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The best Nordic noir books

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What to read next if you love Dept. Q

The Lake

THE THRILLING NEW INSTALMENT IN THE WISTING SERIES, FROM THE NO. 1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 
 
'Compelling, original and suspenseful' KATHY REICHS 
 
Following a harsh winter, the dam gates at Farris Lake have been badly damaged, and as summer approaches the lake must be drained for repairs. 
 
Under the intense summer sun, the idyllic lake transforms into a barren wasteland – until the secrets that have long been buried beneath the surface are uncovered… 
 
On both sides of the lakebed, new evidence relating to unsolved cold cases is discovered – the remains of a young man who went missing eight years ago, and the belongings of a girl who disappeared four years later. 
 
Detective William Wisting is certain these crimes are linked. The lake has long hidden its secrets – but can Wisting now bring the truth to light? 
 
Why readers LOVE the Detective William Wisting series 
 
'Characters, plot, execution, pacing, conclusion...all quality. And it kept me guessing all the way through' 5***** reader review 
'One word for this series. BRILLIANT' 5***** reader review 
'Wisting goes from strength to strength...an excellent read' 5***** reader review 
'The very best of everything I love abotu the genre...I gulped it down whole in one tasty, page-turning bite' 5***** reader review 
'Quality writing and superb characterisation throughout, absorbing and riveting from the first to last page' 5***** reader review

Calm, methodical, and quietly gripping - classic Nordic noir precision

Compelling, original and suspenseful

Relentlessly exciting...creates a real sense of menace

A spare, sparse thriller that slips down very easily. Perfect weekend reading

Spare prose, elegant structure, and a masterful layering of secrets and suspense. Brilliant!

Jørn Lier Horst (Author) Jørn Lier Horst worked as a police officer and head of investigations before becoming a full-time writer, and has established himself as one of the most successful authors to come out of Scandinavia. His books have sold over eight million copies in his native Norway alone, been No. 1 international bestsellers, and he’s published in more than forty countries around the world. In 2024, he was awarded the prestigious Finnish Whodunnit Society’s Honorary Award for excellence in foreign crime fiction. 
 
The Wisting TV adaptation, produced by the team behind Wallander and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, is a hit series. The first five series are available to stream on BBC4. Anne Bruce (Translator) Anne Bruce studied Norwegian and English at the University of Glasgow and now lives on the Isle of Arran, Scotland. She has translated a number of crime novels by Anne Holt and Jorn Lier Horst, including the Petrona-Prize-winning The Caveman and When It Grows Dark, which was longlisted for the CWA International Dagger in 2017.

Following a harsh winter, the dam gates at Farris Lake have been badly damaged, and as summer approaches the lake must be drained for repairs. 
 
Under the intense summer sun, the idyllic lake transforms into a barren wasteland – until the secrets that have long been buried beneath the surface are uncovered… 
 
On both sides of the lakebed, new evidence relating to unsolved cold cases is discovered – the remains of a young man who went missing eight years ago, and the belongings of a girl who disappeared four years later. 
 
Detective William Wisting is certain these crimes are linked. The lake has long hidden its secrets – but can Wisting now bring the truth to light?

The Traitor

BENEATH THE LANDSLIDE LIES A MURDER: DETECTIVE WISTING’S MOST DANGEROUS CASE YET 
'Characters, plot, execution, pacing, conclusion...all quality. And it kept me guessing all the way through' 5***** reader review 
-- 
In heavy rain, a landslide sweeps away a group of homes in Larvik, Norway. At first everyone is accounted for. 
But then, during the clear up, a body is found – one with a gunshot wound inflicted before the landslip. 
Detective William Wisting must first find out who it is and where the body came from. He soon wishes he hadn’t. The victim is Swedish: a police infiltrator working a major crime. 
Suddenly, the stakes couldn’t be higher – or more dangerous. 
Because, in a game of deception, who can Wisting ever trust? 
-- 
 
Praise for Jørn Lier Horst 
'Tense, fast-paced...compelling' Sunday Times 
'Relentlessly exciting...creates a real sense of menace' The Times 
'Atmospheric' Herald 
Why readers LOVE the Wisting series 
 'A truly absorbing crime thriller, as good as they get' 5***** reader review 
 'Very cleverly written...the fast pace is maintained until the very last page' 5***** reader review 
 'I loved every minute of it! A must read for crime fans' 5***** reader reviews 
 'I read this is one sitting, you won't regret it!' 5***** reader reviews 
 'Another twisting tale for Wisting to make sense of and he doesn't disappoint - the backdrop of snowy Norway makes this even more gripping' 5***** reader review

