Everyone has pretty much given up on the missing taxi driver by now—everyone except the media, who are busy accusing the police of negligence. (Hyenas.) But the safe belonging to a recently deceased old gangster boss—who “passed away peacefully” by tumbling down the stairs—suddenly brings new information to light. And what’s more, it ties the disappearance to a high-profile murder case. The ordeal of uncovering the truth falls to Inspector William Wisting.
So who is this William Wisting guy, anyway?
He’s hands down the most likable detective in all of Norway.
If you hate the cops (and honestly, who doesn’t?!), but you’re thinking it might be time to change that, Jørn Lier Horst’s crime novels could be a good place to start.
Wisting is the textbook example of a dedicated and conscientious police officer. He’s also a devoted dad.
And if his professional track record somehow doesn’t win you over, you can always root for him to hit it off with the charming prosecutor—or maybe patch things up with his ex, who recently dumped him for NO REASON. (Fingers crossed it wasn’t because she found the poor guy boring!) … Either way, there’s something quietly compelling about the way Horst gently nudges these two love-starved characters toward each other.
And just when this side of Ordeal starts to fade into the background and you begin to feel something’s missing—bam! You suddenly realize the book has become more and more gripping by the page.
The Perfect Crime Novel Formula
By the tenth installment in the William Wisting series, Jørn Lier Horst has absolutely nailed the recipe for writing a top-tier crime novel. Even more impressive? He does it using only the simplest, most down-to-earth ingredients. Yet the end result is still outstanding.
Thorough depictions of police work—interrogations, digging through old case files—always help boost a crime novel’s credibility. But Horst goes a step further: instead of just one, he throws multiple serious obstacles in Wisting’s path, making the story unusually gripping.
A nitpicky boss is par for the course; that’s basically standard operating procedure. But a narrow-minded, malicious, straight-up garbage colleague? That’s a whole different story.
So Wisting has to push forward against constant headwinds—and not just in one case, but two. Meanwhile, the trial for the young woman who was murdered is already looming, which means time is yet another enemy. All this packs the second half of Ordeal with a steady, simmering tension.
And what’s especially impressive is that Horst pulls this off without a single gunshot, without any serial killers, and without even one action scene. Seriously impressive stuff.
Hey there, Line’s here too
One of the trademark features of the Wisting series is that crime journalist Line—his daughter—is an integral part of his investigations. She usually works in parallel with him: hiding this and that from each other, sometimes helping each other out, but eventually they both end up in the same place—the culprit’s doorstep.
Admittedly, this setup gets harder to believe after a while. And writing it out over and over again—especially for a crime that’s not super complex to begin with—can’t be easy either.
Ordeal handles this nicely: Line’s role is scaled back. She still becomes involved in the case through one of her friend, but she doesn’t really play a key part in solving it. And in this form, the story feels much more satisfying for the reader.
But what’s truly satisfying is this: just when you’re convinced that it’s almost impossible to make a standard police investigation—starring a regular cop, without any earth-shattering plot twists—genuinely thrilling, Jørn Lier Horst walks in with Ordeal and proves ONCE AGAIN that yes, it can be done!
Rating: 8.4/10
Ordeal (William Wisting #10) by Jørn Lier Horst
352 pages, Hardcover
Published in 2017 by Minotaur Books
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You may also like:
We Know You Remember by Tove Alsterdal
No Mercy by Joanna Schaffhausen
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Reviews of the other volumes in the series:
7. Closed for Winter
8. The Hunting Dogs
9. The Caveman