This is my first book by the author - although I have his previous books on my to be read pile - and after reading this books I have to read the others as soon as possible.

Detailed and immediately gripping. This book was fantastic!
Gory but manageable with a lot of details and a gripping story, I simply couldn’t stop reading it.

The characters were really interesting specially, in my opinion, because of their intrinsic simplicity but amazing professionalism.

The plot was fast paced and there were plenty of twists and turns and I felt like I wanted to rush to find out what happened but at the same time didn’t want to finish reading such an amazingly developed plot.

Overall, incredibly well written story and I can’t wait to read more from the author!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

I really enjoyed Dregs when I read it a while back. There's something about William Wisting as a character that intrigues me so I was quite excited to get my mitts on this book.
So... notorious serial killer Tom Kerr is finally ready to admit to the killing of one of the victims linked to him but that he was never convicted for. But it has to be on his terms. He has to be allowed out of jail to lead the police to the victim's final resting place. Reluctantly, with no choice, they agree but, a bit obviously for this genre book, it doesn't go according to plan and he escapes. It falls to Wisting to head the search for him before he strikes again which he is wont to do eventually. But then, a spanner in the works, a woman's body is found, killed in the same way Kerr employed. But instead of being fresh, it's a couple weeks old. Killed whilst Kerr was still incarcerated. A copycat maybe? Looking at the manner of Kerr's escape it appears that maybe he had help, could he also have had help with the killings - is he master to an apprentice, and it becomes more than a race against time for Wisting to bring Kerr in before the body count rises further.
As with the previous book, Wisting's daughter Line also features in this book. She is hired to video document the unearthing of the victim. And when her father gets in trouble for the way Kerr escaped, she uses her connections and indeed the footage she shot to try and help him.
The plot is intriguing and held my attention nicely throughout. Characterisation is good and consistent all the way through. Wisting is refreshingly normal for a cop and appears to be without the usual stereotype, afflictions and crutches that some authors rely on in this genre book. He's a plodder and is very methodical in the way he works, rarely getting flustered. A breath of fresh air indeed. Line on the other had is more emotionally driven. Pacing is good and follows the narrative all the way through. Steadily initially as the author sets it all up and then ramping up as we race towards the end, flowing well throughout. Short punchy chapters facilitate this. Culminating in a conclusion that thoroughly satisfied.
All in all a cracking read that I have no hesitation in recommending for fans of the genre. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This book is my first foray into the ‘Scandi Noir’ world of detective William Wisting but it certainly won’t be the last - I was glued to the book from the first word to the last. Wisting sets out to solve an old murder but soon ends up having cases much closer to home to deal with - no spoilers here, but this story really will grab you and not let go until you reach the final paragraph. The writing style is unusual, with short, sometimes rather abrupt sentences, but this somehow adds to the almost breathless pace at which the drama unfolds, and far from being irritating (as I thought it would be at the start) it adds to the suspense of the narrative. This is very clever writing indeed, with all the necessary elements very firmly in place.

A serial killer is captured. He took great delight in torturing and dismembering his victims. He is taking the police to the Norwegian forest where he says he has buried one of his victims. A wild goose chase ensues and he manages to evade his security team and once again he is on the loose. The police always thought that he had an accomplice and it looks like he or she has helped him to evade capture. It is now up to Chief Inspector William Wisting and his team to fi d both of these killers. OMG WHAT A READ!!! Packed with tension and suspense, I literally have no nails left. This book definitely ticked all my boxes and kept me reading late into the night. Scand noir par excellence and I want more now PLEASE. A well deserved five stars and a MUST READ.
Thanks to Penguin UK and Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

A really good book. I've watched the TV series but this doesn't detract from enjoying the book. As usual Wisting and his daughter, Line end up involved in the same case. Allowing a mass murderer to escape in order to catch his accomplice is a little far fetched but made a good, fast paced read.

I love police procedural Nordic noir, and especially Horst's writing. It's well paced, the story is interesting, full of twists and turns. I had a great time. Perfect for these cold months.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

This book is a brilliant police procedural. It is a fast paced story with lots of twists and turns which keep you guessing right to the end. The story is quite a unique take on a police procedural as you know who the criminal is from the beginning as they’ve escaped! I really liked the character of the lead detective Chief Inspector Wisting and his relationships with his daughter and colleagues and look forward to meeting them again.

