Trophy Thriller Novel - Suspenseful Read for Mystery Lovers

TROPHY is the most exciting police procedural I have ever read! Set in Denmark, it features Superintendent Lene Jensen of the Danish police, and Michael Sander, a private investigator. When the cases they are respectively working on intersect, they join forces. Some immensely wealthy people participate in manhunts, literally; there are organised "safaris" where the prey, the TROPHY, is a person hunted down like an animal and killed.TROPHY is positively riveting, and I think I didn't breathe for parts of a chapter towards the end. The writing and the translation are excellent, and Mr. Jacobsen's expertise at building the mounting tension is extraordinary. This book is a nail-biter, the likes of which I have seldom seen; thankfully, there are some welcome flashes of Danish humour because otherwise, it would be untenable. The author possesses a very eloquent voice, and it felt as if I were watching the story unfold in front of me. TROPHY is ugly, violent, terrifying (I do hope that nothing of the sort happens in reality!), and utterly gripping. Both Lene and Michael are in their early forties, and so well defined, that I feel they are people I know. I was also pleased to see a woman and a man work together without any sexual tension. All the characters are exceptionally well drawn, the good, the bad, and those in between. I am thrilled that this is the first book in a series, the second one is out -I will be picking it up ASAP! Hopefully, the rest of the series will be translated soon.What impressed me the most, I think, is the torture scenes, which usually are entirely gratuitous. This is where Steffen Jacobsen's genius reaches its peak. I cringed, I was horrified, but the author's sensitive writing nearly brought me to tears; the scenes are essential to the plot, and written with compassion, and bring us closer to the characters. They are not included for shock value, but to make the reader feel as strongly as the characters. I don't believe I had every read anything as powerfully effective in the past. TROPHY is exceptionally well crafted, intelligent, and clever; there is not one dull sentence in the whole novel, and I didn't want it to end. I was lucky to pick up this book when it was on sale, because the cost is rather prohibitive. However, if you are craving a highly original, and unputdownable police procedural, TROPHY is the book for you.