Blog tour: Victim by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger, translated by Megan Turney

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.

‘Two years ago, Alexander Blix was the lead investigator in a missing person’s case where a young mother, Elisabeth Eie, was kidnapped. The case was never solved.

‘Blix’s career in law enforcement is now over, but Elisabeth’s kidnapper is back, leaving evidence of her murder in Blix’s mailbox, as well as hints that there are other victims.

‘At the same time, Emma Ramm has been contacted by a teenage girl whose stepfather has been arrested on suspicion of killing a childhood friend. But there is no body. Nor are there any other suspects…

‘Blix and Ramm can rely only on each other, and when Blix’s fingerprints are found on a child’s drawing at a crime scene, the present comes uncomfortably close to the past.

‘A past where a victim has found their own, shocking form of therapy.

‘And someone is watching…’

Victim, by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger, picks up shortly after the events of Stigma. Alexander Blix is back home, having had his conviction quashed, but there’s no chance of him returning to his career as a police detective.

One criminal doesn’t seem to have received this memo, however. The perpetrator of the kidnapping of Elisabeth Eie – an unsolved case from a couple of years previously – is sending Blix clues, as well as letters and artefacts that suggest an unsettling familiarity with the former detective’s life and routines. Can Blix figure out who they are, and their motivations, before it’s too late?

Emma Ramm, meanwhile, is looking into the death of Maria Normann. The police are convinced Maria was murdered by her married boss, with whom she was having an affair, but the man’s teenage stepdaughter is sure he’s innocent. What exactly happened that day at the hunting and fishing shop by Lake Gjersjørn?

When there’s a new Blix and Ramm book coming out, I know I’m in for a solid, addictive crime novel with strong emotional and relational elements, and Victim more than fulfilled my expectations. It was a quick read for me, thanks to a persistent case of “just one more chapter”!

The main storyline was delightfully sinister, with Blix having the sense that someone was watching him and going into his home while he was out, on top of the creepy notes and children’s pictures he received.

I was on tenterhooks waiting to find out not only the perpetrator’s identity, but who Blix was to them – and desperately hoping that Blix’s characterful new terrier, Terry, wouldn’t become a victim. Events build up to a heart-thumping climax where more lives are in danger.

The connection between Blix and the murderer allows us to learn some things about Blix’s early life with his parents. This was very welcome, because a) it’s fascinating, but also shocking and sad; b) I still haven’t read the first two books in the series (though I do have them on Kindle!); and c) Blix isn’t one to reveal much about his past, even to Ramm, whom he’s known since she was a child.

I additionally appreciated the references to EMDR (even if the details/process of it are only portrayed hazily), and the hopeful blossom of romance between Blix and another character.

Ramm’s case is just as emotionally charged, as she teases out the relationships between an egotistical mother, a loving stepfather (the accused), a troubled teen, a former addict (the victim), and the victim’s friends and family, with a surprising conclusion.

Without revealing too much, both Blix and Ramm’s investigations share themes of family relationships – particularly between mothers and children – giving way to ideas about nature and nurture, which is all very interesting to me. I can’t wait to see what they do next (and really must get round to reading the first two books in the series!).

Victim is compelling, intriguing, and tense.