Published by Orenda Books. Translated by Megan Turney.
Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are both internationally bestselling Norwegian authors. Horst first rose to literary fame with his no. 1 bestselling William Wisting series about a former Detective Chief Investigator in the Norwegian police. If you have not seen the series based on the books, you can stream it on multiple services. I've seen it and it is excellent!
Enger is the journalist-turned-author behind the Henning Juul series. 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 Horst and Enger’s first co-written thriller, and all five books in the series have hit number 1 on bestseller lists worldwide.
Reviewing serial mysteries, when I haven't read the other books, is very interesting because it adds an additional aspect to my review. In addition to how I feel about the book in general, it's also important to me how well the authors sustain continuing characters and ongoing plotlines without excluding the first-time reader. "Victim" is a great example of a book that can be read as a stand-alone, but is compelling enough to draw you into the entire series.
The book includes a brief recap that fills in the backgrounds of protagonists Alexander Blix and Emma Ramm. Two years ago, Blix was the lead officer in the investigation of the still-unsolved disappearance of Elisabeth Eie; her body was never found. However, when Blix’s daughter Iselin is murdered, he is arrested for avenging her death and ends up in jail. When "Victim" begins, Blix is a free man, but his career in law enforcement is over.
Emma Ramm, a former blogger and journalist, first teamed up with Blix in "Death Deserved", the series introduction. Since then, they have worked together on multiple cases and she was one of the few people who visited Blix in jail. Emma is currently at loose ends, until she gets an intriguing call from Carmen, a young girl whose stepfather has been arrested for murder. Carmen wants Emma to help prove his innocence, but it's not going to be easy: everything points to the man's guilt.
The book begins with a Prologue. A man is returning (as he has many times) to a place in the forest where he buried one of his victims some years ago. He digs until he reaches a woman's body, tucks a folded piece of paper into the plastic she's wrapped in, and re-buries her. "It was Tuesday morning. Now 4:15am. He smiled. It was going to be a good day." His anticipation and matter-of-fact attitude are chilling.
Meanwhile, Blix is on his way to see Krissander Dokken, his therapist. He notices (not for the first time) a man in a dark green waterproof jacket and black backpack. Blix is almost positive he's seen the man before. He wonders if the man has been following him, so he tries to chase him down, but the man ditches him in a subway station. It's a lost opportunity Blix will come to regret.
Blix goes on to his therapy session which he never looks forward to. He's tempted to turn around and go home, but something prompts him to ring the bell. During the visit, Dokken asks Blix, who was prison for eight months and has been out for two, if he feels free?
Dokken reminds Blix that the man he went to prison for killing, his daughter's murderer, was trying to kill Emma Ramm when Blix shot him. Nevertheless, Blix feels guilty because in truth, he killed for revenge, not to save Emma. This guilt is a constant in Blix's life and weighs heavily on him. He agrees with Dokken that he's not a bad man but believes without question that he was a bad policeman. It's apparent that Blix will have to overcome his self-doubt in order to deal with what's to come.
Blix confesses that he's been living an isolated life (his best friend is his dog Terry) and is estranged from his father, who is ill and in a nursing home. Dokken encourages Blix to visit him because "one day, it may be too late". Given his troubled upbringing with an abusive, mentally ill mother and distant father, Blix sees no reason to visit. The trauma of Blix's childhood will turn out to be a critical piece of the puzzle providing insight into the killer's motives and identity.
When Blix arrives home, he receives a disturbing phone call. A distorted voice tells Blix that they want to make a confession. They claim to have left evidence in Blix's post box, but Blix recycled it, thinking it was junk mail. The caller tells Blix ‘You shouldn’t just throw away what people send you, Blix,’ the man continued. ‘It’s rude.' It's a good thing Blix can retrieve it from the bin: it's a Polaroid picture of what is obviously the corpse of Elisabeth, who has now been missing for two-and-a-half years. Blix informs his former colleague, investigator Tine Abelvik, of the photo and turns it over to her.
Then a group of schoolchildren on a field trip find a body in the forest, soon confirmed to be Elisabeth. It turns out that when the killer dug her up, the object he put into the grave was a child's drawing. Blix is stunned when Abelvik informs him that his fingerprints have been found on the drawing, and cannot account for it. Now he's a suspect in the eyes of his former colleagues. Who drew the picture, how did Blix's fingerprints get there and why did the killer put it in the grave?
Another missing woman joins the story when Emma has her first in-person meeting with Carmen, who's convinced that her stepfather Oliver is innocent of the murder of Maria Normann. Normann was Oliver's childhood friend and worked with him in his hunting and fishing supply store, "Bull's Eye". When Oliver's store burned in a mysterious fire, Maria disappeared and has never been found. The police found Maria's blood at the scene and Oliver became a suspect. Glad of the chance to use her journalistic skills again, Emma agrees to help because Oliver’s case has piqued her curiosity.
The anonymous killer continues to toy with Blix, and Blix is confronted with the difficulty of investigating the case as a civilian. He senses the killer is coming ever closer. The man can apparently enter Blix's apartment whenever he wants and one night, leaves another child's drawing on his refrigerator. There are worse things to come. Blix alternates between despair, anger, and fear with only one bit of light: Tomine, Elisabeth's sister.
He called Tomine when Elisabeth's body was found and they've been spending time together. He's happy and calm when he's with her. Unexpectedly, Blix gets an important lead when Tomine recalls that she got an anonymous letter when Elisabeth disappeared. It said that Elisabeth was a bad mother and her young daughter Julie was better off without her (Julie is now in foster care). Blix presses her for more details, and Tomine remembers that the letter also contained a quotation:
Lincoln wrote those words in loving memory of his own mother...but the quote takes on a much more sinister tone in light of the murders. Blix's own mother tormented him; could it be that this is the link between him and the killer, and will it lead to his identity? Blix knows he has to find the man quickly; everyone he's been in contact with seems to be in danger; even his estranged father. How can he possibly protect those he loves when the killer is proving to be so elusive, and he himself is a suspect?
The hunt takes on a more urgent tone when another body is found, and the events surrounding Blix grow ever more threatening. He's frantic to find out what these women have in common, why the killer targeted them, and why he is so determined for Blix to be involved. To solve the case, Blix must re-visit memories he's been eager to forget.
Blix and Emma make a great team. Although they're each looking into different crimes, it's interesting to compare their investigative techniques. It will take all of their respective skills and experiences to put the whole story together. Whether these two can do it quickly enough to stop more women from disappearing is uncertain.
Horst and Enger have written a taut, exciting book which inexorably builds to a perilous confrontation. "Victim" is as much a psychological thriller as a murder mystery, which when done as well as it is here are a great combination.
There are four other books in the series and if this book is any indication, they will all be rewarding reads for the mystery fan.
As always, please buy/order this and other books by Horst & Enger at your local independent bookstore or go to Bookshop.org and order there!
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