Relentlessly exciting...creates a sense of real menace

Jørn Lier Horst writes some of the best Scandinavian crime fiction available. His books are superbly plotted and addictive, the characters wonderfully realised

Horst, a former Norwegian police detective, is often compared to Sweden’s Henning Mankell for his moody, sweeping crime dramas

Jørn Lier Horst worked as a police officer and head of investigations before becoming a full-time writer, and has established himself as one of the most successful authors to come out of Scandinavia. His books have sold over three million copies in his native Norway alone, been No. 1 international bestsellers, and he’s published in more than forty countries around the world. In 2024, he was awarded the prestigious Finnish Whodunnit Society’s Honorary Award for excellence in foreign crime fiction. 
 
The Wisting TV adaptation, produced by the team behind Wallander and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, was a hit series. The first three series are available to stream on BBC4.

Following weeks of heavy rain, the earth comes sliding down on one of Larvik&rsquo;s residential areas, burying a handful of houses. 
 
Detective William Wisting is quick to join the rescue operation. Luckily, by sunrise the next day, it becomes clear that the landslide has claimed no victims. 
 
And yet, just twenty-four hours later, a body is found &ndash; a victim who was killed before the landslide. 
 
As Wisting opens an investigation into the mysterious murder, he soon discovers this death might have dangerous ties to a series of ongoing cases. 
 
And the clues start leading Wisting not towards an enemy on the outside &ndash; but to a traitor in his own unit&hellip;

Snow Fall

BE ONE OF THE FIRST TO DISCOVER THE GRIPPING NEW MYSTERY FEATURING DETECTIVE WILLIAM WISTING . . . 
 
When true crime fanatic Astri Arctander disappears, Detective William Wisting is called upon to investigate. 
 
Alongside her fellow amateur sleuths, Astri had been trying to uncover what really happened to Ruby Thompson, a backpacker whose body was recently discovered in Palamós, Spain. 
 
Astri was ready to unmask Ruby’s killer. Then she vanished. 
 
Wisting is determined to solve the case – to find justice for Ruby, and to bring Astri home unharmed. 
 
But he soon finds himself at the heart of a dark and twisted cat-and-mouse chase, that will take him from the snowy depths of Norway to the hot Catalan hills. 
 
Wisting is willing to go to extreme lengths to find the truth. 
 
But his enemy will go further to keep it buried – and the closer Wisting gets, the more dangerous they become . . . 
 
Praise for Jørn Lier Horst: 
 
'Tense, fast-paced . . . compelling' Sunday Times 
 
'Relentlessly exciting . . . creates a sense of real menace' The Times 
 
'Jørn Lier Horst writes some of the best Scandinavian crime fiction available. His books are superbly plotted and addictive, the characters wonderfully realised ' Yrsa Sigurðardóttir,

Tense, fast-paced . . . compelling

Relentlessly exciting . . . creates a sense of real menace

Jørn Lier Horst writes some of the best Scandinavian crime fiction available. His books are superbly plotted and addictive, the characters wonderfully realised

Jørn Lier Horst worked as a police officer and head of investigations before becoming a full-time writer, and has established himself as one of the most successful authors to come out of Scandinavia. His books have sold over two million copies in his native Norway alone, been No. 1 international bestsellers, and he’s published in twenty-six languages around the world. In 2024, he was awarded the prestigious Finnish Whodunnit Society’s Honorary Award for excellence in foreign crime fiction. 
 
The Wisting TV adaptation, produced by the team behind Wallander and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, was a hit series. The first two series are available to stream on BBC 4, with the third still to come.

When the body of an Australian backpacker is found in Spain, a global group of amateur sleuths comes alive in attempting to solve the mystery of her death. 
 
Foremost on the message boards is Astri, a young Norwegian woman whose feverish pursuit takes her closer than anyone to solving the case. 
 
But just as she makes her claim, she goes offline. 
 
No one in the group has heard from her since. 
 
William Wisting is sent to investigate, plunged into a world of unorthodox methods and amateur investigation - and a dangerous case where nothing is as it seems...

The Night Man

THE PULSE-RAISING NEW WISTING NOVEL FROM 10 MILLION COPY BESTSELLER JØRN LIER HORST, NOW A MAJOR BBC 4 TV SHOW 
 
'Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers' THE TIMES 
'One of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today' SUNDAY TIMES 
 
A BODY IN THE LAKE. A HEAD ON A STAKE . . . 
_________ 
 
Gruesome happenings in the quiet town of Larvik. Only one man is capable of solving them: Chief Inspector William Wisting. 
 
