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William Wisting #11
When It Grows Dark
Stavern 1983: Christmas is approaching, snow is falling heavily, and a young ambitious policeman named William Wisting has just become the father of twins. After a brutal robbery he is edged off the investigation by more experienced officers, but soon he is on another case that is not only unsolved but has not even been recognised as murder. Forgotten in a dilapidated barn stands a bullet riddled old car, and it looks as if the driver did not get out alive. This case will shape William Wisting as a policeman and give him insight that he will carry with him for the rest of his professional career: generations form an unbroken chain.
192 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 29, 2016
126 people are currently reading
832 people want to read
About the author
Jørn Lier Horst
147 books1,587 followersJorn Lier Horst (born in Bamble, Telemark 1970) is a former Senior Investigating Officer at the Norwegian police force. He made his literary debut as a crime writer in 2004 and is considered one of the foremost Nordic crime writers.
His series of mystery novels starring chief inspector William Wisting provides a detailed and authentic insight into how criminal cases are investigated and how it affects those involved, whether private or professional. The books represent a simple and accurate picture of the modern Nordic societies and is characterized by political and social commentary subtext.
His series of mystery novels starring chief inspector William Wisting provides a detailed and authentic insight into how criminal cases are investigated and how it affects those involved, whether private or professional. The books represent a simple and accurate picture of the modern Nordic societies and is characterized by political and social commentary subtext.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
December 1, 2017
What attracts us as readers to a series or for that matter a character? I'm sure every author would love to know the definitive answer to that question. This is a series where I have only read one other book, that being number eight, which I somehow blundered my way into, but found it and the main character Wisting, intriguing. I love these Nordic mysteries, the way the are put together, the slow but thorough way the story develops
This is the newest in the series, but takes us back to the beginning of Wistings career. How fortuitous is that? We meet him when he is a young police officer, wanting to make detective, trying to balance his work schedule with his home life, the father of two young twins. He finds himself drawn to a very old mystery, one including missing money and a very old car. It will take us into the past, and then come full to the present.
A good storyline and a good character in Wisting. He is easy to relate too, humble but determined. I very much enjoyed getting this look at his beginnings. Will I go back and read the entries I missed? Maybe if I run across them, but I am sure this series will be on my radar for any future releases.
This is the newest in the series, but takes us back to the beginning of Wistings career. How fortuitous is that? We meet him when he is a young police officer, wanting to make detective, trying to balance his work schedule with his home life, the father of two young twins. He finds himself drawn to a very old mystery, one including missing money and a very old car. It will take us into the past, and then come full to the present.
A good storyline and a good character in Wisting. He is easy to relate too, humble but determined. I very much enjoyed getting this look at his beginnings. Will I go back and read the entries I missed? Maybe if I run across them, but I am sure this series will be on my radar for any future releases.
November 9, 2017
What hubris I own to start reading a series at novel #11! But honestly, I believe it just fell into a perfect place to start. Because it was a prequel and harbored back 33 years at the beginning of William Wisting's career.
Good development of the young marriage, the baby twins, and especially his (William's) mindset and cognition of job "fit" and possible advancements to doing more what was "up his alley" than the overnight police calls he was endlessly answering. The pranks, the domestics, the bar fights, the minor and major car accidents etc. etc. etc.
This author got that nuance how a person can understand what he was "meant to do" by his own gifts of nature (observing power, attention to detail, patience in conversations, health within sleepless conditions for great lengths, body clock ability and on and on and on) and what he was "not meant to do" - the same way. Very few authors seem to get or pose that dichotomy so well as this one does. People do not just PICK an occupation. Sometimes it absolutely DOES pick them. Even if you spent decades running from it. Do I know it.
William is fulling getting to know where he belongs and on the way he is solving two long past murders. Or were they murders? One event was 33 years ago and the other more than 10 years ago.
The first half of the book is a bit plodding and there are periods of slog where all he does is directional roaming. I didn't want to read another Norway street or village or suburb name. Or highway designation. Or who answered the door. Or how they looked. But just as in real life, it all takes some time to condense into context relation. It does with any widespread after effect crime as these were.
Excellent entertainment. Others of this series will be read in summer by the water, if I am so lucky. They are perfect little individual Norwegian personality studies coupled with some better than average plotting. And I adored the majority 1983 placements when Microfilm and other investigative "fax" type prototypes were evolving and often expiring within just a handful of years. Remember those old walkie-talkie things the cops had!!
The language itself seems Nordic abrupt and almost German style in declarative absolute factual statements without any softening to affect or tone within it. I love it. I think it gives it character too. But I doubt many other readers will like that parsing as much as I did. Because it makes William seem cold, especially to his own small family. I would be super surprised if his wife lasts as being his wife until the days when Line is taking the pictures. (That's his twin daughter all grown up in the "present" day). But I could be wrong.
Will definitely be reading others. And the last half was 4.5 star. Anna was VERY interesting.
Good development of the young marriage, the baby twins, and especially his (William's) mindset and cognition of job "fit" and possible advancements to doing more what was "up his alley" than the overnight police calls he was endlessly answering. The pranks, the domestics, the bar fights, the minor and major car accidents etc. etc. etc.
This author got that nuance how a person can understand what he was "meant to do" by his own gifts of nature (observing power, attention to detail, patience in conversations, health within sleepless conditions for great lengths, body clock ability and on and on and on) and what he was "not meant to do" - the same way. Very few authors seem to get or pose that dichotomy so well as this one does. People do not just PICK an occupation. Sometimes it absolutely DOES pick them. Even if you spent decades running from it. Do I know it.
William is fulling getting to know where he belongs and on the way he is solving two long past murders. Or were they murders? One event was 33 years ago and the other more than 10 years ago.
The first half of the book is a bit plodding and there are periods of slog where all he does is directional roaming. I didn't want to read another Norway street or village or suburb name. Or highway designation. Or who answered the door. Or how they looked. But just as in real life, it all takes some time to condense into context relation. It does with any widespread after effect crime as these were.
Excellent entertainment. Others of this series will be read in summer by the water, if I am so lucky. They are perfect little individual Norwegian personality studies coupled with some better than average plotting. And I adored the majority 1983 placements when Microfilm and other investigative "fax" type prototypes were evolving and often expiring within just a handful of years. Remember those old walkie-talkie things the cops had!!
The language itself seems Nordic abrupt and almost German style in declarative absolute factual statements without any softening to affect or tone within it. I love it. I think it gives it character too. But I doubt many other readers will like that parsing as much as I did. Because it makes William seem cold, especially to his own small family. I would be super surprised if his wife lasts as being his wife until the days when Line is taking the pictures. (That's his twin daughter all grown up in the "present" day). But I could be wrong.
Will definitely be reading others. And the last half was 4.5 star. Anna was VERY interesting.
