A dark Norwegian thriller (the fifth in a series…)

23rd February 2018

Killed by Thomas Enger (translated by Kari Dickson) – a dark Norwegian thriller.

Killed is the fifth and final book in Thomas Enger’s Henning Juul series – Scandinavian Noir at its best. Each book in the series is standalone (I have only read the last two – Killed and Cursed…) but there is a common theme running through all five.

Henning Juul and Nora Klemetsen (both  journalists) used to be married. Nora now lives with Ivor Gundersen, and is about to have his baby. Ivor is also an journalist and a close friend of Henning’s. They collaborate on many an investigation. Henning and Nora had a son, Jonas, who was killed in a deliberately set fire in Henning’s flat in Oslo. The fire was deliberate in the sense that it was set to scare Henning off a story – though the death of Jonas was ‘collateral damage’. The five books cover the tracking down of the person ultimately responsible for the crime. Each book, though, has a subplot in the murky underworld of Oslo. We come across some very unsavoury characters…Henning’s life – and the lives of those close to him – are under constant threat. In Killed the main threat is from Durum Redzepi, an Albanian enforcer and hit man. We know he reports to ‘Daddy Longlegs’ – but who is the ultimate boss – and what does he know about the fire that killed Jonas?

The pace of the book is fast and furious. Dead and mutilated bodies abound,,, And Henning gets ever closer to his aim of unmasking the man behind Jonas’ death. As an investigative journalist he has a good relationship with police, and works alongside them.

Killed also scores in TripFiction location terms. Oslo is well described as are the actual towns of Brandbu and Tønsberg, and the Norwegian countryside – from dark forest to deserted lake.

Killed is a very exciting read. Highly recommended.

Tony for the TripFiction team

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