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

Firstly, an apology. I have been pretty non existent on the blogging front in recent weeks and months. Partly life stuff, partly just having lost my mojo a bit. So apologies if you missed me. And if you didn't, that probably shows I haven't been around enough for a while. Working on that. But I am back today with my review for Victim, the new book in the Blix and Ramm series by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger, translated into English by Meagan Turney. I am so thrilled to see this pair back (both authors and protagonists) as I love this series! Many thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy. I will be buying my own paperback copy. 

The Blurb

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.

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

This is the fifth book in the series featuring, policeman (now ex-policeman) Alexander Blix and young journalist (now ex-journalist) Emma Ramm, following Death Deserved, Smoke Screen, Unhinged and Stigma, and I think the collection get s better. Across the previous four books our protagonists have fair been through the wringer and nothing changes here. No longer in the police, an old case comes back to haunt Blix and someone is making things very personal. Emma, meanwhile, is curious after teenager Carmen asks for help proving her much loved stepfather is not guilty of the murder of which he is accused. 

Emma's case is intriguing for the reader as she follows various lines of enquiry. Her investigative journalistic background is very evident and I suspect she's picked up a few tips from Blix. And she brings him on board to help her. But she knows how to follow a trail of clues, and can think creatively. This storyline is suitably twisty and ultimately pretty sad. 

But, in this book, it's Blix's storyline that provides the meat and, of course, Emma gets involved here too. This is a personal case for him, a crime that remained unsolved when he left the police. But the apparent perpetrator is targeting Blix personally. Very personally. And it's frustrating for Blix that now he's no longer on the force, his former colleagues are unwilling to share the details of the investigation with him. But he carries out his own enquiries to bring him closer to the truth. But those enquiries take him places he really doesn't go... There is a feeling of dread throughout and the tension increases as events move towards the explosive denouement. 

I loved the glimpses we got into Alexander Blix's personal life. He's a private, closed man, but we see into the sessions he has with his psychologist and the relationship with his father  and we get a peak at a possible happiness. It all helps the reader view him as a rounded character. And I'm excited as it looks like things are changing or Blix and Emma as they go forward. Hopefully it means many more books! 

I'm always amazed when two people can write a book together. I can't get my head around how it works and how they can deliver a seamless book which feels like it was written by a single author. It's such a skill. And these two are both skilled writers in their own right so it's a joy when they come together, always a cause for celebration. And I can't go without mentioning Megan Turney, the translator - I am so grateful to her because without her efforts I wouldn't be able to read these books at all.  

Victim is a well written, well plotted crime thriller full of dread and rising tension featuring two brilliant protagonists who have such an interesting connection and dynamic. And as someone who has followed this series from the beginning, I have really enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. I hope Lier Horst and Enger continue with this excellent series for a long time to come! 

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, and all five books in the series have hit no. 1 on bestseller lists worldwide.