Burned: A Novel

Henning Juul is a crime reporter in Oslo, Norway. He's returning to work after a leve of absence when there was a fire in his flat that killed his six-year-old son and left him scarred. It also ended his marriage. Juul is in the image of financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist from Steig Larrsen's The Millenium Thrilog. Both men are quiet, determined and total professionals. On the day he returns, a woman's body is found at a public park. She had been buried to her head and stoned to death. Since the woman had a Pakistani boyfriend, officials consider if this was a ritual killing but Juul disagrees. He possesses that rare journalistic talent for knowing when things just don't fit. Through the story, Juul shows his compassion when interviewing friends of the deceased. Although he has his own scars, both physically and emotionally, he doesn't ask for our sympathy. Being a true investigator, finding the reason why someone would want to kill the girl consumes him. The title of the novel has a number of meanings. Not only did he have a fire in his flat but he has the fire in his heart so much so that the reader catches his passion. The setting is well described as is Juul, who we can relate to and witness his power of deduction in searching for the killer. The author provides a number of twists and surprises that keep the reader guessing right up to the excellent conclusion.