February 20, 2021
Imagine days lit by the sun for a mere six hours – just long enough to tease the senses, certainly insufficient to coax the thermometer above freezing. Welcome to Oslo, at the winter solstice! That context does much to convey the exhaustion felt by William Wisting to the reader. He is a freshly minted police officer assigned to night shift patrol. At home he helps his wife Ingrid with their six month old twins, and cognizant of their tenuous finances, he takes on additional overtime slots. At this point the mundane crimes he encounters still feel fresh: “The police log book was, in a sense, a distorted mirror held up to everyday life in town: theft, vandalism, fraud, assault, drunk driving, road accidents, threatening behaviour, housebreaking, driving off the road, false alarms involving emergency flares, abuse, dealing with homelessness, mentally ill people, car crashes and obvious intoxication. It provided a multi-faceted picture of the shady side of life. Police work was marked by encounters with everything negative: the sick, the destructive, and the deviant. He liked to be the person on the spot when needed, to have importance for other people and at the same time safeguard society. It felt meaningful.” (p.12)
The idealism is a poignant contrast to Wisting's thoughts 33 years later. He is now head of the Crime Investigation Department: “Crime nowadays was more complex than when he had set out. Organized, frontier-crossing criminals who cooperated across national and cultural affiliations were now the norm. Their crimes were more serious, their violence more brutal. There had been an increase in corruption and bribery. A combination of illegal and legal activity had evolved, and was now in the process of undermining people's confidence and security....He wondered what he could have done differently during the past three decades, but failed to find an answer.” (p.159)
This is not the first of the William Wisting mysteries, but it is my first encounter with the series. It's a great starting place, a kind of prequel to the portrayal of Wisting's self-assured head of the Crime Investigation Dept. In this book we see an ambitious but deferential young patrol officer relegated to the margins of the high profile Sparbank robbery. The robbery offers us the familiar dynamic of a police procedural and even includes an exciting high speed chase. Other elements typical of the Nordic mystery genre appear as well – the often detached narrative voice, the heavy snowfall interspersed with weather forecasts of, yep!, more snow, and long drives down slippery rural roads to reach the far-flung towns within Wisting's jurisdiction.
The real mystery, however, is a crime that was never reported. An antique roadster, a 1925 Minerva, is the center of a locked door mystery. It has been hidden away in a dilapidated barn padlocked not only from the outside but also from the inside. Wisting's curiosity is piqued. How could the barn have been padlocked from the inside? Why would the vintage auto have been concealed under a tarp and abandoned and ultimately forgotten? How would he discover more information about events that occurred back in 1925? It stood to reason that most of the people alive at that time were long deceased. Wisting consoles himself. Certainly if he assembles a thorough report, Chief Inspector Ove Dokken of the Criminal Investigation Dept. will take it from there.
Dokken surprises him, demanding a plan of action from Wisting: “'I hope you haven't come to unload all this on to me without any suggestion as to what should be done!'” (p. 98) Wisting's initiative is not only being rewarded but cultivated.
This was an entertaining mystery structured with careful balance. The freezing exterior scenes are countered with cups of hot coffee and buttered lefse in rural kitchens. Wisting shares the developments of his investigation with Ingrid and in return receives her encouragement, despite her hopes that he could help out more with the twins. Long buried memories of the past intertwine with Wisting's confidence in a new generation of young officers, including the granddaughter of his now retired mentor Ove Dokken.
I read this book for #6 of the “Books for All Seasons Challenge: The Equinox.”
The idealism is a poignant contrast to Wisting's thoughts 33 years later. He is now head of the Crime Investigation Department: “Crime nowadays was more complex than when he had set out. Organized, frontier-crossing criminals who cooperated across national and cultural affiliations were now the norm. Their crimes were more serious, their violence more brutal. There had been an increase in corruption and bribery. A combination of illegal and legal activity had evolved, and was now in the process of undermining people's confidence and security....He wondered what he could have done differently during the past three decades, but failed to find an answer.” (p.159)
This is not the first of the William Wisting mysteries, but it is my first encounter with the series. It's a great starting place, a kind of prequel to the portrayal of Wisting's self-assured head of the Crime Investigation Dept. In this book we see an ambitious but deferential young patrol officer relegated to the margins of the high profile Sparbank robbery. The robbery offers us the familiar dynamic of a police procedural and even includes an exciting high speed chase. Other elements typical of the Nordic mystery genre appear as well – the often detached narrative voice, the heavy snowfall interspersed with weather forecasts of, yep!, more snow, and long drives down slippery rural roads to reach the far-flung towns within Wisting's jurisdiction.
The real mystery, however, is a crime that was never reported. An antique roadster, a 1925 Minerva, is the center of a locked door mystery. It has been hidden away in a dilapidated barn padlocked not only from the outside but also from the inside. Wisting's curiosity is piqued. How could the barn have been padlocked from the inside? Why would the vintage auto have been concealed under a tarp and abandoned and ultimately forgotten? How would he discover more information about events that occurred back in 1925? It stood to reason that most of the people alive at that time were long deceased. Wisting consoles himself. Certainly if he assembles a thorough report, Chief Inspector Ove Dokken of the Criminal Investigation Dept. will take it from there.
Dokken surprises him, demanding a plan of action from Wisting: “'I hope you haven't come to unload all this on to me without any suggestion as to what should be done!'” (p. 98) Wisting's initiative is not only being rewarded but cultivated.
This was an entertaining mystery structured with careful balance. The freezing exterior scenes are countered with cups of hot coffee and buttered lefse in rural kitchens. Wisting shares the developments of his investigation with Ingrid and in return receives her encouragement, despite her hopes that he could help out more with the twins. Long buried memories of the past intertwine with Wisting's confidence in a new generation of young officers, including the granddaughter of his now retired mentor Ove Dokken.
I read this book for #6 of the “Books for All Seasons Challenge: The Equinox.”
January 2, 2017
The best part about reading books by Jørn Lier Horst is how he manages to get all the small details that you didn't notice at the begining completely change the outcome. He makes all the puzzles fit together in the end. I love books that suprise me, this one definitely did.
April 22, 2021
Unfortunately for me, I've only been able to find a few of the titles that Horst's novels that have been translated into English thus far. I've read them in the order I've been able to find them and am happy to report that this has not diminished my reading enjoyment one iota.
When It Grows Dark begins with William Wisting late in his career addressing the latest class of police officers. An unsolved case from Wisting's past comes to his attention again just as he is about to take the podium to speak. At the end of his usual speech to the incoming officers, Wisting goes off-script and invites his audience to help him bring the old case to a close.
Most of the story is then centered around Wisting and his young family, 35 years in the past. Wisting is still a uniformed policeman then but has the skills and the ambition to one day become an investigator. He gets the opportunity to show his mettle when he uncovers a hidden automobile that turns out to be part of a checkered past for the men who owned it.
A well-told story that provides insights into the man and professional that Wisting would remain during his public service.
When It Grows Dark begins with William Wisting late in his career addressing the latest class of police officers. An unsolved case from Wisting's past comes to his attention again just as he is about to take the podium to speak. At the end of his usual speech to the incoming officers, Wisting goes off-script and invites his audience to help him bring the old case to a close.
Most of the story is then centered around Wisting and his young family, 35 years in the past. Wisting is still a uniformed policeman then but has the skills and the ambition to one day become an investigator. He gets the opportunity to show his mettle when he uncovers a hidden automobile that turns out to be part of a checkered past for the men who owned it.
A well-told story that provides insights into the man and professional that Wisting would remain during his public service.
