2025
Investor Erik Hoff is fighting for his innocence in a brutal double murder case in Sandnes. When police officers Tom Grayston and Dagny Stokka investigate new leads in the case, they become entangled in a dark underworld of prostitution and severe human trafficking. Truth and trust are put to the test, and the line between guilt and innocence is blurred.
Slaughter (Slakt) was published in 2019 by Pitch forlag and is the first in the crime series about Tom Grayston. It is a realistic crime novel containing courtroom drama, police investigation, and sequences of suspense.
This is what Skjerven said about Slaughter:
“As the author of Slaughter, I have had the privilege of creating my own story and my own universe, where the main goal has been to provide exciting entertainment. At the same time, I wanted to challenge the genre somewhat: to bring seriousness into the fiction. The reader is given the opportunity to ask themselves the following questions: Could this have happened in reality, and is society doing enough to prevent this type of crime?”
In 2020, Slaughter was nominated to compete for the literature prize Årets Ulest organized by Bookis.
Slaughter is an exceptionally well‑crafted story...“The characters are so vividly portrayed that each one remains firmly in memory (rating 6/6).
A sensational debut..Incredibly realistic and very well told.
A credible crime debut. The book is exciting and well‑written… the plot and dialogue flow smoothly. It’s simply a little difficult to put down.
Espen Skjerven has got me hooked.
Slaughter is an incredibly well‑written, thrilling, and easy‑to‑read book, highly recommended (rating 6/6).
A very strong crime debut...The plot stands rock‑solid throughout the novel (rating 5/6)
…this is thought‑provoking entertainment at the highest level (rating 6/6).
A real page‑turner...At times I was breathless, wanting to skip ahead because I could hardly wait to see what happens next — it’s that exciting.
Espen Skjerven has written a crime novel with great pace, constant surprises, and tension present all the way through (rating 5/6).
Slaughter is a strong, brutal, and thrilling crime novel. It is very easy to read, with great immersion. The characters are vivid and exciting (rating 5/6).
Unbearably exciting.
A bang of a debut from the author! The story is very engaging, and it’s almost impossible to put the book down.
Slaughter is a very promising debut, an easy‑to‑read book with great momentum and hard to put down, with suspense from the first to the last page (rating 5/6).
…the ending is fast‑paced, thrilling, and above all surprising, and all in all I think this is a good crime novel I can recommend.
An insanely good crime debut...A nerve‑wracking and grand story.
This book was at times raw and chilling, but I loved it, and I’d gladly read more from this author.
Espen Skjerven
Kjetil Birkedal Pedersen
