Anne Holt, Det som aldrig sker (Gyldendal 2005).

- oversat fra norsk (Det som aldri skjer 2004) -
Første anmeldelse til "2009 Suspense and Thriller Reading Challenge": serial killer thriller.

Jeg må hellere straks advare mine blog-gæster om, at denne bog indeholder en kraftig advarsel mod at blogge - morderen har sandsynligvis fulgt sine ofre på deres meget åbenhjertige blogs, kortlagt deres vaner og derfor nemt kunnet myrde dem i dyb diskretion. "NN førte en weblog, en af de der ufatteligt selvoptagne opfindelser hvor indehaveren tydeligvis mener at være uhyre interessant for verden."

I andet bind om kriminalassistent Yngvar Stubø og psykolog Inger Johanne Vik er de to blevet gift, og har lige fået et fælles barn. Inger Johanne er naturligvis på orlov, men når Yngvar tager spændende arbejde med hjem, kan hun ikke dy sig for at læse med over skulderen. Så denne gang skal hun absolut ikke overtales til at hjælpe politiet. Inger Johanne har sine grunde til at være ængstelig og overbeskyttende mor, ikke desto mindre er hun jævnligt et lidt trættende bekendtskab, hvor imod Yngvar Stubø er lige så tiltalende som i første bind.

Et meget brutalt celebrity-mord ryster fredelige Norge, og da endnu en kendt kvinde bliver myrdet et par uger senere, begynder Yngvar og hans team at sammenligne de to forbrydelser. Kan der virkelig være tale om en masse-/seriemorder i Skandinavien?

Læseren ved fra første side, at den kvindelige morder har prøvet det her før: "Hun vidste ikke længere, hvor mange hun havde taget livet af. Det spillede heller ingen rolle. Kvalitet var vigtigere end kvantitet i de fleste fag. Også i hendes, selv om nydelsen ved en original drejning med årene havde mistet noget af sin glans."
Så læseren er altså bedre informeret end politiet. Ikke desto mindre viser det sig snart, at der er rigtig meget, læseren ikke ved, men meget gerne ville vide. De første tre hundrede sider var rigtig spændende, og når man så pludselig vender bladet og opdager Anne Holts originale drejning! Fantastisk vellykket bedrag! Jeg vil ikke røbe mere, men undrer mig i mit stille sind: i hvor høj grad handler denne bog om forfatteren selv? ;)

Konklusion: endnu bedre kriminalarbejde & personskildringer end i etteren. Alligevel er den noget dystre slutning ikke helt tilfredsstillende, men mon ikke det hænger sammen med, at vi snart kan forvente en treer?

Anne Holt, The Final Murder (US: What Never Happens)
(First review for my 2009 Suspense and Thriller Challenge: serial killer thriller)

I´d better warn my blog guests that this book contains a strong warning against blogging ;)
- it seems that the murderer has been stalking some victims via their very outspoken blogs, mapping their habits and thus been able to murder them discretely.
"So-and-so had a weblog, one of those incredibly self-centred inventions, and the writer obviously feels incredibly interesting" (My own, rather free translation)

In this second volume about police inspector Adam Stubo and psychologist Johanne Vik the couple are married and have just had a child. Johanne is on maternity leave, of course, but when Adam brings an interesting case back home, she cannot help reading his notes. Johanne has her reasons to be a cautious and quite protective mother; nevertheless she can be a bit irritating while Adam Stubo is a very pleasant acquaintance.

A brutal celebrity murder shakes up peaceful Norway and when another famous women is killed a few weeks later, Adam and his team take a closer look at the two cases. Is it really possible that a mass- or serial killer is ravaging Scandinavia?

The reader knows from the very first page that the female murderer has tried this before, "She no longer knew how many people she had killed. Neither did it matter. Quality was more important than quantity in most professions. Also in hers, even though the pleasure of an original turn had lost part of its attraction." (My translation)
So the reader is better informed than the police. Yet it soon dawned upon me that there was quite a lot I did not know. And after three hundred thrilling pages I turned another, - and found Anne Holt´s original turn. Deception at its best, and I cannot help wondering to which extent this book is about herself? ;)

All in all, a crime story of fine quality with a delightfully deceptive plot even though the quite sinister ending leads the reader to expect a sequel. And I would not mind Johanne Vik being jazzed up a bit.