Invisible Murder (A Nina Borg Novel)

Nina Borg, the Red Cross nurse protagonist from The Boy in the Suitcase is back in this latest thriller from the Danish author duo Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis. After the series of events endangering her life in The Boy in the Suitcase, Nina has promised her husband Morten not to get involved in any more projects to do with the "Network" (an organisation providing medical aid for illegal immigrants who are in trouble) whilst he is away working on an oil rig in the North Sea for two weeks. In the past her marriage has suffered because Nina has put the needs of others before those of her own family, even abandoning her two young children in her quest to help the underprivileged. But her resolve is soon tested when Nina is asked for help by one of her colleagues from the "Network". A group of Roma (gypsies) hiding out in an abandoned mechanics' workshop have become mysteriously ill with what appears to be a serious stomach virus, and Nina's colleague Peter has also succumbed to the disease. Knowing that there are young children involved, Nina consents to visit the group, despite her better judgment and promise to her husband. After administering some fluids and medications to one of the seriously ill Roma children, Nina is being approached by an injured young man and finds herself fleeing the scene from a group of angry Roma men, with the fugitive in tow. This encounter unleashes a series of events which see Nina critically ill in hospital and being pursued by dangerous men who will even threaten the safety of her own family to get what they want. After reading both the Boy in the Suitcase and Invisible Murder within the space of a few days, I am finding myself seriously addicted to the Nina Borg series. True to the genre, the Scandinavian authors provide an atmospheric thriller that not only explores the darker sides of Danish society and current political events, but also knits these into a cleverly crafted storyline which captivated me from start to finish. I really enjoy the authors' style of providing the reader with several parallel storylines in the beginning of the novel, which later converge to solve the mystery. Partially set in Denmark and Hungary, the novel again explores the implications of open borders to the Eastern block countries and the fates of refugees streaming into the country in an atmosphere of growing racial division and hatred. The character of Sandor embodies the fate of a hard-working, clever young person caught up in events out of his control purely due to his ethnicity and family circumstances. It is impossible not to feel empathy for Sandor as he slides further and further down the path to destruction through his efforts to save his brother's life. With Nina Borg the authors have created a believable, empathetic character who advocates for the oppressed and underprivileged, which will ultimately cost her dearly. Nina is constantly being torn between the loyalties to her husband and children, and her need to help those more unfortunate than herself. In this book the high price she has to pay for her efforts is even more evident than in The Boy in the Suitcase, and I wondered how people like Nina keep up the energy to keep fighting, when so much is at stake for them personally. With events unfolding mercilessly, the ending was sudden and somewhat unsatisfactory - especially since the next book in the series has not been translated yet! I will now have to wait to read more about Nina's fate in the next book as soon as it comes out. Again, I highly recommend this thriller to any fans of Scandinavian fiction, or to anyone who is looking for a believable woman protagonist. To anyone who is tempted to read Invisible Murder, I would advise to first pick up The Boy in the Suitcase. Whilst the book can be read as a stand-alone novel, knowing some of Nina's background added to the enjoyment of reading Invisible murder. 4.5 stars.

The best part of the two Nina Borg books so far is that it takes the reader a while to figure out what is going on. The issues are of great interest, the action moves along, and Nina is a great character. Great for fans of Jo Nesbo.

