The 4th book in this wonderful series. A real Scandinavian noir with a (literally) scarred detective and a great storyline. Enger is able to bring the reader into the Swedish landscape even if one has never been there. The storytelling is immersive and sweeping, leaving you unable to put the book down. A book that will not disappoint any Nordic noir lover.

A twisty one. Fans of Scandanavian noir will like this for the characters as well as the mystery that stretches over years. A good read.

Enger has done it again. He has hooked us from the start with an intriguing and gripping story.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read CURSED by Thomas Enger. This is my first novel in this series. I did feel I was at a disadvantage and although this is well written, I was unable to connect with the novel. I was unable to finish it.

I'm a big fan of Nordic Noir, so I can't believe that I hadn't heard about the Henning Juul series. This is book 4 and I was missing a lot of backstory. Clearly, Henning's life has not been easy and many supporting characters that were important in past volumes are mentioned here. But this is where good writing makes all the difference, as all these past events are weaved in masterfully so that the new story builds on it, without giving any past mysteries completely away. Henning is such a sad character, but he is not so much the lead here. His ex-wife Nora is. She is investigating the disappearance of her college roommate and ends up entangled in a family with so many skeletons in their closets that it's a good thing that they are in the real estate business. Some parts are very suspenseful, but it is mostly a slow burner with tons of character development. Cursed is a book worth reading.

Thomas Enger is one of my favorite authors because he has worked as a journalist and has a threesome of journalists in a love triangle. Nora, Henning, and Iver are related by their work and helping each other find out information. Nora is looking into finding a girl that was her roommate in college, Henning is looking into finding out who tried to kill him and who killed Nora's and his son, Iver is helping them but hiding his feeling about Nora's becoming pregnant with his child. This is happening with Nora on her quest to find Hedda and all that it entails with the Hellberg family. She uncovers a lot of family history. Everything comes to an end in the final pages of the book. These have results that may lead us to a new book by Enger. I've read all his previous books and would recommend reading all of them to get a feel for the characters and how they interact, not forgetting to mention that they will be reading a series worth their time.

Wow, what a gripping read, absolutely loved it. Many thanks to Netgalley, Orenda and Thomas Enger for the eARC.
The book opens with the shotgun murder of an elderly man out walking his dog in the woods in Sweden.
Henning and Nora are still reeling from the pain and horror of the death of their small son after an an arson fire in Henning's apartment. Both are journalists, and though separated, are still in contact.
Henning, on compassionate leave, decides to find the person who caused his son's death. Nora delves into the mystery of a former roommate's disappearance, and the atmosphere of the wealthy denizens as well as the criminal element of Oslo is fascinating. Their investigations weave in and out of both cases very cleverly and I found myself going: one more chapter, one more chapter, etc. And the last few chapters, whoa...fantastic!
Can't wait for the next in the series, please don't let me wait too long!

I received an Advanced Review Copy of 'Cursed', from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I don't usually read books from the crime/detective genre. However, the description for 'Cursed' intrigued me
enough to give it a try.

The story, without giving away too much, centers on two separate story lines: Henning is trying to get to the bottom of a fire that killed his young son, while his ex-wife (and the mother of their now deceased child), Nora, is approached to dig deeper into what appears to be the 'missing persons' case of an old college friend.

As the story begins, a seemingly arbitrary event becomes the unwitting catalyst for a lot of familial drama. Drama that not only effects the trajectory of Nora's search, but Henning's as well.

The pacing of the story is wonderful. The flow is easy, entertaining, and riveting. Every line is rich with just enough detail to tell the story.

By the time I was 10 percent in, I was completely enthralled and couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

The way everything finally came together was nothing short of brilliant. On the other hand, it was also the final piece of the story that led me to the 3* rating. Everything was making perfect sense, but then the author jumped off a cliff and left you with no additional explanation.

Prior to that, the book was a strong 4.

End of the day, it was a wonderful read for roughly 99.9% of the book. But that last .1% made me want to throw the book out the frickin window--that last .1% was a doozy.

