Storytelling at its finest
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Samuel Bjork’s crime thriller series around detectives Munch and Mia Krüger is a masterclass in storytelling and keeping readers hooked page after page.
The three-part series starting with ‘I’m Travelling Alone’ is not only a book that brought me back into reading more but a book that we can all learn from.
The backstory
As we know every good story starts with a beginning, before we start diving deeper into one of my favorite fiction books to date, let’s start with my brief and somewhat less exciting background.
It was just like any other day, at work. I came in, said my hellos, and made a beeline straight for the kitchen to get my morning cup of tea and toast, the start to any good productive day if you ask me!
Luckily for me, it was not like any ordinary day, a member of our sales team was in the office for a couple of meetings, and it was always good to catch up, especially when they spent a lot of their time on the road and not in the office. (before the whole pandemic happened)
He seemed a lot more upbeat today, maybe it was just the fact we had better coffee in the office that day, or maybe it was something else.
He handed me over a book, and after a few minutes of high praise (around the book, not me) I was intrigued. I wouldn’t normally say I was a massive fan of crime thriller-type books, but even seeing his enthusing around it, made me want to start reading it right away!
Before I waffle on too much let’s get back to the present day.
What can we learn?
Over the years I have read a lot of great books, ones that have changed my perspective, taught me new skills, and help take me away from the world when I needed an escape. This series of books was different.
First and foremost, were the characters, within the first few chapters, I started to feel like I knew Mia Krüger almost to the extent of her feeling real, I felt like I was right there with her. The details and how brilliantly everything is written and described make it very difficult to not sink into.
The next point is an important one, as in today’s digital age, when creating blog posts, articles, and content online, much like the beginning of a book, you need to connect with your audience, capture their attention and keep it.
With a bit of trial and error, catching your audience’s attention is one thing, but keeping it is another, especially within long-form content and books.
How many books have you put down after not finding it engaging or useful after a chapter or two?
This would be one of my highest praises for Samuel Bjork’s series, it is how he keeps us, the reader engaged throughout. I have heard people saying that they read a book and found it difficult to put down. I honestly had never experienced that, don’t get me wrong I have enjoyed many books, but I would not say putting it down was difficult. Until now.
Page after page after page, I just got more engaged with the characters and the story. At one point, about halfway through the first book, it was so intense, exciting, and fast-paced, I honestly thought it was coming to a conclusion and the case would be closed. I honestly struggled to put it down, I just wanted to keep reading.
It kept me hooked throughout, wanting to know more, and even when I had finished the first book in the series, I couldn’t help but start the next one right away, I didn’t want it to end.
If I have learned anything from Samuel Bjork, it would be trying to focus more around your audience and keeping them engaged, whether that is through excitement, or the need to learn more.
My suggestion to everyone would be to treat yourself and read ‘I’m Travelling Alone’ as your next book. You will not regret it, and I hope like me you can learn from it.
The more we consume and learn from great writers, the greater our own writing will become.
Before you go
In case you are interested in starting the series, you can find the order below, and if you can, support one of your local bookshops and see if they have it in stock.
The Munch and Krüger Series by Samuel Bjork:
- I’m Travelling Alone
- The Owl Always Hunts at Night
- The Boy in the Headlights