May 28, 2017
The latest book in this excellent series is, in fact, a prequel set in 1983. William Wisting is just a rookie patrol officer, although he already has ambitions to join the CID. He's just recently married here and father of baby twins Thomas and Line - of course, the grown-up Line, a reporter, features prominently in the later-set novels.
In the course of this quite short but very exciting novel Wisting manages to solve a case involving a vintage car which was abandoned in a barn in the 1920s. He also plays a major part in capturing a gang involved in car-jacking and ram-raiding. Little wonder he eventually became chief of police in Larvik.
In the course of this quite short but very exciting novel Wisting manages to solve a case involving a vintage car which was abandoned in a barn in the 1920s. He also plays a major part in capturing a gang involved in car-jacking and ram-raiding. Little wonder he eventually became chief of police in Larvik.
August 10, 2025
3.5 stars. Den første norske boken jeg har lest! Det finnes ingen oversettelse av denne delen, så jeg leser den på norsk. Det var enklere enn forventet. Boken handler om en gammel sak fra 1925 som Wistings delvis løste i 1983. Det er grunnen til at Wisting ble etterforsker. Trettitre år senere avsløres de siste detaljene.
Mijn eerste Noorse boek! Na deel 7-10 te hebben geluisterd bleek deel 11 (net als 1-6 trouwens) niet vertaald te zijn, dus dan maar in het Noors lezen. Ging makkelijker dan verwacht. Zal vast wel enkele nuances hebben gemist, maar het verhaal heb ik helemaal begrepen. En juist doordat je het zo aandachtig moet lezen en af en toe woorden op moet zoeken blijft het verhaal ook heel erg bij. Leuk om te lezen hoe Wisting rechercheur is geworden.
Mijn eerste Noorse boek! Na deel 7-10 te hebben geluisterd bleek deel 11 (net als 1-6 trouwens) niet vertaald te zijn, dus dan maar in het Noors lezen. Ging makkelijker dan verwacht. Zal vast wel enkele nuances hebben gemist, maar het verhaal heb ik helemaal begrepen. En juist doordat je het zo aandachtig moet lezen en af en toe woorden op moet zoeken blijft het verhaal ook heel erg bij. Leuk om te lezen hoe Wisting rechercheur is geworden.
November 18, 2017
Jorn Lier Horst returns with another William Wisting novel that takes the reader into rural Norway and a calmer form of Scandinavian crime thriller. After over three decades as a reputable police officer, Chief Inspector William Wisting is set to address some new recruits at the police academy. He is handed a letter, one that takes him back three decades and sparks a memory of a case that got away. The story then travels back to 1983, where Wisting is a beat cop with a young wife and twin newborns. Working the night shift, Wisting discovers many interesting, though rarely overly exciting, cases in the small community outside of Oslo. When called to the scene of a night safe robbery at one of the local banks, Wisting and his partner follow a lead, in hopes of finding the burglars. However, all that is left is a car that has been set alight and a cottage with some errant items. The burning vehicle is close to a large farmhouse that Wisting and his friend had been scouting out before, having located an abandoned vehicle from 1925. Wisting has taken a fancy to this car and tries to locate not only the barn owner, but also who might have left the car there. Closer exploration by Wisting shows two bullet holes in the door and a newspaper from 1925. This spurs the young police officer to poke around on his own time. Discovering the owner of the vehicle opens the door to a new mystery, one in which a large sum of money and the car’s driver disappeared during a secret mission bound for Oslo. The deeper Wisting gets with this case, the more interested he is in solving it. However, with the bank robbery unsolved and many cases piling up, something from six decades before must take its place on the back burner. Wisting lays the groundwork for his incredible detective future, balancing his love of policing with a young family back home. Horst fans will likely enjoy this flashback novel that seeks to show where William Wisting got his start and how that curiosity germinated over three decades of uncovering various crimes and mysteries.
I cannot remember what got me interested in Horst or his Wisting series, but I know that I was hooked from the get-go. The series reads so easily and Horst seeks to develop a great story without the need to pad it with excessive plot lines. Fans of the series will know that Horst only started English-language translation of his series after the fifth novel, starting with an established Wisting who had adult twins and a dead wife. From here, he has been able to amble forwards, though there is so much backstory that only Norwegian (and perhaps other) readers have been privy to exploring. This flashback not only gives the reader a glimpse into the early Wisting, but is the first chance to meet Ingrid, who appears to have shaped his life quite significantly. Line, the female twin, cannot play her investigative journalist role in this story, but her attentive nature is documented throughout the piece, as Horst gives the wee one quite the role when interacting with young Wisting. The story is interesting, as it seeks to explore a case of the day (1983), as well as one that had long gone cold by then (1925), both of which capture the reader and Wisting quite easily. Paths to explore both cases are laid out effectively by Horst and each chapter brings the reader a little closer, but there is the knowledge that something remains unsolved, as hinted at in the preface. It is also worth noting how smoothly the narrative flows, even after being translated from its original Norwegian. That is the test of a truly strong story, that it is not lost when forced through a set of linguistic gymnastics to appeal to a larger readership. Horst has left the door open for many more books, should he wish to look back with Wisting, even without opening the early series books to his English readers.
Kudos, Herr Horst, for this wonderful novel. I loved the look back and really hope you will work with English publishers soon to allow us Anglo fans to explore the series’ first five books
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
I cannot remember what got me interested in Horst or his Wisting series, but I know that I was hooked from the get-go. The series reads so easily and Horst seeks to develop a great story without the need to pad it with excessive plot lines. Fans of the series will know that Horst only started English-language translation of his series after the fifth novel, starting with an established Wisting who had adult twins and a dead wife. From here, he has been able to amble forwards, though there is so much backstory that only Norwegian (and perhaps other) readers have been privy to exploring. This flashback not only gives the reader a glimpse into the early Wisting, but is the first chance to meet Ingrid, who appears to have shaped his life quite significantly. Line, the female twin, cannot play her investigative journalist role in this story, but her attentive nature is documented throughout the piece, as Horst gives the wee one quite the role when interacting with young Wisting. The story is interesting, as it seeks to explore a case of the day (1983), as well as one that had long gone cold by then (1925), both of which capture the reader and Wisting quite easily. Paths to explore both cases are laid out effectively by Horst and each chapter brings the reader a little closer, but there is the knowledge that something remains unsolved, as hinted at in the preface. It is also worth noting how smoothly the narrative flows, even after being translated from its original Norwegian. That is the test of a truly strong story, that it is not lost when forced through a set of linguistic gymnastics to appeal to a larger readership. Horst has left the door open for many more books, should he wish to look back with Wisting, even without opening the early series books to his English readers.
Kudos, Herr Horst, for this wonderful novel. I loved the look back and really hope you will work with English publishers soon to allow us Anglo fans to explore the series’ first five books
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
August 12, 2025
3,5
(Lydbok)
(Lydbok)
March 24, 2024
[2.5/5.0]
For oss som oppdaga krimsjangeren litt seint er det et problem at det nå fins litt for mange lange norske krimserier å ta av. Hvor skal jeg starte? Skal jeg begynne med bok 1, eller kan jeg hoppe inn midt i serien? Det fungerte f.eks. helt fint å starte rett på «Snømannen» da jeg ville utforske Harry Hole, så jeg tenkte jeg ville bruke samme teknikk for å snike meg inn i Wisting-serien. En prequel, selv om det er bok 11, hørtes ut til å være en god start.
