Emma Ramm is a blogger covering celebrity news who stumbles onto what could be the story that makes her career!
Sonja Nordstrøm has made enemies in her years as a celebrity sports personality, and her new book is guaranteed to make tongues wag. But when she misses the launch of her autobiography, it's more than a little out of character.
Emma is the first to realize that something isn't right.
Alexander Blix is one of the officers assigned to the case and he immediately recognizes Emma. Which is why he keeps her informed, even to his own detriment, throughout the investigation. And when the body of another sports star is found with a clear connection to the Nordstrøm case, it becomes clear that the killer has an agenda beyond anything they could have imagined!
Emma is tired of covering celebrities and gossip. So stumbling on a real story is a bit of good luck. Even more so, stumbling upon a case that Alexander Blix is assigned! Though Emma doesn't know how fortunate that is or why until the story is well under way.
Blix is a good cop but one suffering from the aftermath of a case almost two decades in his past. So when he meets Emma at the crime scene, he sees something of a way forward from the cloud that's hung over him for so long.
There's limited interaction between Blix and Ramm for much of the book, which each of them conducting their own investigation and occasionally meeting together to share info, but it is immediately clear to the reader just how much they complement one another!
Of course Blix is most definitely not supposed to be working with a reporter! The flip side to that is that Ramm is able to use her new connection to forge a new path at work, much to the disappointment of the actual crime beat reporter!
I want to point out first that the plotting in this book is excellent! I had not guessed the true motive of the killer nor had I guessed who the killer was before it was revealed.
Second, the authors work together seamlessly! The book was so easy to get pulled into and I never felt like I was reading two different writers' works.
Finally, shout out to the translator, Anne Bruce! Death Deserved is yet another of my Nordic Noir/Scandi Crime obsession of late, and the translation is incredibly smooth. I read a fair amount of translated work and I can only imagine the effort that goes into them but I do know that the translator does more than just translate the words. They have to keep the authors' style and voice in mind while also translating slang and figures of speech and such.
This book had been at the top of my must have list as soon as I started seeing reviews floating around online. It released first in the UK and hit shelves in the US last September. Not only is it the first in a new series, but it was my introduction to both of these authors (who do both have extensive backlists to read through while waiting for more books in this particular series!).
I loved this series opener and cannot wait to read more in the series. Thus far there are three installments. Book two is being released in the UK later this month.
Order a copy from your favorite indie via Bookshop!
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