Henning Juul is an investigative journalist in Oslo. Once upon a time he had it all .... a terrific job, a beautiful wife, Nora, also a journalist and a wonderful young son. The marriage didn't survive and one night while his son was spending the night with him, someone sneaked into the house and started a fire. Henning was severely burned trying to save his son. More tragically, his son didn't survive.

He has made it his life's goal to find who was responsible for the arson. He knows it has something to do with a lowlife he was interviewing for a story. The man is in prison, and unfortunately was poisoned before he could give any information to Henning.

Meanwhile, Nora has a visitor who states his wife has been missing for 3 weeks. The police don't seem to be too concerned, but the husband suspects something untoward has happened to her. She appears to be connected to the death of an old man.

As Henning and Nora each follow their own story, the players and circumstances seem to be getting closer and closer.

Someone tries to kill Nora ..or at least scare her off. A body found in the woods is related to the family of the missing woman. And another relative of the same family is found murdered.

What is tying all these people, especially this family, together? It's a maze of lies, secrets, and skeletons in the closet that Henning and Nora have to work their way through to find the truth ... hopefully before anyone else dies.

This is the 4th in the series and CURSED is a welcome addition. I would recommend starting with book 1, but this one serves well as a stand alone. There are some references to the very beginning, but nothing that would blunt reading the very first.

The book is craftily written and the translation is near perfect. The characters are fascinating with credible back stories. I can't wait to see the next book in this series!

Many, many thanks to the author / Trafalgar Square Publishing / Netgalley for the advanced copy of CURSED. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Henning Juul and his wife, Nora, divorced after the tragic death of their son. Jonas was killed in a house fire that Henning believes was set by someone who didn’t like a story the reporter wrote. Now, Nora and Henning are together again on the case of a missing woman, a man shot in what may or may not have been a hunting accident deep in the woods of Sweden and a wealthy and influential family headed by people who are used to buying whatever and whoever they want. Henning and Nora must face painful truths about the death of their son and the end of their marriage. This is part of a series, and while readers may gain more insight into the characters motivations if they read the earlier books, this can be read as a standalone title

This is book #4 in a series featuring crime reporter Henning Juul & if you’re jumping in here, no worries. Plenty of back story is provided. Just to recap: two years ago, the biggest problem Henning & wife Nora Klemetsen had was trying to juggle their busy schedules while raising son Jonas. Then the unthinkable happened. Late one night as they slept, an arsonist came calling. Jonas did not survive.

Present day finds the couple divorced & living separate lives. But Henning can’t forget. He decides it’s time to find those responsible for setting the fire & takes a leave of absence. He believes it’s connected to a story he was working on at the time & begins by reconnecting with some unsavoury characters who were part of his original investigation.

Nora has tried to move on. She still works as an investigative journalist but struggles to put one foot in front of the other, despite beginning a new relationship. She’s approached by the husband of her old school pal Hedda Hellberg who has disappeared. He wants her to write a story in the hope it will generate some tips but as soon as Nora starts digging, it becomes clear Hedda was keeping secrets from her spouse.

Nora’s biggest challenge is breaching the united front presented by Hedda’s strangely uncooperative family. They’re a wealthy bunch used to all the privacy & deference money can buy & the last thing they want is some reporter asking sticky questions. In Henning’s case, some of the potential sources have died & those that remain tend to speak with their fists.

It’s a fast paced, engaging read as we follow each investigation in alternate chapters. Both are full of intricate twists & feature powerful people with more money than morals when it comes to keeping their secrets under wraps. There is no shortage of suspects but it’s hard to pick up a cold trail when few are willing to talk.

It ticks all the boxes in terms of action & intrigue but never at the expense of the characters. The author has chosen to make them the heart & soul of the story & I really enjoyed watching the subtle changes in Henning & Nora as they face increasing risks. He’s spent the last 2 years consumed by guilt & needs to know who killed his son if he’s ever going to find a little peace. Nora, too, has been going through the motions but the search for Hedda seems to light a spark that helps her remember who she used to be.

A literal race to the finish provides most of the answers & helps Henning & Nora come to terms with their shared past. But….Mr. Enger, if I can have a word with you regarding the last page….WHAT?!

All I can say is book #5 better be coming out PDQ.