Nordic noir is a favourite genre of mine and I was excited to read this author. I have mixed feelings about this book though. Firstly, I did warm towards Thorkild Aske, our deeply troubled and complex protagonist. Although, he seems to go out of his way to keep others at a distance I felt sorry for him, too much sorrow and heartbreak for one person to bear. I wasn't particularly comfortable with having so if an insight into his stomach problems and I'm not sure how this served the story. Except for his need for pain killers, I guess.
A few scenes are fairly gruesome, in particular, the description of an autopsy, that are definitely not for the faint hearted! There are some interesting characters in this book that I would love to spend time with again in any future instalments as well as the wonderful setting of the Norwegian coast. The descriptions were wonderful and brutal, I recommend you do not eat whilst reading this and wrap yourself in a warm blanket as the chills are all too real!
This is the first in a series of Nordic noir with a small paranormal element thrown in. I look forward to reading more in this series!

Sorry but I did not I did not enjoy this book
Thorkild Aske, an ex cop is a damaged and broken man. he keeps dwelling back on the accident that caused him to end up in prison and on his release the drugs he takes which seem to make him hallucinate
I found it confusing & unbelievable. I kept hoping it would get better
Maybe the plot was lost in translation but if this is the start of a detective series count me out I had to make myself finish the book.

Dark and compelling a very cleverly written and translated novel. I do finf=d the character of fallen drunken ex-police officers a little stereotyped, yet I enjoyed this character very unique. I'm looking forward to the next book by this author.

An accomplished and riveting novel in the Scandi noir tradition. This is a book about loss, disgrace, love, remorse and greed.

Ex-cop Thorkild Aske has recently been released from prison and a stint in a psychiatric hospital. He is over doing drugs as he mourns the loss of his adored Frei. When Frei’s uncle and his ex-wife ask him to look into the disappearance of their son Rasmus, who went missing off the Norwegian coast he feels obliged to do so. Shortly after his arrival in the village of Skjellvik, events become very peculiar indeed and Aske becomes concerned for his own life.

The taut narrative and the evocative descriptions of the rugged coastline and the violent sea make for a gripping read. I thought this was excellent as a thriller with supernatural elements interwoven in the story; are they just in Aske’s head? May be or maybe not. Incredibly absorbing and suspenseful, I highly recommend ‘I Will Miss You Tomorrow'.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a unbeliveable and confusing story.
I felt the author just made it over complicated and therefore a real struggle to finish.
Not for me.

Thorkild is a mentally and physically scared and disgraced ex police inspector. He is pressured to help a couple whose son has disappeared, presumed dead by the local police. Obtaining more medication from his psychologist appears to be the incentive to help rather than the opportunity to use his investigative skills.
My favourite character was Thorkild. Despite being such a damaged person he battled on and maybe that is partly why I was so drawn to him. Also a particular incident has stayed in my memory ie when he was attacked I ‘saw’ the arrowhead enter his body and felt his pain!
Although at times the storyline seemed a little far-fetched I still couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. This is a fantastic book from a first time author with the talent of weaving suspense and creating atmosphere through a sometimes dark storyline. I cant wait to read more from this writer.
If you enjoy tales involving murder, a corrupt officer, guilt, a love no more and the occasional dark humour this will tick all the boxes.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of a great read in return for an honest review.

I found this a tedious and somewhat unbelievable crime thriller. Normally, I am a fan of Nordic noir but had to give up. It will appeal to readers with a liking for supernatural fiction.

Norwegian crime is one of my current reading indulgences. I Will Miss You Tomorrow written by Heine Bakkeid heralds a brand new crime series and new author, showcasing disgraced ex-Chief Inspector Thorkild Aske, and I have to say I was completely and thoroughly hooked right from the start.

Former Internal Affairs Interrogator Thorkild Aske has recently been released from prison and a stint in a psychiatric hospital following a conviction for involuntary manslaughter. He is losing himself in drug-induced dreams of his beloved Frei, now lost forever following a tragic accident, when he is asked to investigate a disappearance that the authorities have no interest in pursuing. He heads to a remote island to track down a (presumably dead) young Danish man, Rasmus Moritzen, who was in the process of converting an old lighthouse, but his relatives are worried by his unusual silence. Frei's cousin, Rasmus, has been missing and incommunicado for a week. His mother, Anniken, bought him the island a year ago and he and his friends were renovating the lighthouse; he was living there alone when his boat was discovered.