Tom Kerr has been in prison for 4 years until he escapes police custody during an expedition from prison to show the police his final victims grave, so now they just have to find him before he has a chance to strike again. Chief Inspector William Wisting leads a frantic search to find this cold-blooded killer that sees him and his colleague chasing around the Norwegian landscape.

Weeks before Tom Kerr’s escape a body of another woman, killed weeks before, has been found. Murdered in the same way as Kerr's victims. Is this a copycat? Is Kerr inspiring others to kill? Is it connected to Kerr’s escape?

Definitely a recommended read for those who love Scandi-noir and crime thrillers.

The tension was initiated almost straight away in The Inner Darkness, as the search gets underway for 19 year old Taran Norum’s remains, led by convicted serial killer, Tom Kerr. Kerr is someone who took great pleasure in torturing and dismembering his victims, and he has never revealed Taran’s final resting place - until now.

The story begins with Kerr heading a team of police officers and detectives through an area of thick Norwegian forest. He’s supposedly leading them to the site of Taran’s grave, but after walking and stumbling along various tracks, he manages to evade all security arrangements that have been put in place and escapes. His successful escape came about when detectives decided to remove his leg irons after he’d tripped a couple of times - and so it was that Kerr gained his freedom - but would he carry on where he’d left off?

Investigators were always convinced that Kerr had an accomplice, known to them as ‘The Other One ‘ and it looks like this unknown accomplice has stepped in and set up Kerr’s escape - but who is he/she?

That’s what Chief Inspector William Wisting and his team need to establish, because The Other One is just as dangerous as Kerr - another young woman was found recently with the same MO as Kerr’s murders, and as Kerr was under lock and key at the time, it can only have been committed by The Other One, so there’s double the danger now that it appears they are reunited!

As the frantic search begins to find Kerr and his counterpart, the tension ramps up to an unbearable level, culminating in a heart stopping conclusion. As a former Norwegian police detective, author Jørn Lier Horst is more than qualified to bring us this exciting Cold Case Quartet - definitely a master at work aided by his knowledge of the complexities of the criminal mind. Highly recommended!

Who doesn't love a good Wisting novel? Exaclty, no one. This was a great story to add to the Wisting series. All the usual scandi noir feels were there, the desolate atmosphere, the dark and eery theme that ran throughout the book and one hell of a bad guy!

We follow Wisting while he tries to capture escaped serial killer Tom Kerr, who escaped while Wisting was providing security. The killer has now abducted a police officer and our much loved Norwegian detective must find her before it is too late. The serial killer in question tortures and kills his victims in horrible ways then disposes of them. He's a really really intriguing read and I love it when an author comes up with such a 'good' baddie. One who is going to creep you out and make you not want to keep reading but obviously keep reading. Horst has done this here. Kerr is a horrible criminal. Bravo!

The writing of this one is, as always, layered and interesting, so much so it hooks you in from the start, even though you know what is coming from the off. We all root for Wisting as he is a good guy. He isn't like most other nordic police detectives, in that he doesn't seem to have a really dark past, terrible haunting hang-ups in his personality or vices that shouldn't be seen in the justice system. He is a generally normal guy with a passion for solving crime.

I LOVE a police procedural. And if you do too, then this one is for you. I recommend all the Wisting books, including this one, to thriller lovers, scandi crime readers, police procedural fans and anyone looking for a thrill ride.

The book is set in Norway and the need to translate it has not diminished it in any way.
A Wisting case that is as good, if not better, than the previous books and TV series
Tom Kerr is a vicious killer and there has always been the sense that he had an accomplice ‘The Other One’.
Kerr appears willing to show the police where he has buried one of his victims but he then escapes. Could the police use this to their advantage?
This clever plot has twists and turns that are unpredictable and quite often will leave you holding your breath!
Thoroughly recommend this one.

Jorn Lier Horst writes a finely detailed police procedural and Scandi-thriller, a multi-layered addition to the Norwegian Chief Inspector William Wisting, based at Larvik police station, with a daughter, ex-journalist single mother, Line, with a young daughter, Amalie. Notorious serial killer of young women, Tom Kerr, torturing, dismembering, bleaching and burying the bodies of his victims, he has been in prison for 4 years, unlikely to ever be released. He was caught and convicted for the killing of 2 women after a failed abduction attempt on Freya Bengtson, but now confesses to the killing of another woman, 19 year old Taran Norum, and is offering to take the police, led by Adrian Stiller of the Kripos Cold Crimes Group, to her burial site in the forest.

