Photo: Anton Soggiu Photo: Anton Soggiu

Jørn Lier Horst

Jørn Lier Horst (b. 1970) has with his award-winning novels about William Wisting joined the elite of Nordic crime writers. Having worked as a head of investigations before becoming a full-time author, Horst brings a unique brand of suspense and realism to the table. Besides his novels for grown readers, Horst has gained recognition for his unparalleled ability to thrill even young readers with charming mysteries. His standing as the Norwegian king of crime fiction for all ages was cemented when he created the Detective Agency No. 2 and CLUE series, both the most popular children’s book series in their respective age categories.

“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 literary crime with high credibility and keen-eyed societal depictions – he’s Norway’s own Henning Mankell.”
-Hjorth & Rosenfeldt

“Jørn Lier Horst writes some of the best Scandinavian crime fiction available. His books are superbly plotted and addictive, the characters wonderfully realized.”
-Yrsa Sigurdardóttir

Jørn Lier Horst & Hans Jørgen Sandnes


Norwegian writer Jørn Lier Horst (b. 1970) and illustrator and animator Hans Jørgen Sandnes (b. 1979) have together created the bestselling children’s book series Detective Agency No. 2 for ages 6-9. Jørn Lier Horst has won multiple awards for his crime fiction for adults, and is also the author behind the highly praised CLUE series for children aged 9-12. Horst’s ability to create charming and believable characters has resulted in a rich universe full of adventure and mystery. Together with Hans Jørgen Sandnes’ award-winning illustrations, the Detective Agency No. 2 series’ universe and its lovable young detective duo are brought to vivid life before the reader.

Set in the idyllic small town of Riverton, the Detective Agency No. 2 series follows the adventures of our main protagonists Tiril and Oliver – not to mention their dog Ocho! Together the two young detectives collect evidence, search for connections, and join the at times perilous hunt for criminals. Concluding each book is an afterword in which readers can put their own sleuthing skills to the test.

Awards

The Finnish Whodunnit Society’s Award for Excellence in Foreign Crime Writing Finland 2024
The Teskjekjerring Award Norway 2023
Shortlisted for Bøkekrimprisen (Best Crime Novel) Norway – Sak 1569 A Question of Guilt 2021
Shortlisted for the Prix du Bureau des Lecteurs France – Blindgang Ordeal 2021
Shortlisted for Vrij Nederland’s Thriller of the Year The Netherlands – Katharina-koden The Katharina Code 2021
Shortlisted for BOK365’s Book of the Year Award Norway – Sak 1569 A Question of Guilt 2020
Shortlisted for the Petrona Award (Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year) UK – Det innerste rommet The Cabin 2020
Longlisted for the CWA International Dagger UK – Det innerste rommet The Cabin 2020
Shortlisted for BOK365’s Book of the Year Award Norway – Illvilje The Inner Darkness 2019
Longlisted for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière France – Hulemannen The Caveman 2019
The Petrona Award (Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year) UK – Katharina-koden The Katharina Code 2019
Longlisted for the CWA International Dagger UK – Katharina-koden The Katharina Code 2019
Nordic Noir Thriller of the Year Sweden 2018
Longlisted for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière France – Jakthundene The Hunting Dogs 2018
Longlisted for the CWA International Dagger UK 2017
Shortlisted for the Bokslukerprisen Award Norway – Ulvehundgåten The Wolfhound Mystery 2017
Shortlisted for the Bookworm Award Norway – Rivertongåten The Riverton Mystery 2016
Special Award for Excellence in Crime Fiction Writing Poland 2016
The Petrona Award (Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year) UK – Hulemannen The Caveman 2016
Shortlisted for the Ark’s Book of the Year Award Norway – Blindgang Ordeal 2015
The Swedish Academy of Crime Writers’ Award Sweden – Jakthundene The Hunting Dogs 2014
Shortlisted for the Petrona Award (Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year) UK – Vinterstengt Closed for Winter 2014
The Glass Key The Nordic Countries – Jakthundene The Hunting Dogs 2013
Shortlisted for the Norwegian Booksellers’ Prize Norway – Hulemannen The Caveman 2013
The Vestfold Literature Prize Norway 2012
The Riverton Prize Norway – Jakthundene The Hunting Dogs 2012
The Norwegian Bookseller’s Prize Norway – Vinterstengt Closed for Winter 2011
Close award list

Bibliography

William Wisting

Wisting: The Prequel

CLUE

Jørn Lier Horst & Hans Jørgen Sandnes

Stand-alone

Activity books

Children’s non-fiction

On the Case

Detective Agency No. 2

Related news

Jørn Lier Horst No. 1 in Norway

Jørn Lier Horst’s Dry Land, the 17th installment in his Wisting series, stays put at No. 1 on the bestselling list for hardcovers. Meanwhile, Operation Tractorthe latest installment in Jørn and Hans Jørgen Sandnes’ Detective Agency No. 2 series, climbs to No. 2 on the children’s list.

Jørn Lier Horst No. 1 in Norway

Jørn Lier Horst’s newly published Dry Land, the 17th installment in his Wisting series, sails straight to No. 1 on the bestselling list for hardcovers and e-books. Meanwhile, Operation Tractorthe latest installment in Jørn and Hans Jørgen Sandnes’ Detective Agency No. 2 series, lands the No. 5 spot in the children’s category.

