Steffen Jacobsen

Steffen Jacobsen's "Trophy," translated from the Danish by Charlotte Barslund, is a work of fiction that keep us guessing until the final page. The premise is chilling: On March 25, 2011, a group of men hunt down a vacationing couple for sport in northern Norway. Unsurprisingly, the killers do not want their murderous activities to come to light. Elizabeth Caspersen-Behncke, a successful barrister who expects to inherit a fortune from her late father, has a personal reason for hiring show more security consultant Michael Sander. She wants him to track down the men responsible for organizing the aforementioned sadistic expedition. Sander accepts the job—it pays very well--but he may come to regret his decision.

Sander, who has a background in the military and law enforcement, is overconfident about his ability to handle this case. With a loving wife and two small children at home, he has a great deal to lose if his adversaries outwit him. As it turns out, there is another individual, Superintendent Lene Jensen of the Danish police, who is working on this investigation. Lene is tough, determined, and intelligent but, like Michael, is used to working alone. Ultimately, Michael and Lene team up to conduct a hunt of their own, but will they end up being the predators or the prey?

Jacobsen is a competent writer who nicely depicts the fjords, rivers, and wild terrain that serve a backdrop for some of the more horrifying action scenes. The violence is off the charts, since most of the villains are unencumbered by pity or morality. This is a briskly paced and gripping story, with a spirited hero and heroine, and a final surprise that demonstrates just how depraved human beings can be. It is too bad that the implausible plot requires such an enormous suspension of disbelief. For example, one would expect that people who are tortured by psychotic assailants would need some time to bounce back from their injuries. Still, this imaginative study of good vs. evil should appeal to fans of edgy, suspenseful, and intense thrillers. show less

I love Steffen Jacobsen's books (I've also read the whole Michael Sander and Lene Jensen series). As always, his thrillers are based on historical fact, in this case about Los Alamos in 1945 and the development of the atomic bomb. The characters he uses are mostly people who actually worked on the development of the bomb. Oppenheimer also plays a major role in this book.
David Adler is a Danish electrical engineer who worked for years in Murmansk. In January 1945, he is recruited by Russia as show more a spy to take part in the Manhattan Project. As a relative of Niels Bohr, he quickly gains the great scientist's trust and becomes his personal assistant. As a result, he is constantly around Oppenheimer and the other researchers.
David watches the development of the atomic bomb with horror. He also realises that other Russian spies are involved. Who can he trust and who must he eliminate?
It is excitingly written. show less

Ok, I admit, this series has pulled my sleeve. I really can't stop it.
After getting to know the roles of Michael Sander and Lena Jensen in the first volume, you meet them at every turn in the second volume.
Lene's daughter has since started suicide. She can't get over it because she blames herself for her daughter. This also affects their work.
A year earlier, a terrorist attack was carried out in Tivoli. Over 1,000 people were killed.
It looks like another attack is planned. Lene, who is show more banished to a cubicle in the police station with a computer nerd, witnesses on the phone how a young woman is killed in the subway. She doesn't believe in suicide and investigates on her own. The fact that she is trodden on the feet of the Danish secret service does not prevent her investigation. Michael is in the same case and has to save Lene again and again, even if she is extremely smart.
I am slowly realizing that Jacobsen always takes an explosive topic from everyday life, that he cleverly processes in his thriller.
I can also highly recommend this book. show less

This is the first volume of the 'Michael Sander and Lene Jensen' series and I have already borrowed the next two volumes from my library so that I can continue reading with this team. I love Danish crime novels and this series is great.
Michael Sander is a very special investigator who only takes over cases through word of mouth. Lena Jensen is a criminal detective with a bite who gets to the bottom of things and doesn't let up.
A wealthy heiress asks Michael to review her late father's show more actions because she found a video that showed her father was 'hunting people'.
What is the whole story?
Michael soon realizes that there is a group that actually, people selected by them, are free to hunt. He also notices that various people from this secret society are killed. Lena examines these homicides and comes across Michael. Who belongs to the innermost circle of the secret society and what does Michael’s client actually know?
The plot is written very fast and captivating. I'm already looking forward to the other books. show less