Mia Krüger has returned to the island of Hitra where she once came to end her own life. Having reconciled with her twin sister’s death, she no longer harbors a wish to die. But the challenges of her work have taken a toll, and to Holger Munch’s discontent, she has decided to leave the police force once and for all. As soon as her car is done at the repair shop, she’ll leave Norway too, and until then, she enjoys a quiet life in the sun on the rugged cliffs of Hitra.
But when Mia is approached by an 11-year-old girl, the investigator inside her is awakened. The young girl, Sofia, has heard that the famous detective now lives on their island, and she needs her help to find out what happened to her best friend Mattias who disappeared without a trace three years earlier. Mia recalls the unsolved case which gained national attention at the time and promises Sofia to look into it. She contacts the local police force – consisting of a single part-time officer named Luca Eriksen – to learn more.
Meanwhile, strange things have started to happen on the quaint island and Luca Eriksen is busier than usual. The altarpiece in the local church has been defiled, and there is a break-in at the hairdresser in town. When a girl is found brutally murdered in a boat, with Mattias’s name written in blood next to her body, it seems the cases are connected. Mia is drawn into the investigation, and she calls on Munch to join her. Could the murder be connected to the disappearance of young Mattias years ago? Munch’s investigative unit in Oslo has been shut down and he jumps at the opportunity to work alongside Mia again. Together they must now join forces to solve the case of a serial killer, this time faced with all the challenges that being on a rural island with little police presence or technology entail.
It soon becomes clear that evil lurks under the surface of this picturesque holiday destination. As tensions start to build between the local inhabitants of Hitra, Mia and Munch must navigate not only stormy seas but a maze of dead-end clues and thorny relationships before ultimately finding the elusive killer. Smarter, faster and more suspenseful than ever, international bestseller Samuel Bjørk is back with Hitra – his most satisfying mystery to date.
Author
Reviews
“[Samuel Bjørk] is a new acquaintance for me, despite his previous books about investigators Mia Krüger and Holger Munch. There’s much to suggest that I have missed out on something good. Hitra is exactly that: well worth reading. Because Samuel Bjørk has mastered the important things, such as credible characters. And that doesn’t just go for the two main investigators. […] Bjørk also makes the beautiful island of Hitra, in almost too-much summer heat, shine to the reader. […] It’s been quite a while since I last read a Norwegian police procedural with such interest and joy.”
NRK (NO)
“Wonderful that Samuel Bjørk a.k.a Frode Sander Øien at last uses the Trønder milieus in his crime universe. […] Hitra is painted with a broad brush, worthy of someone who writes great, international crime novels. And here we have a rich cast of characters. […] We want more Hitra!”
Adresseavisen, 5/6 stars (NO)
“After his crime debut with I’m Traveling Alone, Samuel Bjørk has definitely found his style. […] It’s like coming home to something well-known, elegant, and authentic. […] There’s never a doubt of where you are in the story. When the language is dialogue driven, seasoned with just the right details to make the characters come alive, Hitra is a crime novel after my own heart. Samuel Bjørk propels the reader forward, with a pulse and an understanding for the fact that time is of the essence. […] Five hundred pages, and still you want more. That must be the recipe for a crackingly excellent crime novel. Take up residence in your writing hut on Hitra, Frode Sander Øien! I am ready for more pages about Mia and Holger.”
Trønder-Avisa, 5/6 stars (NO)
“Bjørk succeeds to suspensefully build a story whose roots stretches both backwards in time – a little boy who disappeared three years ago never to be found – and events that happen after Krüger, who for private reasons has moved to Hitra, starts taking a closer look at the unsolved mystery. […] Samuel Bjørk’s writing is excellent and in the short, 92 chapters he constantly adds new elements that keep the reader guessing just when you think you have the solution or when a suspect is just around the corner. […] Nothing is clear before the very last page of this thrilling story that flies by at record speed. Samuel Bjørk simply delivers on the same high level as before.”
Nettavisen, 5/6 stars (NO)