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Nordic Noir

Blog Tour: Death Deserved by Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger

     Yvonne      9 Comments

Death Deserved BT Poster - Blog Tour: Death Deserved by Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

death deserved by thomas engerjorn lier horst - Blog Tour: Death Deserved by Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas EngerDeath Deserved by Thomas EngerJorn Lier Horst
Published by Orenda Books Limited on January 31, 2020
ISBN: 9781913193010
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Suspense, Romance, Mystery & Detective, Hard-Boiled, Action & Adventure, Noir, City Life, Crime, International Mystery & Crime, Police & Law Enforcement, Women Sleuths, Political, Police Procedural, General
Pages: 276
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five stars - Blog Tour: Death Deserved by Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger

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 episode of a gripping new Nordic Noir series...
Oslo, 2018. Former long-distance runner Sonja Nordstrøm never shows at the launch of her controversial autobiography, Always Number One. When celebrity blogger Emma Ramm visits Nordstrøm’s home later that day, she finds the door unlocked and signs of a struggle inside. A bib with the number ‘one’ has been pinned to the TV.
Police officer Alexander Blix is appointed to head up the missing-persons investigation, but he still bears the emotional scars of a hostage situation nineteen years earlier, when he killed the father of a five-year-old girl. Traces of Nordstrøm soon show up at different locations, but the appearance of the clues appear to be carefully calculated ... evidence of a bigger picture that he’s just not seeing...
Blix and Ramm soon join forces, determined to find and stop a merciless killer with a flare for the dramatic, and thirst for attention.Trouble is, he’s just got his first taste of it...

Some publishers are just complete go-to.  Crime fiction and Nordic Noir are phrases that are somonis with Orenda Books.  This blog tour invitation for Death Deserved was an automatic YES YES YES.  Nordic Noir is a relatively new genre for me, but I am quickly falling head over heels.  It has restarted my heart and gave me a passion for crime fiction once more.  I couldn’t wait to get my grubby little hands on this exciting and riveting read. 

I was expecting huge things from this superstar double act.  The anticipation was melting my brain.  The prologue created that taut tension that I crave and live for.  My eyes couldn’t stop the uncontrollable speed that they took in the lines of the book.  The words took on a life of its own.  They grew legs and marched straight up to my face and smacked me silly…it had my full attention. 

Deserved Death was an interesting title choice but one that seeped in a rightness as soon as the final page was put to rest.  Is any untimely death deserved?  What events in a person’s life would make it a given that they deserve to die.  I’m sure at some point in our lives we have done something that was immoral or bad, does it necessarily mean that our deaths would be deserved?  The authors captured everything that I anticipate in Nordic Noir.  They led you down a deserted road, one that had the hairs on the back of your neck stand to attention, military style.  The possibilities were endless, and my stomach churned like it was on the super spin cycle.  Nausea and crime is my favourite combination. 

This book sets the tone.  The dark and dangerous tone.  Just sit and imagine taking in the words and the ominous theme tune to the exorcist playing in the background.  You know it isn’t going to be like visiting your sweet aunt for the afternoon.  It’s going to be a rollercoaster ride over the Grand Canyon except that half of the track is missing.  Heart in mouth.  Senses threatening to leave your body.  It truly challenges the control you have over your own emotions. 

Two narrators.  Two broken characters.  Connections intertwined.  We meet Alexander Blix, a quiet police officer who has gone through the emotional wringer both professionally and personally.  He acts from the heart frequently and is more an action man than a procedure man.  It causes him difficulties in his job, but he is respected and admired by his close- nit team.  He instantly spoke to me on a deep level.  He is relatable and is living a life in the shadows not fully grasping it by the balls.  A victim of his past.  He threatens to become a victim of his future too. 

We also meet Emma Ramm, celebrity blogger.  She also has her own skeletons in the cupboard.  She can appear cold but progressively you uncover the real her, layer by complex layer.  At times she seemed like a rubix cube.  Frustrating and complex to fathom out. 

Set in Oslo, ex-former long-distance runner, Sonja Nordstrøm has recently released her scathing autobiography.  Emma Ramm discovers her lack of contact for a TV interview and visits her home.  There appears to have been a struggle.  There is, however, no sign of her.  The police launch an official investigation.  An intriguing Number One has been attached to the TV.  The scene is unsettling, and you can feel a lingering shadow threatening to creep beyond the edges. 

