The shortlist for the 2026 Riverton Prize has just been announced in Norway, with Jo Nesbø’s Wolf Hour and Jørn Lier Horst’s The Last Case among the five nominees for the prestigious annual award honoring the best Norwegian crime novel.

The jury praise Wolf Hour with the following motivation: “This is truly a virtuoso novel—large, dense, and elegantly driven forward, with surplus energy and flair, seamlessly composed with striking zoom-ins and zoom-outs. There are many details and feints to enjoy—a genre-faithful hardboiled style, a troubled, battle-scarred investigator wearing his heart on his sleeve. The novel’s different layers of reality, with its true-crime dynamic, invite the reader in and, in a striking way, elevate and expand the novel’s pulse and scope.”

The Last Case, the latest installment in the William Wisting series, is commended by the jury as follows: “In Jørn Lier Horst’s characteristically elegant style, the different plotlines are seamlessly woven together into an exciting, surprising, and clever crime novel.”

The winner will be announced on April 15.

Mord i Sogn / Sogn Murders is a four-part crime drama series adapted from the best-selling novels by Norwegian author Jørgen Jæger.

The series follows police investigator Ole Vik (Kristofer Hivju) and his colleague Cecilie Hopen (Eili Harboe) as they solve complex criminal cases in the fictional village of Fjellberghavn, located in the scenic Sogn region of Norway. Beneath the area’s breathtaking landscapes lies a darker reality, where secrets, tension, and crime disrupt the seemingly peaceful community.

The series is created and directed by Kristoffer Metcalfe, who also co-wrote the scripts alongside Kathrine Valen Zeiner.

Mord i Sogn premieres March 19 on TV2 Norway.

Actor Klara Hodell was educated at the renowned Stockholm University of the Arts and graduated in 2021. The same year saw the premiere of the acclaimed TV series Knutby, in which she portrayed Kristina, a performance that earned her a nomination for a Kristallen Award.

Hodell has also appeared in several major film and TV productions, including Länge leve bonusfamiljen (2022), Trolösa (2025), Sanningen (2024-2025) and Toppen (2022).

Hodell is also known from the theatre stage. She has played leading roles in several praised productions, including Romeo & Julia, Linje lusta, and Måsen.

She has a strong musical sensibility and sings, bringing a deep sense of rhythm, tone, and emotional nuance to her creative work.

Lisa Ridzén’s When the Cranes Fly South is shortlisted for this year’s Magnesia Litera in the category “Translated Fiction”. The novel was translated into Czech by Lina Kaprová and it is one of three nominees in the running for the award.

The jury has the following to say about When the Cranes Fly South and Kaprová’s translation:
“Lisa Ridzén’s debut novel is set in the Swedish countryside, yet it tells a universal story. Through an intimate lens, it explores what it means to come to terms with the inevitability of old age, portraying different forms of love alongside the weight of loneliness, helplessness, and the loss of dignity. The novel—delicate yet powerful—suggests that everyone deserves dignified care and emotional closeness, even nearly ninety-year-old Bo, whose body is slowly failing him and who depends on the help of others. It also highlights the importance of small, everyday interactions that make life worth living, regardless of age.
Linda Kaprová’s deeply felt translation skillfully contrasts the brief, factual notes of nursing staff with the protagonist’s inner musings, perceptive observations, vivid memories, and poetic dreams.”

Magnesia Litera is the most prominent literary award in Czech Republic and yearly awards quality literature in a wide range of categories. The winner will be announced in a televised ceremony on April 18.

Lisa Siwe is an award-winning director whose emotionally powerful storytelling has captivated audiences around the world.

Most recently, she directed the Netflix series Genombrottet / The Breakthrough, a restrained yet deeply moving crime drama that reached a vast global audience and was watched by millions worldwide. Genombrottet was praised by critics both in Sweden and internationally. The Guardian described the series as “the best Scandi noir in years” and stated that it “is sensitive, complex and highly emotional” and “excels as a human story.”

In 2011, she served as one of the directors for the first season of the global sensation TV series Bron / The Bridge. As conceptual director of Modus seasons 1 and 2 (2015–2017), Siwe helped create a major TV4 hit with over a million viewers.

She has since directed globally recognized series in the UK and the US, including Temple (2019), Tell Me Your Secrets (2021), and Red Rose (2022).

Her feature debut, I taket lyser stjärnorna / Glowing Stars (2009), became both a critical and commercial success and earned Siwe the Guldbagge Award for Best Director. The film was also nominated at the Berlin International Film Festival for Generation Kplus and won the Student Choice Award in Toronto, the Don Quijote Award in Kristiansand, the Kinder & Jugend Filmfest Prize in Hamburg, and Göteborg’s Grand Film Prize.

Lisa Ridzén’s When the Cranes Fly South claims the No.5 spot on the bestseller list for paperbacks in Finland for the month of February.

Lisa Ridzén’s When the Cranes Fly South is nominated for Audiobook of the Year in Czech Republic. The award is given yearly by the Audiobook Publishers’ Association in several categories, and Ridzén is up for the prize voted forth by the public. Listeners can vote for their favorite until March 31 by clicking “Read More” below. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Prague on April 23.

Nils Lundkvist’s The Cube has been chosen as the winner of the 2026 Sigrid Literary Award. The award is presented in memory of the author Beppe Wolgers, with the aim of inspiring children to read. Each year, a winner is selected by sixth-grade students, who read all the nominated books.

The book received the following nomination:
“Nils Lundkvist’s writing is characterized by stories that masterfully weave together suspense, mystery, and warm friendship. With his powerful language and vivid settings, his books captivate and engage young readers.”