Review: Victim, by Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger

Description

Two years ago, Alexander Blix was the lead investigator in a missing person’s case where a young mother, Elisabeth Eie, had been kidnapped. The case came to a standstill when Blix’s own daughter was killed and he was arrested for avenging her. Blix is a now free man again, but Elisabeth’s kidnapper has found him, leaving evidence of her murder in Blix’s mailbox.

The police are unwilling to accept Blix’s help. Even if he was acquitted of his crime, his career in law enforcement is over. But Elisabeth’s murderer continues to pursue him, leading Blix to his new victims, while making it clear that he knows details from Blix’s private life that the former investigator has never shared with anyone…

Meanwhile, Emma Ramm has been contacted by a teenage girl, Carmen, 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 very own form of therapy. And it is clear that someone is watching…

Shocking, relentless and unbearably tense, Victim marks the return of the international bestselling, blockbuster Blix & Ramm series from two of Norway’s finest crime writers.

My Review

Thanks as ever got to the Orenda Books team and to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours, for sending me a copy of this novel and for organising this tour.

Alexander Blix is struggling after his release from prison. Emma Ramm doesn’t know what to do with herself no she’s not a journalist anymore. Then, things start happening, unexpected connections to old cases, and to brand new ones. Blix is convinced someone is coming into his flat, and Emma has been asked by a child to look into the murder of a women her step-father is accused of murdering. Complex childhood issues and their lasting effect on people are explored in this crime novel as Alexander and Emma help each other with their individual cases.

I could not put this novel down. I raced through it in an evening, after finishing a horror novel. Those who have read the four previous Blix and Ramm novels will be interested to learn that the reader discovers more about Alexander’s family background, and that he finds a new relationship in this novel. He can’t separate himself from his job, and this book explores his process of remembering who he is other than being a policeman. Emma discovers the limitations of not being a journalist when it comes to wrinkling out information, and still manages to work out who did it. I think her idea at the end of the novel is an excellent one.

The development of both Emma and Alexander’s characters, rounding them out with family background and learning new skills, adds layers to the novel. The characterisation of the killer is adeptly done, as his thought patterns and origins are slowly revealed, as well as his motives for his crimes, and for his hate of Blix.

Also, Terry the Terrier is a hero! The dog doesn’t die! (This is important to remember about halfway through the book.)

Thinking about what I’ve read today, and about conversations I’ve had about horror as a genre on the BFS Discord, I thought I’d add, there are a lot of similarities between crime fiction and horror fiction – they both deal with our deepest fears and explore complex psychological phenomena, while providing catharsis with the satisfying story arc. Or good horror and crime fiction does. I’ve read two very good books today (20th October 2024).

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ABOUT LIER HORST & ENGER
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 series have hit no. 1 on bestseller lists worldwide.

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