Wisting, and his second in command, Nils Hammer are in charge of security, and to Wisting's dismay, Stiller has hired Line to film the police and Kerr, accompanied by his lawyer, Line is obsessed with making a documentary on Kerr. It all ends up in a spectacular disaster when Kerr escapes, removing his handcuffs, acquiring a gun, and tripping off a stun hand grenade that leads to chaos and mayhem resulting in some serious police injuries. This unsurprisingly leads to intense media pressure and fears in the public, a scapegoat is needed as an Internal Affairs investigation is instigated with Chief Inspector Terje Nordbo in charge, a man with a grudge against Wisting which culminates in Wisting and Hammer being suspended.

This does not stop the determined Wisting whose investigation pushes him into looking for the Other One, Kerr's original accomplice who escaped justice, thought to have been responsible for the recent killing of 22 year old Nanna Thoule, with the same MO as Kerr's victims, found buried in a shallow grave. Wisting is driven by the abduction of young police woman as he races against time to discover her whereabouts. In many ways, Horst's William Wisting is an unusual man in crime fiction, he is a relatively normal police officer without the common dysfunctions so often found in the central character(s) in crime fiction. Despite this, he remains a quietly compulsive and riveting man, professional, efficient and effective as illustrated here, even under the pressures of the Internal Affairs investigation. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

I enjoyed this book, although to be fair I have also read the previous two and so I was familiar with some of the characters.
The book is a solid Scandi noir police procedural with a good suspenseful atmosphere and increasing tension and therein lies its strength. It's not a guns blazing action kind of a book where it is all action and no substance but a well thought out follow the leads type of book. Think more Morse and less Jason Bourne although there are some graphic details thrown into the mix.
I like the character of William Wisting and his dogged approach to solving the case despite some lack of support. He has a mind of his own and does not always do what he is instructed but he is definitely the detective you would want working on any case you found yourself embroiled in (unless you were the culprit!)

Jørn Lier Horst undoubtedly knows how to plot a good scandi crime story and with winter evenings arriving then a good detective story from Scandinavia is always a winner. Wisting the lead detective is refreshingly different to many leads in crime novels as he doesn’t seem overloaded with back stories, a love of classical or jazz music and alcohol. This story is an against the clock tale that pulls you in until the very end . There those are moments when you want to shout out “ Don’t go there/ Stop” as you do with cinema or BBC4 on stayer day evening especially with his daughter LIne. But there is no doubting an intriguing plot- my only personal reservation is do we need such graphic detail of the mutilation of the female victims. This is the eighth in the series and does not show any signs of running out of steam for future stories..

After four years in jail, notorious serial killer Tom Kerr is ready to talk. Kerr has finally agreed to lead the the cold case team to his final victim's grave. But the expedition goes horribly wrong after he escapes. Detective Inspector William Wisting and Adrian Stiller of the cold case team, launch a search to find Kerr, with the help of Line's (Wisting's daughter) video she made of the trip to find the body.

The body of another woman, killed just weeks before, was been found murdered in the same way as Kerr's victims. Is there a copycat killer on the loose or did Kerr have an accomplice?

I just love Nordic noir detective stories so this was right up my street. The plot is good though at times graphic in the way is describes some of the victims.

However, as in previous books, Wisting's daughter Line is involved in some way, which actually ticks me off because what are the chances, again and again she is there? Because of this, it marks the book down for me and makes it a 4 star rather than 5.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

This is the third book by Jorn Horst featuring Norwegian detective William Wisting. (I had to check the first name: he’s always referred to as Wisting.) Fans will be getting familiar with him, his daughter Line and the unscrupulous cold case investigator, Adrian Stiller.

This is the most straightforward police procedural of the three. Sexual sadist Tom Kerr is taken out of prison to reveal where he has hidden the body of his last victim but he makes a dramatic escape, injuring several of the police in his escort. Line, the freelance TV reporter, is there to film the whole exercise for the police, hoping to use the film later in a documentary she is planning. (I’m still worrying about how journalistic ethics work in Norway.)

