GUTTEN SOM ELSKET RÅDYR – THE BOY IN THE HEADLIGHTS
By Samuel Bjørk
1999. AN ELDERLY man is driving home after a warm Christmas celebration with his family. As his headlights cut through the darkness, something appears inthe road ahead. He slams on the brakes, thinking it’s an animal—only to find a young boy, shivering and near death, standing motionless in the snow. On his head, he wears a set of deer antlers.
FOURTEEN YEARS LATER a young woman, a dancer, is found brutally murdered in a mountain lake. Nearby, detectives discover a camera on a tripod, pointed directly at the crime scene. The case pulls veteran investigator Holger Munch out of personal leave, reuniting Oslo’s elite homicide unit under his command.
MIA KRÜGER, FRESH out of rehab and finally clean, is preparing for a long-overdue vacation in the Caribbean when Munch tracks her down, desperate for her insight. It takes little convincing—Mia postpones her trip, giving Munch a single week to crack the case. But as more bodies surface, a disturbing pattern emerges—one that feels eerily connected to her own past.
A KEY LEAD points to a psychologist with ties to multiple victims. When Mia and Munch confront him, their interrogation yields nothing, but Mia is convinced he’s hiding something. Against her better judgment, she persuades Gabriel Mørk, the team’s hacker, to break into the psychologist’s private medical files. Gabriel hesitates, uneasy about crossing the line—but when he does, the discovery sends him down a path more terrifying than he ever imagined.
IN THE BOY IN THE HEADLIGHTS, Samuel Bjørk delivers another chilling installment in the Mia and Munch series, weaving a razor-sharp plot filled with haunting twists and deeply human characters. With this third novel, Bjørk cements his place as one of Scandinavia’s most formidable crime writers.
ABOUT THE BOOK
First published by Vigmostad & Bjørke, Norway 2019
RIGHTS SOLD
Bulgaria, Ema Publishers
Croatia, Znaje
Czechia, Albatros Media
Denmark, Gyldendal
Estonia, Eesti Raamat
Finland, Otava
Germany, Goldmann Verlag
Greece, Dioptra Publishing
Hungary, Athenaeum
Italy, Longanesi
Korea, Taurus
Lithuania, Alma Litera
Macedonia, Antolog books
The Netherlands, Luitingh-Sijthoff
Norway, Vigmostad & Bjørke
Poland, Sonia Draga
Portugal, Leya
Romania, Rao Publishing
Russia, AST Publishing
Serbia, Laguna
Slovakia, Ikar
Slovenia, Ucila International
Spain, Suma de Letras
Sweden, Wahlström & Widstrand
UK, Transworld
REVIEWS
The Boy in the Headlights is the best book in the series so far. Here, Bjørk proves he’s in shape and that he’s being playful. The plot is thrilling and well constructed, with many surprising twists. The ending is both frightening and cold as ice. […] Bjork has an original voice. His style is at times rhythmic and musical, and sometimes he offers constructions we usually find in poetry.
– Verdens Gang, Norway
A masterclass in crime fiction. Superb.
– The Sun, United Kingdom
Bjørk proves to be a storyteller that builds and constructs his tales in clever and ingenious ways […] When you think you’re close to figuring everything out, Bjørk gives the story a new turn and the tension holds to the very last page. That’s the way it should be in the great crime novels, and that’s how it is here. […] Bjork writes exceptionally well – there’s a propulsion to both his style and plot that makes it impossible to put down the book before your eyes give up.
– Nettavisen, Norway
“The new novel is as clever and twisty as his hugely successful debut I’m Travelling Alone.
– The Sunday Times, United Kingdom
“Fans of Scandi-Noir will adore this ice-cool chiller featuring detectives Holger Much and the brilliant but troubled Mia Kruger. […] Brilliant suspense to the very end.”
– Best Magazine, United Kingdom
An exuberant and dark fantasy. […] There’s an uneasy atmosphere permeating this story urging the reader from page to page in want of a solution. Bjørk’s writing is captivating, and Holger and Mia have established themselves as a couple you like and recognize.
– Trønder-Avisa, Norway
What distinguishes Bjørk from most of his colleages in the thriller genre is his literary talent. His imagery and metaphors are more original, and he’s better at creating associations than most. He creates subsidiary characters we care about, and let’s them sail their own sea in favor of the main plot, as we keep being curious about them. This creates a singular energi which separates Bjørk from the many thrillers that are more adapted for the market. […] Claustrophobic suspense to the very end.
– Adresseavisen, Norway
Unbearably thrilling! […] Jesus Christ how he writes, this Samuel Bjork! Such drive! Such speed! Such suspense! Such surprising twists! Such a great group of investigators! Such completely crazy deeds! 444 pages – and not a single one is boring. Not a single detail is unimportant. And the ending! […] A display of how to write an effective, suspenseful, and entertaining thriller. A real firework display!
– Bjørnebok, Norway
This was one of the coolest thrillers I’ve read in a long time, and I once more sit here waiting for more to come. Come on, Samuel Bjørk, give us more suspense novels about Holger and Mia!
– Med Bog Og Palett, Norway
BOOKS
Fiction
