Unhinged (Blix and Ramm Book Three) by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger

Unhinged (Blix and Ramm Book Three) by Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger.

Translated by Megan Turney.

Published 17th February 2022 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

When police investigator Sofia Kovic uncovers a startling connection between several Oslo murder cases, she attempts to contact her closest superior, Alexander Blix before involving anyone else in the department. But before Blix has time to return her call, Kovic is shot and killed in her own home – execution style. And in the apartment below, Blix’s daughter Iselin narrowly escapes becoming the killer’s next victim.

Four days later, Blix and online crime journalist Emma Ramm are locked inside an interrogation room, facing the National Criminal Investigation Service. Blix has shot and killed a man, and Ramm saw it all happen.

As Iselin’s life hangs in the balance, under-fire Blix no longer knows who he can trust … and he’s not even certain that he’s killed the right man…

Two of Nordic Noir’s most brilliant writers return with the explosive, staggeringly accomplished, emotive third instalment in the international, bestselling Blix & Ramm series … and it will take your breath away.

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Police investigator Sofia Kovic is looking into a case of a hit and run, and she discovers a disturbing connection between this crime and several Oslo murder cases, but what she has uncovered goes with her to the grave when she is shot and killed during a break-in at her apartment. Kovic tried to contact her superior, Alexander Blix in the hours before her death, but at first, he is preoccupied with the fate of his daughter Iselin, who was Kovic's roommate and also targeted by the gunman - luckily Iselin managed to escape from the apartment.

Blix and his sometime crime journalist partner Emma Ramm, who was friends with both Kovic and Iselin, then begin to look into the circumstances of the break-in and Kovic's execution style murder, but are at a loss to see how and why she was killed. Then Iselin is abducted...

Four days later, Blix and Ramm are being interrogated by the police. Blix has shot and killed the man who abducted his daughter, and Iselin's life hangs in the balance as a result of the injuries she received during her ordeal. Ramm is the only witness. Blix no longer knows who he can trust, and he's not even sure he has killed the right man...

Welcome to book three in the cracking Nordic crime series translated beautifully from the Norwegian by Megan Turney, that has police investigator Alexander Blix and on-line journalist Emma Ramm partnering up once more to solve a twisty mystery. This time fate brings the murderous mayhem right to both of their doorsteps when Sofia Kovic is brutally murdered and Iselin becomes a target for some particularly unpleasant baddies.

The first half of the book plays out in two timelines from the perspectives of Blix and Ramm, as the story splits between the course of their investigation after the death of Kovic, and their separate interrogations by the police following the traumatic climax of Iselin's kidnapping. We gradually learn what they have discovered up to this point, but rather than shining any real light on why Kovic died and Iselin was taken, the picture becomes very murky indeed. Who was the man that Blix shot and killed, and was he the one responsible for Kovic's death?

The second half of the book is where we get into the nitty-gritty of the hows, whys and wherefores, and there are twists and turns galore, with perfectly timed revelations that keep you firmly on your toes. This part of the story finds Blix reeling from the events that have unfolded since Kovic's death, and the impact of the suspicion that paints him as complicit in her murder, which breaks the rhythm of the usual Blix-Ramm crime solving machine. They become isolated from each other by the trauma they have experienced, ramping up the suspense as each one discovers different pieces of the puzzle that we are able to put together as onlookers to bring shocking clarity to exactly to what is going on in this story.

As the Blix and Ramm novels go, this one is rather unusual for a number of reasons, all of which combine to make this a fresh take on the series. The way the story is split into two distinct parts is intriguing, initially taking you back and forth with two time lines that then collide with an event that hits you like a physical blow, and then leaving you with a mess of clues, red herrings and nicely contrived threads to be unpicked in the second half. I really enjoyed how this makes the feel of the book unlike what has come before. But that's not all, because for the first time, the case they are working on is intimately connected to both of them in a way that makes this the most heart-breaking of the three books so far. What happens shatters their normal working relationship, forcing a disconnect between their two sides of the story, putting you, as the reader, in the delicious position of being able to see the whole truth before they do, which I found really entertaining. 

All round, this is an absolute stonker of a pacy thriller, and my favourite of the series to date, which is saying a lot, and I highly recommend them if you are partial to Nordic crime stories - make sure you read them all, and in the right order, for the full-on literary experience. Incidentally, if you are already a fan of the Blix and Ramm books, then you will know that Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger love a cliffhanger, and they have absolutely out-done themselves with the ending of this instalment. I cannot wait to see how the story plays out from here onwards, because, trust me, it's a jaw-dropping one!

Unhinged is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats from your favourite book retailer.

Thank you to Orenda Books for sending me an ecopy of this book in return for an honest review and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the authors:

Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger are the internationally bestselling Norwegian authors of the
William Wisting and Henning Juul series respectively.

Jørn Lier Horst first rose to literary fame with his No. 1 internationally bestselling William Wisting series. A former investigator in the Norwegian police, Horst imbues all his works with an unparalleled realism and suspense.

Thomas Enger is the journalist-turned-author behind the internationally acclaimed and bestselling Henning Juul series. Enger’s trademark has become a darkly gritty voice paired with key social messages and tight plotting. Besides writing fiction for both adults and young adults, Enger also works as a music composer.


Death Deserved was Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger’s first co-written thriller, and this is the third book in the Blix and Ramm series.