Inspector Norse and Friends

With Crimefest Bristol [Thursday 18^th May – Sunday 21^st May] convention later this month, we were delighted to hear of an exciting event as part of the Nordic Noir Bookclub which takes place immediately following Crimefest.

I always find it a tad melancholic when Crimefest closes and our friends and colleagues from Literature’s darkest genre, all depart; but this year we have an event to look forward to, on Monday 22^nd May in London.

Prepare for an evening of Scandinavian thrilling bestselling crime fiction with Jorn Lier Horst (Norway), Lone Theils (Denmark) and Stefan Ahnhem (Sweden). Prepare for battle, as the authors and audience engage in the historic sibling rivalry of the Scandinavian countries to decide, once and for all, which of the Scandinavian countries is more "Nordic Noir".

Jorn Lier Horst will present his latest novel When It Grows Dark (Sandstone Press), a prequel to his now 10-volume William Wisting series.

Lone Theils will present her debut novel about the journalist Nora Sand, Fatal Crossing (Arcadia) - a true Scandinavian crime novel, which takes place mostly in the UK.

Stefan Ahnhem will present the second instalment in his Fabian Risk series, The Ninth Grave (Head of Zeus).

The event will also feature the launch of the founder of the Nordic Noir Book Club, Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen's book Scandinavian Crime Fiction (Bloomsbury).

Books will be available for purchase and for signing at the event.

Click Here to reserve your seat

For further and updated information about the event, visit the Nordic Noir Book Club blog – Click Here

And if you haven’t discovered the work of Inspector Horst, here’s a primer

Jørn Lier Horst is a Former Senior Investigating Officer in Norway – and it shows in his popular William Wisting series. He has said that working as a chief investigator allowed him to “go behind the barrier tapes and to walk among the remains and traces of severe crimes. See the aftermath of a relentless struggle. Stepping into rooms that have been closed yet contain unexplored secrets.” This professional experience and how it has changed him as a human being is essentially where he would also like to bring his readers. Lier Horst has the following interesting perspective on how his background has influenced and strengthened his crime writing:

Now one of the most popular crime writers in Scandinavia. In his native Norway, Jørn sells about 1,000 books a day. He has won the most prestigious awards including the Riverton Prize for the best Norwegian crime novel, The Glass Key and The Martin Beck Award for The Hunting Dogs. Like his compatriot, Jo Nesbø, Lier Horst enjoys international success with his William Wisting series – translated for publication in 25 countries from Japan to Portugal. In the UK, where Sandstone Press has published six of his novels, his seat in the Valhalla of Nordic Noir was cemented with the 2016 Petrona Award for the best Scandinavian crime novel of the year for The Caveman. Book 10 in the Wisting series, Ordeal, was published in 2016, and a prequel, When it Grows Dark, was published just a few months ago in the UK. British fans of Scandinavian TV crime series will no doubt be looking forward to adaptations of six of his Wisting novels scheduled to start filming later this year.

Thanks to Lucy Ramsey for the information