Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Penguin (2018), 432 pages
Description
Twenty-four 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?
User reviews
LibraryThing member RowingRabbit
William Wisting has been a cop for a long time. He loves his job but every year on a certain date, he thinks about the one that got away. It’s been 24 years now since Katharina Haugen disappeared & Wisting still has no idea what happened. HIs penance is an annual visit with her husband to shoot
Which is ironic because he’s suddenly a popular guy. Wisting gets a call from Adrian Stiller who is with the newly formed cold case division of Kripos. He’s reopened an investigation into the 1987 kidnapping of a wealthy young woman. And he has reason to believe Martin was involved.
Suddenly, this is about much more than the mystery surrounding Kathatrina. As with previous books in the series, the author begins with a deceptively simple story then adds layers & twists until his poor MC is run ragged. Instead of relying on car chases & shootouts you get a bona fide thinking man’s mystery.
Wisting is a great character. He’s a smart, decent man who genuinely wants justice for the victims who cross his path. He’s also remarkable in this genre for what he DOESN’T have…..no dark past, no drinking problem, no crazy ex-partner, no issues with superiors. And *gasp* colleagues like him. What a concept. Instead of being distracted by an MC’s personal foibles/drama, you get an intelligent police procedural that is all about the case.
Wisting is a widower with 2 grown children, both of whom feature in this outing. Daughter Line in particular becomes involved when she’s called upon to use for her skills as a journalist. But don’t mistake this for a sleepy cozy. There are numerous sources of tension that slowly amp up the pace as the story progresses. I worried that Line was perhaps a little too perceptive for her own good. And what is with that Stiller guy….is he purely the officious little git he seems or does he have a hidden agenda? Methinks we haven’t seen the last of him.
If you haven’t read previous books, no worries. This book stands well on its own. If you’re feeling like a little Nordic noir (or “pining for the fjords” for all you Monty Python fans), give this a try. There’s a reason this author has made it to book #12 & I look forward to meeting Wisting again.
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the breeze & talk about the case. But this year doesn’t go as planned. Martin Haugen is missing. Which is ironic because he’s suddenly a popular guy. Wisting gets a call from Adrian Stiller who is with the newly formed cold case division of Kripos. He’s reopened an investigation into the 1987 kidnapping of a wealthy young woman. And he has reason to believe Martin was involved.
Suddenly, this is about much more than the mystery surrounding Kathatrina. As with previous books in the series, the author begins with a deceptively simple story then adds layers & twists until his poor MC is run ragged. Instead of relying on car chases & shootouts you get a bona fide thinking man’s mystery.
Wisting is a great character. He’s a smart, decent man who genuinely wants justice for the victims who cross his path. He’s also remarkable in this genre for what he DOESN’T have…..no dark past, no drinking problem, no crazy ex-partner, no issues with superiors. And *gasp* colleagues like him. What a concept. Instead of being distracted by an MC’s personal foibles/drama, you get an intelligent police procedural that is all about the case.
Wisting is a widower with 2 grown children, both of whom feature in this outing. Daughter Line in particular becomes involved when she’s called upon to use for her skills as a journalist. But don’t mistake this for a sleepy cozy. There are numerous sources of tension that slowly amp up the pace as the story progresses. I worried that Line was perhaps a little too perceptive for her own good. And what is with that Stiller guy….is he purely the officious little git he seems or does he have a hidden agenda? Methinks we haven’t seen the last of him.
If you haven’t read previous books, no worries. This book stands well on its own. If you’re feeling like a little Nordic noir (or “pining for the fjords” for all you Monty Python fans), give this a try. There’s a reason this author has made it to book #12 & I look forward to meeting Wisting again.
Show Less
Awards
Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year (Winner — 2019)
Language
Original language
Norwegian
Original publication date
2017 (Original Norwegian)
2018 (English Translation)
Physical description
5.08 inches
ISBN
1405938064 / 9781405938068
Similar in this library
DDC/MDS
| 839.8238 |