However, when Thorkild travels to the village of Skjellvik in the Blekøyvær district things become seriously strange. Tormented by his past, Thorkild finds himself in treacherous waters. He’s lost his reputation – will he now lose his life?

Heine Bakkeid artfully uses flashbacks to Thorkild’s time with Frei to uncover the circumstances of their relationship and how he toppled from his former position as a Chief Inspector to disrepute and imprisonment. Protagonist Thorkild Aske is a somewhat damaged, larger than life character whose consumption of prescription medication may very likely be affecting his perception and ability; he was someone about whom I learnt little about in the beginning, but as the story progressed I warmed to him more.

Buzzing with originality, I very quickly found myself riveted in this complex, haunting mystery. I Will Miss You Tomorrow is completely gripping from start to finish and there are abundant twists and turns and mystery aplenty as the narrative unfolds and other people vanish. Set over eight days, Heine Bakkeid's ability to seamlessly blend a polished, clever plot, a melancholic and claustrophobic atmosphere, a half-renovated light house, a unique main character and the harsh and unforgiving landscape of Northern Norway, as well as featuring a soupçon of the paranormal and snippets of dark humour, make this a powerful, stunning début. Evidently he is a gifted storyteller who can provide readers with thrills, sophistication and a story packed with substance. A very highly recommended five star read.

I am already looking forward to seeing more of Thorkild Aske in future instalments of this series.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Raven Books via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

I really enjoyed this book, it isn’t a normal crime book but has so much more going on. I’ll definitely be looking out for future books in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

4.5★s

I Will Miss You Tomorrow is the first book in the Thorkild Aske series by Norwegian author, Heine Bakkeid. It is flawlessly translated from Norwegian by Ann Bruce. Recent incarceration and mental health issues might not make ex-Police Internal Affairs investigator, Thorkild Aske quite the best candidate for the job, but guilt sees him heading to a remote island to track down a (probably-dead) young man. Rasmus Moritzen was converting an old lighthouse into an Activity Hotel, but his mother is worried by his sudden silence.

Aske finds the local cops less than helpful, and when he gets to the lonely island, finds traces of Rasmus, but not the man himself. But as he awaits transport back to town, he spots a body washed up by the boathouse: not Rasmus, but a young woman, faceless, missing half an arm, and having clearly spent some time in the water.

After covering and securing the corpse, he later sees from his shelter a man in a diving suit dragging the body back into the water. This story meets with scepticism when he eventually relates it, but Thorkild is throwing back quite a bit of medication (handily prescribed by his ex-con psychiatrist), and his use of alcohol is also questioned. And then two more local residents go missing…

Aske is haunted by the incident that resulted in an accidental death and put him in prison for three years. It drives him to attempt suicide more than once, something his highly medicated state fails to prevent. But he temporarily defers further attempts, feeling compelled to find out what happened to Rasmus and the unidentified female.

Set over just eight days, this novel has many of the elements that might typify good Scandi Noir: a somewhat damaged protagonist whose consumption of prescription medication might be affecting his perception and ability; cold, ice and snow; a fjord; a not-insubstantial body count; a jack-in-the-box corpse; a missing son; an uninhabited lighthouse on a remote island; and a few locals whose agenda is unclear. It also features a tiny hint of the paranormal and glimpses of dark humour.

Despite a few plot holes and the need to sometimes suspend disbelief, the tale is mostly intriguing enough to keep the pages turning right up to the dramatic climax. The twists and red herrings and seemingly unrelated events will make it difficult for even the most astute reader to deduce the murderer until the final chapters. More of Thorkild Aske will definitely be welcome.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Better Reading Preview, NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. I’ve read a few Norwegian novels but I have never read anything like I Will Miss You Tomorrow. Aske was a character who like many before him has a private life that is a mess. But his private life has caused him to lose his career as an investigator in internal affairs and placed him in prison. I misunderstood most of his situation initially. When what happened to him was revealed I had a lot more sympathy, respect and liking for him.