Det er mulig at «Når det mørkner» fungerer bedre for dere som har fulgt Wisting siden starten av serien, enn den gjorde for meg.
Fortellerstilen i boka er helt særegen. Man kan kanskje ikke forvente et blomstrende språk eller nyskapende språklige bilder og konstruksjoner i en krim, men her tas nøkternt språkbruk nærmest til det parodiske. Alt er skrevet i et objektivt, nøytralt og følelsesløst språk. Ok, et lite eksperiment, la meg slå opp på en tilfeldig valgt side i boka… Sånn! La meg sitere: «Han gikk ut, låste døra etter seg og hengte nøkkelen på plass. Så fulgte han sine egne fotspor tilbake til bilen. Han kjørte langsomt ned den smale veien til postkassene.» Ikke noe galt med dette, men kanskje ikke spesielt spennende heller? Og når absolutt hele boka er skrevet på nøyaktig samme observerende og kalde politirapportliknende vis blir det for meg nokså ensformig og etterhvert litt kjedelig.
Lier Horst liker navn, familieforhold og slekt. Jeg syntes det blei unødvendig mye fokus på svigerinner og svogere og tremenninger og tanter og onkler. Det blir mange navn å holde styr på for en enkel sjel, og for å klare å følge med måtte jeg hele tida sjekke det stadig voksende familietreet jeg lagde mens jeg leste.
Mysteriet som skal løses er i første rekke en eldgammel sak fra 1925, samt en nyere fra åttitallet. Jeg klarer ikke å engasjere meg veldig sterkt i noen av dem. Den gamle saken er litt for gammel og historisk til å være spesielt spennende, og den nye saken blir bare overflatisk behandla. Begge sakene nøstes opp greit, nøytralt og profesjonelt, uten for mye problemer. Eller spenning.
Jeg er allikevel ikke helt sikker på om jeg har gitt opp Wisting eller Lier Horst for godt. Det var noen lyspunkt i boka, f.eks. Wistings deduksjoner og undersøkelser av løa og andre åsteder. En litt mer interessant sak, en tanke mindre nøkternt språk og en klype mer action, så er jeg med.
For oss som oppdaga krimsjangeren litt seint er det et problem at det nå fins litt for mange lange norske krimserier å ta av. Hvor skal jeg starte? Skal jeg begynne med bok 1, eller kan jeg hoppe inn midt i serien? Det fungerte f.eks. helt fint å starte rett på «Snømannen» da jeg ville utforske Harry Hole, så jeg tenkte jeg ville bruke samme teknikk for å snike meg inn i Wisting-serien. En prequel, selv om det er bok 11, hørtes ut til å være en god start.
Det er mulig at «Når det mørkner» fungerer bedre for dere som har fulgt Wisting siden starten av serien, enn den gjorde for meg.
Fortellerstilen i boka er helt særegen. Man kan kanskje ikke forvente et blomstrende språk eller nyskapende språklige bilder og konstruksjoner i en krim, men her tas nøkternt språkbruk nærmest til det parodiske. Alt er skrevet i et objektivt, nøytralt og følelsesløst språk. Ok, et lite eksperiment, la meg slå opp på en tilfeldig valgt side i boka… Sånn! La meg sitere: «Han gikk ut, låste døra etter seg og hengte nøkkelen på plass. Så fulgte han sine egne fotspor tilbake til bilen. Han kjørte langsomt ned den smale veien til postkassene.» Ikke noe galt med dette, men kanskje ikke spesielt spennende heller? Og når absolutt hele boka er skrevet på nøyaktig samme observerende og kalde politirapportliknende vis blir det for meg nokså ensformig og etterhvert litt kjedelig.
Lier Horst liker navn, familieforhold og slekt. Jeg syntes det blei unødvendig mye fokus på svigerinner og svogere og tremenninger og tanter og onkler. Det blir mange navn å holde styr på for en enkel sjel, og for å klare å følge med måtte jeg hele tida sjekke det stadig voksende familietreet jeg lagde mens jeg leste.
Mysteriet som skal løses er i første rekke en eldgammel sak fra 1925, samt en nyere fra åttitallet. Jeg klarer ikke å engasjere meg veldig sterkt i noen av dem. Den gamle saken er litt for gammel og historisk til å være spesielt spennende, og den nye saken blir bare overflatisk behandla. Begge sakene nøstes opp greit, nøytralt og profesjonelt, uten for mye problemer. Eller spenning.
Jeg er allikevel ikke helt sikker på om jeg har gitt opp Wisting eller Lier Horst for godt. Det var noen lyspunkt i boka, f.eks. Wistings deduksjoner og undersøkelser av løa og andre åsteder. En litt mer interessant sak, en tanke mindre nøkternt språk og en klype mer action, så er jeg med.
July 6, 2020
It's a bit strange to start a crime series from novel #11!.
This book is a prequel and we watch the young William Wisting in his first steps in his police carrier as a patrol officer.
The case involving a vintage car which was abandoned in a barn and the story of a secret mission to Oslo which failed while a large sum of money was lost/stolen and the car’s driver disappeared.
It's easy to read and hooked when you started so hope the next books to be as good as these one.
This book is a prequel and we watch the young William Wisting in his first steps in his police carrier as a patrol officer.
The case involving a vintage car which was abandoned in a barn and the story of a secret mission to Oslo which failed while a large sum of money was lost/stolen and the car’s driver disappeared.
It's easy to read and hooked when you started so hope the next books to be as good as these one.
June 14, 2020
Can I give 6 stars? 😃 I genuenly enjoy the Wisting stories, the only fault of this book is that it ended. I was loving this story so much that I caught myself thinking about it while cooking.
January 4, 2020
A prequel to a series of Norwegian police procedurals that I have not read.
Thirty-three years ago, in 1983, series protagonist William Wisting is just a humble patrol cop with a young wife, infant twins and too many bills. Trying to catch a habitual car thief, he and his partner make a discovery that may help in the solution to a series of ram raids on banks' night safes. However, before he can do more than this he's shoved to the sidelines to let the big boys tackle the case. So Wisting instead, with the encouragement of his boss, turns his attention to the puzzle of a recently discovered abandoned vintage car. Left decades ago in a ramshackle barn, the car has now been found to have bullet holes in its chassis. How did it come to be there, and what was the crime of which the bullet holes are now the solitary trace?
Needless to say, the two cases prove to be connected, and so Wisting emerges as the hero of the day. Even so, there's still today, in 2016, one aspect of the matter that hasn't been fully resolved . . .
Jorn Lier Horst's series of William Wisting police procedurals is widely recognized as being among the best of its kind, and a recent entry had the distinction of being selected for the Petrona Award, which recognizes distinction in translated Scandinavian crime fiction.
