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PIERCED
by Thomas Enger and Charlotte Barslund, trans.
Atria, October 2012
438 pages
$15.00
ISBN: 1451616481


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

PIERCED is the second book in a series about Norwegian journalist Henning Juul, a man who is scarred both literally and figuratively by a fire that killed his young son and ended his marriage. A gangster turned celebrity, in prison for a murder he claims he didn't commit, contacts Juul and asks him to reopen the case. If Juul is able to exonerate the convicted man, he will get a reward: Information about who was responsible for the fire that killed his son.

The prologue makes it clear that Juul's informant was set up for the murder, but Juul isn't so certain. Still, he's driven by his need to find out about the disastrous fire that took his son's life, a fire he cannot recall but dreams about constantly. Even more driven and desperate is a television news cameraman who is abducted and forced to commit a crime. His story is gripping and psychologically compelling. His story is the mainspring of the novel's suspense.

Enger has created an interesting series protagonist embroiled in a complex plot with a large cast of characters, though the crimes in this story are much more believable than those in the first entry in the series. Both books end with a built-in hook, a promise of more clues to the origins of the fire that killed Juul's son, a mechanism that is obvious and irritating. Though his stories suffer a bit from being over-plotted, the protagonist and Enger's engaging writing style are quite enough to encourage readers to keep reading the series without such artificial enticements.

§ Barbara Fister is an academic librarian, columnist, and author of the Anni Koskinen mystery series.

Reviewed by Barbara Fister, October 2012

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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