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The Katharina Code

You loved Wallander, now meet Wisting.
Series: Wisting
3.95 goodreads logo

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( 7,281 ratings, 632 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Katharina Code by Jørn Lier Horst is a gripping crime and thriller novel featuring detective William Wisting. He becomes absorbed in a cold case as he annually reviews unsolved mysteries, focusing particularly on the disappearance of Katharina Haugen. As Wisting delves deeper, he uncovers unsettling connections and secrets, intensifying the intrigue surrounding this unsolved crime.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're intrigued by cold cases and appreciate a deep dive into the emotional complexities of unsolved mysteries. It pairs a seasoned detective's relentless pursuit of truth with a gripping, atmospheric narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Fans of engaging crime thrillers with a touch of human drama will likely find it captivating.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The first instalment in the Cold Case Quartet from the international bestseller, Jørn Lier Horst.

Twenty-six years ago, Katharina Haugen went missing. All she left behind was her husband Martin and a mysterious string of numbers written on a piece of paper.

Every year on October 10th, Chief Inspector William Wisting takes out the files of the case he was never able to solve, stares at the code he was never able to crack, and visits the husband he was never able to help.

But now Martin Haugen is missing too.

The police force is convinced he's involved in another disappearance of a young woman and asks Wisting to close the net around Martin.

But is he playing cat and mouse with a dangerous killer or a grief-stricken husband who cannot lay the past to rest?

Set across the icy streets and dark forests of Norway, The Katharina Code is a heart-stopping story of one man's consuming hope to solve his coldest case.

Series: Wisting

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  • A Question of Guilt
    A killer caught. A murder sentence served. But did they arrest the wrong man? In 1999, seventeen-year-old Tone Vaterland was killed on her way home from work. Desperate for a conviction, the police deemed the investigation an open-and-shut case and sent her spurned boyfriend, Danny Momrak, down for murder. But twenty years later, William Wisting receives a puzzling letter. It...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
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  • The Inner Darkness
    The chilling new novel from Norwegian superstar Jørn Lier Horst. This is Nordic Noir at its spine-tingling best. The Inner Darkness follows Thomas Kerr, who has finally agreed to lead the police to his final victim's grave. But the expedition goes horribly wrong after his escape into the Norwegian forest. Wisting must launch a frantic search to find this cold-blooded...
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    $2400
    Elsewhere:
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  • The Cabin
    The second instalment in the Cold Case Quartet from one of Scandinavia's most successful writers. It's been fifteen years since Simon Meier walked out of his house, never to be seen again. And just one day since politician Bernard Clausen was found dead at his cabin on the Norwegian coast. When Chief Inspector William Wisting is asked to investigate, he...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Katharina Code
    The first instalment in the Cold Case Quartet from the international bestseller, Jørn Lier Horst. Twenty-six years ago, Katharina Haugen went missing. All she left behind was her husband Martin and a mysterious string of numbers written on a piece of paper. Every year on October 10th, Chief Inspector William Wisting takes out the files of the case he was...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships today

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Katharina Code by Jørn Lier Horst is praised for its engaging Nordic police procedural elements and well-crafted, atmospheric storytelling. Reviewers commend the novel's intriguing plot, strong character development, and suspenseful execution. Horst's writing style is recognised for its subtlety and innovation, making it a notable entry in the Nordic crime fiction genre.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781405938068

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 13 December 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Contributors:

  • Translated by Anne Bruce

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 300g

Pages: 432

About the Author

J rn Lier Horst (Author) J rn Lier Horst worked as a police officer and head of investigations before becoming a full-time writer, and has established himself as one of the most successful authors to come out of Scandinavia. His books have sold over three million copies in his native Norway alone, been No. 1 international bestsellers, and he's published in more than forty countries around the world. In 2024, he was awarded the prestigious Finnish Whodunnit Society's Honorary Award for excellence in foreign crime fiction. The Wisting TV adaptation, produced by the team behind Wallander and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, was a hit series. The first three series are available to stream on BBC4. Anne Bruce (Translator) Anne Bruce studied Norwegian and English at the University of Glasgow and now lives on the Isle of Arran, Scotland. She has translated a number of crime novels by Anne Holt and Jorn Lier Horst, including the Petrona-Prize-winning The Caveman and When It Grows Dark, which was longlisted for the CWA International Dagger in 2017.

Also by Jørn Lier Horst

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  • A Question of Guilt
    A killer caught. A murder sentence served. But did they arrest the wrong man? In 1999, seventeen-year-old Tone Vaterland was killed on her way home from work. Desperate for a conviction, the police deemed the investigation an open-and-shut case and sent her spurned boyfriend, Danny Momrak, down for murder. But twenty years later, William Wisting receives a puzzling letter. It...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Lake
    Detective William Wisting is on the case in this new, captivating no. 1 international bestselling novel from author Jørn Lier Horst. Following a harsh winter, the dam gates at Farris Lake have been badly damaged, and as summer approaches the lake must be drained for repairs. Under the intense summer sun, the idyllic lake transforms into a barren wasteland -...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Lake
    Detective William Wisting is on the case in this new, captivating no. 1 international bestselling novel from author J rn Lier Horst Following a harsh winter, the dam gates at Farris Lake have been badly damaged, and as summer approaches the lake must be drained for repairs. Under the intense summer sun, the idyllic lake transforms into a barren wasteland...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Inner Darkness
    The chilling new novel from Norwegian superstar Jørn Lier Horst. This is Nordic Noir at its spine-tingling best. The Inner Darkness follows Thomas Kerr, who has finally agreed to lead the police to his final victim's grave. But the expedition goes horribly wrong after his escape into the Norwegian forest. Wisting must launch a frantic search to find this cold-blooded...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Cabin
    The second instalment in the Cold Case Quartet from one of Scandinavia's most successful writers. It's been fifteen years since Simon Meier walked out of his house, never to be seen again. And just one day since politician Bernard Clausen was found dead at his cabin on the Norwegian coast. When Chief Inspector William Wisting is asked to investigate, he...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2400
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Night Man
    The Night Man, the inspiration for the second series of BBC Four's Wisting, sees the detective return to face a terrifying killer with a horrifying calling card... It happened in the quiet town of Larvik. A severed head displayed on a stake. A crime so dark only one man can solve it—Police Inspector William Wisting. Soon more bodies are found....
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  • Snow Fall
    Snow Fall by Jørn Lier Horst brings back DCI William Wisting, the hero of the hit BBC Four series, in a case that will take him into the murky world of the dark web in pursuit of a killer. When the body of an Australian backpacker is found in Spain, a global group of amateur sleuths comes alive in attempting...
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  • The Traitor
    Detective William Wisting is back in this captivating, atmospheric new thriller from Norway's most successful thriller writer, Jørn Lier Horst. Following weeks of heavy rain, the earth slides down on one of Larvik's residential areas, burying a handful of houses. Detective William Wisting is quick to join the rescue operation. Luckily, by sunrise the next day, it becomes clear that...
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  • Snow Fall
    Snow Fall, by Jørn Lier Horst, features DCI William Wisting, hero of the hit BBC Four series, as he is drawn into a case that will lead him into the murky world of the dark web in pursuit of a killer. When the body of an Australian backpacker is found in Spain, a global online group of amateur sleuths becomes...
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