This is a gripping and page turning right to the end. A Norwegian detective William Wistling has tried to solve a disappearance of a woman for 24 years and in that time has developed a friendship with her husband but this unsolved disappearance has always bothered him. So when it appeared another cold case was being reopened there were too many coincidences that brought him to a conclusion that involved both cases. Without a doubt a very enjoyable read.

This was a well written detective story. It is slightly different to others I have read in this genre and in joyed the characters. Recommended.

Every year on the 9th October Chief Inspector William Wisting carefully scrutinises the cold case files on Katharina Haugen. This is an unsolved missing person case that has come to haunt him. So here he is again 24 years later picking through the evidence, the witness statements, and the code that was discovered in Katharina’s home in her handwriting. Even expert code breakers have been unable to solve it.

Over the years, Wisting and Katharina’s husband Martin have become friends, but there’s still a reticence on Wisting’s part, something he can’t quite put his finger on, after all, Martin was cleared of any involvement in Katharina’s disappearance, being 8 hours away at work with colleagues confirming his attendance

Young, ambitious detective Adrian Stiller is brought in to investigate another cold case, the disappearance of a wealthy businessman’s daughter, just before Katharina went missing. Stiller believes Martin Haugen had something to do with it, and he hopes to link both cases to him.

There’s a problem though, because Martin Haugen has now gone missing too!

The author of The Katharina Code is a former Senior Investigating Officer with the Norwegian police force, so it goes without saying that this is a great police procedural.

The characters came fully fleshed, and I loved Wisting, loved the fact that even after 24 years he still hadn’t given up on this case, to give some closure to Katharina’s husband. The plot was well thought out with a great mystery at it’s heart, and quite honestly I was completely gripped! If (like me) you haven’t read Jørn Lier Horst, well what are you waiting for, such a great read!

* I was invited to read The Katharina Code by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *

An interesting cold case story that trundles along without ever getting too exciting. Two old disappearances form the basis of the tale with an obvious suspect who has a cast iron alibi for one of them. A veteran police officer who has been consumed by the case for over twenty years goes undercover to find the answers with a code left all those years ago as the main clue. A worthy yarn but not too taxing!

I enjoy the Scandinavian crime books, we have been treated to many well written books by these different authors. This is a new one Jorn Lier Horst . His crime fighter William Wisting a Norwegian Police Officer involved with a cold case , a missing women some 20 years previously .

This book which I believe is part of a series is well written and moves at a steady pace with good Police procedural's keeps you engaged with possibilities as to its outcome.

Enjoyed " The Katharina Code" and I am looking forward to reading any more of this author.

I enjoyed this book although I tend to find Scandinavian novels a bit on the slow side. This time it was always raining rather than snowing though! I did find that I wanted to keep reading to find out what had happened with the 2 disappearances 20+ years ago. Not sure both were fully explained at the end although I may have missed something.. Nevertheless a clever book and well written.

I really enjoyed the book as well as the setting. I read this novel as a standalone and I did not feel as if I missed something. The author has the ability to tell us what happened previously without distracting from the story. Stiller was not my favourite person as everything that he does has a motive behind it, the rest of the characters worked well together and did not try to best each other. I would love to read some more of Jorn Lier Horst.

24 years after the mysterious disappearance of Katharina, Chief Inspector Wisting is still determined to find out what happened to her and crack the mysterious code she left behind. He’s cultivated a friendship with Katharina’s husband Martin who he visits every year on the anniversary of her death until the 24th when Martin has disappeared. Enter the slightly sinister cold case detective with a secret, Stiller, who enlists Wisting to help him investigate Martin’s possible involvement in a high profile kidnapping which took place before Katharina disappeared. At the same time he offers Wisting’s journalist daughter Line exclusive access to the story if she’ll help hi to trap Martin into a confession.
This is the first in a series featuring Norwegian detective Wisting and it was so good to read a thriller that wasn’t full of graphic violence and swearing. The characters are both likeable and believable with enough of a back story to make them interesting without intruding on the story. Having said that I found the plot a little pedestrian in places with the solution clearly signposted and the Norwegian detectives seem to have a much easier life than ours. I’m not familiar with their justice system but was suprprised at some of the methods and the ease with which they were able to do things like a covert search of Martin’s house while he was away and also felt it was all a bit too simple which reduced the tension.

I have just read The Katharina Code by Jørn Lier Horst. Courtesy of Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph.

This is a Nordic murder mystery and normally I am not a lover of those, but this book grabbed me and I couldn't put it down. Set in Norway, Detective Wisting is investigating a cold case. The disappearance of Katharina Haugen and the mysterious code she left behind over 24 years ago. Tied into another kidnapping there are twists and turns galore. Utterly brilliant. A must read.

Could not put it down ! I absolutely loved this book.. Billed as the Wallander of Norway it is not too far off the mark, its not especially fast paced, there is a good balance of mundane police work, some serious thinking about what has actually happened to the two women concerned and family life. In this book the family situation is a bit more complex in that his daughter is involved by way of her job as a journalist.

A complex police operation, much of which is covert, this is a perfect introduction for me to what I hope is a long relationship with this series of books.

As Scandi Noir this lacks the violence of a typical Nesbo and is hence a more credible story. Its a cold case or two linked cold cases. Twenty five years down the line the local detective is still obsessed by the disappearance of a local woman, the clues she left behind have never been satisfactorily explained. His daughter is a journalist who is recalled from maternity leave to take part in a story relating to another disappearance, where new evidence has emerged. The detective in charge of that case seems to be a Cold Case himself - I wonder if that will be explored in a sequel. The plot is coherent and moves along rapidly - a thouroughly enjoyable read.

