Review of THE KATHARINA CODE by Jørn Lier Horst

 4 Stars

My husband and I have streamed all seasons of Wisting, a Norwegian police procedural television series based on the William Wisting books by Jørn Lier Horst. We loved the shows and the character of the senior detective. I just learned that Horst wrote a series, entitled Cold Case Quartet, featuring Wisting investigating cold cases. The Katharina Code is the first of the four books.

Katharina Haugen went missing 24 years earlier and what happened to her has never been discovered. One clue, a note with a message in code, no one has been able to solve. Every year on the anniversary of her disappearance, Wisting visits Martin, Katharina’s husband. Over the years the two have formed a bond. This year Wisting is asked to assist in another cold case, that of Nadia Krogh, a teenager who was kidnapped two years before Katharina vanished. Because of finger prints on a ransom note, Martin is now suspected of Nadia’s abduction. Wisting is needed to use his connection with Martin to determine whether he was involved in Nadia’s disappearance and perhaps Katharina’s as well.

As I mentioned at the beginning, the character of Wisting is a reason for my taking an interest in this series. He’s not the typically tortured protagonist found in much of Nordic noir. He’s a widower with two adult children and a granddaughter he dotes on. He’s kind, calm, and determined. Not only intelligent, he is wise. He’s a principled man dedicated to the pursuit of justice. In this novel, he struggles with having to deceive Martin as he tries to determine the truth.

This is not a fast-paced, action-packed, twisty thriller, but a cerebral, character-driven police procedural. My interest did not wane, however, as there are hints as to what happened and I wanted to confirm my suspicions. There is also considerable tension when Wisting spends time with Martin at an isolated cabin. Also, Adrian Stiller, from the National Crime Investigations Service in Oslo, who leads the investigation into Nadia’s case is very ambitious and not above manipulating others or using unorthodox methods. Can he be trusted?

The perspective of three characters is given. Besides that of Wisting, there’s that of Line, Wisting’s daughter, who is a journalist covering the investigation into the kidnapping case. Finally, there are some chapters focusing on Stiller and it’s soon clear that he has an interesting backstory.

I really enjoyed this crime fiction story. It’s well-written and entertaining. I think I will move on to the next book in the series, The Cabin.