I so enjoyed My Name is Jensen by Heidi Amsinck (reviewed here) that I simply couldn’t resist participating in the blog tour for Heidi’s second book in the Jensen thriller series, The Girl in the Photo. My huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me to take part and to Muswell Press for sending me a copy of the book in return for an honest review.

The Girl in the Photo was published by Muswell Press on 28th July 2022 and is available for purchase here.

The Girl in the Photo

When ninety-year-old Irene Valborg is found brutally murdered in an affluent suburb of Copenhagen, her diamond necklace missing, it looks like a burglary gone wrong. When two more victims are attacked, the police lament a rise in violence against the elderly, but who is the young girl in the photo found by DI Henrik Jungersen on the scenes of crime? Impatient to claim her inheritance, Irene’s daughter hires former Dagbladet reporter Jensen and her teenage apprentice Gustav to find the necklace. Henrik finds himself once more pitched in a quest for the truth against Jensen – the one woman in Copenhagen he is desperate to avoid.

My Review of The Girl in the Photo

A series of murders needs investigating.

What a pleasure to be back in the company of Jensen and Henrik. As The Girl in the Photo is the second Jensen book, despite it working really well as a stand alone, I’d really recommend reading My Name is Jensen first as this adds understanding of the characters; Jensen, Henrik and Gustav in particular. This time I felt Copenhagen was less of a presence (though I’m not sure my desire to visit is a safe one!) and this allowed Henrik especially to be more satisfyingly developed. Indeed, it was wonderful to find out more about all the major characters. I adore the troubled relationship between Jensen and Henrik because Heidi Amsinck illustrates the pull of desire versus a sense of responsibility and self preservation to perfection. This means that there is humanity and understanding underpinning the murky world of police and journalistic investigation making for a more emotionally affecting read. These are real people I’ve come to care about.

Although The Girl in the Photo revolves around violent murders, somehow Heidi Amsinck manages a lightness of touch – sometimes almost a playfulness in her writing style so that it is incredibly captivating and entertaining. I loved, for example, the sound of Henrik’s wife’s comments in his head, the interplay between Jensen and Gustav and the brilliant hooks at the end of the short chapters that keep the story fast paced and riveting. Add in an ending that has made me desperate for the next book in the series and The Girl in the Photo is a corker of a read.

The plot is layered and interesting. It is filled with surprises so that the readers is fed information just a beat behind Jensen and Henrik, adding to the feeling of mystery. There’s a real sense of urgency in the story that sweeps the reader along.

I almost never read a whole series of books because I have so many to read, but with The Girl in The Photo building on My Name is Jensen so effectively, I know I cannot resist Heidi Amsinck’s writing. She is fast becoming a new favourite author and if you’ve yet to discover Heidi Amsinck’s brilliant books you’re really missing out. I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl in the Photo.

About Heidi Amsinck

Heidi Amsinck, a writer and journalist born in Copenhagen, spent many years covering Britain for the Danish press, including a spell as London Correspondent for the broadsheet daily Jyllands-Posten. She has written numerous short stories for radio, including the three-story sets Danish Noir, Copenhagen Confidential and Copenhagen Curios, all produced by Sweet Talk for BBC Radio 4.

A graduate of the MA in Creative Writing at Birkbeck, University of London, Heidi lives in London.

She was previously shortlisted for the VS Pritchett Memorial Prize. Last Train to Helsingør is her first published collection of stories. Her crime novel My Name is Jensen, set in Copenhagen, will be published in August 2021.

For more information, follow Heidi on Twitter @HeidiAmsinck1. You can also find Heidi on Instagram and Facebook.

There’s more with these other bloggers too: