UNHINGED by Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst
Orenda Books; 12/17/21 (e-book)
CBTB Rating: 5/5
The Verdict: a gripping and emotional Nordic thriller
Nordic Noir fans, listen up: if you’re not already reading the Blix and Ramm series, add it to your to-read pile immediately. Co-written by powerhouse Norwegian crime writers Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst, the Blix and Ramm series merges the best of its authors’ crime writing strengths to deliver a gripping blend of realistic procedural elements and character-driven, emotional suspense. Out last month in e-book and coming soon in paperback, the latest installment, UNHINGED, takes this already-excellent series to the next level. In UNHINGED, protagonists Alexander Blix and Emma Ramm face their most personal case yet when one of their colleagues is targeted in an execution-style killing. UNHINGED pushes this series’ endearing characters to their breaking points in a thrilling plot that is both gripping and deeply heartfelt. I do recommend reading at least this series’ first installment (Death Deserved) before diving into UNHINGED; while the case itself here is stand-alone, much of this story’s impact relies on our connection to its characters, and having a bit of background exposure to them will make readers all the more invested in their fates. Fans of Lars Kepler, Stefan Ahnhem, and Søren Sveistrup won’t want to miss this top-notch Nordic thriller series.
Plot Details:
When police investigator Sofia Kovic uncovers a startling connection between several Oslo murder 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…
Now, I love a good stand-alone crime novel, but there’s something uniquely wonderful about the experience of immersing yourself in a crime fiction series with characters who come to feel almost like friends. Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst have developed exactly the kinds of series characters I get most attached to in their Blix and Ramm series, and in UNHINGED, these endearing characters are pushed to the limits of what they can endure. UNHINGED begins with a shocking crime: Sofia Kovic, a colleague of Alexander Blix in the Oslo police force and a friend of celebrity blogger Emma Ramm, is killed at point-blank range in her own home—an execution-style murder that rocks the police force to its core. Blix’s daughter Iselin, who was renting a room in Kovic’s apartment at the time Kovic was murdered, barely escapes the attack with her life. With Iselin in the hospital and his colleague dead, Blix, bereaved and desperate for answers, takes matters into his own hands. He soon discovers that, prior to her death, Sofia had uncovered a bizarre connection between a number of recent crimes in Oslo. What did Sofia learn, and how did that discovery lead to her murder? Working outside the scope of his official job, Blix embarks on a dangerous mission to uncover the truth no matter the cost—and in doing so, finds himself in police custody after shooting and killing someone as part of his rogue investigation. As Blix sits in a police interview room being interrogated by his own colleagues about his involvement in the deadly events following Sofia’s murder, readers unpeel layer after layer of the complex and ultimately shocking mystery at the heart of UNHINGED.
UNHINGED is a standout in the Blix and Ramm series on multiple levels, perhaps most impactfully in the way that it reveals to readers new facets of familiar series characters. Enger and Horst pull no punches in UNHINGED; series protagonist Alexander Blix and Emma Ramm walk through fire in this thriller, in the process allowing readers glimpses into sides of their characters we have never seen before. When our story opens, police officer Alexander Blix finds himself being interrogated by his own colleagues at the police station. Blix, who has thus far been a dedicated and respected police officer who rarely deviates from protocol, has gone rogue. But what exactly did Blix do to land himself in the interrogation chair? Is he actually guilty of committing a crime? And what could possibly have pushed him to these extreme actions? Readers will find themselves immediately hooked as Blix begins to recount the shocking events surrounding Sofia’s death and Iselin’s hospitalization. Readers are in the room as Blix shares his perspective and experiences to the officers tasked with investigating him, and the result is a truly gripping, twisty, and page-turning account. Enger and Horst expertly navigate a plot that moves between the present day, as Blix is being held in police custody, and flashback chapters that bring to life the tragic fallout of Sofia’s murder. Blix is in the hot seat in UNHINGED, and readers will be riveted as they uncover just what exactly he’s done to get himself there. No character is spared their own trials in UNHINGED, and this is very much true for protagonist Emma Ramm as well. In a twist of fate that I can’t say too much about for fear of spoilers, Emma finds her close friendship with Blix at risk when she plays an unwitting role in one of our story’s most tragic moments. Will Emma be able to forgive herself for what she has done? Will her friendship with Blix ever recover? Readers will devour UNHINGED and will be eagerly anticipating the series’ next installment when they reach this book’s end.
