Blog tour: Into Thin Air by Ørjan Karlsson, translated by Ian Giles
This post is part of a blog tour organised by Random Things Blog Tours. I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
‘When nineteen-year-old Iselin Hanssen disappears during a run in a popular hiking area in Bodø, Northern Norway, suspicion quickly falls on her boyfriend.
‘For investigator Jakob Weber, the case seems clear-cut, almost unexceptional, even though there is some suggestion that Iselin lived parts of her life beneath the radar of both family and friends.
‘But events take a dramatic turn when another woman disappears in similar circumstances – this time on the island of Røst, hundreds of miles off the Norwegian coast, in the wild ocean.
‘Rumours that a killer is on the loose begin to spread, terrifying the local population and leading to wild conspiracies. But then Jakob discovers that this isn’t the first time that young women have vanished without a trace in the region, and it becomes clear that someone is hiding something.
‘And another murderous spree may have just begun…’
In Into Thin Air, by Ørjan Karlsson – the first in a new series set in Norway – we meet Jakob Weber and his team as they investigate the disappearances of two young women, one in the coastal town of Bodø and the other on the island of Røst.
As well as getting to know the detectives, we get glimpses into the perspectives of three possible perpetrators: a serial killer who picks up unsuspecting hitchhikers in his campervan, an eccentric who has an eye on everything that happens on the island, and an estate agent with links to a dodgy “gentlemen’s club”. But where do they fit in?
Into Thin Air features all of the ingredients that draw me to Nordic noir. The first of these is a strong sense of place, which persists throughout this story. Not only do we learn about the unique physical attributes of its settings – particularly through first victim Iselin’s running route, as well as the second victim’s reason for visiting Røst – but about who’s important in the town, and likely to pop up again in future instalments.
That brings us to another important feature, which is memorable characters – something else this novel successfully brings to the table. Being the first in the series, there’s a lot of introducing for the author to do, but he does this in a gradual, natural way, so you don’t get overloaded with information.
New team member Noora Yun Sande, who has transferred to Bodø from Oslo following an abusive relationship, is an especially compelling character whose story has the potential to go in a number of directions (NB this book includes rape scenes, so prepare yourself accordingly/pass on it if you need to). I also enjoyed the entertaining interactions between the investigators, and was hooked by the suggestion that one of them might not be as wholesome as they seem.
Two other things I look for in Nordic noir (and crime fiction more generally) are a fast pace and being kept guessing right up to the end. Even though Karlsson goes into granular detail about various characters’ activities at times, I didn’t lose momentum taking it all in, and the frequent developments and changes of perspective kept the story moving along nicely.
As I progressed through the book and new information came to light, I was constantly reshaping my own theory of whodunit. Even though I had correctly guessed one creepy detail about the person who was eventually apprehended (in an edge-of-your-seat climatic showdown), the author did a great job of directing my suspicions elsewhere.
What’s more, even though some questions have been answered by the end, others remain unresolved, and this case may even come back to haunt the team. All the more reason to look forward to the next book, and beyond!
Into Thin Air is a fast-paced, compelling, and promising start to a new series.