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vampymary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book frustrated me more than the last two, so I expected to give it quite a lower rating. However, the ending totally made up for that. Again, one of my main suspects turned out to be the culprit, but that is fine since there were a lot more suspects in my mind this time than last book. Lovely tense story.
leapais's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
mrtw00's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
sallypam's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
tamochibooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jessi_lou95's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Minor: Cursing
booksbybindu's review against another edition
5.0
‘Unhinged’ is a triumph. It's tautly written, plotted brilliantly and isn't afraid of pulling some punches. Writing of this standard doesn’t come along very often as it was sublimely composed and congratulations to the translator Megan Turney for this brilliant transition to English. I have still not recovered from devouring this brilliant addition to the Blix series, I am bereft. I am devastated and ravenous for more…there better be more coming!
Blix is giving a lecture about grief when his phone starts to vibrate in his pocket. He ignores it and carries on with his lecture. He sees missed calls from his colleague Kovic and also from his daughter. But in the moments between those calls and finishing the lecture Kovic has been murdered and Iselin who lives with her narrowly escapes with her life!
This is the third instalment in this series and normally I would say it can be picked up as a standalone but I think reading the previous two books would be beneficial. Yes, it certainly can be read and appreciated on it's own but I honestly think the whole series is worth the effort! You have two writers, Jorn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger, who are both at the top of their game and it shows! I love both their works but something magical happens when they come together. I can promise that this book is going to be in my top ten for 2022 as it's standard is way above most crime fiction.
As I said above this book pulls some punches and the reader is challenged from the get-go. We were only just getting to know Kovic and suddenly she has been executed and there aren't many leads to go on. Plus, Blix’s daughter narrowly escaped. What follows is a character-driven narrative that focuses on Blix and his thoughts, actions, despair and desperation come to the fore. What happens in this book will change his life forever and will haunt me for a long time. This was a dark tale with consequences for the main player's Blix and Emma the young reporter he has such a complex relationship with. I could wax lyrical about ‘Unhinged’ but it would lead to far too many spoilers and this deserves to be loved without knowing too much! However, if you have read then I'm certainly up for some chat about it.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book, it deserves all the praise it will undoubtedly receive. Simply stunning.
Blix is giving a lecture about grief when his phone starts to vibrate in his pocket. He ignores it and carries on with his lecture. He sees missed calls from his colleague Kovic and also from his daughter. But in the moments between those calls and finishing the lecture Kovic has been murdered and Iselin who lives with her narrowly escapes with her life!
This is the third instalment in this series and normally I would say it can be picked up as a standalone but I think reading the previous two books would be beneficial. Yes, it certainly can be read and appreciated on it's own but I honestly think the whole series is worth the effort! You have two writers, Jorn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger, who are both at the top of their game and it shows! I love both their works but something magical happens when they come together. I can promise that this book is going to be in my top ten for 2022 as it's standard is way above most crime fiction.
As I said above this book pulls some punches and the reader is challenged from the get-go. We were only just getting to know Kovic and suddenly she has been executed and there aren't many leads to go on. Plus, Blix’s daughter narrowly escaped. What follows is a character-driven narrative that focuses on Blix and his thoughts, actions, despair and desperation come to the fore. What happens in this book will change his life forever and will haunt me for a long time. This was a dark tale with consequences for the main player's Blix and Emma the young reporter he has such a complex relationship with. I could wax lyrical about ‘Unhinged’ but it would lead to far too many spoilers and this deserves to be loved without knowing too much! However, if you have read then I'm certainly up for some chat about it.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book, it deserves all the praise it will undoubtedly receive. Simply stunning.
kellyvandamme's review against another edition
5.0
After Death Deserved and Smoke Screen, Unhinged is the third book featuring police officer Alexander Blix and crime blogger Emma Ramm. I’ve been with this series from the start, it’s an absolute corker and this third instalment is the very best yet. If you’re new to the series, note that you can definitely read Unhinged as a standalone, but when you’ve finished it you’re gonna want to read the others too so you might as well start there, just saying.
