When a murder takes place in a village high school a teenager finds himself subject to trial by social media … and in the dock. A taut, moving and chilling thriller by one of Nordic Noir’s most exceptional writers.
THE AUTHOR Thomas Enger is a former journalist. He made his debut with the crime novel Burned in 2010, which became an international sensation before publication, and marked the first in the bestselling Henning Juul series. Rights to the series have been sold to 28 countries to date. In 2013 Enger published his first book for young adults, a dark fantasy thriller called The Evil Legacy, for which he won the U-prize (best book Young Adult). Killer Instinct, upon which Inborn is based, and another Young Adult suspense novel, was published in Norway in 2017 and won the same prestigious prize. Most recently, Thomas has cowritten a thriller with Jørn Lier Horst. Enger also composes music, and he lives in Oslo.
You can find Thomas on Twitter
And on Facebook, give his wee page a like for follow for author updates, click here
SALES & MARKETING NOTES • STANDALONE THRILLER … won all major awards in Norway • Bound proofs in November • YA crossover with relevant, emotive themes • Author will appear at multiple festivals and a two-week tour of the UK in Feb/March • Part of Creative Europe translation grant package ‘A gripping narrative that begs comparison to Stieg Larsson’ Bookpage • ‘One of the most unusual and intense writers in the field’ Independent • ‘An intriguing new voice in crime’ NJ Cooper • ‘Spine-chilling and utterly unputdownable. Thomas Enger has created a masterpiece of intrigue, fastpaced action and suspense that is destined to become Nordic Noir classic’ Yrsa Sigurðardóttir • ‘Satisfyingly tense and dark … a deep and complex book’ Sunday Times Crime Club
THE BOOK
When the high school in the small Norwegian village of Fredheim becomes a murder scene, the finger is soon pointed at seventeen-year-old Even. As the investigation closes in, social media is ablaze with accusations, rumours and even threats, and Even finds himself the subject of an online trial as well as being in the dock … for murder? Even pores over his memories of the months leading up to the crime, and it becomes clear that more than one villager was acting suspiciously … and secrets are simmering beneath the calm surface of this close-knit community. As events from the past play tag with the present, he’s forced to question everything he thought he knew. Was the death of his father in a car crash a decade earlier really accidental? Has his relationship stirred up something that someone is prepared to kill to protect? It seems that there may be no one that Even can trust. But can we trust him? A taut, moving and chilling thriller, Inborn examines the very nature of evil, and asks the questions: How well do we really know our families? How well do we know ourselves?
You can buy your own copy from the 21st on February from Amazon
For my stop on the tour I have my review of the book:
Inborn by Thomas EngerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Time taken to read - 1.5 days
Pages - 276
Publisher - Orenda Books
Source - Review copy
Blurb from Goodreads
When the high school in the small Norwegian village of Fredheim becomes a murder scene, the finger is soon pointed at seventeen-year-old Even. As the investigation closes in, social media is ablaze with accusations, rumours and even threats, and Even finds himself the subject of an online trial as well as being in the dock… for murder? Even pores over his memories of the months leading up to the crime, and it becomes clear that more than one villager was acting suspiciously… and secrets are simmering beneath the calm surface of this close-knit community. As events from the past play tag with the present, he's forced to question everything he thought he knew. Was the death of his father in a car crash a decade earlier really accidental? Has his relationship stirred up something that someone is prepared to kill to protect? It seems that there may be no one that Even can trust. But can we trust him? A taut, moving and chilling thriller, Inborn examines the very nature of evil, and asks the questions: How well do we really know our families? How well do we know ourselves?
My Review
We open at the night of the murder, the prologue and what kicks everything off, a brutal slaying. We then go to "NOW" Even is seventeen and this is his first time in court. The chapters alternate between "THEN" the night of the murder and what follows sequentially and "NOW" with Even in court. As we flip between the two timelines we see the story start to unfold, can we trust the narrator, can we trust anyone? Who has reason to kill and how can you find your killer when everyone is a suspect.
This is another translated book and again another I have really enjoyed, either the books I have read before just didn't work for me, I have grown as a reader or these are just really really good. Even is seventeen and the perfect suspect for the crime, of course he is when so many things point to him. He is tried by social media, suspected by those close to him and being seventeen his actions lead the reader to suspect him too. To be fair I suspected everyone and flip flopped back and forth on so many characters and didn't have a clue to be honest. A book that keeps you on your toes with many red herrings, I felt like the good auld days watching Murder She Wrote everyone was a suspect!
The chapters are pretty short which as you know by now I love as it allows me to dip in and out when working and only get a chance to read after work. It also hinders sleep as you are up half the night with the old chestnut "just one more chapter". This was my first dance with this author it won't be my last. Murder, police procedural, investigation, family, love, teen angst, relationships and whilst duo timelines don't always work it did in this tale. Before and after the events bringing us to an epic finale that will drop your wee jaw, even the readers who work out the motives/killers I think will be hard pushed to solve this bad boy! 4/5 for me this time, I will be checking out the other offerings by this author.
Thanks for the blog tour support Lainy x
ReplyDelete