Before long, more bodies are found. Media frenzy sweeps the locals into panic. And when Wisting's investigation leads him to a deadly underground crime ring, he fears the whole town may be in danger. 
 
But at the heart of it is the gang's elusive leader: The Night Man. 
 
Who Wisting must find if he wants to stop the murders. 
 
That is, if The Night Man doesn't get to him first . . . 
_________ 
 
Praise for Jørn Lier Horst 
 
'Horst, a former Norwegian police detective, is often compared to Sweden's Henning Mankell for his moody, sweeping crime dramas' New York Times 
 
'Jørn Lier Horst writes some of the best Scandinavian crime fiction . . . His books are superbly plotted and addictive, the characters wonderfully realized' Yrsa Sigurdardóttir 
 
 'One of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today' Sunday Times

It's fascinating to see Horst flesh out his protagonist Wisting at an early stage in his career . . . Nor is it hard to see why the series quickly became so popular

One of the very best novels that [Lier Horst] has ever written . . . Thrilling. Jørn Lier Horst elevates his and Wisting's universe to a whole other level

Atmospheric. Demonstrates why he has become so popular . . . A powerful portrait of a barbaric criminal underworld that exploits society's most vulnerable

It happened in the quiet town of Larvik. 
 
A severed head displayed on a stake. A crime so dark only one man can solve it: Police Inspector William Wisting. 
 
Soon more bodies are found. Media frenzy panics the locals. And when Wisting's investigation leads him to a deadly underground crime ring, he fears the whole town may be in danger. 
 
But at the heart of it is just one man: The Night Man. 
 
The man Wisting must find if he wants to stop the murders. 
 
That is, if The Night Man doesn't get to him first . . .

A Question of Guilt

A chilling letter. A wrong conviction. One last chance to find the real killer . . . The chilling and heart-pounding new novel from Norwegian superstar Jørn Lier Horst 
 
INSPIRATION FOR THE HIT BBC FOUR SHOW WISTING 
 
'Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers' THE TIMES 
_______ 
 
In 1999, seventeen-year-old Tone Vaterland was killed on her way home from work. 
 
Desperate for a conviction the police deemed the investigation an open-and-shut case and sent her spurned boyfriend, Danny Momrak, down for murder. 
 
But twenty years later William Wisting receives a puzzling letter. It suggests the wrong man was convicted for Tone's death. 
 
And the real murderer is still out there. 
 
Wisting is quickly thrown into a terrifying race against time where he must find the sender, decipher this mysterious letter and catch the real killer - before they strike again . . . 
_______ 
 
Praise for Jørn Lier Horst 
 
'Horst, a former Norwegian police detective, is often compared to Sweden's Henning Mankell for his moody, sweeping crime dramas' New York Times 
 
'Jørn Lier Horst writes some of the best Scandinavian crime fiction . . . His books are superbly plotted and addictive, the characters wonderfully realized' Yrsa Sigurdardóttir 
 
'One of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today' Sunday Times

Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers

A well-written and intensely thrilling story

Horst both knows how to craft a good plot and to make the lines all come together

Horst is a craftsman, and at his best a truly masterful writer of crime novels

Jørn Lier Horst is back with one of the best books in the Wisting series

In 1999, seventeen-year-old Tone Vaterland was killed on her way home from work. Desperate for a conviction the police deemed the investigation an open-and-shut case and sent her spurned boyfriend, Danny Momrak, down for murder. 
But twenty years later William Wisting receives a puzzling letter. It suggests the wrong man was convicted for Tone's death and the real murderer is still out there. 
Wisting is quickly thrown into a terrifying race against time where he must find the sender, decipher this mysterious letter and catch the real killer before they strike again.

The Inner Darkness

The chilling and heart-pounding new novel from Norwegian superstar Jørn Lier Horst 
 
 THE INSPIRATION FOR THE HIT BBC FOUR SHOW WISTING 
 
 'Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers' THE TIMES 
'Tense, fast-paced, compelling' SUNDAY TIMES 
________ 
 
 Five years ago, serial killer Tom Kerr was imprisoned. Today, he's out to reveal the resting place of his final victim. 
 
However, Detective Wisting is taking no chances. Kerr is chained and handcuffed. The police have dogs and guns. 
 
 But minutes after entering the forest, Wisting's officers lie broken and bleeding. And Kerr has vanished into the woods. 
 
 Too late, Wisting realises their error. What's worse, Kerr had an accomplice who was never caught . . . 
 
