Ordeal - by Jorn Lier Horst (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Together with her one year old daughter Maja, single mother Sofie Lund moves into the house she inherited from her grandfather. Sofie has such painful memories that she has had every trace of the old man removed, every trace but a locked safe that has been bolted to the basement floor. Inside the safe, Sofie finds something shocking that will also become crucial evidence in a case that has plagued Inspector William Wisting for a long time. To follow this lead though, he must cut across important loyalties and undermine confidence in the police force"--

Book Synopsis

Tense and suspenseful, the only reason to stop racing through the pages of Jorn Lier Horst's Ordeal will be to pause for a quick glance over your shoulder...

"The best Scandinavian crime fiction available." - Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Frank Mandt died after a fall down his basement steps, the same basement that holds a locked safe bolted to the floor. His granddaughter, Sofie Lund, inherits the house but wants nothing to do with his money. She believes the old man let her mother die in jail and is bitterly resentful.

Line Wisting's journalist instincts lead her into friendship with Sofie, and Line is with her when the safe is opened. What they discover unlocks another case and leads Chief Inspector William Wisting on a trial of murder to an ordeal that will eventually separate the innocent from the damned.

Review Quotes

Praise for Ordeal:

"A meticulous, character driven police procedural. Solid crime fiction."--Booklist

Praise for Jorn Lier Horst:

"The case pits Wisting against his new chief of police in a slow-moving but thoroughly realized clash between moral principle and bedeviling bureaucratic exigencies."--Publishers Weekly

"Horst, a former Norwegian policeman, now produces classy procedurals with plotting, depth, and humanity to rival the best of the Scandis." --The Sunday Times Crime Book Club (UK)

"Horst's novels are solid, satisfying police procedurals, offering an insider's view of the tensions between detectives and bureaucrats who want results at any cost." --The Sunday Times (UK)

"Lier Horst's books are always an excellent mix of police procedural and character study which give them a special place in Scandinavian crime fiction." --Crime Pieces (UK)

"Horst writes some of the best Scandinavian crime fiction available. His books are superbly plotted and addictive, the characters superbly realized. Ordeal kept me engaged to the end and I cannot wait for the next." --Yrsa Sigurdardottir

"I really like Chief Inspector William Wisting... In Ordeal he leads us through a complex and intriguing investigation into Norway's underworld in a masterpiece of storytelling." --Lin Anderson

"The writer's career as a police chief has supplied a key ingredient for the crime fiction form: credibility."
--Barry Forshaw, author of Nordic Noir

"The narrative concern with digital technology is on a par with Stieg Larsson. What makes Lier Horst distinctive is his haunting ability to find the feasible in the psychopathic." --Steven Peacock, Swedish Crime
Fiction

"Horst is an intelligent and often poetic writer. His storytelling is as measured and precise as his main character. So we hope to see more of William Wisting in the English language soon." --Crime Fiction Lover

"A richly detailed narrative, morally complex characters, and a deeply contemplative, philosophical undertone make this a superior example of Scandinavian crime fiction." --Publishers Weekly

"A riveting story line with memorable characters an unanticipated plot twists." --The Midwest Book Review

About the Author

JORN LIER HORST (born in Bamble, Norway) is a former Senior Investigating Officer at the Norwegian police force. He made his literary debut as a crime writer in 2004 and is now considered one of the foremost Nordic crime writers. His William Wisting series of crime novels has been extremely successful, having sold more than 1 million copies in Norway alone. The series has also been translated into thirty languages. He has partnered with Cinenord and the Danish production company Good Company Films to bring Chief Inspector William Wisting to life in a six season TV-series deal.