An excellent debut novel from the Norweigan author Thomas Enger. From the very first page you are hooked, The novel delves into the main character's resilience on overcoming the loss of his beloved son, whilst also coming to terms with the emotional and physical trauma's of an incident two years earlier. Henning Juuls is an investigative journalist who is trying to rebuild his life, and returns to work on a day when a horrific murder has just taken place. He uses his wit and resources to uncover and unravel an unusual murder, and soon discovers that everything isn't quite as it seems. Although it is set in Norway, the descriptions and narrative are easy to read and the main characters are compelling and believable. If you love murder mysteries with a twist you will really enjoy reading this book. I look forward to reading his sequel!

'Burned' by Thomas Enger. The debut novel and the first in a crime series from this Norwegian author. The hero, Henning Juul, is a reporter returning to work after convalescence following a fire at his flat. His son, Jonas, was killed and Henning has facial burn scars. His preoccupation is panic control by ensuring that his flat fire alarms have new batteries every day. Due to return in a quiet way, he rapidly becomes embroiled in a murder. He meets his ex-wife at the police news conference and then realises that her new man is the reporter that he has to report to and work with in this case. Obviously, there will be comparisons between Enger's work and the 'Dragon Tattoo' trilogy of Stig Larsson - both have heroes who are reporters and both authors are Scandanavian. Fortunately for us readers, there is room for both in the modern crime arena. I found this book easy to get into and difficult to put down, more so towards the end when the plot speeds up. Will Henning be the only person who thinks that the killer is not the boyfriend, Mahmood Marhoni? What problems has he aroused for himself by being present when Mahmood's brother is shot? Overall, a highly recommended read.

Henning Juul returns to his job as an online reporter at 123news in Oslo, bearing the still-raw scars, both mental and physical, resulting from the tragic death of his young son. While his physical scars are clear for all to see, his emotional wounds go far deeper. From the nightmares to his obsessive compulsive behaviour towards smoke alarms and fire extinguishers, Henning's life revolves around his feelings of both guilt and grief. His hopes of easing back into his work gently are crushed almost as soon as he enters the building. A young woman has been found murdered; her body battered and mutilated, suggesting, perhaps, some form of honour killing. While the police target the victim's boyfriend, a Muslim whose beliefs raise the issue of sharia law, as their prime suspect, Henning visits the college where the victim was a student. His investigations suggest that the murderer was following a predetermined path, but the reasons for this are not obvious. As he struggles to find the real clues among the red herrings, Henning is gradually drawn towards the darker, underground forces of Norwegian crime. This is a modern day story in contemporary settings. By chance I finished reading it the day before I visited Norway on holiday, bringing home the sense of setting and culture.

This book is not the sort of thing I would normally read so I was a bit sceptical if I would enjoy it. But its a great read and once you start you have difficulty putting down especially as the plot progresses and clues to solve the crime are discovered. The author describes the characters well enabling you to empathise with the hero, Henning Juuls. The plot had a good twist to it which prevents you being able to predict the end and keeps you hooked to the end. I will definitely be reading more crime novels from now on!

Burned is the debut novel by Norwegian crime writer Thomas Enger. The protagonist is veteran crime reporter Henning Juul. Juul has just returned to work as a journalist after a long absence due to a family tragedy. On his first day back he is given the task of investigating the gruesome murder of a college student whose body has been found in a tent on Ekebergsletta. The police are quick to find a suspect but Juul’s experiences as a crime reporter tell him that this case is more complex than it first appears and the investigation will need to delve deeper into Oslo’s murky criminal underworld. I don’t usually read crime novels but I will definitely be continuing with this series by Thomas Enger. The novel details not only the police investigation of the crime but also the investigation carried out by the press and 24 hour news coverage. Seeing the events from these two viewpoints make for a very interesting and enthralling read and I look forward to the release of the next instalment.