Thank you publisher and Netgalley why didn't I read this sooner.
One word for this series BRILLIANT.
Thank you more please.

Fast paced .. and well delineated characters especially Line and her father, a policeman., Following the same crime within the parameters of their professions as journalist and policeman respectively .. the race for both of them has different ( but equally important) stakes, and lands them both in dangerous spots .. the issue of a refugee girl and trafficking is itself crucial, and by displaying its gruesomeness both materially and morally, it's a valuable project altogether. Highly recommend.. I'll also look out for others in this series!!

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot - you can find plenty of other reviews of that sort already.

Having previously read several other books by this author, I was delighted to receive an ARC of this novel.

This was a good (at times gruesome!) read. The plot - as usual - deals with topical social issues, as well as the murders. The relationship between Wisting and his daughter Line is well portrayed, as each pursues their own investigations in their own way.

I am pleased that I read this before I saw the recent TV series - as the plot of this book features in part of it. I always prefer to read a book first before seeing a film or TV adaptation!

Another excellent read, and I will look out for more by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

A gripping and thrilling nordic noir. Inspector William Wisting is called in as a severed head has been found. As the media begins to close on the story more lies under the surface than at first glance. This was a thrilling scandi thriller; 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

Another fine addition to the Wister series. These books are highly recommended as they tackle current issues, this one covers drug trafficking and exploitation. Plenty of plot twists and Horst is one of the leading nordic crime writers around today.

I really enjoy the Wisting series of books by Jorn Lier Horst and this one was no exception. Recently, I had also seen the TV adaptation of this book on BBC 4, so was able to visualise the characters whilst reading the book.

Some gruesome parts to the book tackling real topical issues, I recommend this book and indeed the TV sereis.

Bring on the next one Jorn!

Great book the entire time i was reading it (i WHIPPED through it in roughly 4 hours) my heart was pounding and i had so many theories and questions. if you love insanely well written and fast paced books with crazy plot twists and well developed, shady, and secretive characters - PLEASE READ THIS !!!!!

The Night Man' by Jørn Lier Horst is a nordic noir thriller with enough twists and turns to take you right up to the last page. But for me what raised it above other books in the genre is how rooted it is in modern social issues such as migration, trafficking, and drug networks.

The book begins in the quiet town of Larvik when a woman on her way to work suddenly comes across a human head on a stake. The police and journalists set off to investigate the young girl's identity. Various motives and suspects arise, each discovery seemingly bringing up yet more questions than answers.

Although set in Scandinavia, this book could be about any European country, with many similar problems such as migration and international drug smuggling networks. Subjects and headlines that are never off the front pages. What puts it above other many other thrillers is perhaps the detail it goes into in the background of the crime. Whether that's international drug supply routes, the growing threat of the far right, migrant children - there's a lot in here.

Honor killings, narcotics policies, and organised crime - this is a complex case with international connections. Nothing comes easy in this investigation, which is very much rooted in uncovering modern criminal networks and methods.


I also liked the interesting dynamic between the chief investigator William Wisting and the up-and-coming newspaper reporter Line being father and daughter. They don't butt heads as much as I thought they would, each going their own way with their leads but intersecting along the way. They may be in different roles, but they share a tenacious nature.

This is a well-plotted book with a pace that doesn't flag, and even when progress is slow, there is a feeling of momentum, of good investigative work being carried out. There are enough blind alleys to make it realistic and it never goes too fast, as it doesn't need to. I won't spoil it but the final part takes you in a completely new direction in terms of solving the case and it certainly ratcheted the tension.

Parts of the book are not for the faint at heart - it’s a gritty, realistic tale I think.

I got this book via NetGalley, so wasn't aware it was part of a series, so I’ll be checking out some of the earlier titles. There are references to other characters and events that had me intrigued. Also, a word for the translator, as the text flowed seamlessly.

Thanks to Netgalley and the published for the ARC

The small town of Larvik is shocked to the core when the head of a young refugee girl is found stuck on a spike in the town square. It is a sight that Chief Inspector William Wisting will never forget, but if anyone can solve this crime then it is Wisting.

Wisting's journalist daughter Line also happens to be back in Larvik, and she is ideally placed to grab the best headlines about the crime - but the competition between media outlets is fierce and she is going to have to come up with something special to make an impression.

Both set out to unearth the clues that will point to the sadistic murderer, beginning with the theory that this might be an honour killing. However, as the leads open up it appears that there is a lot more at play than disturbed family values. The trail points to a mysterious figure called the Night Man, whose crimes do not end with the shocking murder of one young girl...

