Back from the Dead is the third in the Amsinck’s Danish crime series. Copenhagen is sweltering in the summer heat. A headless torso is found in the waters of the harbour. A missing driver, close to a controversial politician may be the victim. Journalist Jensen and DI Jungersen are on the case, if not entirely in synch.
Paul Burke: Welcome to Crime Time, Heidi. You’ve been writing all your career but it didn’t start with novels.
Heidi Amsinck: Yes, I’ve been telling stories all my life, one way or the other. First as a journalist in Copenhagen and London, then as a short story writer and now as a novelist. I dabbled for years, but a creative writing MA from Birkbeck set me on the road to getting published. One night, I read my work out loud at an open mic event at a bookshop, and producer Jeremy Osborne from Sweet Talk Productions happened to be in the audience. For the next several years I wrote a string of Danish noir stories for BBC Radio 4, all produced by Sweet Talk. As part of my MA course, I also wrote a terrible novel that I now regard as my apprenticeship. There’s no manual to finding your voice; you just have to learn to fail better. For a long time, I thought a novel was beyond me. Until lockdown happened, and Jensen and her friends showed up.
PB: And now you’ve published your third Jensen/Jungersen novel so the series is pretty established. You were born and brought up in Denmark and now you live in Britain, writing in English, (which is far more complex than speaking the language fluently). How does that influence your work, it’s Scandi-noir feel, if at all?
What about the Danish edition of My Name is Jensen, how did that work?
HA: It’s my mother tongue but writing fiction in Danish doesn’t work for me. Perhaps I’m a sucker for a challenge, perhaps I’m simply choosing to tell my stories in the language I share with my sons, partner and friends. Jensen returns to Copenhagen after many years away, noticing little things that natives may overlook. Perhaps it’s easier for me to handle that outsider’s perspective in English. Because it’s my second language, my phrasing can be unorthodox at times, but I choose to believe this adds a kind of Scandi ‘otherness’ to my writing. My beloved city of birth takes centre stage, with all its light and shade. It’s a long time now since I lived there, so my descriptions are half real, half imagined, bound up in vivid childhood memories. What I’d never expected is that Jensen’s investigations would be so popular in Danish (translated by a professional far more capable than me). I was incredibly honoured and moved to receive the Danish debut award for crime fiction for my first novel, My Name is Jensen.
PB: Yes, that must have been special. I get a sense that there is a community around Scandi-Noir and you’re part of that. Everybody’s books are very different, of course, but who are the author/s you love to read?
HA: I’m lucky that I get to be a ‘local’ writer in two countries. Though I write my books in English, I’m treated by Danish crime writers as one of their own and have received a huge amount of kindness and support from them. And, though I’m Danish, I still feel part of the crime-writing community in the UK where I live. I read crime novels in both languages with great pleasure and love that the genre has such huge variety. Authors like Ian Rankin, Ann Cleeves and Louise Welsh are particular favourites for evoking a strong sense of place and genuine affection for their protagonists. Recently, I was bowled over by Liz Nugent’s novel Strange Sally Diamond – so completely fresh and different.
PB: So tell us a little bit about Back From the Dead please.
HA: Back from the Dead is the third book in the Jensen series and the culmination of a subplot that started in the first book and continued in the second. It’s a hot pursuit of ruthless killers through the sultry streets of Copenhagen during a record-breaking heatwave. Each of my books can be read on its own, but I carry a few stands through the series such as Jensen’s relationship with a shadowy informant, the coming of age of her teenage trainee Gustav, and her troubled love affair with DI Henrik Jungersen.
PB: The gruesome discovery of a torso in the harbour sparks the murder investigation. Syrian refugee, Aziz Almnasi, now a driver for a politician has gone missing, it’s feared he may be the victim. We soon realise a lot more may be going on. Did you always envisage the story would involve political intrigue and other elements too.
HA: I wanted Back from the Dead to be a more complex story than the first two, with angles running deep into Danish politics and society. Aziz, a Syrian refugee with an unbreakable bond to a Danish MP, appears in the first book and is one of my favourite characters. I always knew I wanted to explore his story some more in book three, and had pretty much worked out the plot by the time I finished book two, The Girl in the Photo.
PB: As you say, the on going strand of the story. This is the Jensen series but you’ve developed an ensemble cast: Gustav, Lisbeth, Henrik and Liron, Jorgensen. Is it like revisiting old friends for you? Readers come as much for the characters as mysteries, don’t they, so they expect to see their favourites.
