#BlogTour | #IncidentReport | #BookReview | INBORN by Thomas Enger (January 23rd 2019, Orenda Books @orendabooks)

Welcome to my stop on this Blog Tour for the release of INBORN, the latest novel by the awesome Thomas Enger.

I would like to say that it is truly my pleasure to be invited onto this blog tour! Particular thanks to Anne Cater, Orenda Books and of course the awesome Thomas Enger who gifted me an early copy of INBORN. I am forever grateful and promise that the review below is 100% honest and of my own views.

To kick off, we have the “blurb” for the book;

When the high school in the small Norwegian village of Fredheim becomes a murder scene, the finger is soon pointed at seventeen-year-old Even. As the investigation closes in, social media is ablaze with accusations, rumours and even threats, and Even finds himself the subject of an online trial as well as being in the dock … for murder?

Even pores over his memories of the months leading up to the crime, and it becomes clear that more than one villager was acting suspiciously … and secrets are simmering beneath the calm surface of this close-knit community.

As events from the past play tag with the present, he’s forced to question everything he thought he knew. Was the death of his father in a car crash a decade earlier really accidental? Has his relationship stirred up something that someone is prepared to kill to protect? It seems that there may be no one that Even can trust.

But can we trust him?

A taut, moving and chilling thriller, Inborn examines the very nature of evil, and asks the questions: How well do we really know our families? How well do we know ourselves?

So, want to know what I thought?

Well…that was a pleasant surprise! After coming out of my Henning Juul book hangover, I was more than keen beans to read INBORN. I was ready to fully invest myself in Thomas’ writing and how he masters building a character base.

INBORN is a fast paced courtroom drama, with plenty of twists and turns throughout. Short, choppy chapters keep the pace of the book moving quickly. There’s no time to get bored in this story! The switch between ‘then’ and ‘now’ with each chapter threw me straight back into Even’s world as he pushes to learn the truth. Just as I thought smugly to myself ‘Oh – it’s them. It HAS to be.’ I am soon feeling a little silly. This is a book that keeps me on my toes throughout.

The story is written predominantly from Even’s perspective and his manner is very typical of a young person in today’s society. Ruled/governed by what is posted on social media, Even feels the full force of his peers suspicions. Before he even faces the courtroom, he is already fighting in his corner in the trial by social media – a trial led solely on speculation.

Given the location and the plot – I can see this easily being turned into an online series. One which I would happily sit and binge in an afternoon! There is enough with each character to have you wanting more and I finished this book very much with more questions than I had answers to.

This is a great book for younger readers who love their crime fiction, or for those looking for a book to get them started! I’ll certainly be recommending this book to my friends who have children! I cannot wait to read what’s next for Thomas!

About Thomas Enger;

Thomas Enger (b. 1973) is a former journalist. He made his debut with the crime novel Burned (Skinndød) in 2009, which became an international sensation before publication. Burned is the first in a series of 5 books about the journalist Henning Juul, which delves into the depths of Oslo’s underbelly, skewering the corridors of dirty politics and nailing the fast-moving world of 24-hour news.

Rights to the series have been sold to 26 countries to date. In 2013 Enger published his first book for young adults, a dark fantasy thriller called The Evil Legacy, for which he won the U-prize (best book Young Adult). Enger also composes music, and he lives in Oslo.

You can buy INBORN from the following booksellers (but obvs you can get it at other awesome booksellers too!);

Amazon (UK) | Amazon (US) | Amazon (AU)

-S.

Be sure to check out the other blogs participating in this Blog Tour. See below for further details and be sure to follow all of the action across Twitter!