Time for another round of Yvonne’s Shorties! Since I have a huge pile of backlog reviews of the books I read during my break, I will be featuring an extra book in my shorties posts until I’ve caught up. This time around a nordic thriller, a memoir and a urban fantasy thriller I all ended up enjoying.

Title: Burned
(Henning Juul #1)
Author: Thomas Enger
Translator: Charlotte Barslund
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: 2010
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Finished reading: December 22nd 2021
Pages: 399
(Originally written in Norwegian: ‘Skinndød’)

“We surround ourselves with phrases, never contemplating what they suggest, how superfluous they are and how little meaning they convey.”


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I wanted to squeeze in one last translation before the end of 2021 and I’ve been wanting to start this series for a while, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to finally do so. I already knew that I was going to like his writing style as I’ve read his work before, and Burned turned out to be a great introduction to the Henning Juul series. True, the pace was a tad slow in points and the plot could have been sharper, but the main character is intriguing and I liked reading the crime story from a journalist’s POV. There are lots of twists to keep you occupied along the way, and the murder case itself is interesting and more complex than expected. I will definitely be looking forward to the next book! One of my goals in 2022 is to read the rest of the books of this series…

Title: Catch Me If You Can
Author: Frank W. Abagnale
Genre: Non Fiction, Memoir
First published: 1980
Publisher: Broadway Books
Finished reading: December 26th 2021
Pages: 304

“A man’s alter ego is nothing more than his favorite image of himself.”


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After seeing the movie multiple times I thought it was about time I finally read the memoir it was based on… Knowing that if it was anything like the adaptation, I was in for one hectic journey. There is no doubt that Catch Me If You Can is a memoir that makes you wonder both how on earth Abagnale was able to avoid being captured for that long and how he was able to pull off scam after successful scam in the first place. I was surprised by just how much was changed in the movie, and it took me a little while to separate the two, but it was intriguing to learn what the real story was. Especially his time in the French prison was rather shocking, but there are lots of lighter moments too and as a whole the story reads easily. If you are looking for an entertaining and lighter memoir and don’t mind wondering about the credibility of it all, Catch Me If You Can is a great choice.

Title: The Hanging Tree
(Rivers Of London #6)
Author: Ben Aaronovitch
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Mystery
First published: November 3rd 2016
Publisher: Gollancz
Finished reading: December 28th 2021
Pages: 387

“The word “bollocks” is one of the most beautiful and flexible in the English language. It can be used to express emotional states ranging from ecstatic surprise to weary resignation in the face of inevitable disaster.”


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I’m having so much fun with this series! The Hanging Tree is already book number six and follows the same formula as the previous books. It’s a mix of urban fantasy and detective thriller with a healthy dose of humor thrown in, and I’m loving every single minute of the ride. Peter Grant is such a great character and the humor in general is spot on for me, which is always a bonus. We also see a lot of recurring characters as well as references to previous events, so it’s definitely wise to read the books in order… If the writing style and humor is for you, you definitely won’t regret spending the time to do so. The case in The Hanging Tree was another intriguing one and I really liked the developments in general both on Falcon and personal level. I can’t wait to pick up book seven soon!

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