As noted, this was my first taste of the series. Unfortunately, I came away from it feeling neither one way nor the other. I'd never really been bored but at the same time I'd never become more than superficially involved in either the tale or the characters. In the ordinary way I might have suspected this sense of flatness had to do with the translation, but I've read and enjoyed Anne Bruce's work before so I reckon the problem more likely lies with the original text . . . or, quite possibly, with me: although I thought I'd kicked off the last traces of the solstitial blues by the time I read the novel, perhaps I was still under their influence.
I gather the other William Wisting novels are about twice the length of this one, so When It Grows Dark offers as good a place as any to start if you want to give the series a try. The Sandstone Press paperback is a really nattily produced little book -- a pleasure to handle.
Thirty-three years ago, in 1983, series protagonist William Wisting is just a humble patrol cop with a young wife, infant twins and too many bills. Trying to catch a habitual car thief, he and his partner make a discovery that may help in the solution to a series of ram raids on banks' night safes. However, before he can do more than this he's shoved to the sidelines to let the big boys tackle the case. So Wisting instead, with the encouragement of his boss, turns his attention to the puzzle of a recently discovered abandoned vintage car. Left decades ago in a ramshackle barn, the car has now been found to have bullet holes in its chassis. How did it come to be there, and what was the crime of which the bullet holes are now the solitary trace?
Needless to say, the two cases prove to be connected, and so Wisting emerges as the hero of the day. Even so, there's still today, in 2016, one aspect of the matter that hasn't been fully resolved . . .
Jorn Lier Horst's series of William Wisting police procedurals is widely recognized as being among the best of its kind, and a recent entry had the distinction of being selected for the Petrona Award, which recognizes distinction in translated Scandinavian crime fiction.
As noted, this was my first taste of the series. Unfortunately, I came away from it feeling neither one way nor the other. I'd never really been bored but at the same time I'd never become more than superficially involved in either the tale or the characters. In the ordinary way I might have suspected this sense of flatness had to do with the translation, but I've read and enjoyed Anne Bruce's work before so I reckon the problem more likely lies with the original text . . . or, quite possibly, with me: although I thought I'd kicked off the last traces of the solstitial blues by the time I read the novel, perhaps I was still under their influence.
I gather the other William Wisting novels are about twice the length of this one, so When It Grows Dark offers as good a place as any to start if you want to give the series a try. The Sandstone Press paperback is a really nattily produced little book -- a pleasure to handle.
April 17, 2017
Horsta mám rád, jeden z mála zo severských detektivkárov, čo nemá potrebu popisovať skupenstvá kvapiek dopadajúcich na zem a nevyžíva sa v temnosti tmy a svetlosti svetla, ale píše skutočné detektívky. Len mu už trošku začínajú dochádzať nápady. Škoda ho, snáď sa polepší. Still better lovestory than Kepler.
September 21, 2022
Im Heimatland des norwegischen Schriftstellers Jørn Lier Horst zählt dessen Kommissar William Wisting längst zu den beliebtesten Serienhelden, in Deutschland ist die Ermittlerfigur des früheren Polizisten und heutigen Bestsellerautors erst in jüngerer Vergangenheit durch das sogenannte „Cold Case Quartett“ einem größeren Publikum bekannt geworden. Dabei gibt es die Wisting-Reihe im Original schon seit fast zwei Jahrzehnten, viele der früheren Romane wurden aber bisher nicht ins Deutsche übersetzt.
So auch bei „Wisting und die Stunde der Wahrheit“, das eigentlich schon 2016 erstveröffentlicht wurde und damit vor den folgenden „Cold Case“-Titeln geschrieben wurde. Demzufolge läuft das Buch hierzulande auch als Prequel des Quartetts und gibt Wisting-Fans einen Einblick in die Anfänge seiner Polizeilaufbahn. Im Jahr 1983 ist William nämlich noch weit entfernt vom späteren Ermittler-Ruhm und lediglich ein unerfahrener Streifenpolizist, der regelmäßig Sonder- und Nachtschichten schiebt, um seine noch junge Familie ernähren zu können. Während seine Frau Ingrid sich daheim Tag und Nacht um die beiden Zwillinge Line und Thomas kümmert, wird William hauptsächlich zu Routinefällen abkommandiert und muss kaum beachtete Berichte schreiben.
Das klingt wenig aufregend und leider muss man auch konstatieren, das sich dies auch über das Buch selbst sagen lässt, denn wer wie sonst auf einen spannenden Mord- oder Vermisstenfall gehofft hat, wird sich hier über das insgesamt eher niedrige Spannungsniveau wundern. Zwar schreibt Jørn Lier Horst auch hier gefällig und unterhaltsam, ist in der Darstellung von Wistings Alltag als Streifenpolizist aber womöglich zu realistisch, denn natürlich vertraut man bei der Polizei keinem blutigen Anfänger knifflige Ermittlungen an, sondern lässt diesen in erster Linie unliebsame Hilfsaufgaben erledigen. Auf Eigeninitiative geht Wisting zwar über die von ihm erwarteten Aufgaben hinaus und stellt eigene Nachforschungen an, dennoch entwickeln sich die von ihm parallel bearbeiteten Fälle insgesamt sehr schleppend und wecken auch nur bedingt die Neugier der Lesenden.
Interessanter ist bei „Wisting und die Stunde der Wahrheit“ vielmehr die Hauptfigur selbst, beziehungsweise die junge Version des bekannten Serienhelden. Dabei hat sich dessen Charakter selbst über die Jahrzehnte gar nicht mal so viel verändert, denn schon als Frischling ist der junge William aufgeschlossen, neugierig, sympathisch und mit einem ausgeprägten Gerechtigkeitssinn ausgestattet. Und gerade wenn man Wisting als „alten“ Ermittlerhasen und seine regelmäßige Zusammenarbeit mit Journalisten-Tochter Line kennt, ist es amüsant zu sehen, wie es ganz zu Anfang im Hause der Familie Wisting zugeht. Auch im Polizeidienst trifft man auf bekannte und durch den Altersunterschied doch ungewohnte Gesichter, bei denen man immer wieder Anspielungen auf spätere Entwicklungen erkennen kann.
Für Wisting-Fans ist dieser auch nur knapp mehr als 200 Seiten umfassende Roman somit ein netter Bonus und eine unterhaltsame Abwechslung zum Altbekannten, wer aber in erster Linie an einer ausgeklügelten Krimihandlung interessiert ist, wird hier höchstwahrscheinlich nicht auf seine/ihre Kosten kommen – dazu ist „Wisting und die Stunde der Wahrheit“ inhaltlich dann doch zu unspektakulär und im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes zu dünn.
So auch bei „Wisting und die Stunde der Wahrheit“, das eigentlich schon 2016 erstveröffentlicht wurde und damit vor den folgenden „Cold Case“-Titeln geschrieben wurde. Demzufolge läuft das Buch hierzulande auch als Prequel des Quartetts und gibt Wisting-Fans einen Einblick in die Anfänge seiner Polizeilaufbahn. Im Jahr 1983 ist William nämlich noch weit entfernt vom späteren Ermittler-Ruhm und lediglich ein unerfahrener Streifenpolizist, der regelmäßig Sonder- und Nachtschichten schiebt, um seine noch junge Familie ernähren zu können. Während seine Frau Ingrid sich daheim Tag und Nacht um die beiden Zwillinge Line und Thomas kümmert, wird William hauptsächlich zu Routinefällen abkommandiert und muss kaum beachtete Berichte schreiben.