There is a bigger picture emerging.  The police investigation is stretched taut to its very limits.  Blix is still haunted by the tragedy that saw him kill a 5-year-old girl’s father.  Guns still make him nervous, but his persona belies the man he portrays to the world.  The cracks threaten to split.  Can he keep it together until the end of the investigation? 

The main theme running through this book is the human condition and it’s need and pure want of fame and the culture of celebrity.  What drives people to want these things with such a hunger?  We know from history that money doesn’t make you happy.  More often than not it attracts ill mental health like a calling card.  In this story the burden of celebrity attracts the dark.  It has created a festering wound seeping in dysfunctionality and pain.  It certainly made me think about the important things in life.  I am quite happy being a nobody. 

Death Deserved is a tautly woven, intricately written tale of suspense and layer upon layers visceral action.  The authors nail the exact art of Nordic Noir and make you hunger for more.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  • Jorn Lier Horst Author pic - Blog Tour: Death Deserved by Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger
  • Thomas Author Pic 1024x687 - Blog Tour: Death Deserved by Jorn 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. Jørn Lier Horst first rose to literary fame with his No. 1 internationally bestselling William Wisting series. A former 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 internationally acclaimed and bestselling Henning Juul series. Enger’s 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 is Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger’s first co-written thriller. 

Orenda Books

five stars - Blog Tour: Death Deserved by Jorn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger

Blog Tour : Cage By Lilja Sigurdardottir

     Yvonne      Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

cage by lilja sigurdardottir - Blog Tour : Cage By Lilja SigurdardottirCage by Lilja Sigurdardottir
Published by Orenda Books on August 17, 2019
ISBN: 9781912374502
Genres: Fiction, Crime, Thrillers
Pages: 276
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five stars - Blog Tour : Cage By Lilja Sigurdardottir

Drugs, smuggling, big money and political intrigue in Iceland rally with love, passion, murder and betrayal until the winner takes all … in the masterful, explosive conclusion to the award-winning Reykjavík Noir trilogy…
‘Tough, uncompromising and unsettling' Val McDermid
‘A tense thriller with a highly unusual plot and interesting characters' The Times
The prison doors slam shut behind Agla, when her sentence ends, but her lover Sonja is not there to meet her.
As a group of foreign businessmen tries to draw Agla into an ingenious fraud that stretches from Iceland around the world, Agla and her former nemesis, María find the stakes being raised at a terrifying speed. Ruthless drug baron Ingimar will stop at nothing to protect his empire, but he has no idea about the powder keg he is sitting on in his own home. At the same time, a deadly threat to Sonya and her family brings her from London back to Iceland, where she needs to settle scores with longstanding adversaries if she wants to stay alive.
PRAISE FOR LILJA SIGURDARDOTTIR
‘An enthralling tale of love and crime that stays with you long after you have turned the last page' Michael Ridpath
‘An emotional suspense rollercoaster on a par with The Firm, as desperate, resourceful, profoundly lovable characters scheme against impossible odds' Alexandra Sokoloff
‘Clear your diary. As soon as you begin reading … you won't be able to stop until the final page' Michael Wood
‘Zips along, with tension building and building … thoroughly recommend' James Oswald
‘The intricate plot is breathtakingly original, with many twists and turns you never see coming. Thriller of the year' New York Journal of Books
‘A searing portrait of the less salubrious parts of the Icelandic psyche as we as a riveting thriller' Sunday Express

Many Thanks to Anne Cater and Orenda Books for my copy of the book and my spot on the blog tour. All thoughts are my own.

Wow another killer read from Orenda Books. This is my second blog tour in the Nordic Noir genre this week and wow wow wow. This genre is relatively new to me, but I am quite simply loving it. The intrigue, the mystery and the amazing landscape make it the perfect ingredients for a five-star read. This really was the perfect series to binge read on those cold autumn nights, I read it and loved it. Let’s just take a moment to appreciate that moment when the book cover is as kick ass as the actual story. The cover is what instantly made me sign up for the blog tour plus the added bonus was that it was published by ORENDA which I knew would be an instant winner. The cover emits a sense of mystery that pushes you forward to find out just what the story is behind it. You should read this series in order otherwise the character arcs and development won’t be as clear as it should be.

