Winter 1999. An old man is driving home after celebrating Christmas with his family. Suddenly, his headlights catch something up ahead and he hits the brakes desperately, thinking it’s an animal. The man makes the stop by a hair, only to discover what’s really in front of him: a young boy, in shock, almost frozen to death. On his head the boy is wearing a set of deer antlers.
Fourteen years later, a ballerina is found brutally murdered in a lake up in the mountains. Detectives discover a camera on a stand directed at the crime scene in a nearby forest. Holger Munch, who has been on personal leave, returns to active duty to take the case and he gets Oslo’s famed homicide unit back on its feet.
Mia Krüger has been to rehab and is clean again. She’s about to go on a well-earned holiday to the Caribbean when Holger Munch shows up, tail between legs, to have her take a look at the case they are working on. This time it does not take much to bring Mia on board. She decides to postpone her vacation and give Munch one week to help him solve the case. As more victims surface, Mia realizes that there appears to be an uncanny resemblance to old cases from her past…
A clue leads to a psychologist with a private clinic who has connections to more than one victim. Mia and Munch pay him a fruitless visit, but Mia suspects the psychologist is hiding something. Against her better judgement, she coerces her colleague Gabriel Mørk into hacking into the psychologist’s medical files. Gabriel feels uneasy about the violation, but goes through with it nonetheless. Little do either of them know that this will lead Gabriel in a very unexpected and horrifying direction…
In The Boy in the Headlights, we once again follow Mia Krüger, Holger Munch and their team on the hunt for a cunning killer. International bestselling writer Samuel Bjørk spins a masterful plot while creating flesh and blood characters that get under your skin. With this third book in the Mia and Munch series, Bjørk further strengthens his position as Scandinavia’s new crime star.
Extra Materials
USA, Viking
Sweden, Wahlström & Widstrand
Spain, Suma
Slovenia, Ucila
Slovakia, Ikar
Russia, AST Publishers
Poland, Sonia Draga
Lithuania, Alma Littera
Korea, Taurus
Italy, Longanesi
Hungary, Athenaeum
Netherlands, Luitingh-Sijthoff
Greece, Dioptra
Germany, Goldmann
Finland, Otava
Estonia, Eesti Raamat
Denmark, Gyldendal
Czech Republic, Plus
Croatia, Znanje
Bulgaria, Emas
Author
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 (NO)
”A masterclass in crime fiction. Superb”.
The Sun (UK)
“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, 5/6 (NO)
“The new novel is as clever and twisty as his hugely successful debut I’m Travelling Alone.”
The Sunday Times (UK)
“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 (UK)
“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 5/6 (NO)
“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 (NO)
“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, Blog 6/6 (NO)
“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, Blog (NO)