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 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.… (more)

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 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.… (more)

The fifth case of the team Michael Sander and Lena Jensen is also highly explosive. This time it's about the pharmaceutical industry, more specifically a drug that can fix a deadly worm infection in Africa and is a cure for diabetes patients as it can make diabetes go away.
It is obvious that the pharmaceutical giants do not want this, of course. During the investigation, not only a pharma boss dies, but also a good friend of Michael. He also has to find out that his mentor is turning away from him.
It was exciting from the first to the last page and I hope [[Steffen Jacobsen]] is already writing to continue this series.… (more)

This time the basic theme is 'designer baby'. While Michael is looking for a missing violinist, Lena has to clarify the death of a young woman. She soon finds out that the young woman was brought to Denmark from the Philippines as a surrogate mother. Of course, everything is illegal and much worse, the one who gave the order only wants a child that is absolutely perfect. He is a co-owner of a 'clinic' that only produces the child with the very best genes. Michael soon also comes across this clinic, so that he and Lene bring the case to an end. Not without background noise, because their marriage seems to be over.
Again, it is very exciting to write.… (more)