Book Review | Death Deserved by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger

Celebrity blogger Emma Ramm was the first person to discover that a famous former athlete has gone missing. Police officer Alexander Blix is appointed to head up the investigation but he still bears the emotional scars of a hostage situation. Together they join forces to race against time and stop a merciless killer with a thirst for attention.

Emma cast a glance at the house before opening her desktop publishing program again and starting to draft a new article. The headline was a single word: ‘Missing’.

Death Deserved is a brilliant start to a brand new Nordic noir series from the writing duo Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger. Set in Norway, it’s a perfect cocktail of creative murders, an appealing odd pairing and suspenseful storytelling. When I pick up a Nordic noir, I want to be entertained by the mystery but I also want to feel for the characters. This book delivers!

Alexander Blix is haunted by a hostage situation gone wrong nineteen years ago. He is divorced and his daughter is a contestant on a local reality show similar to Big Brother. He is cynical but professional. His relationship with his new work partner, Sofia Kovic, is one of the highlights of the book. Emma is a writer keen to venture outside of the celebrity circuit. She is the rare protagonist with a chronic illness. It was heartwarming seeing her come to terms with her situation. I liked the description of her daily life and how efficient she is. She meets Blix when she stumbles into a crime scene. I thought their relationship is gentle and paternal, which is a nice change from the usual pairings we get. I suspected their connection runs deeper than it seems and while I was proven right, it was still effective.

In terms of the mystery itself, I found the storyline compelling and full of tension. The murders are done in imaginative ways, through clues given in numbers. There are the usual red herrings, wrong suspects and police bureaucracy. The pacing is quick and I was dying to know who the killer is. The reveal is done well and while their motivation is familiar, there’s a darkness to the villain that is reminiscent of Norman Bates. There’s plenty of action sequences that kept me at the edge of my seat. I finished this book in two days. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series!

If you’re looking for a fast-paced thriller with great characters, you don’t want to miss Death Deserved. And don’t skip the acknowledgement section, it’s a riot!

CW: domestic violence, kidnapping

About the authors: Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger

Translated by Anne Bruce

Photo by Christin Hume