My thanks to Michael Joseph and Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
I don't do spoilers and suggest you read the publishers blurb to get an idea of the book.
A thoroughly good read. Ideal for those relaxing weekends when one is free of things to do.
The pace of the book is slow but thorough. I feel cold case files have the advantage over contemporary cases as they do not have the full panoply of modern techniques and technology getting in the authors way.
They give space for the author to explain the whole scenario and allow the investigator to stretch her/his mind and speculate - also of course to throw in those dreaded red herrings and false clues.
Jørn Lier Horst (ably translated by Anne Bruce) has taken ample advantage of all these advantages and his style of short (to the point) chapters keeps the pages turning.
So, grab your wallet an pop out to buy a copy or if you are lazy like me ared one online.

This is a series of books from a Scandinavian author, which attracted my attention in the first place. I love a Scandinavian crime story :) It didn't disappoint, I really enjoyed it.
It's a cold case, a woman named Katharina goes missing. She disappears with only a note with numbers behind. Inspector Wistingtakes is obsessed with this case. Over the years, he makes friends with Katharina's husband. When another investigation is taking place of a missing young girl, Katharina's husband goes missing as well.
I loved the pace, which was fast. I enjoyed the suspense, twists and turns. I also liked the characterisation.
I would read again from Horst.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the access to this copy in exchange for an honest review.

First time I am reading this author. I am always in for a Scandinavian crime novel and this wasn't a disappointment. This is a series of books I realised later, I wish this information was made clear a bit more as I didn't shout out to me when I requested.
This is a crime of a cold case, a woman named Katharina goes missing. There is just a note with numbers on left behind, she vanishes. Inspector Wistingtakes is obsessed with this case. Katharina's husband and Wistingtakes becomes friend over the years. Another investigation is also about a missing young girl and crosses over with Katharina's case. Then Katharina's husband goes missing. This was quiet fast paced and interesting read. Would love to read again from Horst.

A "cold" case novel set, appropriately, in Norway where we find Chief Inspector Wisting constantly re-reading the case files from a disappearance 24 years previously, which he keeps at home . The failure to discover what happened has constantly niggled him so every year, on the anniversary date, he meets up with Martin Haugen, the husband of the missing woman, and they chat about it. When Oslo's cold case department decide to re-open the investigation Wisting is recruited onto the team and, as new eyes and fresh evidence point to the disappearance actually being a murder, he becomes ever more deeply involved. Will his friendship with Haugen be of benefit or an obstruction in the investigation? If it was indeed a murder, where is the body and how do you find it after 24 years? Horst being an accomplished author presents us, in The Katharina Code, with a well structured and believable story full of intriguing twists and turns. Moreover Wisting has something of the Willander about him and, I suspect, shall be featuring in many more cases.

I found this book a little long-winded but a good story when it all comes down to it. I would compare the writing style a little to Jo Nesbo. I enjoyed the cold case investigation and guessed the ending completely wrong, which makes for a good result in my eyes. I may well try another title by this author.

A really good Nordic thriller. I was drawn in from the start by the mystery of not one, but two disappearances. Enjoyed the police characters too. I understand that this is turning into a television serioes and I think it will make a good one, especially the atmospheric ending.

I found this book to be an interesting read. It combined two separate incidents and drew them closer and closer until the resolution. Definitely recommended.

A Scandi noir of the best kind. Move over Wallender, Wisting has arrived.

Horst leads his reader steadily through the story until all becomes clear - not too soon, not in the closing page via unlikely reveals, just perfectly judged. Here we have a story of human frailty and bad decisions, justice and injustice, greed, ambition and fear - everything we can all relate to with ease.

A great story, very well written - recommended for lovers of crime and police procedurals, regardless of the setting,

WOW! This is one of the best thrillers I've read this year for sure.

We already knew Scandinavia could make great thriller movies and ever since the Millennium trilogy we also are familiar with great, dark and intriguing stories. And 'The Katherina Code' for sure fits in that category.

The story is well told and has greatly build and full characters. Even though this is number 12 already in the 'Wisting' series it perfectly reads as a standalone. For me reason enough to pick up more books from this series. It's not surprising Norwegian television picked up this series to turn it into a TV series.

This book gives you time to breath and take it all in, the story is not fast but it never looses attention either, Horst found the perfect balance between the two. Great nighttime read!

AMAZON/GOODREADS REVIEW

I was sent a copy of this Norwegian Scandi noir by the publisher as I have been interested in similar books in the past.

A cold cases review team is focusing in on their prime suspect. Although they use all the technical gizmos of modern policing (tracking devices, internet hacking, hi-tech forensics), the plot is driven by the personalities of the main detective and the suspect. At the core of the book is a weekend which they spend together in an isolated cabin in the woods. The two know each other socially and, though it becomes increasingly clear to both that this is an exercise in psychological interrogation, the murders are not addressed directly. Instead, detective and suspect have long conversations about what might drive somebody to murder and the effect that this is likely to have on them. There is a sense of real physical danger (the suspect is hiding a gun in the hut) but the tension is mostly psychological, ramping up to a violent climax. By then, both the police and an investigative reporter have found the evidence they need to prove the suspect is the killer but that is irrelevant to the two men playing mind games in the gloom of the Norwegian forests.

The characters and the relationships between them are well drawn. The extensive back stories and the damaged psyches of many of them suggest that there is room to explore them in more books, which I would be happy to read.

