loved both this and the previous book. The author artfully weaves humor, philosophy, and discussion of sensitive topics into well told storylines. This is not a genre a normally read, but I would definitely come back for more.

Good follow on to Norwegian by Night

But not quite the same caliber. I found this narration a bit jarring and no one can be as mesmerizing as Sheldon. Nevertheless this is a great follow up novel that tracks the lead police investigation from Sheldons story across the Atlantic to solve a family mystery.

The writer is a funny man.

This was not as good as Norwegian By Nigh, but still a good book. I buy his books by his name now. He's a good writer and I can't imagine returning one of his titles.

People were offended that he was so critical of our culture and he should write for his audience. He is an American who now lives in Norway. The gun stuff did get way too preachy. He needed to lay off that, but it did ease up a bit and got back to humor. We do talk a lot compared to other cultures and there were very accurate observations and light poking at our quirks.

The author is very smart and this is not a book to attempt when tired or you miss the humor. He would be a great dinner guest, but boy do I feel for his wife. It's a lot of observation and pontificating. If you listen to books to tune out and relax from life, this is not your author.

As for the intense criticism from the main character, he wrote it accurately. Europeans do love to pick up apart and criticize our culture. We are the number one topic for 'I could do it better'.

Snarky fun mystery

Really fun mystery...a bit preachy about the evils of American culture from a Norwegian perspective but since I agree with the assessment, that part was snarky fun and so were the characters and plot.

Book 2: Even better!

I really enjoyed "Norwegian by Night," so much that I bought this "spin-off" - hoping it might be almost as good. It wasn't- it was even better! Some sharp observations about American culture, humor, drama, great characters.

It should only hurt your feelings, if it's true...

...or so said my mother. I read other reviews of this book, that range from calling it preachy and portraying Americans as not so smart to very funny. The result was I approached the book with trepidation. Then, I listened to it. Well, the very funny review got it right.

Derek B. Miller captured the essence of Scandinavians in Sigrid Ødegård - somewhat terse, seemingly humorless, rather literal (having lived in Denmark I feel qualified to say so). And, he also captured the essence of being an American correctly - we do tend to talk a lot! But, this book is a completely different spin on a police procedural/mystery book. A story told with lots of humor and one that makes the point that, just because something looks one way, it does not necessarily mean it is so.

And I agree with the reviewer who said, "I will be really interested in seeing where Miller takes the story in future books and to see more of Sigrid and Irv..."

Too much lecturing

I started reading this book after I finished Norwegian by Night, but was rather disappointed
The plot is very simplistic, and the author tries to substitute with lectures on religion and race in America.
I always loved stories when the car actors’ behavior “translate” author’ s ideas, but here we are presented with statements that anyone can find in daily news

Love Loss and Melancholy

Miller's book Norwegian By Night was published about 5 years ago and introduced the reader to the powerful character of 82 year old ex-marine Sheldon. This new entry in what appears to be a series picks up just days after the final scene of that first book. In American By Day, Miller continues to explore cultural divides, love, loss, family and most importantly memory.

For me, Sheldon is a tough act to follow and book one had a driving pace that used a complex mix of semi-confused elderly internal dialogue and flash back style memories to tell an edge of your seat story. Book two, to me, had a slower pace and a more circumspect point of view. Don't get me wrong, the characters in book two were easy to connect with, well developed, and believable. Miller tells a good story with another cross cultural adventure but be aware--it's just a little different in style.

I will be really interested in seeing where Miller takes the story in future books and to see more of Sigrid and Irv--both engaging characters. This book was filled with dry humor, deep insights about cultural conflicts within communities and the pitfalls of perspective in love and family. It's best to read book one in the series before starting this title as one builds on the other.

Recommended if you liked Norwegian By Night. I enjoyed this continued storyline and thought the narration was excellent.