The book was definitely set up differently but, in my opinion, it certainly added to its uniqueness. The road travelled had a few bumps along the way, but the journey wasn’t any less enjoyable. We are reintroduced to Agla – serving a jail sentence for playing her part in the crash of the financial crisis in Iceland. The dodgy financier had to do her time. Life is getting her down and she really doesn’t know if she can keep going on the way she is. She attempts something quite drastic…the bottom line is she fails in her attempt but is given a new lease of life when she is tasked with investigating certain deceptions in the aluminium sector. The only snag is that she can’t do this alone. Insert, Maria – ex prosecutor turned investigative journalist with The Squirrel. The history between these two characters is difficult and strained to say the least. Can the two characters trust and work with each other or will they double cross the first chance they get? Has Alga’s stint in prison actually changed her or is there still the undercurrent of criminality still lurking in her psyche? I really enjoyed the back and forth between them and loved where this storyline took them.

I’ve always enjoyed multiple POV’s in my thriller novels and this story is no different. I liked that we got the added POV of Anton, a bit of a troubled character that displayed some worrisome controlling undertones to his behaviour towards a girl. A girl that he believes he is deeply in love with. Yeah, a strange and depraved idea of what love should be. It’s her birthday soon, he has planned the perfect birthday gift for her. Well, what he is assuming is the perfect gift, maybe for Anton and his cronies’ mates. This stems from his distaste of what is currently happening in Iceland. His character displays such extremism and is extremely relevant to what is going on in the world today. The author has produced an important novel that highlights the issues with extremist viewpoints and how it has far reaching implications to the wider country.

The other characters we have met and loved along the way get tied up really nicely. The character arcs have been intricately developed and they meet the endings that they all deserve, even if it isn’t the one they wanted. The writing has been strong, and the plot has been tightly weaved to keep the reader gripped and invested in the story. Although I came to this trilogy late it had me gripped and I was actually quite sad that it had come to an end. That my friends, is the sign of a truly talented writer. The pace was sublime and found myself constantly thinking about the plot when I couldn’t find time to read. The translation was perfect, and the entire series was a hell of a rollercoaster ride. This genre is quickly becoming a firm favourite. It’s not without its twists and shocks and it totally adds to its unique quirkiness of the story. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurdardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written four crime novels, including Snare and Trap, the first two books in the Reykjavik Noir trilogy, which have hit bestseller lists worldwide. The film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.

five stars - Blog Tour : Cage By Lilja Sigurdardottir

Blog Tour: Little Siberia By Antti Tuomainen

     Yvonne      Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

little siberia by antti tuomainen - Blog Tour: Little Siberia By Antti TuomainenLittle Siberia by Antti Tuomainen
Published by Orenda Books on August 17, 2019
ISBN: 9781912374526
Genres: Fiction, Crime, Thrillers
Pages: 300
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
five stars - Blog Tour: Little Siberia By Antti Tuomainen

A man is racing along the remote snowy roads of Hurmevaara in Finland, when there is flash in the sky and something crashes into the car. That something turns about to be a highly valuable meteorite. With euro signs lighting up the eyes of the locals, the treasure is temporarily placed in a neighborhood museum, under the watchful eye of a priest named Joel. But Joel has a lot more on his mind than simply protecting the riches that have apparently rained down from heaven. His wife has just revealed that she is pregnant. Unfortunately Joel has strong reason to think the baby isn't his. As Joel tries to fend off repeated and bungled attempts to steal the meteorite, he must also come to terms with his own situation, and discover who the father of the baby really is. Transporting the reader to the culture, landscape and mores of northern Finland, Little Siberia is both a crime novel and a hilarious, blacker-than-black comedy about what to do when bolts from the blue—both literal and figurative—turn your life upside down.

Thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for my spot on the blog tour. All thoughts are my own.

You know when you receive an email about an ORENDA Books blog tour you just know you have to get on by any means necessary because it’s always going to be all kind of awesome.  Yes, Little Siberia is another kick Ass Thriller from Orenda and you aren’t going to want to miss this one!  Orenda Books just know what’s going to blow your socks off, they love a twisty, dark tale and this is no exception.  Buckle up because the whiplash coming your way is off the charts. 

