Unhinged by Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger (translated by Megan Turney)

I'm delighted to be taking part in another Orenda blog tour (there are a few coming up). This time it's for Unhinged, the latest in the Blix and Ramm series, by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger. Big thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy.

 

The Blurb

His colleague is dead. His daughter may be next. It’s time to do things his way…

Two of Nordic Noir’s most accomplished writers return with the explosive, staggeringly complex and unbearably emotive third instalment in the international bestselling Blix & Ramm series.

When police investigator Sofia Kovic uncovers a startling connection between several Oslo cases, she attempts to contact her closest superior, Alexander Blix, before involving anyone else in the department. But before Blix has time to return her call, Kovic is shot and killed in her own home – execution style. And in the apartment below, Blix’s daughter Iselin narrowly escapes becoming the killer’s next victim.

Four days later, Blix and online crime journalist Emma Ramm are locked inside an interrogation room, facing the National Criminal Investigation Service. Blix has shot and killed a man, and Ramm saw it all happen.

As Iselin’s life hangs in the balance, under-fire Blix no longer knows who he can trust, and he’s not even certain that he’s killed the right man…

My Review

It's great to be spending time with policeman Alexander Blix and investigative journalist Emma Ramm once again. This is the third in the series after Death Deserved and Smoke Screen. If you haven't read those two you can absolutely read this as a standalone. But you're going to want to go back And read the others. 

Whilst giving a talk, Blix misses several calls from his colleague Kovic and also his daughter Iselin. Before he has chance to return any of the calls he learns that Kovic has been attacked and killed in her home. His first thought is for Iselin who rents a room from Kovic... This event starts a catastrophic chain of events that ends with Blix and young Emma Ramm being interrogated at the police station following a shooting. Much of the early part of the book is told in flashbacks (to a few days earlier). As Blix and Emma answer questions we are taken back to the time of the shooting and we learn more about the events leading up to this point. 

I think this is a much darker book than the previous two, certainly felt like that way to me. It's a much more personal book with events hitting both Blix and Ramm hard. In the previous books I worried about Blix - he really has no life outside of work, no friends, no hobbies, etc. I figured he must be lonely. I worried about him more here. He's never been the most extroverted character but here we really see him pull back. From everyone. Our two main characters spend a lot of the time apart, which I hadn't expected, and we see them struggle with their thoughts and feelings about the other. For anyone unawares, this isn't a romantic or sexual relationship, more like a father/daughter thing. But events impact them so deeply, they both have real pause to consider their friendship. 

The strength of this series lies with its characters, particularly Blix and Ramm. They are beautifully written and I loved reading their ever changing relationship and the impact that events have on them, Blix particularly. Until now, we haven't spent too much time and detail on his life outside of work, but here we see much more of him and learn more every chapter about his life, his love for Iselin and the maelstrom of feelings and emotions he goes through. And I went through them with him, I can tell ya! This book put me through the emotional wringer from beginning to end. My heart was in my mouth much of the time and occasionally lying broken on the floor. 

This is more Blix's story than Emma's but, as usual, he finds her in his corner, encouraging him, helping him, whether he wants it or not. Whilst the two of them work independently and their relationship is complicated,  I've always seen them as a wee team. For reasons that will become obvious if you read the book, there is less of that in this book which felt strange and a little uncomfortable, which I'm sure the authors were aiming for. 

I loved the backwards and forwards way the story was built up in the first half of the book. Short, snappy chapters and a change of time and scenery help keep the reader's attention. And there is plenty going on here which makes it tense and engrossing. But the focus is Blix as he struggles to do what he's told. It's personal for him. I thought his inner, and outer, turmoil was written beautifully - my heart went out to him. I'm so wary of spoilers that I don't want to say much more for fear of ruining things. The ending, though! Wasn't what I expected. 

Unhinged is a dark, chilling and tense crime thriller. It's atmospheric and beautifully written - the joins between Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst are absolutely seamless. And a big shout out to Megan Turney for her excellent translation. This is a book that touches on love, friendship, anger, grief, coercive control and abuse of power. It's intense, personal and painful in places but I loved it. Probably the strongest in the series so far. I'm not sure if there is more planned for Blix and Ramm, I hope so but, whatever, I really hope these two authors continue to do some work together, they make a great team! 

As a postscript I'll say the same thing that I said about the last two books, I think. If you're not someone who usually reads the author acknowledgements at the end of a book, do make an exception here because they're a lot of fun!

The Authors

Jørn Lier Horst

Thomas Enger

Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are the internationally bestselling Norwegian authors of the William Wisting and Henning Juul series respectively. A former investigator in the Norwegian police, Horst imbues all his works with an unparalleled realism and suspense. Thomas Enger is a journalist-turned-author whose 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 was Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger’s first co-written thriller, closely followed by Smoke Screen, and the series has sold more than two million copies worldwide, outselling Jo Nesbo in their native Norway, Sweden and Germany. You can find them both on Twitter @LierHorst @EngerThomas.