The publishers of The Katharina Code tell us,"You love Wallender,now meet Wisting" and it has to be said that there is a touch of deja vu about the book. Having read the whole Wallender series Wisting seems very much like Norwegian version,even down to the failing memory at a similar time of life.
This is not a thriller,it almost plods along with intuition and insight instead of gung ho heroics and stomach churning descriptions that appear to be the norm these days.

Wisting is a cop who can't let go and the story begins with him going through the evidence of a disappearance 24 years earlier that the police had failed to solve,something he did every year. Amongst this evidence is a piece of paper with a code found in the house of the woman who disappeared,the Katherina Code of the title .Also taking an interest is Cold Case Cop Adrian Stiller who involves Wisting's daughter Line,a journalist.

The plot is a very simple one ,the strength of the book lies in author Jorn Lier Horst's characters,their flaws,characters and how they interact, which makes a somewhat pedestrian tale an absorbing one. It's quite an undemanding read, I read the book in about 7 hours cover to cover ,credit for that has to partly go to translator Anne Bruce. I've read a few foreign books that have spoiled by clunky translation,no such problems with this one.
A good read and apparently the first part of a Quartet,my appetite was certainly whetted enough that I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
Big thanks to Netgalley, Michael Joseph and Penguin for the ARC.

This is a very,very good read. It has an original plot with all kinds of deviations to stop the reader guessing the outcome too far ahead. There are two missing persons and several suspects. The characters are all well drawn and credible. The book has obviously been very well translated. The momentum towards the ending is controlled and methodical. All in all, a really rewarding read.

My Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel0 in return for an honest review. I was a bit hesitant starting this book because experience has taught me that with Scandi crime you are never sure what you are getting. But this turned out to be very much my sort of book. I could relax knowing that I was in safe hands. We learn the details of the disappearance of Katharina and the possible murder of Nadia Krogh as the police investigator, Wisting, reads the old police files and back numbers of news papers. He has been doing this every year for twenty five years in the hope that something new will occur to him.. Then modern scientific techniques reveal a new piece of evidence and the two cases become linked. An investigator, Adrian Stilller, thirty something, is sent down to the area from the newly formed cold case unit in Oslo, determined to solve the cases and make his name. Meanwhile Wisting’s daughter, a journalist, eager to return to the profession after maternity leave is called in by Stilller to help jolt their potential suspect into action by writing a series of articles and a blog on the cold case for a national paper. She is unaware of her father‘s now active involvement in the investigation.. Just as I was thinking it was a treat not to have a lead police officer, Wisting, with the almost obligatory complex, tormented background, along comes Stilller. What’s in his past we are not told but there are heavy hints.

Having been brain washed of recent years into expecting big twists at the end of books, some readers may feel let down. I loved it. The ending is in keeping with this book, simple and straight forward. Don’t expect any fireworks. It’s a careful, plodding, step by step opening up and solving of a major cold case. L look forward to reading the next novels. If this sounds like your sort of book, sit back and enjoy.

I'm really in two minds about this book. I liked the writing style but at times thought the book was too dragged out. I really liked Chief Inspector William Wisting and enjoyed reading about his relationship with his daughter and granddaughter. I couldn't work out the guilty party so I was surprised by the ending.

Katherina Haugen vanished from her home, without explanation, some 24 years earlier, leaving, among other items, a sheet of paper with a series of numbers arranged along three vertical lines. The latter became known as The Katharina Code and so far, nobody has succeeded in deciphering its meaning.
An ambitious young officer from a newly formed Cold Case Unit arrives to delve in to the disappearance of the 17-year-old daughter of a multimillionaire believed kidnapped in the late eighties, where the ransom demanded was never collected nor the girl’s body ever recovered.
He believes there may be a connection between Katherina’s disappearance and the earlier kidnapping.
Based in Norway, what follows is an excellent police procedural, with a tightly crafted plot as the local police chief and his daughter are manipulated into working undercover with the prime suspect. I am a big fan of Scandinavian crime writers and although I have not previously heard of Jorn Lier Horst, it is a name I will look for in future.
I am grateful to Michael Joseph and NetGalley for providing a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars
Katharina Haugen went missing twenty-four years ago. Each year on October 9th, the anniversary of her disappearance Chief Inspector William Wisting visits her husband, the man he could never help.
He re-reads her files, searching for the answer he could never find. The code he could never solve.
This year is going to be different. Another woman has gone missing and so has Martin Katharina's husband.
This is the first book I’ve read by the author whilst it is the twelfth in the series it is the first in a sub series of cold cases. Set in Norway the action travels between town & country. The story is well written & the characters have depth. I did find the pace of the story varied, whilst It caught my interest the pace lagged at times & I found myself skimming pages until the pace increased again. Overall an interesting read, I would read more from the author
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I really enjoyed this book, a police procedural story. The characters are all believeable and realistic: the police officers, family members, and suspects. For once, someone actually waits for backup at the right time! There is also a good sense of place; the descriptions of scenes at the isolated cabin are excellent. I would definitely read more books in this cold case series.

This was a very clever story, looking at two cold cases which seem to have a common denominator, solves missing person cases from more than 20 years previously. Great procedural police work, interesting characters and a fast moving storyline.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. This book was a bit slow to begin with, it just seemed to go on and on. It was worth the read though. Great storyline and great characters. Very well thought out and well written.