Photo: Anna-Lena Ahlström Photo: Anna-Lena Ahlström

Anne Holt

Anne Holt (b. 1958) is one of Scandinavia’s most successful crime writers with 10 million copies sold around the world. Holt is a former Minister of Justice, Police Attorney, lawyer (with her own firm), journalist, and TV news editor and anchor. Her novels are intelligent, accessible and suspenseful, with engaging and intriguing protagonists. Tight-knit crime plots are paired with a focus on relational drama. Anne Holt is the author of three very successful crime series: the Inger Johanne Vik series, the Hanne Wilhelmsen series and the Selma Falck series.

Awards

Shortlisted for the Petrona Award (Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year) UK – Furet / Værbitt A Necessary Death 2021
Radio Bremen’s Crime Award Germany 2021
Shortlisted for the Storytel Awards (Best Suspense) Sweden – En grav for to A Grave For Two 2019
Shortlisted for a Lambda Literary Award (Best Lesbian Mystery) US – Offline Offline 2018
Shortlisted for the Edgar Award (Best Novel) US – 1222 1222 2012
Shortlisted for the Shamus Award (Best Hardcover PI Novel) US – 1222 1222 2012
Shortlisted for the Macavity Award (Best Mystery Novel) US – 1222 1222 2012
The Great Calibre Award of Honor Poland 2012
The Cappelen Prize Norway 2001
The Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize Norway – Demonens død Death of the Demon 1995
The Riverton Prize (Best Norwegian Crime Novel of the Year) Norway – Blind gudinne Blind Goddess 1994
Close award list

Bibliography

Selma Falck

Hanne Wilhelmsen

Inger Johanne Vik

Dr. Sara Zuckerman

May-Britt & March-Britt

Related news

‘Twelve Untamed Horses’ No. 1 in Norway

Anne Holt’s just published Twelve Untamed Horses is No. 1 in e-book in Norway, and No. 4 in hardcover.

‘Twelve Untamed Horses’ published in Norway

Hanne Wilhelmsen’s life is about to fall apart. Her wife, Nefis, has left her and taken their daughter, Ida, with her. When one of the few people in the world that Hanne cares about is brutally killed, she must fight to both save her family and solve a murder case far more important than she has ever faced before. Struggling with her own destructive forces and thoughts, she is led into a bleak landscape of hatred, contempt, and abuse, where it also turns out that a series of unexplained pregnancies are part of a larger, terrifying whole. Sleep-deprived and desperate, Hanne works around the clock and eventually finds a truth that is unbearable. For some.

Twelve Untamed Horses is the twelfth installment in Anne Holt’s Hanne Wilhelmsen series.

Liza Marklund and Horst & Enger the most sold of 2023 so far

The Norwegian booksellers’ association has announced a list of the most sold crime novels of 2023 so far, and Liza Marklund takes the No. 1 spot with The Polar Circle. Horst & Enger meanwhile is the most sold domestic authorship, featuring at the top with their Unhinged, followed by Smoke Screen and Death Deserved. Also on the list are Anne Holt’s The Eleventh Manuscript, Liza Marklund’s The Mire, Jørn Lier Horst’s The Traitor, Jo Nesbø’s Killing Moon, Lars Kepler’s The Spider, and Kristina Ohlsson’s Storm Watch.

Jo Nesbø, Anne Holt & Jørn Lier Horst No. 1 in Norway

This week’s bestseller lists in Norway have Jo Nesbø appear at the top of the paperback list, claiming the No. 1 spot with The Jealousy Man and Other Stories. Anne Holt comes in as No. 1 on the e-book list with The Eleventh Manuscript and makes an appearance at No. 2 on the paperback list with the same title.

The latest addition to the Detective Agency No. 2 series by Jørn Lier Horst & Hans Jørgen Sandnes, Operation Ninja, sails to No. 1 on the official bestseller list for children’s fiction.

Heine Bakkeid and Anne Holt shortlisted for the Riverton Prize

The shortlist for the 2022 Riverton Prize has just been announced in Norway, and Heine Bakkeid’s St. Avenger and Anne Holt’s The Eleventh Manuscript are two out of five novels nominated for the prestigious crime writing award, annually given to the best Norwegian crime story.

St. Avenger is the fourth installment in Heine Bakkeid’s Thorkild Aske series, and as part of their motivation the award jury lauds the novel by saying : “This well-constructed and well-written crime novel hold us in a tight grip of fear and worry until the very end.”

The Eleventh Manuscript is the eleventh installment in Anne Holt’s Hanne Wilhelmsen series, and the award jury praises it in the following way: “Veteran author Anne Holt has rarely been as brilliant as she is here, with her old and wise hero Hanne Wilhelmsen as a somewhat reluctant protagonist of this extremely well-written suspense novel.”

The winner will be bestowed with the award on the 7th of April in The House of Literature in Oslo.

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Horst, Engberg and Holt on Bok365’s Top Ten Crime Novels of 2021

The Norwegian book industry publication BOK365 has released a list of the ten bestselling crime novels of 2021 and Jørn Lier Horst’s A Will to Serve comes in at No. 1The Tenant by Danish author Katrine Engberg grabs the No. 3 spot and Anne Holt’s The Eleventh Manuscript claims No. 9.

Ahnhem and Holt on the weekly Norwegian bestseller list

Stefan Ahnhem’s The Final Nail continues to feature on the official Norwegian bestseller list and claims the No. 1 placement on the e-book list for the third consecutive week, while also grabbing No. 4 on the hardcover fiction list for the second week in a row. Anne Holt’s The Eleventh Manuscript keeps its No. 2 spot on the e-book list.

Ahnhem and Holt on the Norwegian bestseller list

Stefan Ahnhem’s The Final Nail stays firmly put at at No. 1 on the official Norwegian bestseller list for e-books for the second consecutive week, and enters the hardcover fiction list at No. 4 this week. Anne Holt’s The Eleventh Manuscript joins Ahnhem on the e-book list, coming in at No. 2.

The 2021 Petrona Award shortlist

The Petrona Award’s jury has just presented its shortlist for the 2021 Petrona Award for ‘Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.’ The list of six nominees include Anne Holt with A Necessary Death, Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger with Death Deserved, and Yrsa Sigurdardóttir with Gallows Rock.

The Judges have the following to say about each title:

“A pacy, absorbing thriller with a gutsy, complex main character.” – on Anne Holt’s A Necessary Death.

“The novel expertly fuses the writers’ individual styles, while showcasing their joint talent for writing credible and engaging characters, and creating a fast-paced, exciting plot.” – on Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger’s Death Deserved.

“[The protagonists’] relationship provides readers with some lighter moments and occasional black humour, along with a frisson of mutual attraction. The novel’s intricate plot focuses on skewed morals and revenge.” – on Yrsa Sigurdardóttir’s Gallows Rock.

The winning title will be announced on Thursday 4 November, 2021.

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