Wrapping up the first quarter of 2025, the Norwegian bestseller lists feature Jo Nesbø’s Wolf Hour on the No. 1 spot for hardcover crime fiction. Wolf Hour also claims the No. 1 spot on the list for crime fiction published in 2025, while Pascal Engman’s No One comes in at No. 2, and Pascal Engman & Johannes Selåker’s The Night Wanderer is featured at No. 3, closely followed by Anders de la Motte’s The Rust Forest at No. 4.

On the list of paperback crime fiction, Pascal Engman claims the top six positions with his Vanessa Frank series. Bestseller comes in at No. 1, Tierra del Fuego at No. 2, X at No. 3, The Widows at No. 4, and Cocaine at No. 5.

The shortlist for the 2025 Riverton Prize has just been announced in Norway, with Jo Nesbø’s Blood Ties and Jørn Lier Horst’s Dry Land among the five novels nominated for the prestigious crime writing award, which is presented annually to the best Norwegian crime story

The jury commends Jo Nesbø’s Blood Ties with the following motivation: “Love, power struggles, rural life, intrigue and murder are woven together into an intense suspense novel. Nesbø brings the gallery of characters to life in an enjoyable way, in a project that oozes excess.”

Dry Land, the latest installment in Jørn Lier Horst’s William Wisting series, is praised by the jury as follows: “Horst’s finely tuned murder mystery is stripped down to the bone, with a sober, calm language where the relentless, almost fate-driven plot takes center stage. With an exquisite sense of place and character dynamics, the puzzle pieces are laid out, and the threads come together in a slow-burn page-turner.”

The winner will be announced on April 10.

Jo Nesbø’s Minnesota remains firmly at No. 1 on the hardcover list. Meanwhile, Anders de la Motte’s The Rust Forest debuts at No. 4 in the same category and claims the top spot in the e-book rankings. Pascal Engman’s Bestseller continues to lead the paperback list, with Kristina Ohlsson’s Beyond Rescue following closely at No. 4.

Jo Nesbø’s Minnesota continues to hold firm at No. 1 in the hardcover category this week. Meanwhile, Pascal Engman’s Bestseller retains the top spot on the paperback list, closely followed by Kristina Ohlsson’s Beyond Rescue at No. 3. In the children’s category, Jørn Lier Horst & Hans Jørgen Sandnes Operation Alien claims the No. 2 spot.

Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad, Westworld) and Jacob Tremblay (Room, Good Boys) are set to star in the upcoming elevated horror The Night House, adapted from Jo Nesbø’s bestselling novel with the same name. The feature is directed by Jesper Ganslandt (Snabba Cash, Falkenberg Farewell), and produced by Steven Schneider (Split, Insidious, Paranormal Activity) and Hope Studios’ Fredrik Wikström Nicastro (A Man Called Otto, Borg vs. McEnroe). The screenplay is written by Ganslandt and Nesbø.

Tremblay and triple Emmy winner Paul play younger and older versions of the protagonist, Richard, with the official plot synopsis reading as follows:

In the wake of his parents’ recent death, highschooler Richard (Tremblay) has been sent to live with relatives in the remote town of Ballantyne. One day, during an innocent prank call in a phone booth, Richard shockingly witnesses his classmate violently get sucked into the phone receiver and disappear without a trace. Police suspect Richard to be responsible, and no one believes his story except Karen – a fellow teenage outsider. As Richard and Karen try to understand their friend’s unspeakable death, they soon realise they have unleashed terrifying evil forces. In this twisted spin on a classic horror story, and as reality starts to blur, we must ask ourselves – can we truly trust Richard, and can he even trust himself?

“Jo Nesbø’s The Night House is a haunting, fresh, and utterly gripping horror — I can’t wait to see it take shape in collaboration with the super talented Jesper Ganslandt, Hope Studios and the incredible talents of Aaron Paul and Jacob Tremblay,” Schneider said in Variety’s exclusive coverage of the announcement. “Together, we’re set to deliver something truly unforgettable!”.

“I couldn’t have wished for better actors than Jacob and Aaron to headline this film. We also happen to share the same goal which is turning this into a seriously disturbing psychological horror movie, unlike anything you’ve ever seen before!” added Ganslandt.

Nicastro of Hope Studios said: “It’s a gift to be adapting work from one of the best storytellers in the world, and it’s testament to the gripping plot and Jesper’s brilliantly creepy take that we’ve landed the fantastic Jacob and Aaron to anchor the piece.”

The film is currently in pre-production, set to shoot this summer mainly in Álava, Spain. Executive producers are Nesbø, Jonas Fors, Niclas Salomonsson and Juan Solá of Federation Spain and Dave Bishop, George Hamilton and James Pugh of Protagonist Pictures.

Read the full article in Variety by clicking ‘Read More’ below.

Jo Nesbø’s Wolf Hour remains firmly at No. 1 on the hardcover list, while Pascal Engman’s Bestseller continues to lead the paperback rankings. Both titles have held their top spots for five consecutive weeks.

Jo Nesbø’s Wolf Hour continues to dominate the hardcover list at No. 1, while Pascal Engman’s Bestseller tops the paperback list. Both books have maintained their No. 1 positions for four consecutive weeks.

Jo Nesbø’s newly released stand-alone novel, Wolf Hour, holds its position at No. 1 on the fiction bestseller list and ranks No. 2 in the e-book category. Meanwhile, Pascal Engman’s Bestseller claims the No. 1 spot on the paperback list.

The voting is now open for this year’s Finnish Storytel Awards.

Among the nominated in the category Crime & Suspense are Anders de la Motte with The Mountain King, Yrsa Sigurdardóttir with Can’t Run, Can’t Hide, Jo Nesbø with Blood Ties, and Lars Kepler with The Sleepwalker. 

Moa Herngren’s The Divorce is nominated in the Fiction category.

The winners will be announced at the Storytel Awards gala on March 13, 2025.

Jo Nesbø’s Wolf Hour remains at the top of the hardcover list, holding the No. 1 spot. Meanwhile Pascal Engman’s & Johannes Selåker’s The Night Wanderer climbs to No. 3 in the same category. Pascal Engman’s Bestseller stays put at No. 1 on the paperback list.

Jo Nesbø’s new standalone novel, Wolf Hour, published just yesterday, went straight to No. 1 on both the fiction and e-book bestseller lists. Meanwhile, Pascal Engman’s Bestseller and X claimed the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the paperback category. Additionally, The Night Wanderer, by Pascal Engman and Johannes Selåker, secured the No. 5 position on the fiction list.