Jørn Lier Horst's Books

Biography

Jørn Lier Horst was born in Bamble in southern Norway in 1970. His writing career started as a child with an active imagination.

“I’ve always enjoyed writing. I had a soft spot for a weekly radio play series as a young boy. Instead of waiting to see what would happen the following week, I would sit down and write the sequel myself.”(Krimi Forum)

Despite this promising start, Horst’s dabbling with creative writing was short-lived. After finishing school, he was offered the chance to either study at the Norwegian Police University College or to be a journalist. Horst chose the former and became a police officer.

Career Policeman

Whilst studying for his future profession, Horst had his first encounter with one of his literary heroes, Henning Mankell. He credits Mankell and his character, Wallander, for his style as a policeman and a writer.

“I read it at the Police Academy, thinking that here was the kind of policeman I wanted to be: an upright and good detective and a leader. Mankell / Wallander inspired both my careers.” (Mrs Peabody Investigates)

Over the next twenty years, Horst rose through the ranks to become a senior investigating officer in the Vestfold police in southeast Norway; the experience provided him with the material that he later drew on as a writer.

“As a chief investigator, I got more than a glimpse behind the cordon. I could roam freely around the scenes of the most severe crimes. I saw the aftermath of merciless fights and entered sealed rooms full of unsolved mysteries.” (Krimi Forum)

Writing Crime

In 2001 Horst picked up his pen and started his career as a novelist. The catalyst was a dreadful thriller. After finishing it, he threw it against his bedroom wall in disgust, claiming he could compose something better. His wife (no doubt traumatised by the flying books) challenged him to do so; half an hour later, he got out of bed and started writing.

His debut novel Key Witness was published in 2004. The story is based on the first crime scene Horst saw as a young officer in 1995.

71-year-old Ronald Ramm’s daughter had found his body at his home. He had been tied up, sexually abused, and beaten to death after what appeared to have been a long struggle through several of the house’s rooms.

“Being at a crime scene like that was an exhilarating experience. A fight to the death that had moved from room to room, ending in the outer hallway. Here Ramm was found butchered with his hands tied.” (Krimi Forum)

Ramm’s killer wasn’t caught, and the case was statute barred in 2010, though Horst’s protagonist, detective William Wisting solved the fictional crime.

Style

One of the more surprising factors of Jørn Lier Horst’s books is that his Detective Chief Inspector Wisting is an emotionally balanced family man, with surprisingly few skeletons in his cupboard. This sets him apart from other fictional Nordic detectives.

“The classic fictional police detective is a man with major issues: drinking too much, feeling misunderstood, and having strained relationships with women … He solves cases completely on his own, often risking his life or even breaking the law. This is far from reality. What I try to show in my books is how detective work is a collective task. Several investigators work together, contributing different skills, knowledge and abilities.” (Crime Fiction Lover)

Whilst Horst’s writing is not without its fair share of brutality and violence, his novels have a substantial degree of realism, and he spends time drawing out the societal causes of crime and the pressures they place upon the police.

Critical Acclaim

Horst’s realistic brand of crime fiction has won him several awards. The Hunting Dogs (his eighth Wisting novel) won the 2012 Norwegian Riverton Prize and the 2013 Scandinavian Glass Key. In the story, Horst explores the dangers of detectives becoming too focused on one suspect.

“You find something that points in a specific direction; from there, all further investigations are geared towards it. All other perspectives are neglected in the hope of finding out as quickly as possible. Everyone gets tunnel vision and looks for new information to support the central hypothesis.”

“What was initially an open-ended investigation becomes shockingly focused on one thing, one person. A broad-based investigation turns into a boiler run.” (Krimi Forum)

Life After the Police

In September 2013, alongside the publication of his 9th novel, Horst left the Police and became a full-time writer.

“In the beginning, I only wanted to write one thriller, but that book became a great success. So I wrote a second one. And a third. I quickly became known in Norway for that dual role — author and agent — rolled into one. Then it got hard. I knew which cap I was wearing at what time, but the audience didn’t. And as a detective, I dealt with people who had to deal with murder … while also selling murder as entertainment. That gnawed at me” (VN)

Since then, Horst has continued to write the William Wisting series, most notably the Cold Case Quartet, which includes The Katharina Code (winner of the 2019 Petrona award), in which Wisting reviews four unsolved crimes.

“The prevailing idea is that the first twenty-four hours are crucial in a murder investigation, and then the door is closed. But time can also be an ally. The main reason cases go unsolved is that people who know something have not come forward … People who used to be in a situation or relationship that prevented them from speaking may feel free to open up ten or twenty years later. Relationships change over time.” (VN)

Writing Partners

Horst has also started to write with another Norwegian writer and journalist, Thomas Enger, with whom he shares a publisher.

What started as a series of research conversations about journalism and police work has since moved on to become a writing partnership. Together, they created a series starring police investigator Alexander Blix and journalist Emma Ramm which starts with Death Deserved.

“Thomas is the author who depicts the characters’ lives. He is good at portraying emotions. I’ve primarily written about the police investigation and taken readers behind the crime scene cordons.

It’s been fun discussing characters and plots with a like-minded writer. Because of our different backgrounds, we bring different elements into the story.” (Vild Med Krimi)

Author or Policeman?

When quizzed about which of his careers Horst preferred, he is clear:

“It was not an easy decision. I enjoyed being a policeman; it’s exciting and interesting. At the same time, it’s a serious job with a lot of responsibility. When I finished, I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I miss the work, but I’m not longing to return.” (Scandinavian Traveller)

But he is not without regrets:

“[I miss] the colleagues — being an author is a lonely business. And belonging to a community. Also, I miss being part of the breaking news when something happens rather than just a spectator. And finally, I miss the feeling that my work can help solve the case and maybe even bring about the all-important turn of events.” (Krimi Forum)

Being an author has its drawbacks.