Unhinged is the ideal tile for the new novel in the Blix and Ramm Nordic noir series. Straight away I was thrust into the tense, action packed plot. As a result I felt quite unhinged myself as I read it. I couldn’t put it down as the dark, emotionally charged story consumed me.
Unhinged is a much darker novel from its prequels Death Deserved and Smoke Screen. It is also shocking and emotionally charged, ultimately enhancing the tension throughout. Set in Oslo and just like its prequels it is Nordic noir at its best. It will make a gripping television series.
I was completely hooked from beginning to end.
As I am a massive fan of the Blix and Ramm books, I urge you to read Death Deserved and Smoke Screen. But don’t worry if you don’t get the chance to read them before reading Unhinged as the third novel in this brilliant crime series definitely works as a stand alone novel. However I strongly believe that once you have read it, you will be grabbing copies of the prequels straight away!
Unhinged sees the return of workaholic police detective Alexander Blix and journalist Emma Ramm who share a unique emotional connection (you need to read Death Deserved to discover more about this very poignant connection). In the previous novels they are a crime busting duo but Unhinged begins with a twist – they are both being interrogated by Blix’s colleagues. Why? Because Blix has shot and killed a man. Emma was there to see it all and knows more than what she’s willing to tell the police.
As the plot twists and turns we soon discover that Blix’s well respected colleague and mentee Sofia Kovic was shot and killed in her own home 32 hours earlier. The murder was premeditated as she was murdered execution style. Blix is determined to find her killer, especially as his own daughter Iselin was Kovic’s flatmate and also brutally attacked, only narrowly escaping death.
Blix will do anything to stop Iselin becoming the executioner’s next victim.
As a reader I adore character driven plots. Both protagonists are flawed and possess a vulnerability that gives them real depth. But in this novel Blix’s vulnerability is stripped to the core and so raw. Unhinged is definitely Blix’s story, a poignant story that broke my heart. It is also a story that ended on an almighty cliff hanger and has left me literally gasping for more.
As I read the Blix and Ramm books I am continually surprised that they are jointly written by two novelists, Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger. Just as in the prequels, Unhinged‘s writing flowed seamlessly. If I hadn’t known already, I would not have had any idea that the book has been written by two different authors. I just hope and prey Unhinged is not the last in this gripping crime series.
Thank you to Anne Cater for inviting me to take part in the blog tour to help publicise the UK publication of Unhinged, which is released in paperback on 17 February 2022.
To follow the blog tour, please see below.
Thanks for the blog tour support xx