Inborn is only the second book written by Thomas Enger that I have read but with each book I find that I am kicking myself for not getting to them sooner (hangs head in shame). Although initially written as a YA book it was expanded upon (rather brilliantly) to appeal to a wider market when it was translated, and I absolutely loved it. With the story opening with the murder of teenager a local celebrity Johannes Eklund at the school, it is not long before you find out that there was a second victim on the same day. It is the second victim that leads the police to the main character of the book, Even Tollefsen. It is through him that the narration of the story evolves, and you can really feel his desperation as all those around him start to doubt that he was not involved in some way. The lead detective, Chief Inspector Yngve Mork was also not without his own demons. A recent widower he was still struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife, he was determined to bring the killer to justice no matter who it was and often had to push aside his own grief to focus on the case. As his investigations continue secrets are unearthed that give the reader even more suspects. Throughout the book you experience the testimony of Even in the eventual trial for the murders and at no time are you sure if Even is giving evidence to try to exonerate himself or if in fact he is testifying against the actual perpetrator. The only way you are going to find that out is reading right to the end of the book as if there were any clues to point to the killer, I certainly didn’t spot them. What I love most is the empathy you can feel coming from the author for Even and his situation making him a character you can’t help but like. With the setting of the book in a small close-knit Norwegian town, you can sense the fear and distrust against the main suspect and his family especially when further deaths occur. With Inborn Thomas Enger has created a book that is a brilliant blend of drama, mystery and police procedural that will have you staying up late into the night to find out exactly what happened. This is definitely a book that you don’t want to miss out on.

Oh now this is what you call a book! I adored Thomas Enger's Henning Juul series and when they came to an end I couldn't believe it so I re-read then series and then I find out there is a stand alone book, I knew I had to read it and it was totally worth the wait! I couldn't put this book down once I had started I was up until 3am reading this just so I could find out what was going to happen. there is nothing better than when a classic small town murder mystery is mixed with a courtroom drama just brilliant and completely ORIGINAL! I don't want to spoil the book so I will leave it at WHO'S STORY WILL YOU BELIEVE? This is a MUST read and if you haven't had the pleasure of reading the Henning Juul series you really must!

I'm grateful to Orenda Books for a free copy of this book to review as part of its blogtour. A concert at Fretheim High School in Norway ends in tragedy and murder. A teenage boy is accused and hounded online. His family and their past are held up to scrutiny in court. What secrets will emerge, what certainties will be overturned - and how will they survive it all? I just loved this book by Thomas Enger, sitting up into the early hours to finish it off - I had to see what would happen: the book drips with surprises till the very end, not least in the way events are presented. This isn't a conventional police procedural, psychological thriller or Scandi-Noir, even if it borrows elements from all. For most of the story we see the main protagonist, Even Tollefsen, on the witness stand in court, defending his reputation. As the public prosecutor takes him through events following that shocking night, we read chapters of courtroom dialogue, then Even's recollection of the events described. Every detail of his life, of his family, of his friends is steadily, forensically, laid bare and we see Even wonder what the public assembled there are making of it, what his family - his mother, his brother - are making of it. There are also chapters following Chief Inspector Yngve Mork and his enquiry. Yngve's wife has recently died of cancer and he is beset by grief, haunted by grief, even as he goes through steps needed to solve the crime. I found the portrayal of Yngve's bereavement raw, shocking and so, so sad. We are accustomed to read crime novels - let's be honest, murder novel, they seldom feature stolen diamonds or dodgy property transactions - with a certain prurience, at a distance from the realities. When grieving relatives appear, we see them as witnesses or suspects, discounting their emotions and valuing them for the information they can provide. Well, it's a bit different here. Yes, this book still has murder at its heart and yes, there's the normal frisson around that, perhaps that's inevitable in this form of novel, but with Yngve, Enger reminds us that death is no game. Åse's death may have been natural, Yngve may, as he says, have had time to prepare, but the sense of loss Enger portrays is nevertheless bitter, crushing and all-consuming. And it leads the reader into all the other loss here, making the central crime more than just a puzzle to be solved. Even is also puzzled and grieving: one of the murder victims, Mari Lindgren, was his ex girlfriend, leading to speculation, online gossip and accusations (a counterpoint in this book to the courtroom narrative and investigation is the insidious tide of social media, really seen directly but both reflecting and shaping events). There are the parents of the victims. There is Susanne, Even's mother, who never seems to have recovered from the death of her husband, Even's father, in a car crash years before. The book - which is not a long read, at 273 pages - explores all of that loss, its idiosyncratic structure visibly laying bare all of the layers in Engers' tense courtroom narrative where each word has its weight, judgement is by the inhabitants of Fretheim, and everything - absolutely everything - will be revealed. The story is both moving and cathartic, revealing of a time and place where people should have spoken to each other, secrets should have been revealed, before things came to where they did. Dickson's translation serves the story well, keeping a slight - a very slight - air of foreignness, so that the reader is aware this a story about another society, another place while still rendering events with clarity and conveying the pacing of the story very well. I think writer and translator are well matched. Overall an intelligent, tense, touching and gripping story, holding interest throughout, and a genuinely different read.