Wisting is tasked to find Kerr, but discovers that Stiller has other ideas: he wants Kerr free to lead them to his accomplice, the Other One, who was never caught. The plan goes wrong, Kerr escapes and Wisting is somehow blamed. (There’s some kind of administrative reason given, but I can’t help thinking that whoever agreed to let Kerr out without an armed escort in a country where police routinely carry weapons is surely more obviously to blame than Wisting.) Wisting, we are repeatedly told, feels guilt about the whole thing, but I’m never entirely convinced. Line remarks every now and then how Wisting seems old too, but there is remarkably little character development over the series, which seems a waste of some interesting characters. Everybody makes the same mistakes as usual. People trust Stiller to play straight when they should know by now that he always has his own agenda. Line finds herself alone with the killer again, which you’d think she’d be more careful about after last time.

There’s quite a complicated plot, but if, fairly early on, you find yourself thinking, “Hey, isn’t that a bit odd? Why do the police go along with that?” hold that thought and then you can feel smug at the end.

As in the previous books, Horst tries to use the story to explore notions of good and evil. One of the characters has written a dissertation on the nature of malevolence:

“.. it posed questions about whether malevolence was an animal instinct latent in all human beings. Whether this was what made a cat play with the mouse before finally taking its life, or why the bestial gladiator fights in their time could feed the enjoyment of the masses.”

In the end, though, there’s no deep psychological examination. The Other One is basically just evil.

“… he had sought out such cases in order to satisfy his own lust, his own desires.… He had built up a large portfolio of deviant photographs, kindling his personal fantasies. Then he had met Tom Kerr, and these fantasies began to be played out in real life. He was no longer an observer. He became the accomplice, the Other One.”

In summary, this reads well and is a solidly constructed police procedural, but not much more than that. If you are looking for solidly constructed police procedurals with a Scandi-noir edge you could do a lot worse than read this.

A brilliant, atmospheric and gripping page turner that kept me hooked till the end.
Great characters and storytelling, a well written story that I liked.
Sometimes it's a bit obvious but it's entertaining and you keep on turning pages as fast as you can.
It's recomemnded.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Having read a few of the books and seen a few television programmes of the stories, I was looking forward to reading this book. However I did feel that it was very similar to others that I have read with the same characters. Also I have to say that Line - Whisting's daughter really gets on my nerves now. She always manages to get herself embroiled in the story and must be a hazard to a policeman trying to get on with his job. She also seems to have little time for her poor daughter. The Norwegian names take a bit of getting round also, you do not know if people are male or female.
A bit of a disappointment to be honest.

My thanks to the Author publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is the second book I have read by this excellent Author interesting and entertaining from the first page with terrific characters, particularly the Wistings, atmospheric descriptive with a real sense and feel for the time and place. A cerebral clever police procedural with emphasis on the solving of the mystery as opposed to all action constantly rising body count.
Totally recommended.

Wisting is back with his daughter Line in this latest story from Jørn Lier Horst. Line is helping the police with an investigation into the location of a convicted killers last victim. Tom Kerr has agreed to lead the police to where the body is buried. It is during the investigation that Kerr escapes, captured on film by Line.<br>
The team build a plan to recapture him, knowing that if they fail, Kerr could commit further terrible murders. <br>
There is suspicions of another one who helped Kerr, both previously with his torturous murders and lately with his escape. But nothing is known of this individual, finding Kerr could be a way to capture this other person. <br>
Line meanwhile is working hard on her own journalist research into the case, in order to gather enough material for a documentary once the case reaches its conclusion, hopefully. <br>


<br>As ever Jørn Lier Horst writes a story that is both involving and full of tension.

<br>I like the familiar way we are involved with the characters, we see them in their home, with their family and with their colleagues. The relationships are tangible and natural.

<br>What wasn't so good was the bit of descriptive evidence late on in the book. It was a bit too graphic for my squeamishness.

As crime novels go this is great. It starts with a convicted killer taking police to where one of his victims is buried. Then something goes wrong and he escapes. The police have a tracker on him....all seems to be going the way the police hoped. There is an accomplice will he fall into the carefully planned trapped. But things don't go to plan, William Wisting is the investigating officer, his daughter is part investigator as part of a documentary. Fast paced plenty of twists and turns would recommend