You know those books that come seemingly out of nowhere and knock you sideways with how very much you love them? That was Heine Bakkeidβs extraordinary crime fiction debut I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW for me. This Norwegian crime novel blends the atmosphere and grit of the Nordic Noir tradition with the spine-tingling chills found in the work of authors like Yrsa Sigurdardottir and C.J. Tudor. I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW is an outstanding crime novel about grief, loss, and the ghosts that haunt us. Set against the backdrop of remote northern Norway, I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW follows a disgraced former police officer who is given a chance at redemption in the form of an off-the-books missing persons investigation. Hired as a private investigator by the parents of a young man who has gone missing at a lighthouse off the coast of northern Norway, Thorkild Aske sets out on what he assumes will be a fruitless missionβa journey that becomes as much about tracking down this missing man as it is about Thorkild confronting his personal demons. With immersive atmosphere and propulsive plotting, I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW wraps readers up in a chilling suspense novel worthy of every bit of praise it has earned. This promising series launch is a must-read for fans of melancholy, atmospheric Nordic suspense.
Read MoreBook Review: DEATH DESERVED by JΓΈrn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger
What do you get when you combine the writing talents of two popular Norwegian crime writers? The answer, as it turns out, is a delightfully devious serial killer thriller called DEATH DESERVED, the first joint offering from JΓΈrn Lier Horst (author of the William Wisting series) and Thomas Enger (author of the Henning Juul series). In this new series launch, Horst and Enger team up to deliver a story that draws on both of their strengths, blending Horstβs knowledge of and eye for police procedure with Engerβs skill at crafting engaging, endearing characters. DEATH DESERVED is a race-against-the-clock thriller, a story following an unlikely pair of protagonists - a police officer and a celebrity blogger - who find themselves embroiled in the shocking disappearance of a star athlete in Oslo. As bizarre and dramatic clues begin to pop up across the city, it becomes apparent to those involved that they are dealing with a devious and increasingly emboldened killer, one who will stop at nothing to achieve his twisted goalsβand make his work known to the public at the same time. Cleverly plotted and seriously entertaining, DEATH DESERVED is an excellent new serial killer thriller and strong series launch from two acclaimed Norwegian crime writers.
Read MoreBook Review: THE CHESTNUT MAN by SΓΈren Sveistrup
One of the seasonβs most hotly-anticipated new thrillers is finally here. From the mind that created the sensational television show The Killing now comes an equally-gripping - and equally-chilling - Nordic thriller: THE CHESTNUT MAN. In his debut crime novel, SΓΈren Sveistrup instantly establishes himself as a must-read author for fans of Nordic Noir legends Jo NesbΓΈ and Lars Keplerβand, for that matter, as a must-read for any reader who just wants a gripping thriller to sink their teeth into this fall. THE CHESTNUT MAN is good, old-fashioned Scandinavian crime fiction; itβs a hefty book, clocking in at 528 pages in the American hardcover edition, and immerses the reader in an intricate plot moving from the mundane details of police work to the cinematic (and gruesome) crimes of a twisted killer. If the plot of THE CHESTNUT MAN seems a bit familiar at first glance, donβt worry; Sveistrup sets up his debut novel in well-tread territory, but it quickly separates itself from the pack with richly-drawn characters, made-for-TV pacing, and, naturally, a killer with a modus operandi so sinister, youβll want to read this book with all the lights on. The buzz surrounding the publication of THE CHESTNUT MAN has been significant; itβs earned incredible pre-publication praise, is a September Book of the Month Club selection, and is soon to be a Netflix original series. The buzz is warranted here; Sveistrupβs debut is a must-read for the crime reader looking for a big, bold, spend-all-day-reading thriller.
Read MoreBook Review: INBORN by Thomas Enger
A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in the airport in Oslo, Norway, waiting on a (very) delayed flight back to New York. What could have been a frustrating way to pass an evening was saved by my bookish companion on the trip: Norwegian author Thomas Engerβs thought-provoking standalone crime novel INBORN. Part courtroom drama, part exploration of small-town life in Engerβs native Norway, INBORN is an effortless read--one enhanced by precise plotting and the authorβs knack for rich character development. Following a teenage boy who is accused of murder, INBORN moves readers between the courtroom, wherein the boy is being questioned by the prosecution, and the past, where readers slowly but surely unravel the secrets of what really happened on that fateful night. Given that this book did begin as a Young Adult novel, INBORN is lighter on violence and grit than is Engerβs Henning Juul series, but thatβs no detriment to the story Enger tells here. Enger has done a superb job adapting this Young Adult crime novel for an adult readership, and readers will find the bookβs clean, crisp prose and precise plotting appealingly easy to devour. I come to Thomas Engerβs writing when I want to read a book with characters who feel three-dimensional and endearing, and I found exactly that in his newest standalone. INBORN is a compelling blend of courtroom drama and heart-tugging examination of adolescence--Enger has delivered again.
Read MoreBook Review: THE MIDNIGHT WITNESS by Sara Blaedel
Looking for a crime series perfect for fall weekend reading? Danish crime writer Sara Blaedelβs Louise Rick series belongs on your list. When I picture the kind of book I want to be reading on a crisp autumn evening, itβs a book exactly like Blaedelβs: something atmospheric, layered, immersive, and perfect for cozying up with when the weather gets cold. If this sounds up your alley, add Blaedelβs THE MIDNIGHT WITNESS to your TBR. Technically the first book in Blaedelβs internationally-bestselling series, THE MIDNIGHT WITNESS is now being made available to US readers in a brand-new edition from Grand Centralβand it will work for both newcomers to Blaedelβs work and established fans of the series. In THE MIDNIGHT WITNESS, homicide detective Louise Rick is tasked with solving the brutal murder of a young woman in her hometown of Copenhagen, Denmarkβ¦ but when her best friend, journalist Camilla Lind, asks her to investigate the murder of a local journalist as well, Louise finds herself in over her head - and in the crosshairs of two killers. THE MIDNIGHT WITNESS is the book that launched Blaedelβs internationally-bestselling Louise Rick series around the worldβand American readers will fall in love with Blaedelβs endearing and headstrong detective in this compelling mystery.
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