Smoke Screen by Thomas Enger & Jørn Lier Horst | @OrendaBooks

Author : Thomas Enger & Jørn Lier Horst
Title : Smoke Screen
Series : Blix and Ramm #2
Pages : 308
Publisher : Orenda Books
Publication date : December 18, 2020 (ebook)

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

Oslo, New Year s Eve. The annual firework celebration is rocked by an explosion, and the city is put on terrorist alert.

Police officer Alexander Blix and blogger Emma Ramm are on the scene, and when a severely injured survivor is pulled from the icy harbour, she is identified as the mother of two-year-old Patricia Smeplass, who was kidnapped on her way home from kindergarten ten years earlier and never found.

Blix and Ramm join forces to investigate the unsolved case, as public interest heightens, the terror threat is raised, and it becomes clear that Patricia’s disappearance is not all that it seems.

| MY THOUGHTS |

Smoke Screen is book two in the Blix & Ramm series, which is a collaboration between two of Norway’s most popular crime fiction writers. In my review of book one, Death Deserved, I called Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst a dream team of crime writers and a force to be reckoned with. Bold statement but after reading Smoke Screen, my belief in those words has only been cemented even more firmly and the Blix & Ramm series is fast becoming one of the best crime fiction series out there.

It’s New Year’s Eve in Oslo. Revellers have gathered on the square by City Hall to ring in the new year. But the annual fireworks celebrations are rocked by an explosion and the city is put on high alert. One of the survivors is the mother of Patricia Smeplass, a two year old girl who was kidnapped ten years ago and never found. This renews interest in the case and Blix and Ramm set out to investigate. What happened to Patricia?

Tensely charged opening chapters pulled me in so hard that I already knew I wouldn’t be putting this book down until I reached the final page. And what a ride it was, yet again. The pace is so extremely spot-on, it felt as if I hadn’t drawn a single breath throughout the entire thing. Smoke Screen is full of surprises and I had many jaw-dropping “wait, what?” moments. Trying to figure things out became a real challenge. One I failed at miserably, in case you wondered.

A thrill a minute, Smoke Screen is full of suspense and intrigue. With a clever and intricate plot, plenty of twists and turns and a cast of engaging characters, there is a lot to keep you glued to the pages here. The relationship between Blix and Ramm might seem a little odd and it is definitely immensely complicated but it works like a charm. Theirs isn’t the typical investigative partnership. Both come at an investigation in different ways and discover different things. Kovic gets a little shove forward as well and a chance to shine, which I truly enjoyed.

The writing is just crazy good, you guys. It’s seamless, it flows, it draws you in and I’m completely unable to spot where Enger ends and Horst begins or the other way around. Which is at it should be. On top of that, I can see entire scenes play out right in front of my eyes. This series should be on tv. Netflix, take note!

Death Deserved blew me away. Smoke Screen blew me away even more. There are a lot of crime fiction series out there and it takes something special to stand out from the crowd. I firmly believe Enger and Horst are that something special, even though I can’t put my finger on what that actually is. Like I said, dream team.

Thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for the review copy! Smoke Screen is now available in ebook format. The UK paperback will be published in February.