Das klingt wenig aufregend und leider muss man auch konstatieren, das sich dies auch über das Buch selbst sagen lässt, denn wer wie sonst auf einen spannenden Mord- oder Vermisstenfall gehofft hat, wird sich hier über das insgesamt eher niedrige Spannungsniveau wundern. Zwar schreibt Jørn Lier Horst auch hier gefällig und unterhaltsam, ist in der Darstellung von Wistings Alltag als Streifenpolizist aber womöglich zu realistisch, denn natürlich vertraut man bei der Polizei keinem blutigen Anfänger knifflige Ermittlungen an, sondern lässt diesen in erster Linie unliebsame Hilfsaufgaben erledigen. Auf Eigeninitiative geht Wisting zwar über die von ihm erwarteten Aufgaben hinaus und stellt eigene Nachforschungen an, dennoch entwickeln sich die von ihm parallel bearbeiteten Fälle insgesamt sehr schleppend und wecken auch nur bedingt die Neugier der Lesenden.
Interessanter ist bei „Wisting und die Stunde der Wahrheit“ vielmehr die Hauptfigur selbst, beziehungsweise die junge Version des bekannten Serienhelden. Dabei hat sich dessen Charakter selbst über die Jahrzehnte gar nicht mal so viel verändert, denn schon als Frischling ist der junge William aufgeschlossen, neugierig, sympathisch und mit einem ausgeprägten Gerechtigkeitssinn ausgestattet. Und gerade wenn man Wisting als „alten“ Ermittlerhasen und seine regelmäßige Zusammenarbeit mit Journalisten-Tochter Line kennt, ist es amüsant zu sehen, wie es ganz zu Anfang im Hause der Familie Wisting zugeht. Auch im Polizeidienst trifft man auf bekannte und durch den Altersunterschied doch ungewohnte Gesichter, bei denen man immer wieder Anspielungen auf spätere Entwicklungen erkennen kann.
Für Wisting-Fans ist dieser auch nur knapp mehr als 200 Seiten umfassende Roman somit ein netter Bonus und eine unterhaltsame Abwechslung zum Altbekannten, wer aber in erster Linie an einer ausgeklügelten Krimihandlung interessiert ist, wird hier höchstwahrscheinlich nicht auf seine/ihre Kosten kommen – dazu ist „Wisting und die Stunde der Wahrheit“ inhaltlich dann doch zu unspektakulär und im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes zu dünn.
June 23, 2017
I love the series. This book goes back to how Wisting became started as a detective. LIne and Thomas, the twins were babies and Wisting was still a patrol policeman - and what lead him to becoming a detective
It begins when Wisting is preparing to address a new graduating group of police officers. He receives a letter from a woman that was found in a relative's belongings - behind a picture frame. The letter changes how Wisting addresses the group of newpolice officers. He asks them to begin by helping him solve a 100 year old mystery. It does not have the immediacy and drama in the other books in the series - but it keeps the reader fascinated with how Wisting began - you want to know how? why? If you just like fast paced drama, you may not appreciate the complexities in this case
It begins when Wisting is preparing to address a new graduating group of police officers. He receives a letter from a woman that was found in a relative's belongings - behind a picture frame. The letter changes how Wisting addresses the group of newpolice officers. He asks them to begin by helping him solve a 100 year old mystery. It does not have the immediacy and drama in the other books in the series - but it keeps the reader fascinated with how Wisting began - you want to know how? why? If you just like fast paced drama, you may not appreciate the complexities in this case
December 25, 2022
This novella length book is a prequel to as yet unread series that was recommended to me. William Wisting is still in uniform when he becomes interested in an abandoned car that was hidden away in 1925. He also is involved with a current crime that he helps solve and his investigative work on both lead to a promotion to detective. I look forward to more in the series.
July 16, 2017
Interesting introduction to Wisting....even though it is No. 11 in the series.
February 11, 2023
Super Krimi
December 20, 2023
I’ve read a fair amount of Nordic Noir by now but I’m not sure how much Norwegian Noir comprises the total. This was accomplished and, shall we say, tidy. It feels a little status and by the numbers. None of the characters are especially noteworthy, nor is the out especially unusual. It’s solid, which is the best thing I can feel about it. I since started the sequel but am not entirely convinced I shall finish it.
December 24, 2023
A cold case finally resolved 33 years after it first came to light. A nice insight into a young Wisting and hints at his career to come. The story is well worked and wraps up nicely in the end.
February 17, 2017
Nie mogę odmówić autorowi talentu do snucia wciągającej fabuły i warsztatu, dzięki którym wyrobił sobie ugruntowaną i mocną pozycję jako przedstawiciel dobrej jakości skandynawskiego kryminału, choć w tym przypadku powiesć pozostawia niedosyt.
Cała opinia:
http://www.kacikzksiazka.pl/2017/02/g...
Cała opinia:
http://www.kacikzksiazka.pl/2017/02/g...
March 3, 2017
When It Grows Dark takes us back to the beginning of Wisting's career as an investigator. It is something of a prequel to the other stories and as such is a little bit different.
This is Wisting as a somewhat naive young policeman, not yet a detective, though anxious to join their ranks when it is achievable. Married to Ingrid, newly blessed with twins, Thomas and Line, Wisting is an enthusiastic policeman who relishes his job and craves more responsibility. Yet he is somewhat frustrated. He hates that he writes up reports of his patrols, highlighting patterns he has detected or ways in which he thinks detectives might usefully progress a lead and yet he never gets to be part of the follow up process.
When, therefore, in the course of helping a friend, he comes across an old mystery, he starts his own investigation; one that will lead to finding a long dead body - after which he is officially given the case to look into.
Through detailed research, he finds relatives of the victim and begins to piece together the story of what happened to the lost car and its driver one hot day in August 1925.
Along the way he does, of course, make mistakes. One mistake in particular haunts him throughout his career. And so, when some 33 years later, he receives a letter that offers the answers he was looking for all those years ago, he knows he has to see it through to the end.
A really good storyteller, Joan Lier Horst is a thoroughbred when it comes to police procedurals. (Must be something to do with all those years he spent as a senior police investigator).
His characters are strong and sympathetic and this is a well plotted story.
In taking us back to Wisting's early years, Horst is reminding us of a more optimistic time in Wisting’s life, where crime was more often opportunistic and social conditions had not yet contributed to the darker world of crime he becomes used to later in his career.
It is really good to revisit Wisting's youth and see how the police investigator's career began.
This was a fast and easy read and I very much enjoyed it. Wisting remains one of my favourite policemen.
This is Wisting as a somewhat naive young policeman, not yet a detective, though anxious to join their ranks when it is achievable. Married to Ingrid, newly blessed with twins, Thomas and Line, Wisting is an enthusiastic policeman who relishes his job and craves more responsibility. Yet he is somewhat frustrated. He hates that he writes up reports of his patrols, highlighting patterns he has detected or ways in which he thinks detectives might usefully progress a lead and yet he never gets to be part of the follow up process.
