Two years ago, Alexander Blix was the lead investigator in a missing person’s case where a young mother, Elisabeth Eie, was kidnapped. The case was never solved.

Blix’s career in law enforcement is now over, but her kidnapper is back, leaving evidence of Elisabeth’s murder in Blix’s mailbox, as well as hints that there are other victims.

#Victim Twitter/X @EngerThomas @LierHorst @OrendaBooks #RandomThingsTours @annecater @RandomTTours #bookX #booktwitter
Instagram @lierhorst @author_thomas_enger @orendabooks @randomthingstours #bookstagram #BlixandRamm #NordicNoir #blogtour 

At the same time, Emma Ramm has been contacted by a teenage girl, whose stepfather has been arrested on suspicion of killing a childhood friend. But there is no body. Nor are there any other suspects…

Blix and Ramm can rely only on each other, and when Blix’s fingerprints are found on a child’s drawing at a crime scene, the present comes uncomfortably close to the past.

A past where a victim has found their own, shocking form of therapy.

And someone is watching…

My Review

It’s nearly two years since I read Unhinged, so I’m quickly going to repeat why I love Scandi Noir. I particularly like Nordic Noir, but as I couldn’t explain my reasons at the time, I looked it up and this is what I found:

• A strong plot, with multiple complex threads and a few twists. Tick
• Brutal crimes, often in quiet and/or safe communities. Tick
• A bleak setting, whether on city streets or a remote fjord. Tick
• A tortured protagonist, typically a detective with a mysterious or painful past. Definitely tick

Now on to the story and it’s a corker. Two years ago, Alexander Blix faced unimaginable tragedy and heartache, which resulted in his taking the law into his own hands. He lost his job, went to prison and even though he was eventually acquitted, he can no longer be a serving police officer.

So when a cold case – the kidnapping of young mum Elisabeth Eie – suddenly appears relevant again, Blix can’t leave it alone. It’s all he was ever good at – solving crimes. He knows he can help, but the police don’t want him near it – or them.

In the meantime, ex-journalist Emma Ramm, with whom Blix worked on many occasions, has been contacted by 15-year-old Carmen about her stepfather’s arrest for murder. She believes he is innocent and needs Emma’s help to prove it.

Victim is such an exciting read by two of Norway’s bestselling authors. There are a number of threads which ultimately come together in a most satisfying, if sinister, way. I read it in two sittings, finishing ten minutes before our plane landed. I’d have remained on the aircraft if I hadn’t!

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Authors

Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are both internationally bestselling Norwegian authors. Jørn Lier Horst first rose to literary fame with his no. 1 bestselling William Wisting series. A former Detective Chief Investigator in the Norwegian police, Horst imbues all his works with an unparalleled realism and suspense.

Thomas Enger is the journalist-turned-author behind the acclaimed Henning Juul series. Enger’s trademark is his dark, gritty voice paired with key social messages and tight plotting. Besides writing fiction for both adults and young adults, Enger also works as a music composer. Death Deserved, the first book in the Blix & Ramm series, was Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger’s first co-written thriller,

Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks, and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short- or long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen, Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah Stovell.