Over the course of the Blix and Ramm series, I have truly admired the way that Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst have blended their unique gifts and talents as writers to create one cohesive voice. Where previous series installments have tended to lean a bit more into police procedure and investigative work, UNHINGED takes the series in a new direction. This entire book is built around the premise of Alexander Blix going rogue and taking matters into his own hands when he feels that he can no longer trust the police to get the job done right, and get it done quickly. As a result, this story leans away from police procedure and into pure emotion and thrills. UNHINGED weaves a complex tale of conspiracy and manipulation, using the story’s initial crime as the launching point for a web of secrets that reaches much farther than Blix, Ramm, or even readers can imagine at the book’s outset. Driven by a desire to see justice done for his deceased colleague and an increasing sense of urgency to complete the secret investigation Sofia seemed to be conducting—an investigation which appears to have put her in the crosshairs of a killer—Blix is willing to use any means necessary to get the answers he so desperately seeks. UNHINGED is, true to its title, the story of a man broken by grief and desperate for answers, and the resulting reading experience is not just thrilling but heartbreaking as well. There is a strong emotional aspect to UNHINGED that will resonate with readers who have come to love these series characters. UNHINGED pushes its characters to its limits, breaking bonds that have previously seemed unbreakable and leaving its characters in a completely different state than they were at the story’s outset. This is the kind of book that will have a lasting impact on the series; nothing will be the same after this book. (If you’re a Jo Nesbø fan, this book is to the Blix and Ramm series as Knife was to the Harry Hole series—things just won’t look the same after the events of this book.) I loved this book’s blend of gripping mystery, shocking reveals, and genuine, heartfelt emotion; I devoured UNHINGED in a matter of hours and already can’t wait to see where the series goes next.
The literary partnership of Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst is Nordic Noir gold. These authors’ complementary skills are on full display in the Blix and Ramm series, and UNHINGED is their best series installment to date. Blending a gripping storytelling structure with thrilling tension and heartfelt moments that may bring tears to your eyes, UNHINGED is a standout installment in an already-excellent series. The Blix and Ramm series is one of my favorite Nordic Noir “hidden gems,” and if you’re a fan of writers like Lars Kepler, Stefan Ahnhem, and/or Søren Sveistrup, you won’t want to miss this thrilling crime fiction series.
BLIX AND RAMM SERIES DETAILS
Book 1: DEATH DESERVED
Police officer Alexander Blix and celebrity blogger Emma Ramm join forces to track down a serial killer with a thirst for attention and high-profile murders in the first installment of this gripping Nordic crime series.
Publisher : Orenda Books; Reprint edition (September 1, 2020)
Language : English
Paperback : 276 pages
ISBN-10 : 1913193004
ISBN-13 : 978-1913193003
Book 2: SMOKE SCREEN
When the mother of a missing two-year-old girl is seriously injured in a suspected terrorist attack in Oslo, crime-fighting duo Blix and Ramm join forces to investigate the case, and things aren’t adding up …
Publisher : Orenda Books (June 1, 2021)
Language : English
Paperback : 276 pages
ISBN-10 : 191319356X
ISBN-13 : 978-1913193560
Book 3: UNHINGED
When a police investigator is killed execution-style and Blix's own daughter is targeted by the killer, he makes a dangerous decision, which could cost him everything.
*Available now as an e-book; US paperback edition coming 6/1/22
Publisher : Orenda Books (December 17, 2021)
Publication date : December 17, 2021
Language : English
File size : 3212 KB
Print length : 364 pages
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