When, therefore, in the course of helping a friend, he comes across an old mystery, he starts his own investigation; one that will lead to finding a long dead body - after which he is officially given the case to look into.
Through detailed research, he finds relatives of the victim and begins to piece together the story of what happened to the lost car and its driver one hot day in August 1925.
Along the way he does, of course, make mistakes. One mistake in particular haunts him throughout his career. And so, when some 33 years later, he receives a letter that offers the answers he was looking for all those years ago, he knows he has to see it through to the end.
A really good storyteller, Joan Lier Horst is a thoroughbred when it comes to police procedurals. (Must be something to do with all those years he spent as a senior police investigator).
His characters are strong and sympathetic and this is a well plotted story.
In taking us back to Wisting's early years, Horst is reminding us of a more optimistic time in Wisting’s life, where crime was more often opportunistic and social conditions had not yet contributed to the darker world of crime he becomes used to later in his career.
It is really good to revisit Wisting's youth and see how the police investigator's career began.
This was a fast and easy read and I very much enjoyed it. Wisting remains one of my favourite policemen.
August 2, 2023
Þetta er ein af stórgóðum bókum Jørns Lier Horst um mál þar sem norski rannsóknarlögreglumaðurinn William Wisting er að störfum. Hún er þó aðeins í sviga utan við allar hinar sem gerast nánast í nútímanum. Þessi hefst 2006 en svo er farið til ársins 1983 þegar Wisting er nýhafinn störf sem óbreyttur lögregluþjónn á götunni, er ungur faðir nýfæddra tvíbura og margt á huldu um framtíðina þegar hann flækist fyrir tilviljun inn í rannsókn á máli frá 1925 sem aldrei hefur verið upplýst en rifjast upp þegar fornbíll frá 1913 finnst í yfirgefinni hlöðu þar sem hann hefur staðið falinn í nálega 60 ár. Þetta verður upphafið á ferli Wistings sem rannsóknarlögreglumaður.
Þetta er skemmtilega sett upp bók því hér kynnumst við því hvernig ferill Wistings hefst og við fáum að lesa um ýmsar persónur þar sem koma síðan fram í bókunum þegar hann er orðinn tæplega fjórum áratugum eldri. Auk þess er skemmtilegri mynd varpað á hve allt hefur breyst síðan 1983, ekki síst í störfum, tækni og öðru starfsumhverfi lögreglunnar. Hérna reykja menn á skrifstofunum, nota faxtæki, engir farsímar, engar tölvur, engar DNA-greiningar, gömul dagblöð lesin af míkrófilmum - allt á steinaldarstigi að manni finnst...
Bókin endar svo þar sem hún hófst í nútímanum þar sem Wisting sjálfur rekur smiðshöggið til að upplýsa til fulls gátuna frá 1925 um leið og hann hugleiðir hvernig allt er orðið breytt á 33 árum - ekki síst glæpamálin og eðli þeirra.
Þetta er ekki löng bók, einungis 220 síður (á tímum þegar krimmarnir eru yfirleitt 400 til 500 síður), en áhugaverð og ríghélt athyglinni. Las hana á einum degi í sólinni á fyrsta degi ágústmánaðar 2023.
Þetta er skemmtilega sett upp bók því hér kynnumst við því hvernig ferill Wistings hefst og við fáum að lesa um ýmsar persónur þar sem koma síðan fram í bókunum þegar hann er orðinn tæplega fjórum áratugum eldri. Auk þess er skemmtilegri mynd varpað á hve allt hefur breyst síðan 1983, ekki síst í störfum, tækni og öðru starfsumhverfi lögreglunnar. Hérna reykja menn á skrifstofunum, nota faxtæki, engir farsímar, engar tölvur, engar DNA-greiningar, gömul dagblöð lesin af míkrófilmum - allt á steinaldarstigi að manni finnst...
Bókin endar svo þar sem hún hófst í nútímanum þar sem Wisting sjálfur rekur smiðshöggið til að upplýsa til fulls gátuna frá 1925 um leið og hann hugleiðir hvernig allt er orðið breytt á 33 árum - ekki síst glæpamálin og eðli þeirra.
Þetta er ekki löng bók, einungis 220 síður (á tímum þegar krimmarnir eru yfirleitt 400 til 500 síður), en áhugaverð og ríghélt athyglinni. Las hana á einum degi í sólinni á fyrsta degi ágústmánaðar 2023.
May 5, 2018
This prequel (which is actually #11 in publication order) follows William Wisting as a new police officer who aspires to become a detective. When the initial murder which he reported was shifted to experienced detectives, he begins to investigate a cold case that he comes upon. Initially, he is not authorized to do so, so he must do this in his spare time, even though his wife only recently gave birth to fraternal twins (a boy and a girl). It is rather short, the narration taking only 5 hrs and 15 mins. It takes the form of a police procedural, but nevertheless I found it a bit tedious at times. The narrator, Saul Reichlin, reads in a clipped British tone which, while easily understandable, conveys little excitement. So my attention waned from time to time.
The mystery itself is quite intricate; even after having finished, I'm not sure that I have all the elements and characters straight. The cold case was not even classified as a murder, but Wisting quickly determined that it was likely to have been so. Exactly who was killed and why is gradually teased out, but even then, the perpetrators were quite unclear until late in the story. I liked that Wisting made mistakes, ones that a more experienced officer would not make. Presumably, they inform his later work.
While not a rave, I liked the story and primary character enough to want to give later editions a try. Not all 11 have been translated yet, so far as I can tell, but I expect they will be.
The mystery itself is quite intricate; even after having finished, I'm not sure that I have all the elements and characters straight. The cold case was not even classified as a murder, but Wisting quickly determined that it was likely to have been so. Exactly who was killed and why is gradually teased out, but even then, the perpetrators were quite unclear until late in the story. I liked that Wisting made mistakes, ones that a more experienced officer would not make. Presumably, they inform his later work.
While not a rave, I liked the story and primary character enough to want to give later editions a try. Not all 11 have been translated yet, so far as I can tell, but I expect they will be.
October 23, 2025
On a recommendation, I picked up this book. On finishing it, I realise that it is book ELEVEN in a series. I knew I was picking up Wisting's career in chronological order, but #11 feels like quite a skip.
I enjoy the read. Wisting, as an ordinary police officer, discover a forgotten car in a disused barn, the suggestion of a missing man, an ordinary car thief at a local chemical factory, and a crime committed in the 1920s.
In many ways, the fragmented tale has Nordic Noir written all over it, but Wisting is a humble man wracked with guilt that he's spending too much time at work, and doing his bit whenever he can to ease the burden on his wife of looking after their twins. I don't know whether future Wisting has a broken home, a divorce and a problem with drink... I suspect not, as the references at the start and close of the book suggest a good relationship with his daughter, Line. I may have to dip into the earlier books to find out.
That aside, I really enjoy the steady pace, the thoughtful characterisation, and the many threads that span almost a century. Some might consider the progress too drawn out—a pace altogether too slow—but I thought it played well to the nature of the investigation, with Wisting pursuing what he could, when he could, in the midst of his day job, overtime, and supporting his family.
