CRIME – Nov 21, 2019

I WILL MISS YOU TOMORROW

by Heine Bakkeid (Raven Books £12.99, 416 pp)

A literary sensation in Scandinavia — and set in the bleak far north of Norway —this wonderfully creepy story focuses on the disgraced ex- Chief Inspector Thorkild Aske, who was imprisoned for a car accident that took the life of his true love, the beautiful and haunting Frei.

Released after a spell in a psychiatric hospital, Aske is asked by Frei’s family to investigate the disappearance of her 27-year-old cousin, Rasmus, who’s been creating an ‘activity’ hotel in a lighthouse on a remote island.

He disappeared while diving alone in the freezing waters, leaving his rowing boat drifting on the surface.

Reluctantly, Aske agrees, but it gradually emerges that there are many secrets in this remote part of Norway — and men with much to hide from a washed-up former policeman.

This is a spectacular debut.

THE SOUND OF HER VOICE

by Nathan Blackwell (Orion £8.99, 304 pp)

Written under a pseudonym by a former detective in New Zealand’s Criminal Investigation Branch, this is police procedural at its darkest and most menacing.

Detective Matt Buchanan is haunted by the disappearance of a young woman, Samantha Coates, who walked out of her home 12 years ago and disappeared.

Now, the body of another young woman is found on a beautiful beach not far from where Sam was last seen.

Buchanan discovers there may be a criminal gang at the heart of the disappearances.

Other bodies appear, and it becomes clear that one man lies at the centre of these horrors — but he is far too clever to be caught by conventional means.

So begins Buchanan’s crusade to get justice for the dead girls, a crusade that sees him bend the law he is supposed to uphold and confront the face of pure evil.

THE SCORCHED EARTH

by Rachael Blok (Head of Zeus £18.99, 416 pp)

The second novel from this former English teacher is not quite as compelling as last year’s debut, but nonetheless underlines her exceptional ability as a storyteller. Two years ago, brothers Ben and Leo went camping.

Ben woke up to find himself covered in blood, while Leo had disappeared.

The police are so convinced Ben killed Leo and dumped his body over a nearby cliff that they charge him with murder.

He’s sent to jail, but, in the middle of a sweltering heatwave, a body is discovered in a fresh grave in the local churchyard.

If it is Leo, then Ben couldn’t have put it there because he was behind bars.

Gripping, twisty and immensely satisfying, this confirms Blok’s talent.