It was a book that had me shivering whilst reading. The weather conditions, the freezing cold water, the attitudes and abuse he faced from former friends and colleagues. I learned more about certain medical conditions than I expected, drug dependency and Norwegian village life. I read the most graphic description of an autopsy I have ever read , where I could practically smell the body.

It is a crime novel with a supernatural slant. Not too much, just enough to unsettle me and question whether it was a hallucination or ‘reality’. Aske is one of the more intriguing characters I have met, I hope I don’t have to wait too long for book two.

I Will Miss You Tomorrow is the first instalment in the Thorkild Aske Mystery series set in the vast, isolated expanse of Norway. It features disgraced ex-Chief Inspector Thorkild Aske and is very different from the usual run of the mill thrillers; this is Nordic Noir at its finest and Bakkeid's first foray into the crime genre. Former Internal Affairs Interrogator Thorkild Aske is just out of prison when he is asked to investigate a disappearance that the authorities have no interest in pursuing. He travels to a small, remote town on the northern coast of Norway to try to discover the truth about Rasmus Moritzen who vanished whilst trying to convert a lighthouse into an activity centre. But the abandoned lighthouse holds many dark and disturbing secrets and as the stormy weather whips the sea into a frenzy the badly decomposed body of a faceless young woman is swept ashore. Soon Thorkild will find himself once more on the wrong side of the interrogation table.

This is a book that fizzes with originality; the type of originality that is a rarity these days. Every now and then a work of crime comes along and stuns me and reminds me of why I read this genre, and I Will Miss You Tomorrow certainly falls into that category. It's cleverly plotted, complex and completely gripping from start to finish. There are the customary twists and turns and mystery aplenty as more and more people go missing and the narrative unfolds. Thorkild is a larger than life character who we are given little detail about in the beginning but as the book progresses I warmed to him and felt for him in terms of what he'd been through. Bakkeid's ability to seamlessly combine an engrossing plot, a bleak and claustrophobic atmosphere, a unique and magnetic main character and the empty, cold and unforgiving landscape of his native Northern Norway, make this a powerful and haunting debut. I am already looking forward to seeing more of Thorkild. Many thanks to Raven Books for an ARC.

Can I just say, how exciting is it to read the words 'first in the series'? It's such a thrill to read that this is the English language debut of Heine Bakkeid and is a series which will hopefully run and run...trust me, Thorkild Aske makes a HUGE impression.

Beginning with a shocking opener which had me falling down a rabbit hole about how long it takes someone to die from strangulation-I do not recommend googling it unless super careful with your word usage- this novel goes on to a darkly comic job prospect interview for our protagonist, Aske, who has been recently released from prison. A disgraced policeman, who has lost his credibility, career and anyone who cares about him, he eeks an existence out in his basement flat, haunted by Frei, his lost love. He genuinely is haunted, and it is a cold and harsh existence reflected so acutely in the surrounding landscape and scenery.

He has a rough personality which I think is used to great effect to stop people getting too close to him, but like cats naturally flock to cat haters, I immediately took to his flawed and damaged character. His arc is not a redemptive one, his taking on of the responsibility of finding Frei's cousin,can never balance the scales of losing Frei. You cannot stop reading as you become entangled in the intricate and intense plotting which flashes back to when Aske and Frei met, and now, when he has been contacted by Frei's family to find Rasmus. I don't doubt the motives of psychologist, Ulfe, in linking Aske and Frei's family but redemption is rarely as easy as replacing one life with another.

Her cousin, Rasmus, has been missing and unheard from for a week.His mother, Anniken, has bought him the island a year ago and he and his friends were renovating the lighthouse, he was living there alone when his unmanned boat was discovered.

Aske is under no illusions that going to the abandoned lighthouse, situated on an island where Rasmus was planning to start an underwater wreck, and diving business from, will be a retrieval one. Even Rasmus' parents are admitting the hopes of what they will get from Aske is closure by burying his body, they appear to have committed themselves to the idea that Rasmus is dead. An open and shut case, or so it would seem....

