I was delighted to meet author Heidi Amsinck at a bookish event a few months ago as I love her books. Consequently, when I realised book three in her Jensen thriller series, Back From The Dead, was about to be released I simply had to be part of the tour. My 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.

You will find my review of Heidi’s My Name is Jensen here, and of The Girl in the Photo here.

Published by Muswell Press on 18th April 2024, Back From The Dead is available for purchase here.

Back From The Dead

A Missing person … a headless corpse … Jensen is on the case.

June, and as Copenhagen swelters under record temperatures, a headless corpse surfaces in the murky harbour, landing a new case on the desk of DI Henrik Jungersen, just as his holiday is about to start.

Elsewhere in the city, Syrian refugee Aziz Almasi, driver to Esben Nørregaard MP has vanished. Fearing a link to shady contacts from his past, Nørregaard appeals to crime reporter Jensen to investigate.

Could the body in the harbour be Aziz? Jensen turns to former lover Henrik for help. As events spiral dangerously out of control, they are thrown together once more in the pursuit of evil, in a case more twisted and, more dangerous than they could ever have imagined.

My Review of Back From The Dead

Jensen is about to become embroiled in another case.

My goodness, Back From The Dead is an exciting and fast paced novel and I thought it was excellent. Whilst I appreciated having read the first two excellent books in the series better to appreciate the nuances here, Heidi Amsinck ensures readers are not disadvantaged if they are new to the series and haven’t encountered the characters before. I found the subtle weaving of back story very skilled indeed.

The plot of Back From The Dead is complex, brilliantly plotted and breath-taking. With timed and dated chapters that are short, snappy and exciting, there’s a fabulous sense of pace. It is hard to say too much for fear of spoiling the story for others, but there are twists and turns, with surprising events and reveals that make the story totally compelling and engaging. I loved it. As I read I kept thinking of stones dropping into a barrel of water (or in this case bodies dropping into water) with all the ripples intersecting in a plot that is quite masterful.

I loved too the seething, simmering heat of Copenhagen with that sense of over-heating tempers, bodies and minds that so perfectly reflected the febrile tension between Jensen and Henrik. Their toxic attraction for one another is one of the best relationships in crime fiction around. What I found so interesting in Back From The Dead was the increased vulnerability displayed by Jensen. She is developing so realistically and convincingly. Gustav too feels as if he is maturing so that the potential for him in future books is massive.

The challenges facing the police in Henrik’s investigation not only heighten the tension of the story, but add an understanding of how the police are often unrealistically expected to produce near miraculous results in very short time scales. Heidi Amsinck has a mature and compassionate skill in incorporating societal attitudes, immigration, the way marriages work, and the bonds and frustrations of intimate and frequently challenging professional relationships, so that they become layers of interest beyond the already compelling thriller.

I so enjoyed Back From The Dead. It’s everything I want in a police procedural thriller and a real triumph as the plot is gripping and the characters multi-layered and believable. I can’t wait for book four!

About Heidi Amsinck

Heidi Amsinck won the Danish Criminal Academy’s Debut Award for My Name is Jensen (2021), the first book in a new series featuring Copenhagen reporter sleuth Jensen and her motley crew of helpers. She published her second Jensen novel, The Girl in Photo, in July 2022, with the third Back From The Dead out now. A journalist by background, Heidi 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 BBC Radio 4, such as the three-story sets Danish Noir, Copenhagen Confidential and Copenhagen Curios, all produced by Sweet Talk and featuring in her collection Last Train to Helsingør (2018). Heidi’s work has been translated from the original English into Danish, German and Czech.

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

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