Tuomainen is a brand spanking new author for me.  He has an almost evil genius about him that can uncannily spin a multi-faceted web horror, mystery and absolute comedy genius.  He has brought his A game and it is a disturbing cocktail of melancholy and darkness.  I’d bet my last pound that Tuomainen is one of the very few authors that can highlight the importance of certain themes whilst pushing its limits with a mix of close to the bone humour and at times hilarious characterisations.  He spins a web of surreal visualisations and doesn’t back down on the reality of the human condition. 

Little Siberia, and the main character is a little bit like all of us.  He’s relatable.  He’s a pastor, Joel is the name.  Life’s been a bit unkind to him.  He’s struggling with a fact that even his wife doesn’t know.  She brings him good news that now definitely means his wife is unfaithful.  Life couldn’t have fucked him any harder if it tried.  There are criminal goings on, well what would you expect when a super rare type of meteorite falls from the sky?  It’s worth around €1 million.  His wife ends up somehow becoming embroiled in it.  It’s certainly a sense of humour test to put it mildly. 

The authors voice comes through so vividly in his writing.  The comedy that is injected into the seriousness has a nervous kind of laughter being pulled from the reader.  He has bended and moulded the Thriller genre and reshaped it into a bigger beast – Disaster Comedy if you like.  The reader was kept engaged with a hope of what was to come next, he did what and the shock of the dark and twisty nature of the read.  If the author ever held a masterclass for writing Thrillers I’d so be there. 

So back to this meteorite.  It’s fallen from the sky and the biggest minds in science in London want their hands on it for analysis.  Prior to its transportation Joel is on night-time guard duty in the museum.  Shits about to get fucked up.  Two assailants break into the museum to steal this big rock.  Due to either brains or shit for brains Joel decides to high-tail it and follow them.  They lead him to a remote cottage.  One of the assailants blows himself to the fucking moon.  Think feet still in boots but the rest of him missing type of blown up!  One vital mistake – they stole a grenade instead of the meteorite.  Okay granted it was the same size, but this is exactly what I’m talking about in regard to the risqué type of comedy the author injects. 

The world building is quite frankly claustrophobic.  From page one it sucks you in, it leaves you gasping.  The fallout from a meteorite falling from the sky and hitting a small village leaves long lasting implications.  If given the opportunity wouldn’t you want to try and sneak a bit of that pie?  €1 million and technically it doesn’t really belong to anyone, what makes the government think they have any rights to it?  Just take it, no-one will care in a week or two and you will gain more riches than your life has ever known.  It’s the eternal moral compass- money can turn anyone.  This book has it all – infidelity, risqué humour, flaws of morality and habitual action. 

I need to read more and more and more. Essentially the brilliance that is this author in his skill about masking the true story in this novel and that is about Joel losing his faith during traumatic events.  He knows he will lose everything if he confesses to his wife he was diagnosed sterile after his tour in Afghanistan.  He focuses on his guard duties of the meteorite.  He has no faith in god anymore the only faith he has is in his wife.  She is the bedrock.  What happens when his wife destroys that faith.  What then does Joel have left to believe in? 

I cannot recommend this book enough.  A clever, witty tale with black shadows at every turn.  Can the human condition ever be anything different are all we all destined to suffer from greed and loathing? 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tuomainen was an award-winning copywriter when he made his literary debut in 2007 as a suspense author. In 2011, Tuomainen’s third novel, The Healer, was awarded the Clue Award for ‘Best Finnish Crime Novel of 2011’ and was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award. Two years later, in 2013, the Finnish press crowned Tuomainen the ‘King of Helsinki Noir’ when Dark as My Heart was published. With a piercing and evocative style, Tuomainen was one of the first to challenge the Scandinavian crime genre formula, and his poignant, dark and hilarious The Man Who Died (2017) became an international bestseller, shortlisting for the Petrona and Last Laugh Awards. Palm Beach Finland (2018) was an immense success, with The Times calling Tuomainen ‘the funniest writer in Europe’. 

five stars - Blog Tour: Little Siberia By Antti Tuomainen