Jørn Lier Horst has been announced as the winner of the Nordic Noir Thriller of the Year Award for Dregs, a William Wisting novel. The Nordic Noir Thriller of the Year Award is handed out during the annual literary festival Crimetime, and goes to an international author whose writing can be said to be in the spirit of Nordic Noir, a genre signified by realism, dark contemporary undertones, and strong, recognisable milieus and characters. To be selected as the winner of the award, the author must have made a lasting impact on the modern crime novel.

The jury motivates their choice of Jørn Lier Horst thusly:

“Dregs is a classic Nordic Noir novel that contains every ingredient you could wish for: the small-town perspective, the involvement of society as a whole, reflections on the psychology of crime, and the everyday relationships that easily get caught in the middle. Jørn Lier Horst’s antihero, William Wisting, is a sympathetic, complex character who despite his stress-related problems leads the police work with a steady, firm hand. One can tell that Jørn Lier Horst has a past as an investigator, and he is without a doubt one of the best crime writers in the Nordic countries.”

Niklas Natt och Dag’s The Wolf and the Watchman was just awarded the Crimetime Specsavers Award 2018 for ‘Crime Debut of the Year’ at the Gothenburg Book Fair and won Bonnier’s Book Clubs’ ‘Book of the Year’ during yesterday’s fair day.

The jury of the Crimetime Specsavers Award 2018 says:

“For a seething, stinking and nerve-racking depiction of Stockholm in the 1790s. The anything but predictable story and deeply complex characters are presented with a rich language and contemporary precision. The Sherlock Holmes-inspired detective Cecil Vinge has a moving destiny of his own and death is his constant companion throughout the story. In 1793, death was run-of-the-mill but this novel is anything but. The jury is thoroughly impressed by Niklas Natt och Dag’s debut. We love the free-spiritedness of the narrative and the disrespect towards the genre that feels confidently free and
refreshing. Here we have a debut that doesn’t follow any rules or templates – but still manages to reach out and completely floor both readers and critics.”

The jury of the Bonnier’s Book Clubs’ 2018 says:

“A rich crime story from a bygone Stockholm – brilliantly told!
The autumn of 1793, a mutilated body is found in Lake Fatburen on Södermalm. Cecil Winge of the Police Department and the city guard Cardell take on the case. But they are running out of time, Winge’s health is fragile and the coldest winter known to man is approaching. The characters, environmental descriptions and language perfectly interact!”

Jonas Gardell’s In Memory of an Unconditional Love returns to the No. 1 spot on the weekly hardcover fiction list in Sweden, also claiming the No. 3 position on the e-book list. Stefan Ahnhem meanwhile debuts on the hardcover list with the just published Motive X, which comes in at No. 2. Motive X – the fourth Fabian Risk novel – is No. 2 also on the e-book list. Another strong debut on the hardcover list is Liza Marklund, just out with The Pearl Farm. Marklund places at No. 4.

The paperback list features two recurring bestsellers: Niklas Natt och Dag, who comes in at No. 3 with The Wolf and the Watchman, and Anders de la Motte at No. 4 with Deeds of Fall.

Finally there is the weekly children’s books bestseller list, where the third installment in Kristina Ohlsson’s Monster Trilogy, The Mummy’s Riddle, comes in at No. 5.

Operation Junk Thief, the fourteenth installment in Jørn Lier Horst & Hans Jørgen Sandnes’ Detective Agency No. 2 series, is now out in Norwegian bookstores!

Several of Riverton’s citizens have been mysteriously robbed – of worthless junk! But who would ever want clutter that not even the owners like? It’s a mystery for Detective Agency No. 2!

Jørn Lier Horst & Hans Jørgen Sandnes’ Detective Agency No. 2 series is crime fiction for the youngest – clever, engaging, and full of thrills! Join our heroes Tiril, Oliver and their dog Ocho as they solve mysteries that have even the adults of Riverton scratching their heads.

The SKAM books are the original scripts of the worldwide hit web drama series of the same name, just as they were written.

Each SKAM book contains one of the four seasons that aired between 2015 and 2017. The scripts have never recorded scenes, lines that were later cut, newly written prologues and epilogues, and Julie Andem’s own comments and unique mind maps.

SKAM Season 2: Noora follows Noora Amalie Sætre, the iconic young woman first introduced to viewers and readers in SKAM Season 1: Eva. As in Eva’s season, friendship and love are key issues in Noora’s story and her volatile relationship with William, a third-year student, is a recurring motif. But Noora’s season also deals with bigger issues like feminism, eating disorders, self-image, sexual violence and the contemporaneous refugee crisis in relation to Norwegian democracy.

The SKAM books are the ultimate key to the universe that absorbed an entire generation of viewers. Get ready to get to know Eva, Noora, Isak and Sana like never before.

Nikolaj Frobenius (b.1965) is one of Norway’s most highly acclaimed novelists and screenwriters. Frobenius’ novels have been translated into numerous languages and he has since his international literary breakthrough in 1996 received countless international awards. Among Frobenius’ works you’ll find such iconic titles as the classic thriller Insomnia, which Christopher Nolan later turned into a major Hollywood movie starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank.

Frobenius is now back on the literary scene with the novel Notes from Congo. It’s a riveting depiction of a country in crisis and a story based on true events that stuns and disconcerts as it explores the fragile nature of truth in system, and human, breakdowns.

When parliament member and Labor Party veteran Bernhard Clausen suddenly dies in a heart attack, William Wisting is hastily called to the Director of Public Prosecutions’ office. The police has discovered something in Clausen’s cabin that doesn’t match his image as a wholesome and driven politician. The nation’s interests might have been put at risk and the case has to be handled with utter discretion, out of sight of the press and the people.

Wisting, a select few from the police force, and Wisting’s daughter Line are recruited to the secret investigation unit. They soon find that secrets had less to do with politics, and all the more to do with crime. Among else the missing persons case of a young man who disappeared during a fishing trip to Gjersjøen lake in 2003, not long after which a letter had appeared on the Director of Public Prosecutions’ doorstep. The letter had implied Clausen’s involvement in the case, but the accusation had been waved off.

In a twist of fate, the Gjersjøen case has now appeared on Cold Case investigator Adrian Stiller’s desk. Wisting reluctantly faces the facts: he’ll need his former partner Stiller’s help in order to uncover Bernhard Clausen’s innermost secrets.

The Innermost Room is the second installment in Jørn Lier Horst’s Cold Case Quartet.