Invisible Murder - Lene Kaaberbøl & Agnete Friis

First line: "'Maybe we'll find a gun,' Pitkin said, aiming his finger at the guardhouse next to the gate."

Nina Borg went to the garage in Copenhagen with the best of intentions. Her work often brought her into contact with people who were illegally in Denmark, but as a nurse, Nina felt everyone should be able to receive care when they need it. So she went to the garage, despite promising her husband she wouldn't go off on such missions when he was away. It would only be a quick trip to take medicines and supplies and the children wouldn't even know she was gone.

Well, "the best laid plans..." Nina's innocent trip to help those in need turns out to be the first domino to fall in the course of events that may well destroy everything Nina loves.

Returning to narrate the second Nina Borg novel, Katherine Kellgren falls right back into the natural groove of Kaaberbøl and Friis' style. Nina's perspective dominates the story and Kellgren seems a natural for her character, but Kellgren just as deftly depicts the self-centered teenage daughter - you can just see her eyes rolling; the battered and broken Hungarian law school student - your heart will break from the prejudice he endures; the perverted and repulsive human trafficker - you'll taste bile as he simply drips with contemptible sleaze.

In addition to stepping into each uniquely crafted character, Kellgren has a keen perception for Kaaberbøl and Friis' pacing. As any well-written thriller should do, the anticipation is drawn out to allow the action sequences to fly with more gusto. Kellgren is well-tuned to the dynamics of the plot and her reading emphasizes the intensity as well as the characters' responses to the course of events.

Kaaberbøl and Friis have written a novel that is a taut thriller, but it's simultaneously a universal social commentary on the treatment of human beings. One doesn't have to live in Denmark to make correlations with Invisible Murder. I can't imagine walking away from this story without at least a small pang of regret for the wrongs we commit against others every single day.

Invisible Murder is not an audiobook you want to listen to for relaxation purposes. Kellgren's narration and Kaaberbøl and Friis' story will get your heart pumping and your brain whirling. Take this one on your next run or walk and it'll keep your momentum going strong.

You can listen to a clip of the Invisible Murder audio below. Since this is a part of a blog tour, you can hear a section of the audio at each blog stop. My clip is the second, to start at part one, visit The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia first.



Tomorrow another blogging Jennifer will host part three. You can stop by the Literate Housewife blog to continue on the tour and finally Friday you can wrap up with Theresa's Reading Corner. If you listen to all the excerpts, you'll get about 15 minutes of the beginning of the audiobook.

Invisible Murder is available on unabridged audio from AudioGo (ISBN: 9781620640494) and in hardcover print from Soho Crime (ISBN: 9781616951702).

As part of the blog tour, I also have the great opportunity to give away copies of the audio to two lucky winners. So to have your names considered in the drawing, just fill out this quick form below by Monday, October 29th. I'll draw two names on the 30th and give away some Halloween treats! Entrants must be residents of the US or Canada, please.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email. Good luck!