When a mutilated body rises from the icy waters off the jetty in Kjerringøy, it shocks the quiet coastal village – and stirs something darker beneath.

Not long after, a young woman is found dead in a drab apartment. Suicide, perhaps. Or something far more sinister.

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Detective Jakob Weber and former national investigator Noora Yun Sande are drawn into both cases. Then a hiker has a terrifying encounter in the nearby wilderness: a solitary cabin … and a man without a face.

As the investigation deepens, the clues grow more disturbing – and the wild, wintry landscape closes in. Kjerringøy’s beautiful wilderness conceals a heart of darkness, and Jakob is certain of only one thing: if they don’t find the killer soon, he’ll strike again….

My Review

Another crime novel in one of my favourite genres – Scandi Noir. And Nordic Noir comes up top for me. It’s atmospheric, edgy, and dark, with creepy villains and dangerous settings, snow, ice, freezing water, abandoned huts deep in the forest. you know the kind of thing I mean. There’s something about Nordic Noir that is unlike other crime genres, though I’m never quite sure what sets it apart.

In Book Two of the series, we once again meet Jakob Weber (and Garm the Jack Russell), Amman, Fine and Noora who are all brilliantly written. My Jack Russell Patch is a huge fan of Garm (OK I made that bit up, but I’m sure she would be), and so am I. He’s part of the team.

This time we have two murders, first of all a body rises from the icy waters off the jetty in Kjerringøy where a group of women are wild swimming. One of them gets tangled in the rope that is holding the body down. Eeek! Then a woman is found dead in a shabby apartment. It looks like suicide at first but the evidence points to a brutal murder. And these two are just the beginning. But are they linked?

Once again there are many suspects who crop up in both cases and also connect to the missing woman Iselin Hanssen from book one. Because nothing is ever as it seems in a gritty Scandi Noir. There will be loose ends that will no doubt form part of Book Three. Two of the ‘villains’ in particular gave me the creeps, for very different reasons, but I can’t really say any more. Just that it’s brilliant!

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

About the Author

Ørjan Karlsson grew up in Bodø, a town north of the Arctic Circle. He holds a master’s degree in sociology and received officer training in the army. He has participated in international missions for the EU, UN, and NATO, and has worked for the Norwegian Ministry of Defence and the Directorate for Civil Protection. Ørjan has written a large number of thrillers, sci-fi novels and crime novels for adults, including an acclaimed thriller series featuring Major Frank Halvorsen and Lieutenant Ida Vinterdal of the Norwegian special forces. Up in Thin Air, the first book in the Jakob Weber series, is his sixteenth novel.