Death Deserved By Thomas Enger and Jorn Lier Horst

‘Death Deserved’ is the latest book by writing duo Thomas Enger and Jorn Lier Horst

Oslo, 2018. Former long-distance runner Sonja Nordstrøm never shows at the launch of her controversial autobiography, Always Number One. When celebrity blogger Emma Ramm visits Nordstrøm’s home later that day, she finds the door unlocked and signs of a struggle inside. A bib with the number ‘one’ has been pinned to the TV. Police officer Alexander Blix is appointed to head up the missing-persons investigation, but he still bears the emotional scars of a hostage situation nineteen years earlier, when he killed the father of a five-year-old girl. Traces of Nordstrøm soon show up at different locations, but the appearance of the clues appear to be carefully calculated … evidence of a bigger picture that he’s just not seeing. Blix and Ramm soon join forces, determined to find and stop a merciless killer with a flare for the dramatic, and thirst for attention. Trouble is, he’s just got his first taste of it…

Death Deserved is the first book in a new crime series by Thomas Enger and Jorn Lier Horst and it’s an absolute cracker introduction to the Alexander Blitz novels.

In a world where being a celebrity is the desired career, a serial killer is killing celebrities and the only connection between them all is numbers. Detective Blitz is the detective in charge of the case, but with every moment that passes, another life is claimed and the public and press are going mad as their favourite television and radio presenters being killed one by one. Aspiring crime journalist Emma is dedicating her time to this case and is determined to be one step ahead of all the other newspapers, even if it means putting her own life in danger.

The story is written from the perspective of Blitz and Emma as well as the celebrities that are being targeted. The different insights in the story, give an interesting slant in the terms of police procedure, from the crime scenes, the news conferences as well the world of journalism and reality stars.

I really liked the two main characters in this story. Blitz is a fascinating character with a past that has clearly damaged him, which is clear from the opening scene in the book. He’s smart, articulate and is quick to piece things together. Himself and Emma make an unlikely duo as the pair of them team together to work out who is the next victim.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the chapters are short and snappy and the writing is fast paced with many twists that really hold the reader’s attention. I always find it fascinating when two writers write a book together but this book flowed seamlessly, weaved with drama and suspense throughout.

This is the first book that I’ve read by both authors and thought it was a fantastic introduction to a new series and one I’ll certainly look forward to reading more off. Atmospheric from the first page, this Nordic crime novel is cleverly written with many surprises along the way. At the start, it’s initially a bit slow but quickly gathers momentum that made the thriller impossible to put down.

A slick and fast paced thriller that is perfect for Jo Nesbo fans, ‘Death Deserved’ is a cunning and disturbing story about the price of fame and obsession.

You can pre-order ‘Death Deserved’ from Amazon and will be avaialble to buy from good bookshops from 20th February.