In Copenhagen the maverick journalist Jensen has no home, no job and no clear plan for the future. But she has a teenage apprentice Gustav. Together they are hired to find a stolen necklace of an old lady brutally murdered in her own flat. That assignment leads to some clashes with DI Henrik Jungersen investigating killings of three older people.

When ninety-year-old Irene Valborg was found brutally murdered in an affluent suburb of Copenhagen, her diamond necklace missing, it looked like a messed-up burglary. Before any investigation properly started, her daughter Regitse hired former Dagbladet reporter Jensen and her teenage apprentice Gustav to find the jewellery. She was impatient to claim her inheritance but not very concerned with the murder.

Soon two more elderly victims were attacked, and the police determined simply that a general rise in violence against the elderly was the cause. However, at all scenes of crime: in the private house, at the allotment and in the care home, DI Henrik Jungersen found a single photo of a young girl. Questioning own sanity as his wife had enough of his behaviour and trying to fix his marriage, Henrik realises that he works best when bouncing off Jensen. He is in an impossible position: desperate to avoid and attract her. Because Jensen, the bright maverick journalist in her thirties and the woman with no (first) name, seems to be a contradiction of nuances. She initially appeared in Heidi Amsinck’s novel My Name is Jensen. After fifteen years working in London, she has returned to her native Denmark and true to her unique style of writing and investigating issues on her own.

Amsinck has already introduced us to a quartet of unique and unforgettable characters: Jensen, Henrik, Gustav, and Copenhagen. One city that embraces them. Three people who don’t really work alongside and together. Not admitting as such they grew to depend on one another to go through everyday life. Jensen is fiercely independent, and super insightful when it comes to pursuing a query or idea that got her hooked. Henrik is miserable, rude and disrespectful as hell, a classic example of bad cop with messed up family life. Though these two are not in relationship of any kind, they’re attracted to each other on more existential level. And Gustav, an intense and angry teenager offloaded on Jensen by his aunt, and her ex-boss Margrethe, the powerful newspaper giant. The invisible intricate strings pull them together to uncover secrets of several victims and to establish what had happened before the seemingly unrelated murders take place. Of course, we know that nothing like that is unconnected and following the trio in their quest to put puzzle pieces into a clear picture is both interesting and cringy.

Jensen opens a bit about own upbringing which I think is a nod to the hippy commune lifestyle and freedom of Freetown Christiania, and also makes a painful discovery of the events that had led to Gustav being kicked out from school. This in turn shines a light on changes in the modern society which include social media’s role. The background stories add richness to this urban thriller’s overall mood. Amsinck’s book is also an ode to the charming and atmospheric city, its past and present, as the main protagonists navigate its streets and conventions, and learn about greed and shame. Complex layered plot, with intensity of narration and nuance and fantastic characterisation makes The Girl in the Photo, a gripping read. Both books are published by Muswell Press.