Knock Knock

This is the fourth Grens and Hoffman novel, and the first one I've read. Ordinarily I would prefer to read them in order, but honestly this book can be read as a stand alone.

Once the scene had been set and instrumental characters were introduced the story unfolded quickly. Pacey and gritty, this book really drew me in, from part 6 onwards the action intensified and I found myself rooting for Hoffman. However, it was only once I'd finished that I realised the whole thing had been set over 3 days! There are plenty of twists and turns, some of which I foresaw - not a criticism of the book, I just enjoy pondering where the plot may go. This book is action packed with many escape plans and outwitting the 'bad guys' but it also has heart and shows the softer side to its characters. The film rights have been sold in a major Hollywood deal, so I'd be interested to see the results should this go ahead.

Our reading group were provided with ARCs in exchange for honest reviews.

This was one of my Book Club reads recently.

I enjoyed it. There are previous books in the series, which I haven’t read, but it is fine as a stand alone story. It is full of twists and turns and was a bit complicated at times, but overall a well written gripping book. A classic Scandi Noir and all the more enjoyable for it.

a nail-biting tale, full of intrigue and double dealing,
not knowing who were the goodies or the badies,
introducing children at the start softened the story but it became harder and crueller,
the ending was unexpected + shocking

I would recommend this book

Overall I thought this was a good, solid thriller. It fits well into the genre of Scandi-noir as it is both dark and violent. I did find it quite hard to get into at the start, but was glad I persevered as it became quite compelling.

In an over-populated genre, I don't think this book does much to stand out. It was enjoyable enough to keep me reading, but comes across as your basic scandi-noir, with all the grim brutality that entails. The culprit was fairly obvious and the ride wasn't thrilling or tense enough to justify the journey.

In the final third, the narrative is structured around a countdown which never seems anything more than an arbitrary thing to generate some tension. The pace is uneven at points and some actions of the characters are confusing, particularly when one character rushes to disguise his identity. Too much detail is given here, plus I never really understood why he went so far as dramatically having surgery on his vocal chords when it never really served any purpose. If you're looking for thrills and an intense mystery, I'd suggest knocking on another door.

It's been 17 years since Inspector Ewer Grens investigated a gruesome murder of an entire family with the exception of a 5-year-old girl. The memory of this case has haunted him and effected his entire life since. A new case arises that reminds him of the other earth shattering case and sets him on the hunt of first a possible connection and then solution and protection of this now young 20's girl who was put in witness protection thus hoping for his salvation. The story is well sturctured and written. It is complicated and dark-- very dark.
Scandi-noir has never been so well served by an author. I found this book gripping and very hard to put down. It is highly recommended to those who like detective books, those who like psychological drama and those who simply like to be entertained.
Read this book.

Absolutely brilliant read. Despite there being books preceding this one, it isn’t necessary to have read them.
I found that I couldn’t put this book down. It is full of action and twists and turns- however the plot could be slightly complicated at times so full concentration was needed!! I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author.

This book had me gripped from start to finish. Strong characters and storyline made for an exciting read. Loved it.

Seventeen years ago Ewert Grens, a police inspector, was called to the scene of a gruesome crime in which a family were slaughtered in their home, leaving only one survivor, their five year-old daughter. The girl was put in the witness protection programme and the perpetrators were never caught. Grens is still haunted by this case and when he is alerted to the fact that the house where it all took place has recently been burgled in strange circumstances, he is instantly on high alert. In a seemingly unrelated case, Piet Hoffman, a former police informer is being targeted by somebody in the criminal underworld who seems to have an interest in arms smuggling. As it becomes obvious that the two cases are in some way connected, and that there is a leak coming from within the police team, Grens and Hoffman agree to work together in a race against time.

The Scandinavians are certainly good ate writing complex crime thrillers and this one is no exception. It is a great premise for a thriller and the plot is well thought out and well constructed. The tension throughout is palpable, so much so that I did have to “read ahead” a couple of times to make sure that everythjng was going to be alright.
I had not read the previous ones in the series but it worked perfectly well as a stand-alone book.

However, it is a bit long and drawn out in places and I felt it could have benefitted from some editing. Also at times the plot was so complex at times that I got a bit lost. I didn’t really feel that I got to grips with the personalities of the main characters, nor could I really picture them in my mind’s eye. It is possible that I might have engaged more with them if I had read some of the other books in the series and had the opportunity to get to know them better. The only other downside is that it is probably a little too violent for me.

This book would undoubtedly appeal to most people who enjoy a good crime thriller. Personally I would read more books by this author if I came across them but the violence would probably stop me actively searching them out.