by Jørn Lier Horst
SYNOPSIS
A BODY IN THE LAKE. A HEAD ON A STAKE . . .
_________
Gruesome happenings in the quiet town of Larvik. Only one man is capable of solving them: Chief Inspector William Wisting.
Before long, more bodies are found. Media frenzy sweeps the locals into panic. And when Wisting's investigation leads him to a deadly underground crime ring, he fears the whole town may be in danger.
But at the heart of it is the gang's elusive leader: The Night Man.
Who Wisting must find if he wants to stop the murders.
That is, if The Night Man doesn't get to him first . . .
REVIEW
One foggy morning in Larvik, a severed head is found mounted on a stake. All that the police know about the victim is that she is a teenager and from an ethnic minority background. This has all of the hallmarks of an honour killing but just doesn't quite seem to fit the pattern. With no other information to go on, Detective William Wisting leads his investigative team as they try to catch the killer dubbed The Night Man. At the same time, his daughter Line is reporting on the murder for one of the major Norwegian newspapers. Which one will figure out who is responsible and will either of them be lead down a dangerous path in the process? It was with Kurt Wallander that my love of Scandi Crime began, but William Wisting has filled the very big hole that was left behind. I really enjoy the father/daughter dynamic between Wisting and Line. The way that the story switches between the pair means that we not only get two different viewpoints on the case, but we also get a really interesting juxtaposition of the same investigation seen through the eyes of a police detective and a journalist - the varying techniques and processes involves, and their very different approaches to solving the crime. The Night Man is yet another example of an exceptional police procedural from Jørn Lier Horst. The intricacy of the investigation, the level of detail, the atmosphere created and the relationships between the characters are on point throughout, and the story itself is a timely and sobering issue. If you are a fan of crime novels from the police procedural subgenre, you won't find much better than this series!
Thanks to Kallie Townsend, @kalliereads - Michael J Books, @MichaelJBooks and Jørn Lier Horst @LierHorst for the opportunity to read and review.
Genre: Nordic Noir / Thriller / Police Procedural
Publisher: Michael J Books
ISBN: 978-1405950206
Pages: 352pp
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