I enjoy the read. Wisting, as an ordinary police officer, discover a forgotten car in a disused barn, the suggestion of a missing man, an ordinary car thief at a local chemical factory, and a crime committed in the 1920s.
In many ways, the fragmented tale has Nordic Noir written all over it, but Wisting is a humble man wracked with guilt that he's spending too much time at work, and doing his bit whenever he can to ease the burden on his wife of looking after their twins. I don't know whether future Wisting has a broken home, a divorce and a problem with drink... I suspect not, as the references at the start and close of the book suggest a good relationship with his daughter, Line. I may have to dip into the earlier books to find out.
That aside, I really enjoy the steady pace, the thoughtful characterisation, and the many threads that span almost a century. Some might consider the progress too drawn out—a pace altogether too slow—but I thought it played well to the nature of the investigation, with Wisting pursuing what he could, when he could, in the midst of his day job, overtime, and supporting his family.
February 12, 2018
AUTHOR Horst, Jorn Lier
TITLE: When It Grows Dark
DATE READ 02/11/2018
RATING 5/A
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF Crime Fiction / 2017/Sandstone Press/ 160 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #6 in William Wisting
FIRST LINES: The bank card was ejected from the TM and Temporarily out of order appeared in big white letters on the screen.
CHARACTERS William Wisting/policeman
TIME/PLACE: 1983/Norway
COMMENTS Loved this one! This is the 6th entry in the series but it is a prequel and can definitely be read first. As a young policeman starting out on the force and a new father of twins, William is trying to be a good father to his infant son and daughter and a helpmate to his wife Ingrid as well as a good policeman who can eventually advance to detective. Things do not look promising for his moving ahead when he is on the cusp of being involved with a robbery investigation but is pulled off so that more experienced officers can work on it. At the same time he is helping someone find the owner of an old car that has been stored in a barn since 1925 … this is a most curious situation and leads to more criminal investigation and experience than William ever thought possible.
TITLE: When It Grows Dark
DATE READ 02/11/2018
RATING 5/A
GENRE/ PUB DATE/PUBLISHER / # OF Crime Fiction / 2017/Sandstone Press/ 160 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE #6 in William Wisting
FIRST LINES: The bank card was ejected from the TM and Temporarily out of order appeared in big white letters on the screen.
CHARACTERS William Wisting/policeman
TIME/PLACE: 1983/Norway
COMMENTS Loved this one! This is the 6th entry in the series but it is a prequel and can definitely be read first. As a young policeman starting out on the force and a new father of twins, William is trying to be a good father to his infant son and daughter and a helpmate to his wife Ingrid as well as a good policeman who can eventually advance to detective. Things do not look promising for his moving ahead when he is on the cusp of being involved with a robbery investigation but is pulled off so that more experienced officers can work on it. At the same time he is helping someone find the owner of an old car that has been stored in a barn since 1925 … this is a most curious situation and leads to more criminal investigation and experience than William ever thought possible.
April 25, 2021
Imeline raamat, mis vaatab tagasi politseiuurija William Wistingu algusaega. Ta on algaja politseinikuna esialgu tänavatel patrullimas ning sageli öövalvetes, et toetada oma perekonda. Ta on ka noor isa - kaksikud Line ja Thomas on kõigest 6-kuused ning peamiselt hoolitseb nende eest abikaasa Ingrid.
Lähenevad jõulud ning ilm on lumine.
Ehkki Wistingul puudub veel kriminaaluurimuse kogemus, avastab ta üsna ruttu, et kuritöödega seotud mõistatused ja saladused pakuvad talle enamat kui tavapärane patrullimine. Kuid ta suudab ka oma igapäevases politseitöös jõuda selliste lahenduste ja tulemusteni, mis näitavad tema analüüsioskusi ja head pealehakkamist, soovi olukordi lahendada ning mõista asjade toimumise põhjuseid. Juhtumid, mis seekord peamurdmist nõuavad, on põnevad ning üks neist jaotub oma tegevuse ja mõistatustega väga pika ajalise perioodi peale.
Vanast küünist leiab Wisting vana auto kuuliaukudega, mis lubavad arvata, et seda juhtinud inimene ei pääsenud tulistamisest elusalt. Aga kellele kuulus see auto, kes oli see inimene ning mis oli sündmus, mida aastakümneid nii kiivalt varjatud on?
Soovitan soojalt - hoolimata sellest, et võõras keeles, oli raamat nii põnev, et väga pikaks ajaks teda jälle kord ei jätkunud!
Lähenevad jõulud ning ilm on lumine.
Ehkki Wistingul puudub veel kriminaaluurimuse kogemus, avastab ta üsna ruttu, et kuritöödega seotud mõistatused ja saladused pakuvad talle enamat kui tavapärane patrullimine. Kuid ta suudab ka oma igapäevases politseitöös jõuda selliste lahenduste ja tulemusteni, mis näitavad tema analüüsioskusi ja head pealehakkamist, soovi olukordi lahendada ning mõista asjade toimumise põhjuseid. Juhtumid, mis seekord peamurdmist nõuavad, on põnevad ning üks neist jaotub oma tegevuse ja mõistatustega väga pika ajalise perioodi peale.
Vanast küünist leiab Wisting vana auto kuuliaukudega, mis lubavad arvata, et seda juhtinud inimene ei pääsenud tulistamisest elusalt. Aga kellele kuulus see auto, kes oli see inimene ning mis oli sündmus, mida aastakümneid nii kiivalt varjatud on?
Soovitan soojalt - hoolimata sellest, et võõras keeles, oli raamat nii põnev, et väga pikaks ajaks teda jälle kord ei jätkunud!
April 11, 2020
Back to where it all started. Stavern 1983. An ambitious young policeman named William Wisting has just become the father of twins. It felt rather strange to read about the baby Line and her brother Thomas; Line, who would become an investigative journalist in her adult life and whose career I have followed through the first five Wisting books translated into English.
As a uniformed copper Wisting finds himself edged off a robbery investigation by more experienced officers. Instead, he finds himself on a less prestigious case, but the case that shaped his future as an investigator when he is made aware of a forgotten, bullet-riddled car hidden in a dilapidated barn. How long has it been there and what happened to the driver?
When It Grows Dark is another satisfying police procedural that will bring us forward to the present day and who knows where we go from here.
There are of course the first two books in The Cold Case Quartet: The Katharina Code and The Cabin, both of which I had the good fortune to read as ARCs. I have purchased them in paperback form and will no doubt read them again. The third in the quartet is due to be published next month...
As a uniformed copper Wisting finds himself edged off a robbery investigation by more experienced officers. Instead, he finds himself on a less prestigious case, but the case that shaped his future as an investigator when he is made aware of a forgotten, bullet-riddled car hidden in a dilapidated barn. How long has it been there and what happened to the driver?
When It Grows Dark is another satisfying police procedural that will bring us forward to the present day and who knows where we go from here.
There are of course the first two books in The Cold Case Quartet: The Katharina Code and The Cabin, both of which I had the good fortune to read as ARCs. I have purchased them in paperback form and will no doubt read them again. The third in the quartet is due to be published next month...
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