I felt that reading this was akin to drowning...you are entirely submerged in the compelling narrative and grabbing for pieces of the plot which create a raft on which you float to the very last page. Intense and freezing becuase of the vividly realised background and starkness of the Norwegian coastline I would definitely recommend tucking yourself into your biggest blanket or cardigan to read it. You will be shivering a lot.

Aske is a flawed character, yes, but he is not a trope, he is very much his own character and I loved the intesity with which he takes this task on and tries to tackle the constant wrong footing he comes up against during this case. The supernatural elements of the tale were chill inducing and it's up to each reader what they take away from this-whether they are the product of a mind brought so close to death, immersed in grief and lovelorn or really , actually supernatural.

Incredibly compelling and suspenseful, I absolutely recommend 'I Will Miss You Tomorrow' as a perfect winter-y read .

My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing U.K./Raven Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘I Will Miss You Tomorrow’ by Heine Bakkeid in exchange for an honest review.

It was originally published in Norway as ‘Jeg skal savne deg i morgen’ in 2016 with English translation by Anne Bruce, 2019. It is the first in a series of crime thrillers featuring disgraced ex-Chief Inspector Thorkild Aske.

Thorkild Aske has recently been released from prison and a stint in a psychiatric hospital following a conviction for involuntary manslaughter. He is losing himself in drug-induced dreams of his beloved Frei, now lost forever following a tragic accident.

Frei’s uncle and ex-wife contact Thorkild after their son, Rasmus, goes missing off the Norwegian coast while renovating an abandoned lighthouse. They ask him to find Rasmus or recover his body if dead. He feels that he owes them. However, when he travels to the village of Skjellvik in the Blekøyvær district things become seriously strange.

This novel did take me a while to get into but once I did I became very caught up in its complex, haunting mystery. Bakkeid uses flashbacks to Thorkild’s time with Frei to reveal the circumstances of that relationship and how he fell from his former position as a Chief Inspector to disgrace and imprisonment.

I found that the raw landscape of the Norwegian coastline with the dangers presented by the sea and its changeable weather provided a powerful backdrop to the story. There was an element of folk horror linked to the sea and a hallucinatory ambiance that tipped it into nightmarish territory.

I found it an intelligent, haunting, and unusual novel. There were also the occasional flash of wry humour including a frankness about bodily functions. A powerful example of Nordic Noir that will stay with me for a long time.

I do hope that the other books in the series will be translated and published in due course as I want to know more of Thorkild Aske’s journey.

This is the beginning of a new series, set in Norway. In Nordic Noir tradition, our hero is both damaged and flawed – in this case more than is even usual. Ex-Chief Inspector Thorkild Aske is a disgraced policeman, who we meet when he is released from prison. He was involved in the death of his girlfriend, Frei, and spends his time trying to manage his pain, both physical and mental, and desperately trying to connect with her.

Pulled from his morass of self-recrimination and despair, Aske finds himself asked to investigate the disappearance of Frei’s cousin, Ramus Moritzen, who was planning to open an activity hotel in a lighthouse. Everyone seems to agree that Ramus is dead, but his mother wishes for closure and so Thorkild finds himself heading for the coast. Norway, and the weather, is really a part of this novel. You can really feel the salt spray and the cold; so if you like a Scandinavian setting, then this does have a lot of atmosphere.

I liked this crime novel. It isn’t as viscerally violent as some Scandi crime, which is something I sometimes find off-putting. I enjoyed the other characters, including Thorkild’s sister and Ulf Solstad, the psychiatrist. Unusual and with some dark humour and good plot twists. I will certainly read on. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

3.5 stars rounded down to 3

Thorkild Aske #1

Thorkild Aske is a disgraced ex-policeman. He's got a complicated past. He's just out of prison. He had accidentally killed a girl whilst under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Rasmus has disappeared. His parents ask Thorkild to help find him.

