A co-authored thriller set in OSLO

19th March 2025

Victim by Jørn Lier HORST and Thomas ENGER, a co-authored thriller set in OSLO

TR: Megan TURNEY

Victim by Jørn Lier HORST and Thomas ENGER is the fifth in a series of books featuring Alexander Blix and Emma Ramm. Blix and Ramm have already been through a host of life and death adventures by the time this book starts. In Victim, Blix is no longer a police investigator and under something of a shadow as far as his former colleagues are concerned. For her part, Ramm has also quit her career as a journalist. At least it was her own choice. The book follows on from a case where Blix investigated the disappearance of a missing person, Elisabeth Eie, who was never found.

This book is a sequel but it works well as a standalone novel too. I hadn’t read any of the previous books in the series and had no trouble following the story, as there are plenty of cleverly constructed explanations along the way. The translation by Megan Turney was seamless and means a non-Norwegian speaker like me can access this book – thank you!

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Blix is trying to sort out a new way of life for himself and his dog, Terry. If the new routine includes someone who is a potential love-interest, then Blix isn’t averse to that either. His intention is to live quietly for a while and recover from his previous stressful circumstances. Fate has other ideas, however, as he realises when anonymous messages arrive and they seem to be from a serial killer.

Ramm is also busy. When a teenage girl contacts her, hoping to clear her stepfather’s name, Ramm’s compassionate nature overrides her more rational side and she agrees to investigate.

Blix and Ramm are both absorbed in their individual investigations but turn to each other for support when things get tricky, as they have in the past. Things begin to get extremely tricky for Blix, when he finds that his involvement is actually implicating him in the case he is trying to solve.

The setting is Oslo and its surrounding countryside, and while the authors describe the locales clearly, I would not say this book is overly strong on location. The two plot lines are well structured, with plenty of interest to keep the reader involved, and the resolution of each is well handled. I very much recommend it – and I imagine the other books in the series would be well worth a look too.

Val for the TripFiction Team

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