The Blurb:
Oslo, 2018. Former long-distance runner Sonja Nordstrøm
never shows at the launch of her controversial autobiography, Always Number One. When celebrity blogger Emma Ramm visits Nordstrøm’s home later that day, she finds the door unlocked and signs of a struggle inside. A bib with the number ‘one’ has been pinned to the TV.
Police officer Alexander Blix is appointed to head up the missing persons investigation, but he still bears the emotional scars of a hostage situation nineteen years earlier, when he killed the father of a five-year-old girl. Traces of Nordstrøm soon show up at different locations, but the appearance of the clues appear to be carefully calculated … evidence of a bigger picture that he’s just not seeing…
Blix and Ramm soon join forces, determined to find and stop a merciless killer with a flair for the dramatic, and thirst for attention.
Trouble is, he’s just got his first taste of it…
Death Deserved was published by Orenda Books as an eBook on 31st January 2020 and will be released in paperback on the 20th of this month. You can buy/pre order it from the publisher and all usual retailers. Why not visit your local independent bookshop? Or online you could try Bert's Books, The Big Green Bookshop, or Hive (which will link to your nearest participating indie bookshop).
My Review:
I loved Thomas Enger's Inborn and was excited to read this, the first in a new series, written with fellow author Jørn Lier Horst. And I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed!
I'm starting at the end. Right at the back of the book with the authors' acknowledgements. I always read the acknowledgements in a book because I'm a curious (ie. nosy) soul, but I know not everybody does. Well, if you fall into that group, I urge you to read these, because they had me giggling. Quite unlike any others I have read.
Anyway, on to the serious stuff!
The story opens in 1999 with rookie police officers Alexander Blix and Gard Fosse attending a reported shooting, where things don't go quite according to plan. We then jump forward to the present day - Blix is divorced and his daughter, who he doesn't see enough of, is beginning to forge her own way in the world. Fosse is now his boss, he has a new partner, and is still haunted by that incident nineteen years earlier.
Meanwhile, young online blogger and journalist Emma Ramm is desperate to get the scoop on sporting celebrity Sonja Nordstrøm on the publication day of her explosive memoir. But arriving at Nordstrøm's home Emma finds no sign of her, but definite traces of a disturbance and calls the police. This kicks off an alarming series of events.
At the heart of this story are the people. I warmed to Blix immediately but felt he was a lonely man. Dedicated to his work, he's willing to flout the rules if necessary. And he carries with him the ghosts of his past. I enjoyed reading the dynamic between him and his former best friend Fosse, and also with Sofia Kovic, his new partner, as they begin working together. Emma is young, enthusiastic and keen to make a bigger name for herself in the world of journalism. But she also has her secrets...and an inner strength that she must call upon. The developing trust between her and Blix is a joy to read.
But, of course, it is so much more than that - I just can't tell you much for fear of spoilers! What I can tell you is that the story is clever, taut, thrilling and perfectly paced. Full of twists, turns and dead ends, it builds and builds until I found myself holding my breath at the tense, edge-of-the-seat conclusion. It has much to say about celebrity, both its appeal and its dangers. Reality TV too and the appetite for that.
I am always fascinated when two writers come together for a project - the mechanics of it all and who does what. But however these two work, the result is seamless, complemented by excellent translation from Anne Bruce.
Part police procedural, part thriller and with two fresh, interesting protagonists, Death Deserved has it all. I loved this book and it's a really strong start to a new series.
The Authors:
Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are the internationally bestselling Norwegian authors of the William Wisting and Henning Juul series respectively. Jørn Lier Horst first rose to literary fame with his No. 1 internationally bestselling William Wisting series. A former 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 internationally acclaimed and bestselling Henning Juul series. Enger’s trademark has become a darkly 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 is Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger ’s first co-written thriller.
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