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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
gitruz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.75
alexsbooksandsocks's review against another edition
Dat deze heren weten hoe ze thrillers moeten schrijven bewijzen ze met Slagzij nogmaals. Maar deze keer doen ze het iets anders dan gewoonlijk. Geen paniek, de schrijfstijl is zoals bij voorgaande boeken nog steeds even vlot en snel. Ook met deel drie staat het boek strak van de spanning.
Deze keer ligt de focus meer op Blix en Ramm en dan eigenlijk specifiek Blix. Je start het boek met een verhoor van Blix om dan afwisselend tussen de verhoren naar de voorafgaande uren terug te keren en zo te ontdekken wat er nu precies gebeurd is. Dit zorgt ervoor dat de spanning te snijden is en je niet snel genoeg kan lezen.
Wat ik nu zo leuk vind aan dit boek is niet zozeer de dader - dat concept is niet zo nieuw - maar vooral hoe de auteurs Blix zoveel meer diepgang geven. Ook van Emma krijg je weer een extra kant te zien. Het verhaal dat ze met Slagzij geschreven hebben is gewoon ongelooflijk sterk. Net zoals de vorige boeken. Deze auteurs know how to deliver!!
Wat een schrijversduo is dit toch. Deel drie in de Blix & Ramm serie en wat een pageturner. Even wat anders en toch zo herkenbaar een schrijven van dit duo. Duizend keer ja voor deze must-read.
frombethanysbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
"People don't realise that, for you, the pain is just as f**king excruciating as it was that first day - all day, every single day."
Alexander Blix is the Detective Inspector for Oslo Police District, and he's good at what he does. He doesn't make mistakes. But when he misses a call from Officer Sofia Kovac, who thinks she might have made a disturbing connection between several open murder cases, it might be one the biggest mistakes he ever makes. Because before he can call her back, she's dead. Shot in the back of the head. And upstairs, her housemate, Blix's own daughter, Iselin, barely made it out alive.
But as Iselin fights to shake the terror, Alexander is being interrogated for the murder of the person who hurt his daughter along with crime journalist Emma Ramm who saw the whole thing unfold. It's only been four days since that bloody night, but he's already starting to wonder if he killed the right person. And if he didn't, they could still be out there. Trusting anyone could prove fatal now.
The third instalment in the best-selling Blix and Ramm series might be my first introduction to the powerhouse duo that is Horst and Enger, but it definitely won't be my last. Much like I did, this can definitely be read as a standalone on it's own merit but of course I'd recommend reading the others just for the world-building before you get started.
This Nordic Noir is an explosive, mind-bending mystery that jumps right into the fire and doesn't stop. Alexander and Emma, much like the reader, have no idea just how dark their lives are about to get - each page seems to pack a new punch and red herrings seem to be jumping about everywhere. Even with all the violence and chaos, there's a subtle disquiet, an uncomfortable chill that seems to linger in the background, making the reader unsure who to trust, and blurs the lines between right and wrong that makes it impossible to guess what's coming next.
Each character has a distinct and strong voice, but the overall writing is so cohesive and seamless that it's almost impossible to tell which author wrote any part. The translation, by Megan Turney is flawless, the subtle nuance of the writing still comes across so well.
Unhinged is a triumphant, visceral novel about anger, grief and pain and the darkness that could be anywhere. Emotive and engrossing, it's easy to see why so many people are following the terrifying tales of Blix and Ramm.
Alexander Blix is the Detective Inspector for Oslo Police District, and he's good at what he does. He doesn't make mistakes. But when he misses a call from Officer Sofia Kovac, who thinks she might have made a disturbing connection between several open murder cases, it might be one the biggest mistakes he ever makes. Because before he can call her back, she's dead. Shot in the back of the head. And upstairs, her housemate, Blix's own daughter, Iselin, barely made it out alive.
But as Iselin fights to shake the terror, Alexander is being interrogated for the murder of the person who hurt his daughter along with crime journalist Emma Ramm who saw the whole thing unfold. It's only been four days since that bloody night, but he's already starting to wonder if he killed the right person. And if he didn't, they could still be out there. Trusting anyone could prove fatal now.
The third instalment in the best-selling Blix and Ramm series might be my first introduction to the powerhouse duo that is Horst and Enger, but it definitely won't be my last. Much like I did, this can definitely be read as a standalone on it's own merit but of course I'd recommend reading the others just for the world-building before you get started.
This Nordic Noir is an explosive, mind-bending mystery that jumps right into the fire and doesn't stop. Alexander and Emma, much like the reader, have no idea just how dark their lives are about to get - each page seems to pack a new punch and red herrings seem to be jumping about everywhere. Even with all the violence and chaos, there's a subtle disquiet, an uncomfortable chill that seems to linger in the background, making the reader unsure who to trust, and blurs the lines between right and wrong that makes it impossible to guess what's coming next.
Each character has a distinct and strong voice, but the overall writing is so cohesive and seamless that it's almost impossible to tell which author wrote any part. The translation, by Megan Turney is flawless, the subtle nuance of the writing still comes across so well.
Unhinged is a triumphant, visceral novel about anger, grief and pain and the darkness that could be anywhere. Emotive and engrossing, it's easy to see why so many people are following the terrifying tales of Blix and Ramm.
barbs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
5.0