Yet again, Lier Horst pulls out all the stops to create a compelling mystery for Wisting to investigate, and Line has an equal share in tracking down the shadowy figure called Night Man too. Wisting and Line have their own preoccupations here - Wisting to solve more than one horrific crime, and Line to be at the leading edge of the media circus in Larvik. Both put their logical minds to good use in uncovering clues in this story, and there is lovely interplay between father and daughter to highlight how alike they really are. Wisting is surrounded by his trusty team, with Torunn and Nils on the case too.

There are multiple twisty threads, with blind alleys to discount, before Wisting gets on the right track, and Line is characteristically reckless in pursuit of a story to put her ahead of the competition. Both end up in considerable danger, intriguingly in very different locations. As is Lier Horst's forte, their parallel investigations start slowly and then ramp us with delicious pace and tension, until the threads of the story collide. There is even some romance for father and daughter along the way. Wisting is particularly reflective this time around, musing on how the media coverage of crime has twisted over the years, and he shows off his knowledge of history to wonderful effect.

Lier Horst delves into some gritty themes in this investigation that bring a real edge to the classiest of crime stories. The focus is on the fate of unaccompanied refugee children being taken advantage of by the unscrupulous. He holds nothing back about the difficult circumstances asylum seekers face in their home countries, and the places where they seek sanctuary. He also explores discrimination, misinformation, and the extreme fringes of activism at both ends of the spectrum.

Jorn Lier Horst is one of my favourite authors of Nordic noir crime, and Wisting is one of my favourite book characters. Everything about this latest story cements the Wisting books as the very best of everything I love about the genre, and I gulped it down whole in one tasty, page-turning bite. I cannot wait for the next one.

I love the laidback approach that William Wisting takes for all of his investigations and The Night Man was no exception. The story is followed via both Wisting, and his journalist daughter Line, who work separately but bring the story together with their differing approaches to the investigation.

This was an edge of your seat thriller, with moments that literally had me gasping. In addition to a thriller this was also a commentary on the treatment of young asylum seekers in Norway and Sweden and how easily they were forced into drug trafficking without people to look out for them. It became an easy way of transporting drugs because children are generally invisible so less likely to be seen as acting suspicious, and because teenagers are more likely to run away, their actions are not seen as easily.

I was aware that there was a new tv series of Wisting, and made sure that I read this book before the series began. The second half of the series was The Night Man story, and although I enjoyed the tv series, I found the tension and depth to the story so much better in the book. The Wisting book series is fast becoming one of my favourite noir thrillers, although I would love for the earlier books in the series to be translated into English.

All in all this was an excellent book, that kept my attention from start to finish.

I have previously read books by this author. When I started reading this book it was like meeting an old friend again. This was an easy fast read for me, I like the main character and how he and his daughter manages to keep work and private life separate.

I have read a few of the Wistling series but always feel these can be standalone books. A severed head on a stake leads to an investigation across countries in search of the truth. As Police Inspector William Wishing investigates so his daughter Line as a journalist carries out her own investigation in search of a story. Both investigations come to a dramatic conclusion. Brilliant from start to finish.

I am grateful to the publisher's for this copy of Jorn's latest book, which was excellent!
My undoing proved to be watching the BBC serialisation at the same time as I read the book, as there were numerous artisitic changes.
However, I love the Wisting novels and for those who enjoy 'Scandi Noir' genre books, this is another great example.
The story starts with a bang and the twists and turns continue at a pace. I thought the flight to Afghanistan and the following scenario a bit implausible, but otherwise, Jorn's characterisations of the family interplay, Wisting's team, the villains, and the victims and the beautifully-drawn settings all make for a great story.
I would highly recommend this book!

Latest in the William Wisting series of books by this author.
I'm a big fan of Nordic Noir crime fiction and this book maintains the high standard of writing I've come to expect from Jorn Lier Horst.
A severed head on a stake, a body in the lake, this is just the start.
Won't spoil it by divulging any more of the story, but if you like this genre then you'll love this book.

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
If you like Police procedural and Scandi Noir stories then this is a book for you. The sixth book in the series but works perfectly as a standalone story.
Quality writing and superb characterisation throughout, absorbing and riveting from first to last page. Atmospheric clever descriptive and topical, at times emotional poignant and quite sad at others there is hold your breath tension, occasional gruesome descriptions of violence, yet there is time for a possible burgeoning love story for our hero hopefully continuing in the next book. As usual his ballsy brave fearless daughter "Line" is on hand to help or occasionally hinder.
Completely and utterly recommended.