THE BOY IN THE SUITCASE created high expectations for Danish nurse Nina Borg's next adventure; the talented co-authors, Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis, have ably met this challenge in INVISIBLE MURDER (translated by Tara Chace). This plot is even more complex than the first, so it would be helpful to read these two novels in order. In this case, Nina's story is joined by the story lines for three other characters. Each of them faces a significant personal conflict or problem. Nina's conflict between her commitment to helping powerless immigrants and her responsibilities as wife and mother reach a critical point in this novel. Her inability to say no to requests for her help or even to consider these snares from another, more cautious perspective is balanced by the empty personal life and overly controlled personality of Soren Kirkegard, inspector with the terrorism unit. The international victim/protagonist present in the first novel is represented here by Sandor Horvarth, a half-Roma Hungarian law student. Initially an unwilling participant in this drama, Sandor's guilt about hiding his background and suppressing his objections to injustice gradually translates into action. Finally, the story of Jorgen Skou-Larsen, an elderly man who fears losing control even more than death, becomes increasingly important as the stories converge. The reader's investment in these characters and others related to them is a major strength of the writing. Ironically, I found the villains less well developed and, consequently, the motivation for their participation less understandable. However, the rewards for the crimes, which tie all the stories together, are clearly understandable. And, in addition to theft, deception, abuse of women, extortion, and violence, there are major threats of loved ones' deaths and widespread disaster that propel the forward motion of the novel. I found the novel hard to put down but sometimes felt guilty that I was reading descriptive and police procedural passages in a rush to see what "happened" next. This novel definitely qualifies as Nordic noir. Nina is constantly aware of mistreatment and lack of opportunity for poor immigrants, especially women and children. Prejudice against the Roma, both in Hungary and Denmark, and against Muslims is a prominent theme. Soren shares concerns about these shortcomings of current Denmark and Europe. Although the major crime of this novel is solved, another similar threat remains a future possibility. The characters are troubled rather than happy people, and their personal situations remain pretty much unresolved at the end. But perhaps there is hope, and this reader looks forward to learning whether at least Nina's situation is happier at the time of her next adventure.

I have read Invisible Murder and The Boy in the Suitcase. In my opinion, The Boy in the Suitcase was better. But part of my diminished enjoyment of the second book was knowing the author's formula... The structure is very similar in both books, from the order in which characters are introduced in the beginning, to which characters' ends are tied up at the end, and whose are not. It's not so much a "whodunnit" as a "why did they do it?" The police investigation was more interesting in Invisible Murder. Soren is a major character, not just an annoying bureaucrat. Skou-Larssen is a more important character than his counterpart in The Boy in the Suitcase. So, yes, I would agree with other reviewers that this book is divided between a greater number of individual characters' plots/goals/investigations, what have you. It's not too complex to follow. But it is more complex than your average brain-candy mystery. I found the ending of The Boy in the Suitcase to be more satisfying. I can imagine ordinary upper middle class Danes getting involved with the crime in The Boy in the Suitcase. The buyer/culprit's motives and plans in Invisible Murder are all but completely implausible, bordering on annoying and tiresome. On the whole, I thought that the subplot surrounding the buyer was ill-conceived. The middlemen were interesting and believable. The buyer was not.

This is the second novel featuring the Danish Red Cross nurse,Nina Borg. The story begins in Northern Hungary,where two Roma boys find something unexpectedly valuable whilst searching for scrap to sell in a disused old Soviet military hospital. When the sale of this item goes awry,one of the boys' brother,the hapless Sandor,is dispatched to Copenhagen to bring back the money.He soon finds himself in mortal danger. Meanwhile,Nina Borg,unwittingly becomes involved in the plot,after visiting an illegal refugee site to care for a sick child. This is a novel that deals with social injustice,and has a multi-faceted plot, that comes together in a surprising denouement.The characters are well drawn, especially that of Nina,as she struggles to fit in family life with her practical idealism.

Better than the first one, which I also liked. An involving novel with kidnap, radiation, terrorism and creeps who get their comeuppance! Very enjoyable.

I had loved Boy in the suitcase, but this one's repulsively violent and not interesting enough to warrant the violence. I also found that Nina Borg lacked credibility by making stupid, irresponsible decisions that even an impulsive person like her should not make. When she ends up in very serious trouble, you have a hard time relating or feeling sorry for her.

This is the second book by Kaaberbol and Friis, and they have created a really strong place for a whole series featuring Nina Borg as the lynch pin. The ground they cover, with illegal immigration, terrorism, racism, and illegal weapons sales makes the story very up-to-date, and horribly plausible. I can't wait for their next book to be translated into English.

Another superb Nina Borg story - what is it that we like so much about these flawed individuals who have so much honour and are so truth seeking, but are nightmares to live with? Am already reading the 3rd book and enjoying it.