'Exceptional' writing

I definitely guarantee sleepless nights if you read Christian Jungersen’s The Exception! It is a murder mystery full of both physical and mental cruelty – and the most evil is the victim’s mental anguish so easily felt by the reader.

Set at the Danish Centre of Genocide (DCGI), researchers study the genocides of the 20th century. Iben and Malene are the researchers, Anne-Lise is the librarian and Camilla is the secretary.

When two of them start receiving death threats, they suspect that they are being stalked by Mirko Zigic, a Serbian torturer and war criminal. However, perhaps he is not the person behind the threats. Maybe - just maybe, it could be one of the staff members!

And so starts a psychological thriller full of tension, mistrust, obsession, abuse and an abundance of fear.

The work environment at DCGI takes a dramatic turn as the women start to become obsessed with finding the person terrorising them. Eventually it even turns into a witch-hunt as the women resort to bullying and victimisation.

Yet these are people who daily analyse cases of appalling cruelty on a world-wide scale, and who are intimate with the knowledge of crimes against humanity and the psychology of evil! The brutality the women describe from a safe distance is now revealed in their own world. The people they thought they knew have changed. And then it’s reported that Mirki Zigic has been traced to Scandinavia…

This novel also makes the reader realise that as Anne-Lise’s doctor says, “Victimising others is part of human nature.” Jungersen should be commended for bringing such a topic of discussion to the forefront of our minds through this exceptional novel.

The Exception is already a bestseller across Europe and because of its unique and intelligent storyline it far surpasses other stories in the thriller genre. It will only be a matter of time before this becomes a hit in Australia.

And for those who don’t like the blood and guts gore of many murder mysteries – well this one will expose you to a heightened mental thrill that will knock you out of your seat!

Unfortunately I can’t tell you too much about what happens because that would ruin the thrill. So for those seeking sleepless nights, this one is for you!

Michele Perry

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The Exception

Author: Christian Jungersen
Publisher: Orion (through Allen & Unwin)
Price: $ 32.95

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