Jorn Lier Horst again serves up a hearty helping of classic Scandi noir fare as, in this case, we begin with a severed head of a young girl left on display in Larvik. Our hero, William Wisting, continues as a rather melancholy figure who, nevertheless, is an effective detective who, as always, grips a case and sees it through. Some reviewers like the interplay between Wisting and his daughter, so I may be in a minority but, for me, her involvement in the various investigations we have see William lead asks a lot of the reader’s credulity somewhat. On the plus side, however, as a plot device it does make Wisting a more three dimensional figure and adds some atmosphere to the developing plot. The writing (and translation) are, as ever, excellent with tension building effectively throughout as the reader is shown how the complex plot unfolds. Recommended.

A severed head is found stuck on a stake in the middle of the small town of Larvik. The victim, a young immigrant girl, her body missing. When a second body is found, shot execution-style, Wisting knows that this is a serious situation. His daughter Line, a journalist, is also pursuing her own leads and both converge around the trafficking of drugs across Scandinavia.
This is a really strong detective novel which has political undercurrents around Afghanistan and the play off between humanitarian support and the war against insurgents. As ever with Horst, the narrative is fact-paced and the plot tight.

This review includes some minor spoilers.

The Night Man is the fourth of Horst’s Norwegian thrillers I’ve read. All feature William Wisting. He’s introduced with a first name now, which is barely mentioned in the previous books. We’ve recognised him in the past as a policeman, popular with colleagues and a good father to his adult daughter, but now, perhaps, we will get to know him better as a man.

The murder at the centre of this story is a particularly gruesome one and the opening, with a woman finding a dead girl’s head looming through an early morning mist, is classic Scandi noir. There is little in the way of clues, and the police procedural elements of the story are well constructed. We see Wisting leading his team as they identify the body and trace the events that have led to her death. Wisting has always been presented as a competent policeman but I felt that in this story we saw more about his leadership qualities and how he pulled the team together. Bits of it, I thought, could almost be used in training courses for managers.

The story is long and quite complicated but, in essence, straightforward. Refugee children are being kidnapped by a drugs gang which uses them to run narcotics across the border from Sweden. The murder victim is a girl who, for no fault of her own, has failed to deliver the drugs.

The story could hardly sustain a full-length novel on its own, but we meet Wisting’s journalist daughter, Line, again. Although she is now working in Oslo, coincidence brings her to visit her father just as the murder story breaks. As in the previous books, she finds herself investigating the murder as well. Desperate to get the story ahead of competing news organisations, she uses her own contacts in the criminal class and her experience with uncovering links on the internet to move toward solving the murder. Her father’s approach and hers lead them to the same conclusions at almost the same time. Line’s interference, though, does mean that, yet again, her life is threatened by the crooks she is hunting. This is becoming a recurring theme in these novels and, given that Line is clearly an intelligent and able young woman, I can’t see why she never seems to learn from these mistakes. The ‘damsel in distress’ trope is common in these sorts of books (it’s not as if I never use it myself) but here it is beginning to come over as a tad formulaic. Even so, the prose is fluid and the requisite level of tension is maintained and Horst definitely spins a good yarn.

The story is strengthened by the development of Wisting and Line as characters. Wisting is allowed to start a tentative relationship with a civilian while we see Line struggling to succeed in a hugely competitive job whilst trying to build her own personal life.

The book is, I feel, weakened by occasional moralistic inserts. One character lectures Wisting at length about the problems faced by young refugees and there is a lot of criticism of Norway’s immigration policy. Wisting follows one witness to Afghanistan. This seemed slightly implausible but it was used as a way to comment on the awfulness of life in Afghanistan and the efforts being made by Norwegian police and troops to improve things there. There are also what seemed like mini-essays on the evils of the drugs trade.

I’m all in favour of authors using their stories to carry a political message but this is always more effective if the political message is well integrated into the. In this case the messages read like rather clumsy product placement. This is particularly unfortunate in the case of the Norwegian involvement in Afghanistan where, in the light of subsequent events, I think that every country which was there is taking a long, hard, critical look at what was achieved and at what cost.

Is the book worth reading? If you’ve never read any of Horst’s books before, this would be an odd one to start with. If you have been following Wisting’s progress and enjoying the books so far, you will probably enjoy this one, although maybe not quite as much as some of the earlier volumes. I felt this book marked difficult points in a series when the author wants to introduce new ideas and new characters and this means a sort of gear change, which is not necessarily that smooth. Even so, Horst has set things up well for another sequel and I look forward to seeing that.

Hugely enjoyable and a really well written police procedural. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Line and her father

Another outing for detective wliam Wisting, with his journalist daugthter Lina, never very far away from a good story. A head is found on a stake in the centre of town and nearby a man is found shot. Finding out who the dead are will bring Wisting into contact with Right Wing extremists. international drug smugglers and take him far away to find the truth.. As usual Horst delivers a complex plot and gripping action. A good read.