Die For Me

Dark and gritty, Die for Me is a new Scandi-noir crime fiction novel by Danish author Jesper Stein featuring police detective Axel Steen. A cross between Alex Cross and Martin Riggs, Axel brings this story to life and makes it hard to put down. Crimes have been left unsolved until he puts the puzzle pieces together and solves multiple cases leaving the reader with the satisfaction of knowing that the bad guy always gets caught.

What I like:

The novel is fast-paced flowing from one action sequence to the next. I didn’t want to put it down until I knew that Axel catches the bad guy, and the women of Denmark are safe from a very evil man.

I have not read any other book in this series, but it did not matter for my understanding of this novel. It’s nice for readers when they can jump into a book in a series and understand it as if a stand-alone novel. If readers feel like they must start at the beginning of a series to understand what’s going, they are less likely to pick up a book 2 — no need to worry with this novel. You can jump right in.

Axel Steen is a very flawed man, but this makes him even more interesting to follow. Addicted to hash, unable to commit to a romantic partner, and a bit of an anger management problem – part of Axel’s charm is wondering when he will crash and burn or if his need to see justice served will carry him through. At times I wondered if he was a bit too flawed, but it works in this novel.

Learning about Denmark was an unexpected highlight of this novel. Danish police procedures, the country’s trouble with immigrants, and their civil registration number system are just a small sampling of the things I want to learn more about now that I am finished reading the novel. For people unfamiliar with Denmark, it added a piece to the story that other settings cannot offer.

What I wish

It would have been great to have appositives to help the reader understand different slang used throughout the novel. The slang added a sense of realism to the dialogue but having to stop and look words up breaks the natural flow of the story.

Lastly, I wish I knew more about Danish culture so I could appreciate the nuances. Perhaps, one day…

To Read or Not to Read
This novel is an excellent representation of a new sub-genre in crime fiction. So, for the explorers among you, it’s time to visit Denmark if only on paper.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The character development and conflict was outstanding and found the plot kept me interested. Good read!