Inborn by Thomas Enger #audiobookreview #Inborn @EngerThomas ‏@OrendaBooks

When a teenager is accused of a high-school murder, he finds himself subject to trial by social media … and in the dock. A taut, moving and chilling thriller by one of Nordic Noir’s finest writers.
When the high school in the small Norwegian village of Fredheim becomes a murder scene, the finger is soon pointed at seventeen-year-old Even. As the investigation closes in, social media is ablaze with accusations, rumours and even threats, and Even finds himself the subject of an online trial as well as being in the dock … for murder?
Even pores over his memories of the months leading up to the crime, and it becomes clear that more than one villager was acting suspiciously … and secrets are simmering beneath the calm surface of this close-knit community. As events from the past play tag with the present, he’s forced to question everything he thought he knew. Was the death of his father in a car crash a decade earlier really accidental? Has his relationship stirred up something that someone is prepared to kill to protect?
It seems that there may be no one that Even can trust.
But can we trust him?
A taut, moving and chilling thriller, Inborn examines the very nature of evil, and asks the questions: How well do we really know our families? How well do we know ourselves?

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This was my first Thomas Enger novel and ohmigod Thomas Enger, where have you been all my life?! If Meggy (@Choconwaffles) happens to read this, she’ll tell me: I told you so! And yes she has urged me to read Thomas Enger’s previous books and while I do take her at her word (impeccable tastes, that one!), sometimes I need a little kick to get myself into motion. And Inborn was that kick!

Inborn is a clever mix of a locked room YA thriller / mystery and courtroom drama. It’s also a reminder of how readily I jump to conclusions! The locked room trope is reflected in the small town where the murders have been committed. I don’t know about you, but I never seem to tire of those little murderous towns! I love joining the investigator (in this case police officer Yngva, LOVED him) and putting my little grey cells to work! By the time I’d reached the finale those poor little grey cells were exhausted and I was none the wiser! Just when I thought I was right about a certain character, I was proven wrong (although I was right in not trusting them, at least that’s something). The flow of the story was excellent! When a question was asked in the courtroom, a flashback followed, allowing the reader to find out the answer. Very addictive!

Inborn is narrated by David Shaw-Parker. I listened to a sample of the narration and I wasn’t sure whether David and I would be a match. I tend to like female narrators better, I think because women are usually better at the men’s voices than the other way around. This narrator isn’t only a man, he’s a man with a Barry White voice. So sorry for all you Barry White fans out there, but there’s no love lost between Barry and me ? I bought Inborn anyway, since you can return Audible books you don’t like and I really wanted to read Inborn but knew I wouldn’t have the time because I had too many blog tour books to read. However, the narrator’s voice kind of grew on me and I ended up really enjoying it (it helped of course that I loved the story so much).

Atmospheric, intricately woven and riddled with red herrings, recommended!

Get the Inborn eBook directly from Orenda Books here. Or visit Amazon for the paperback or the audio version.