Unhinged kicks off with an interrogation room scene: Blix is being interrogated at Kripos, the Norwegian National Crime Investigation Service, for shooting a suspect. Through this interrogation and Emma’s as well, and a number of flashback chapters, we are able to put the pieces of this puzzle together. However, there is a lot more going on than meets the eye and it’ll be up to Blix and Ramm to uncover what I consider to be a veritable evil.
Unhinged, to me, felt a lot darker than its predecessors. It raises the stakes for Blix considerably, by involving his daughter (with Blix channeling his inner Liam Neeson). And as a consequence, it raises the stakes for the reader as well: if we haven’t already been there, I’m sure we can all imagine what it must be like to have a loved one whose life is hanging by a thread, while we’re powerless and waiting for news, any news. For me, it made Unhinged the most emotional, but also the most powerful instalment in this series so far.
Unhinged is another tour de force from two Norwegian masters of crime. It never ceases to amaze me that you never know where Thomas Enger stops and Jørn Lier Horst begins, and vice versa. Kudos as well to Megan Turney for another fantastic translation that manages to keep the Norwegian vibe going, preserving the authors’ voices throughout, while presenting a story that could have been written originally in English.
I just have to take a minute here, if you’ll allow it, to talk about Thomas Enger’s music. I never listen to music while I read, it’s too distracting, but for some reason I thought I might enjoy some instrumental music while reading Unhinged. What better music to choose than the music created by one of the authors? Moods from Norway and Pure & Simple were the perfect audio companions to this story. These songs set the mood perfectly, simultaneously fragile and powerful, which means they fit the story and its main characters perfectly, and it made for the loveliest reading experience.
Unhinged is a brilliant book, it’s as easy as that. I said in my last review that this series is rapidly becoming my favourite Nordic Noir series to date, well kids, I think we’re there. Intelligent, intricate, but extremely readable, it gives you mystery galore, action, shooting scenes, police procedural, emotion, and the very best characters, while teeming with atmosphere. It draws you in and spits you back out after 300-something pages, feeling utterly bereft. (Fortunately, there’s the acknowledgements to ease your pain before you go.)
Unhinged kicks off with an interrogation room scene: Blix is being interrogated at Kripos, the Norwegian National Crime Investigation Service, for shooting a suspect. Through this interrogation and Emma’s as well, and a number of flashback chapters, we are able to put the pieces of this puzzle together. However, there is a lot more going on than meets the eye and it’ll be up to Blix and Ramm to uncover what I consider to be a veritable evil.
Unhinged, to me, felt a lot darker than its predecessors. It raises the stakes for Blix considerably, by involving his daughter (with Blix channeling his inner Liam Neeson). And as a consequence, it raises the stakes for the reader as well: if we haven’t already been there, I’m sure we can all imagine what it must be like to have a loved one whose life is hanging by a thread, while we’re powerless and waiting for news, any news. For me, it made Unhinged the most emotional, but also the most powerful instalment in this series so far.
Unhinged is another tour de force from two Norwegian masters of crime. It never ceases to amaze me that you never know where Thomas Enger stops and Jørn Lier Horst begins, and vice versa. Kudos as well to Megan Turney for another fantastic translation that manages to keep the Norwegian vibe going, preserving the authors’ voices throughout, while presenting a story that could have been written originally in English.
I just have to take a minute here, if you’ll allow it, to talk about Thomas Enger’s music. I never listen to music while I read, it’s too distracting, but for some reason I thought I might enjoy some instrumental music while reading Unhinged. What better music to choose than the music created by one of the authors? Moods from Norway and Pure & Simple were the perfect audio companions to this story. These songs set the mood perfectly, simultaneously fragile and powerful, which means they fit the story and its main characters perfectly, and it made for the loveliest reading experience.
Unhinged is a brilliant book, it’s as easy as that. I said in my last review that this series is rapidly becoming my favourite Nordic Noir series to date, well kids, I think we’re there. Intelligent, intricate, but extremely readable, it gives you mystery galore, action, shooting scenes, police procedural, emotion, and the very best characters, while teeming with atmosphere. It draws you in and spits you back out after 300-something pages, feeling utterly bereft. (Fortunately, there’s the acknowledgements to ease your pain before you go.)
iriswildeboer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75