The Owl Always Hunts at Night

March 13, 2017
In Bjork’s
he pseudonym of Norwegian novelist Frode Sander Øien) bleak and brutal sequel to 2016’s I’m Traveling Alone, a botanist exploring the woodlands around Oslofjord discovers the emaciated corpse of 17-year-old Camilla Green lying naked atop a pile of owl feathers. A pentagram of candles surrounds her, and there’s a lily in her mouth. Evidence suggests that Camilla was held captive and tortured for three months prior to her murder. Oslo homicide investigator Holger Munch knows that if he’s to catch the killer, he’ll need the help of Mia Krüger, a brilliant but broken profiler who’s been suspended from duty. Elsewhere, Munch’s daughter, Miriam, begins neglecting her child and deceiving her boyfriend in order to spend time with a charismatic animal rights activist. The tension and stakes increase exponentially over the course of this meticulously plotted tale. Some of the killer’s motivations are questionable, but the rest of Bjork’s character work is excellent and imbues the story with nuance and heft.

February 1, 2017

Sold in over 30 territories after the bang-up international success of the LJ-starred I'm Traveling Alone, this new thriller from the pseudonymous Norwegian novelist, playwright, and singer/songwriter again features Det. Holger Munch. Here, a teenager from an orphanage has been murdered, her body cosseted on a bed of feathers and enshrined by candles.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2017

Six months after they have been reunited in Oslo, Norwegian detective Holger Munch's team is called in when a teenage girl is found dead in the woods starved, naked, and surrounded by trappings of the occult. It is soon discovered that the girl had gone missing months before from the group home where she lived. The home provides the team with a number of suspects, but they can't link anyone to the crime. While the case appears to be floundering, the lives of the detectives are again in upheaval, leading them to keep secrets from their superiors and each other. As they desperately search for clues to where the girl was prior to her discovery, the team's computer genius comes under suspicion when a disreputable acquaintance brings him important evidence. Unfortunately, the plot gets bogged down with countless red herrings and too many coincidences tying the various aspects of the case together. VERDICT Fans of the first book in the series, I'm Traveling Alone, will enjoy getting to see more of the secondary characters, but overall this entry fails to deliver on the promise of the previous title. [See Prepub Alert, 1/8/17.]--Portia Kapraun, Delphi P.L., IN

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2017

Six months after they have been reunited in Oslo, Norwegian detective Holger Munch's team is called in when a teenage girl is found dead in the woods starved, naked, and surrounded by trappings of the occult. It is soon discovered that the girl had gone missing months before from the group home where she lived. The home provides the team with a number of suspects, but they can't link anyone to the crime. While the case appears to be floundering, the lives of the detectives are again in upheaval, leading them to keep secrets from their superiors and each other. As they desperately search for clues to where the girl was prior to her discovery, the team's computer genius comes under suspicion when a disreputable acquaintance brings him important evidence. Unfortunately, the plot gets bogged down with countless red herrings and too many coincidences tying the various aspects of the case together. VERDICT Fans of the first book in the series, I'm Traveling Alone, will enjoy getting to see more of the secondary characters, but overall this entry fails to deliver on the promise of the previous title. [See Prepub Alert, 1/8/17.]--Portia Kapraun, Delphi P.L., IN

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.