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.

Set in Norway, this psychological thriller is an audiobook in true Nordic noir style, with the investigators facing their own demons as well as those of the killer. When the body of a teenage girl is discovered in strange circumstances, an investigation that challenges the investigation team begins. Laura Paton helps to build the atmosphere of this dark and twisted plot with her narration, which is spot-on in terms of both pace and characterization. Both the male and female characters are well distinguished, a strength that helps listeners follow the complex plot. Her reading of this dark story builds the atmosphere while keeping the listener engaged throughout. Her authentic-sounding pronunciation of unfamiliar names and places paints a picture of Norway at its bleakest. K.J.P. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine