JORGEN BREKKE was born in Horten, Norway. After completing his studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, he settled in Trondheim, where he currently lives with his wife and three children. Brekke taught education for some years, but recently worked as a freelance journalist. His debut novel, Where Monsters Dwell, was sold to fifteen countries.
Dreamless
Hardcover
- ISBN-13: 9781250016997
- Publisher: St. Martin's Press
- Publication date: 02/10/2015
- Series: Odd Singsaker Series , #2
- Pages: 320
- Product dimensions: 6.40(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.20(d)
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A promising young singer is found dead in a clearing in a forest, gruesomely murderedher larynx cut out, and an antique music box placed carefully atop her body, playing a mysterious lullaby that sounds familiar, but that no one can quite place. Chief Inspector Odd Singsaker, of the Trondheim Police Department, still recovering from brain surgery, is called in to investigate.
Singsaker, now married to Felicia Stone, the American detective he met while tracking down a serial killer, fears the worst when another young girl, also known for her melodic singing voice, suddenly goes missing while on a walk with her dog one night. As the Trondheim police follow the trail of this deadly killer, it becomes clear that both cases are somehow connected to a centuries-old ballad called "The Golden Peace," written by a mysterious composer called Jon Blund, in the seventeenth century. This lullaby promises the most sound, sweet sleep to the listenerand as time ticks by, the elusive killer seems as if he will stop at nothing to get his hands on this perfect lullaby.
Jorgen Brekke returns at the top of his game in this nonstop thrill ride through placeand time.
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The discovery of the body of an unidentified young woman with her larynx removed propels Brekke’s outstanding second novel featuring Chief Insp. Odd Singsaker of the Trondheim police department (after 2014’s Where Monsters Dwell). The one clue at the crime scene is an antique music box that plays a haunting lullaby, “The Golden Peace,” which was written by Jon Blund, a 17th-century troubadour about whom little is known. The inventive plot seamlessly moves from the contemporary case to a 1767 police investigation into Blund’s disappearance. While searching for the elusive culprit, the insightful Singsaker worries that recovery from brain surgery has compromised his acumen—and that his marriage to American detective Felicia Stone, whom he met while pursuing a serial killer in the previous book, was too hasty. Fans of bleak Nordic crime fiction will find plenty to like. Agent: Nicole K. James, Aaron M. Priest Literary Agency. (Feb.)
This second installment of the Chief Inspector Odd Singsaker series weaves the murder of a Swedish balladeer in 1767 with a contemporary plot about a serial killer who pursues girls with beautiful singing voices. Set in the small Norwegian city of Trondheim, Brekke's tale of two murder investigations with musical themes is ambitious and well-researched but not always engaging. The historical plot includes lots of detail about Scandinavian life in the 18th century, when the water is so foul that beer or aquavit are the fluids of choice and class divisions impede the job of Police Chief Nils Bayer, who lives in a permanent state of debt and debauchery. Bayer is not as absorbing a character as Singsaker (Where Monsters Dwell, 2014), a 60-year-old detective recovering from brain surgery who's newly married to a young American woman and prone to ruminate on fate and mortality in a way that's reminiscent of Henning Mankell's mainstay, Kurt Wallander. He's looking for a serial killer who rips out his victims' larynxes and replaces them with music boxes that play a ballad that, legend says, will put anyone who listens to it into a sound sleep. The investigation moves along nicely, though it's a bit gory (in typical Nordic fashion). Brekke uses minor characters doing historical research to connect the cases, but he's not quite skilled enough to harmonize the two plots. Not the most gripping mystery around, but fans of Nordic noir with a historical bent might enjoy its combination of present and past.
“With depth of characterization... a narrative pace that's fast but never rushedand a shattering climaxBrekke creates a novel of startling originality. Discerning readers will find it spellbinding… Quoth the critic, give us more.” Richmond Times-Dispatch on Where Monsters Dwell
“The buildup to each murder is extraordinarily well done and almost unbearably suspenseful.” Booklist, on Where Monsters Dwell
“An addictive, suspenseful present-day crime thriller peppered with expertly-researched historic chaptersis it any wonder I loved this book?” Raymond Khoury, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Templar, on Where Monsters Dwell
“The next Stieg Larsson? Norway's Jorgen Brekke should be in the running, with his original and suspenseful debut novel WHERE MONSTERS DWELL... A killer debut, in every sense of the word, and a book you will want to read in one sitting, preferably not right before bedtime.” Bookpage on Where Monsters Dwell
“Brekke's big-boned debut thriller, spanning two continents and 500 years, delves into the unholy connections between a pair of monstrous killings in Norway and the U.S…. The sleuths are sympathetic and the atmosphere suitably sinister...Grim and tense.” Kirkus on Where Monsters Dwell
“Engrossing… this mystery is perfectly grim without being bleak and is a welcome addition to the popular ‘Nordic noir' subgenre” Library Journal on Where Monsters Dwell
“It is almost unbelievable that this is Brekke's debut novel. The story moves seamlessly between 16th-century Europe and present-day Virginia and Norway, and the mystery is intricate… as it moves through time and place. Brekke's characters are developed with depth, making readers feel both empathy and sympathy toward them.” RT Book Reviews (4.5/5 stars) on Where Monsters Dwell