THIS BOOK IS ALSO DISCUSSED ON MY BLOG

William Wisting has been a cop for a long time. He loves his job but every year on a certain date, he thinks about the one that got away. It’s been 24 years now since Katharina Haugen disappeared & Wisting still has no idea what happened. HIs penance is an annual visit with her husband to shoot the breeze & talk about the case. But this year doesn’t go as planned. Martin Haugen is missing.

Which is ironic because he’s suddenly a popular guy. Wisting gets a call from Adrian Stiller who is with the newly formed cold case division of Kripos. He’s reopened an investigation into the 1987 kidnapping of a wealthy young woman. And he has reason to believe Martin was involved.

Suddenly, this is about much more than the mystery surrounding Kathatrina. As with previous books in the series, the author begins with a deceptively simple story then adds layers & twists until his poor MC is run ragged. Instead of relying on car chases & shootouts you get a bona fide thinking man’s mystery.

Wisting is a great character. He’s a smart, decent man who genuinely wants justice for the victims who cross his path. He’s also remarkable in this genre for what he DOESN’T have…..no dark past, no drinking problem, no crazy ex-partner, no issues with superiors. And *gasp* colleagues like him. What a concept. Instead of being distracted by an MC’s personal foibles/drama, you get an intelligent police procedural that is all about the case.

Wisting is a widower with 2 grown children, both of whom feature in this outing. Daughter Line in particular becomes involved when she’s called upon to use for her skills as a journalist. But don’t mistake this for a sleepy cozy. There are numerous sources of tension that slowly amp up the pace as the story progresses. I worried that Line was perhaps a little too perceptive for her own good. And what is with that Stiller guy….is he purely the officious little git he seems or does he have a hidden agenda? Methinks we haven’t seen the last of him.

If you haven’t read previous books, no worries. This book stands well on its own. If you’re feeling like a little Nordic noir (or “pining for the fjords” for all you Monty Python fans), give this a try. There’s a reason this author has made it to book #12 & I look forward to meeting Wisting again.

This is the first of The William Wisting series I have read, and the first of Jørn Lier Horst’s books in fact.

I really enjoy cold cases, as the detectives look back over something they have read a thousand times before to find a new clue. This one is especially interesting as William is now friends with the husband of the missing woman, and has been for years. His struggle between being a detective and being a friend was fascinating.

I loved reading the different points of view, from William as a detective, and his daughter Lina as a journalist and podcaster. The addition of having a podcast being made felt very relevant right now, as more and more true crime podcasts are being made due to everyone’s fascination with the true crime genre.

A great story, and I will definitely be going back to read more from this series.

A fascinating mystery involving the disappearance of two women and the search for answers. This book kept me hooked from the first page right to the very last page.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not my usual genre but will be on the lookout for more of the same.

Will recommend the author to friends and family, and eagerly await more material

Katharina has been missing for 24 years and that's how long Chief inspector William Wisting has been looking for her. He has never stopped looking and re-reading his files. He even visits her husband every year on the anniversary of her disappearance.
Then another woman goes missing and Katharina's husband has disappeared. Is there a connection?
Can Wisting solve the mystery ?
Loved this book and look forward to the television series.

William Wisting, the Norwegian detective at the heart of this story is an intriguing and realistic character. He is obsessed with a 24 year old mystery, that of Katharina who disappeared without trace leaving only a packed suitcase, a bunch of red roses and a written note that he has struggled to make sense of for many years. Over the years he has kept in touch with Martin, Katharina's husband and initially a suspect. He feels he could almost be friends with the man but he always keeps something back. Wisting always goes to visit Martin on the anniversary of Katharina's disappearance but this year Martin is missing. Only when Stiller, a detective assigned to another cold case turns up, does Wisting realise that his almost friend might after all be hiding a dark secret.

This is a tense thriller, character driven and with perhaps the most believable plot I have ever read in a crime novel. There are no flash, bang, wallops, evil crime masters or incredible plot devices. Just a couple of desperate characters caught up in a tragedy of their own making. It all fell into place beautifully and I loved it. Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin for the ARC. I'll be seeking out more from this author and as for the TV series... my seat is booked!

I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t put it down. It’s one of those where things become apparent quite early on with lots of twists and turns. The characters are brilliantly created and the storyline is simple but effective. I think I’ve found a new favourite author

This is my first read of Chief Inspector William Wisting and I'll definitely go back at some point and read the series. Twenty-four years ago Katharina Haugen went missing. She left no clues apart from mysterious numbers scribbled on a bit of paper that no-one has been able to solve.

Every year on the anniversary Chief Inspector Wisting visits her husband, who has become a friend of sorts. He can't let go of the case (and even keeps the case files in the bottom of his wardrobe!)

Cold Case detective Stiller is convinced Martin Haugen is involved in the case he's investigating of the disappearance of a young woman....and wants Wisting to get close to Haugen.

I found the story interesting in parts and slow in others. All in all a good read which I enjoyed.

I absolutely loved this book and the character of William Wisting and his family. It was a real pleasure to read and I look forward to reading more of the same.

Crime fiction, a cold case, a seemingly uncrackable code and an author who is a former policeman - what a magic combination. From the first page The Katharina Code sucks you in and gathers pace until it sucks you out at the end. Wisting is an engaging character and to involve his journalist daughter Line in the plot is a great ploy as it gives the reader two angles of the same story and that they are both being manipulated is an added twist. It has human interest, which can be lacking in some crime fiction, and has whetted my appetite to read more books involving Wisting by Jorn Lier Horst. My only negative would be that I found the translation slightly literal, and therefore clunky, and many passages could certainly have done with judicious pruning. Thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.