I always look forward to reading a new murder mystery series. This is quite a complex story but there are parts that are just unbelievable. This is a other book you cant say too much about as it would spoil it for potential readers. There are parts of this story that are well written. The characters are true to life. I could not to Thorkild. Maybe that was the authors intention. I will read the next book in this series to see if my opinion changes.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK &ANZ). and the author Heine Bakkeid for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book follows the story of Thorkild Aske, an ex-interrogator with the Internal Affairs where he investigates and interrogates tainted police with noted criminal behavior. He’s excellent at his job using his manipulative skills and technique. He is divorden and has a hard relationship with his sister Liz and her alcoholic, abusive husband, and his mom who suffers from Dementia. But all of these seem to disintegrate as he meets and falls for a girl named Frei. She’s beautiful, mysterious and equally manipulative and Aske is just astonished as the rest of us as she lures him to do the impossible.

Today, Aske is a disgraced, out of job and just released from prison on accounts of drunk and drive and killing a woman on the ride. He’s hated by his colleagues, and suffers from mental and physical damages caused by the accident. He has also cultivated suicidal thoughts after his attempt to kill himself in the prison once.

However, he is summoned by the mother of a 27 year Rasmus who has vanished after a diving session near an old lighthouse and is now presumed dead by the local police. Fighting his guilt, he travels to investigate the case, when he discovers many mysterious things about the place that doesn’t add up to the boy’s disappearance. His claims are very well ignored by the police due to his state of mind, until he discovers a body of a woman whose face is poorly damaged and unidentifiable. What follows next is a deep and compelling murder investigation.

I Will Miss You Tomorrow is a perfect Scandinavian Noir with it’s dark and sinister setting. Heine Bakkeid gives meticulous description about how dark the ambience is, and hooks his readers to the nail-biting short chapters. The first half of the book though, runs in it’s own pace as Aske struggles and fights with his demons and guilt from the past. So, the crime investigation really starts way after you reach few more chapters. The details are gory and disturbing as Bakkeid elaborates on Pathology and other aspects of the case. So, if you like a Crime Thriller with a glimpse of paranormal aspect, which shows in-depth investigation, you’ll love reading this book. The narration is also structured in an interesting way to manipulate the readers and it’s really hard to put it down without knowing what has actually happened among all the chaos. Told from the perspective of Aske, whose delusional, suicidal and erratic behaviour only makes it more unreliable. Not to mention his drug addiction! So, if he spots a ghost or two in between, well it’s not a surprise entirely.

This Scandinavian thriller is a right mix of suspense, deception, self-destruction and redemption, guilt, and manipulation tangled with a ghosts and chilling murder mystery to solve. There is a sequel, and I’m definitely reading it! All opinions are solely mine and in no way are they biased.

A murder mystery set in Northern Norway, I Will Miss You Tomorrow is atmospheric, bleak and disturbing. But also gripping. Thorkild Aske has recently been released from prison after serving a sentence for involuntary manslaughter. He had GHB in his system whilst driving, and a crash left him injured, whilst his passenger, Frei, was killed. Thorkild was in love with Frei, and is haunted by her memory. He was a serving police officer for internal affairs and so, as well as losing Frei, he has also lost his career. A failed suicide attempt in prison has resulted in him being on a cocktail of drugs both for his pain management, and also for his mental health. He feels hopeless. But when a young Danish man goes missing, he is called upon to investigate. The local police assume it was a diving accident, but Thorkild begins to suspect there is more to the tale. When the body of a dead woman washes up, things take a deeply disturbing twist. Add to that two missing local police officers. Thorkild begins to piece together the clues and in a heart-stopping climax, he solves the mystery and almost loses his life in the process. A book that isn't for the faint hearted, but for those readers who enjoy their murders most grisly, this is a winner.

Norwegian crime is one of my guilty reading pleasures. The start of a new crime series and another new author for me. I tried really hard with this book and after two attempts I did finish it, the plot was unbelievable and ended in the realms of pure fantasy. I had high hopes for this book unfortunately it did not deliver. Even the blurb was misleading. I just hope that other readers of this genre will find more to enjoy than I did.
I would like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I found I Will Miss You Tomorrow rather plodding and tedious and could not get into the book at all

Not one I can recommend