HA: Jensen and Henrik were on my mind from the start. Gustav arrived later as I worked on the first draft of My Name is Jensen during lockdown. My youngest son came back from uni to stay with me for those long weeks, and Gustav’s resilience and sense of humour is really a tribute to him. Liron from Jerusalem makes the world’s best coffee and has useful contacts all over Copenhagen. Jensen feels a deep affinity with him, as a fellow outsider in the city. Over time, these characters that you invented become close companions, with their own insistent voices and stories to be told – imperfect, surprising, human. I love that.
PB: Tell us a little bit about the relationship between Jensen and Jungersen, let’s say it’s dramatic, both in and away from work. The complexity of their relationship adds tension but also humour, sometimes partly because of their self-inflicted problems.
HA: Henrik was already married when he and Jensen fell in love, something he ‘forgot’ to tell her. They are clearly attracted to one another, but know they can’t be together. I like that tension, with is echoed in their symbiotic working relationship. As a police officer, Henrik is bound by process, whereas Jensen can be more anarchic in her research methods. They’re in a race for the truth, but always that they need each other to get there.
PB: Yes, that symbiosis comes across in the novel. Then there’s Tone, a new character for this story, I suppose this means she can bring freshness to the ensemble. Tell us about the new gutsy, determined cop on your team.
HA: Tone is organised, dedicated to public service, and, most importantly, takes no nonsense from Henrik. He can be rather cocky and irritable with his colleagues, so I thought it was about time someone showed him up. Henrik initially dislikes Tone, but, during the course of the investigation, she wins his respect, and ends up being a rather central figure to the story. You have to read the book to find out why.
PB: So, without giving too much away, we have Leif Kofoed as a billionaire megalomaniac. I think he says something about modern society. Is it fun writing characters on the dark side like him?
HA: Leif Kofoed does and says what he wants, and his lies, deceit and delusion made him – and the shady characters he surrounds himself with – fun to write. Though, generally, my Jensen books have panned out focusing more on the investigation of crime, and the impact on the people involved. I tend to avoid gory and explicit descriptions, and don’t write from the perspective of criminals and victims, thought I might explore that one day in a stand-alone novel or new series.
PB: We’ll look out for that. Jensen gets a new promotion at her paper but the reason behind that highlights a problem which is the plight of journalism and newspapers and their decline/financial problems. Is this something that concerns you?
HA: Yes, hugely. The Danish newspaper industry has been in decline for much of my career, and I’ve lost count of the rounds of job cuts I’ve witnessed in my time. Proper, independent investigative journalism is now very hard to find, anywhere in the world. We’ll miss it when it’s gone.
PB Very true. When it comes to the case, this is very personal for Jensen and Jungersen, but it has wider social themes around Danish politics and issues like immigration. Of course it’s a thriller first and foremost but how important are those underlying themes to you as a crime writer?
HA: I think there’s a real tradition for exploring social themes in Scandi crime writing, and I want to use my voice to do so. While my books are written to entertain, I like to home in on characters no one notices, and then empower them to surprise, the young man sitting in the street with a cardboard sign, the old woman, the homeless person with the dog.
PB: You give us this sense of Copenhagen in the novel, but you also use the hot summer to convey a mood for the narrative. Does that come naturally when you write about the city?
HA: The first book saw Copenhagen covered in snow, it rained for much of the second, and in the third has record-high temperatures to contend with. I like the way weather constantly changes the feel of the city and the waterways that criss-cross it. Whenever I can, I like to travel home and walk around taking photos of favourite places and inspiration for new stories. The whole Jensen thing started with a photo I took in 2018 of one of the city’s oldest streets. I thought, what if a journalist travelling to work came across a body covered in snow, just in front of that red building? Thus began the plot for My Name is Jensen.
PB: Funny how little things strike authors and a series is born. How long can the Jensen series run? It’s all about readers of course but how far ahead are you planning?
HA: I’m writing book four right now (ETA 2025), and the outline of book five is slowly coming into focus. For the time being, I enjoy hanging out with the characters, and feel there’s much still to explore. As long as my readers feel the same, I will keep on going and see where it takes me.
PB: Good to hear. It would be great to see Jensen and the others in a TV series, I think made in Denmark for authenticity. Is there a possibility of that down the road? I’m sure it’s something all writers would like for their work.
HA: Of course, I would love that. I’ve been in touch with a few producers who are interested in the books, but Jensen has not been optioned yet. Meanwhile, I’m writing a five-part mini serial about Jensen for BBC Radio 4, which is fun and exciting. Same principal cast, but a brand-new story written specifically for listening, which will be broadcast this summer.
PB: We’ll look out for that.
Back From the Dead is published by Muswell Press in paperback, eBook and audio on 18th April.
Back From the Dead by Heidi Amsinck – amazon.co.uk