Translated by Kari Dickson,.‘Inborn’ by Thomas Enger is published by Orenda Books and is out now in paperback,audiobook and ebook formats. This Y.A read is a cross between a court room drama and a small town expose in the light of a social media crossfire. Old secrets resurface and blame is cast on a not always reliable narrator as the village of Fredheim reels in the aftermath of 2 teens being murdered. The shocking opener, followed by contrasting narratives between Even, the priniciple narrator and Yngve Mork, the investigating officer provide neat parrallels to the events of that night. Normally with a whodunnit, you want to skip through the chapters, racing towards the end, however, in ‘Inborn’, you want to find out more about these characters and read more slowly, even though the fast paced, short chapters rattle you through the story. Yngve is struggling in the aftermath of his wife dying, his guilt is such a hard weight to bear, but he has to put his feelings aside as the villagers look to him to solve the most shocking event to occur in their midst. Their need to feel safe is superceded by the right for justice to be seen to be done so as soon as Even is named . by an unknown source, as the killer on social media, and Even responds, he is automatically in the firing line of families literally baying for blood. And even Even himself isn’t sure what has happened or why his girlfriend, Mari, was looking into the supposed accidental death of Even’s father.Are killers created , is it their destiny to become one and how society deals with this are all examined as Even is himelf-the reader is constantly on the edge of their seat waiting for the killer to be revealed, hoping it isn’t Even because of the insight you have into his mind, but at the same time, if it wasn’t him, then who was it? In ‘Inborn’, Thomas Enger has created an intelligent, suspense driven narrative that delves deep into the effect of careless words typed hastily in response to a horrific tragedy, presents unreliable characters and drives home a sharply defined thriller. Anyone who might disregard a book simply because of its Y.A classifiction does both themselves and the book a disservice. Because in my humble opinion, a great story told is purely that and people could try not to limit themselves by being reductive in this manner. It is an intelligent, well written book that I would have absolutely loved to have read as a teen! ‘Inborn’ is a magnifying glass to the behaviour of those in small towns or villages illuminated by the magnifying glass of social media wherein old values and new collide in the court of both law and public opinion. A truly first class read!

A powerful and unsettling book, this is a careful study of a young man’s experience around murder. This is not an American tale of a school shooting; rather it is a steady build up of suspicion and torment as much is investigated, many are suspicious, and everyone has a view as to the probable culprits. This book, set in contemporary Norway, is very much of its time as social media is a commentary throughout in the hands of young people and a lot of the essential contact between all the parties is attempted on mobile phones. An intense book, its taut language and tense plot makes for far more than a murder mystery; the atmospheric treatment of a story from several viewpoints makes for a mature multi-layered novel full of interest. I was interested to receive a copy of this novel to read and review for a blog tour. The book is essentially written in two times. Even Tollefsen is the young man at the centre of the story, and he relates the story of “Now” as he appears in court, possibly as the accused. Certainly he is asked to go through in great detail the events of the time labelled “Then”, which is the third person narration of various people’s discovery of the murder of two young people. The reader is presented with the story of Johannes Eklund as he is killed by an unknown assailant. It is only as Yngne Mork, the investigating officer moves around the school building when Johannes’ body is found, that another body is discovered. The small village of Fredheim becomes alive as the school at the centre of the village emerges as a murder scene and is cordoned off. Every character has a back story which appears in parallel to the proceedings of the court, but it is only as Even experiences the aftermath of the murders, slowly coming to terms with loss and the suspicions of the community, that he realises that his own family may have more than a straightforward traffic accident in its past. This complex novel keeps the action moving as it switches time and place, searching the experiences of several protagonists. It maintains an honesty about the relationships between young people, and how the many of the adults have a past. I found this novel well written and a complex tale, as far more than a murderer is sought by clearly imagined police officers. The motives of many emerge as the characters are described, and there is a much careful description which can tend to slow the pace a little, making this a careful rather than fast paced novel. It is an intriguing picture of a village which has similarities with villages anywhere, and the fact that it is set in Norway does not prevent recognising the way that news spreads and pressures on individuals are felt. Secrets, suspicions and the sense of loss dominate this novel, which swings between chilling tension and pictures of people who are struggling. It is atmospheric and challenging and is far from predictable. It is an immersive read.