‘Dry Land’ published in Norway

A harsh winter caused significant damage to the dam gates in Farrisvannet, and before summer, the water was drained for repairs. In the intense summer heat, the remaining water level drops rapidly, and the idyllic lake transforms into a barren wasteland.

A young man who has been missing for eight years is found with his hand taped to the handlebars of a motorcycle. On the other side of the lake, retiree Evert Harting examines the dry lakebed with a metal detector and discovers the belongings of a girl who disappeared without a trace from a campsite in Sweden four years ago. Wisting handles both cases, and more secrets come to light—in a landscape that will soon return to its natural state.

Dry Land is the seventeenth installment in Jørn Lier Horst’s William Wisting series.

The 2024 Petrona Award longlist

The Petrona Award’s jury has just presented its longlist for the 2024 Petrona Award for ‘Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year.’

Among the 10 nominees are Jørn Lier Horst & Thomas Enger with Stigma, Jørn Lier Horst with Snowfall, and Yrsa Sigurdardóttir’s The Prey

The shortlist will be announced on 10 October 2024.

Moa Herngren and Jørn Lier Horst on the Finnish bestseller list

Moa Herngren’s bestselling title The Divorce is No. 2 in Finland across all formats this week, and No. 1 in the audiobook and e-book for translated fiction category. Meanwhile, Jørn Lier Horst’s When It Grows Dark comes in at No. 1 in the category for printed, translated books.

Jo Nesbø and Jørn Lier Horst & Hans Jørgen Sandnes on the Norwegian bestseller list

Jo Nesbø’s second installment in The Kingdom series, Blood Tiesshoots to No.1 on the official bestseller list for hardcovers and e-books. Meanwhile, on the children’s list, Jørn Lier Horst & Hans Jørgen Sandnes’ The Search for the Troll Eye, the twelfth activity book in the Detective Agency No. 2 series, comes in at No. 3.

 

‘Operation Eeny Meeny’ 10 weeks on the Norwegian bestseller list

Jørn Lier Horst and Hans Jørgen Sandnes’ Operation Eeny Meeny is celebrating its 10th consecutive week on the Norwegian bestseller list. Operation Eeny Meeny is the latest installment in the beloved Detective Agency No. 2 series, immensely popular among children and frequently featured on bestseller lists.

‘Wisting’ season 4 premieres on Viaplay

The fourth season of the successful crime drama Wisting, based on Jørn Lier Horst’s bestselling books about police inspector William Wisting, premiered on Viaplay Norway, among other Nordic countries, on March 24.

Sven Nordin returns as the main character, William Wisting, and Rupert Evans, known from Charmed, Bridgerton, and The Man in the High Castle, joins the cast. The fifth season is set to air in Scandinavia later this year and will star Bridgerton actor Shelley Conn.

Norway’s most streamed audio books of 2023

Jo Nesbø tops the list of most streamed titles of 2023 in Norway, coming in at No. 1 with Killing Moon. Jørn Lier Horst is a close No. 2 with The Traitor, also making an appearance at No. 5 together with Thomas Enger and Stigma. All in all, Horst appears five times in the top twenty most streamed titles of the year.

Jørn Lier Horst wins the Finnish Whodunnit Society’s Honorary Award

2024’s winner of the Finnish Whodunnit Society’s Honorary Award for foreign crime fiction is none other than Jørn Lier Horst. An annual honorary award, the winner is selected by the Board of the Whodunnit Society in consultation with the editor-in-chief of the magazine Ruumiin kulttuuri (Body Culture). More than twenty international authors – among them Colin Dexter, Patricia Highsmith, P. D. James, Håkan Nesser, Henning Mankell, Fred Vargas, Keigo Higashino, and Pierre Lemaitre – have received the award since 1993.

The jury motivates their choice thusly:

“Norwegian Jørn Lier Horst is known to crime and suspense fiction fans for his police novel series William Wisting. Because of his police background, the Wisting books have a realistic portrayal of police investigations. In the Wisting series, Horst successfully combines past and present. His style is clear and recognizable, with philosophical reflections on the nature of evil and a fast-paced plot that draws the reader in. The characters are easy to get attached to and to care about.

The Finnish Whodunnit Society would like to use this recognition to draw attention to Horst’s other side as a writer and to thank him for this as well. Horst has written dozens of children’s and young adult detective stories, which have also been translated into Finnish. The children’s detective series Detective Agency No. 2 /…/ and the youth detective series Clue are very popular, for example in the children’s sections of Finnish libraries.”

The Norwegian Storytel Awards 2024

The voting is now open for this year’s Norwegian Storytel Awards, which pay particular respect to the audio book narrators working on the nominated titles.

Among those whose works have been nominated in the category Crime & Suspense are Anders de la Motte with The Mountain King, Anders Roslund with Sweet Dreams, Jørn Lier Horst with The Traitor, Jo Nesbø with Killing Moon, and Lars Kepler with The Spider.

Thomas Seltzer’s American Karmageddon is nominated in the category Narrated by Author.

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