 Now two murderers are on the loose - and Wisting has just hours to find them . . . 
________ 
 
 'One of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today' Sunday Times 
 
 'Horst, a former Norwegian police detective, is often compared to Sweden's Henning Mankell for his moody, sweeping crime dramas' New York Times

Jørn Lier Horst claims the number one spot on the winner's podium

Jørn Lier Horst delivers credible crime fiction as always

Praise for Jørn Lier Horst

Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers

If you liked Wallander you'll enjoy this too

Jørn Lier Horst writes literary crime with high credibility and keen-eyed societal depictions - he's Norway's own Henning Mankell

Impeccably crafted police procedural

Jørn Lier Horst is one of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today

Horst, a former Norwegian police detective, is often compared to Sweden's Henning Mankell for his moody, sweeping crime dramas

Jørn Lier Horst raises the suspense level to horror proportions

Dagens Nyheter, 'Best Crime Novels of 2020'

Thomas Kerr has finally agreed to lead the police to his final victim's grave. But the expedition goes horribly wrong after his escape into the Norwegian forest. 
Wisting must launch a frantic search to find this cold-blooded killer before he strikes again. 
But the body of another woman, killed weeks before, has been found. Murdered in the same way as Kerr's victims. 
Is there a copycat killer on the loose? 
As the clock counts down to the next murder, Wisting must put everything on the line to stop a terrifying evil before it strikes again.

The Cabin

'Horst is brilliant on the day-to-day details of investigation, while keeping tension to the end' SUNDAY TIMES 
 
'Horst, a former Norwegian police detective, is often compared to Sweden's Henning Mankell for his moody, sweeping crime dramas' NEW YORK TIMES 
 
If you loved Wallander, meet Wisting - your next Scandi crime obsession . . . 
 
15 years ago, Simon Meier walked out of his house and was never seen again. 
 
With no leads, the case quickly ran cold. Until now. 
 
Because one day ago, politician Bernard Clausen died. And in his cabin on the Norwegian coast, police make a shocking discovery. 
 
Boxes of bank notes, worth millions of dollars. Collecting dust. 
 
Chief Inspector William Wisting thinks it could link to Meier's disappearance. 
 
But solving both cases will mean working with an old adversary, and delving into a dark underworld - which leads closer to home than he could have imagined . . . 
 
Fans of Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson will be captivated by this thrilling and atmospheric read from the award-winning Nordic crime writer. 
 
'Plotting reigns supreme' Barry Forshaw, Financial Times 
__________ 
 
'Jørn Lier Horst writes some of the best Scandinavian crime fiction . . . His books are superbly plotted and addictive, the characters wonderfully realized' Yrsa Sigurdardóttir 
 
'One of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today' Sunday Times 
 
'Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers' Marcel Berlin, The Times 
 
THE INSPIRATION FOR THE TV SERIES WISTING FROM THE PRODUCERS BEHIND WALLANDER AND THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Horst is brilliant on the day-to-day details of investigation, while keeping tension to the end

Impeccably crafted police procedural

A well-crafted, atmospheric, character-driven thriller - I couldn't put it down!

Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers

Plotting reigns supreme. Fortunately, that's Horst's primary skill

A good Nordic police procedural with well-drawn characters

A nail biting deftly plotted thriller by a Norwegian police officer turned bestselling author

Lier Horst's novels stand comparison with the best police procedurals from anywhere in the world . . . polished and stylish . . . Wisting is a cracking creation . . . this is a riveting police procedural, it's a page turner, inventive and thrilling by turns

If you liked Wallander you'll enjoy this too

One of the finest novels in one of the best police procedural series out there and a more than decent slice of scandi-noir too

Jørn Lier Horst writes some of the best Scandinavian crime fiction available. His books are superbly plotted and addictive, the characters wonderfully realised

Another good, solid police procedural

Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers

Jørn Lier Horst is one of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today

A good Nordic police procedural with well-drawn characters

Pure evil in a solid Wisting crime novel. /..../ Jørn Lier Horst delivers credible crime fiction as always

With Ill Will, Jørn Lier Horst claims the number one spot on the winner's podium. /.../ Ill Will is the most brutal and ruthless novel penned by Horst to date. A ruthlessness that Horst delivers with elegance. /.../ The interplay between father and daughter, the police man and the journalist, is once again brilliantly portrayed

It's been fifteen years since Simon Meier walked out of his house, never to be seen again. 
And just one day since politician Bernard Clausen was found dead at his cabin on the Norwegian coast. 
When Chief Inspector William Wisting is asked to investigate he soon discovers he may have found the key to solving Meier's disappearance. 
But doing so means he must work with an old adversary to piece together what really happened all those years ago. 
It's a puzzle that leads them into a dark underworld on the trail of Clausen's interests and vices . A shady place from which may never emerge - especially when he finds it leads closer to home than he ever could have imagined.

