Today I’m joining the blog tour for Stigma. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the tour and to Orenda Books for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

Incarcerated in a Norwegian high-security prison, a broken Alexander Blix joins forces with Emma Ramm to find a ruthless killer who has escaped from a German jail. Pulse-pounding Nordic Noir.

Alexander Blix is a broken man. Convicted for avenging his daughter’s death, he is now being held in one of Norway’s high-security prisons. Inside, the other prisoners take every opportunity to challenge and humiliate the former police investigator. On the outside, Blix’s former colleagues have begun the hunt for a terrifying killer. Walter Kroos has escaped from prison in Germany and is making his way north. The only lead established by the police is that Kroos has a friend in Blix’s prison ward. And now they need Blix’s help.

Journalist Emma Ramm is one of Blix’s few visitors, and she becomes his ally as he struggles to connect the link between past and present, between the world inside and outside the prison walls. And as he begins to piece things together, he identifies a woodland community in Norway where deeply scarred inhabitants foster deadly secrets… secrets that maybe the unravelling of everyone involved.

Review:

Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger: Stigma

I’ve loved this series so far and I was pleased to be back with Alexander Blix and Emma Ramm. Blix is in prison following the events of the previous book, and this definitely gives his character something new to contend with. I was interested to learn about his life in prison and make comparisons with the British prison system. His relationship with Emma Ramm is still brilliant and I love how, despite his incarceration, they still find a way to work together in what becomes a fascinating investigation.

I love the writing style of Jørn Lier Horst and Thomas Enger as it is so immersive and I immediately felt like I was back with Blix and Emma and involved in their investigation. I must also credit Megan Turney, the translator, for bringing their wonderful words to the page so well.

Stigma is set mostly in a small village in Norway, and this means that most of the residents know each other and there are lots of secrets both within and between each family. I loved trying to uncover the truth, especially as the chapters switch between different characters as well as past and present, which means that the readers sometimes know more than the characters.

There is so much tension as the novel reaches the ending and I loved all the twists and turns.

Stigma ends on a cliffhanger, but I do hope there is more to come from Blix and Emma Ramm.

Stigma is available from Amazon.

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