Scan barcode
A review by nietzschesghost
Unrest by Jesper Stein, David Young
4.0
I am a huge fan of Scandinavian Noir so this was a book I knew I wanted to read immediately. Jesper Stein is a multi-award winning crime writer. "Unrest" won the Danish Crime Academy’s Debut Novel Award in 2012 and the fourth book in this series entitled "Aisha" won the Danish Booksellers' Golden Laurels. He is also the third bestselling author in Denmark. Stein has written a number of books featuring Detective Chief Inspector Axel Steen and the rights to three of them have been purchased by SF Studios (producers of "The Bridge") with the intention of making three films based on Axel's exploits. His crime novels have been sold to more than ten countries, including France, Germany, Holland and Norway. It's safe to say he is a big talent. Why didn't I know about him sooner?
The corpse of unidentified man is found bound and hooded propped up against a gravestone at the central cemetery. Axel Steen is assigned to the case and it initially looks as though the culprit could be a member of the police force when camera footage is found. There also appears to be a link to the demolition of the nearby Youth House, a notorious spot where left-wing militants meet. However, Axel soon discovers that many people, both inside and outside of the police force, seem to be hindering the investigation in what looks like an attempt at stopping the case being solved. The clues then take him to unexpected places such as the Copenhagen underworld where drugs and gangs are rife. Axel will not stop until the killer is caught, no matter the consequences. And the consequences for Axel himself may turn out to be greater than expected.
I admired Axel's tenacity but he has some real personal issues to contend with. He is divorced from his wife who is hellbent on keeping him from being able to see his daughter. Axel's character is well-developed and despite him always being at odds with his bosses, I enjoyed reading about him. The story is well written, easy to get into and fast paced. I read it within a day as I couldn't put it down, it was so good. I cannot wait to read more from Stein as I loved his writing style and the creation of a flawed character in Steen. There is a lot of circumstances and situations throughout the story where you feel sympathy for Steen. I didn't mind that the author used that old trope of a Detective with personal issues which is really overused in crime fiction. It worked here and as I liked Axel this was neither here nor there for me.
All in all, a fantastic, dark and gritty read that I had fun with. I cannot wait to pick up some of Stein's other books, I know I am late to the party but better late than never, as they say! Mirror Books have secured the first five books in this series and this is the first time Stein's crime fiction has been translated into English. I look forward to the reading the whole of the series.
Publication Date - 19th July 2018
Many thanks to Mirror Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
The corpse of unidentified man is found bound and hooded propped up against a gravestone at the central cemetery. Axel Steen is assigned to the case and it initially looks as though the culprit could be a member of the police force when camera footage is found. There also appears to be a link to the demolition of the nearby Youth House, a notorious spot where left-wing militants meet. However, Axel soon discovers that many people, both inside and outside of the police force, seem to be hindering the investigation in what looks like an attempt at stopping the case being solved. The clues then take him to unexpected places such as the Copenhagen underworld where drugs and gangs are rife. Axel will not stop until the killer is caught, no matter the consequences. And the consequences for Axel himself may turn out to be greater than expected.
I admired Axel's tenacity but he has some real personal issues to contend with. He is divorced from his wife who is hellbent on keeping him from being able to see his daughter. Axel's character is well-developed and despite him always being at odds with his bosses, I enjoyed reading about him. The story is well written, easy to get into and fast paced. I read it within a day as I couldn't put it down, it was so good. I cannot wait to read more from Stein as I loved his writing style and the creation of a flawed character in Steen. There is a lot of circumstances and situations throughout the story where you feel sympathy for Steen. I didn't mind that the author used that old trope of a Detective with personal issues which is really overused in crime fiction. It worked here and as I liked Axel this was neither here nor there for me.
All in all, a fantastic, dark and gritty read that I had fun with. I cannot wait to pick up some of Stein's other books, I know I am late to the party but better late than never, as they say! Mirror Books have secured the first five books in this series and this is the first time Stein's crime fiction has been translated into English. I look forward to the reading the whole of the series.
Publication Date - 19th July 2018
Many thanks to Mirror Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.