You loved Wallander, now meet Wisting.

The Katharina Code

Set between the icy streets and dark forests of Norway, The Katharina Code is a heart-stopping story of one man's obsession with his coldest case. Atmospheric, gripping and suspenseful; this is Nordic Noir at its very best. 
 
'Horst, a former Norwegian police detective, is often compared to Sweden's Henning Mankell for his moody, sweeping crime dramas' NEW YORK TIMES 
___________ 
 
Katharina went missing twenty-four years ago. 
 
Each year on the anniversary of her disappearance Chief Inspector William Wisting visits her husband, the man he could never help. 
 
He re-reads her files, searching for the answer he could never find. 
 
The code he could never solve. 
 
Until now. 
 
This year is going to be different. 
 
Another woman is missing. 
 
And so is Katharina's husband. 
 
Wisting has to find him, but is he rescuing a dear friend, or playing a deadly game? 
___________ 
 
NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES FROM THE PRODUCERS BEHIND WALLANDER AND THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO 
 
2018 Nordic Noir Thriller of the Year, Winner of the prestigious Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel &amp; Longlisted for the CWA International Dagger Award 
 
'Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers' The Times 
 
Jørn Lier Horst is one of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today' The Sunday Times 
 
'A well-crafted, atmospheric, character-driven thriller- I couldn't put it down!' Alex Dahl, author of The Boy At The Door

A well-crafted, atmospheric, character-driven thriller- I couldn't put it down!

Jørn Lier Horst is one of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today

Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers

The Katharina Code is the best and most ingenious novel that Jørn Lier Horst has written thus far

If you haven't already, introduce yourself to Norway's Chief Inspector William Wisting - you'll warm to him even though his patch can get pretty cold

Jørn Lier Horst only gets better and better . . . The Katharina Code is a beautiful crime fiction story

The novel vibrates with anticipation all the way to the finish

The author has employed literary devices one only rarely finds in a crime novel. And he's succeeded marvelously

With The Katharina Code Jørn Lier Horst again delivers an excellent crime novel with a credible plot . . . All that remains is to declare that Jørn Lier Horst impresses again

The untangling [of the mystery], the tactics, and the climax keep the suspense at a solid Horst level

Jørn Lier Horst has truly done it this time . . . Exceptionally well-executed

Horst invites the readers to join the investigation in a credible manner that highlights professional practices [in the police] and generates a new kind of suspense

Twenty-six years ago Katharina Haugen went missing. All she left behind was her husband Martin and a mysterious string of numbers written on a piece of paper. 
 
Every year on October 10th Chief Inspector William Wisting takes out the files to the case he was never able to solve. Stares at the code he was never able to crack. And visits the husband he was never able to help. 
 
But now Martin Haugen is missing too. 
 
And the police force is convinced he's involved in another disappearance of a young woman and asks Wisting to close the net around Martin. 
 
But is he playing cat and mouse with a dangerous killer or a grief-stricken husband who cannot lay the past to rest? 
 
Set across the icy streets and dark forests of Norway, The Katharina Code is a heart-stopping story of one man's consuming hope to solve his coldest case.

Jørn Lier Horst

Anne Bruce

Relentlessly exciting...creates a real sense of menace

A spare, sparse thriller that slips down very easily. Perfect weekend reading

Spare prose, elegant structure, and a masterful layering of secrets and suspense. Brilliant!

Detective William Wisting has spent years solving the cases that others can’t. 
 
But when his daughter, Line, unearths information about the little-known past of Adrian Stiller – head of the Cold Case Unit in Oslo – including the mysterious disappearance of Stiller’s high school sweetheart, Wisting trusts Line to follow the trail. 
 
Wisting is looking forward to taking a step back. When his former boss dies, however, Wisting suspects foul play was involved. Particularly when a link to Stiller and another cold case emerges… 
 
As secrets come to light, new and old threads intertwine – and at the centre of it all stands Wisting, who alongside his daughter, must solve one last case.

Jørn Lier Horst

Books by Jørn Lier Horst

Series by Jørn Lier Horst

Cold Case Quartet4 Books

William Wisting Series5 Books

Articles featuring Jørn Lier Horst

The best Nordic noir books

What to read next if you love Dept. Q

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