lina_petrina's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ir7n7_'s review
dark
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
marite's review against another edition
4.0
Wisting har ferie, men når et anonymt brev med det gammelt politisaksnummer dukker opp i postkassa, blir nysgjerrigheten vekket. Wisting forstår at han blir manipulert, men drives videre av ønsket om å komme til bunns i saken som tilsynelatende er en opp- og avgjort sak hvor offeret, en ung jente, ble voldtatt og drept. Parallelt med at Wisting graver i den gamle saken, etterforsker kollegene hans en forsvinningssak. Kan det være en forbindelse mellom de to sakene? Nok en bunnsolid krim fra Lier Horst.
alnicholl77's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Slowly builds up to an anti-climactic ending. Not worth sticking with.
alexslebos's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
missoinky's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
canada_matt's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
While enjoying some well-deserved time off from police work, William Wisting receives an unmarked letter in his postbox. What he discovers on the sheet inside is a line that refer back to an old case from 1999. Wisting pulls the file and begins his own examination of the case, which is all about the murder of a young woman and the quick arrest of her boyfriend. While Wisting is intrigued, he soon discovers some gaping holes in the investigation.
When another letter arrives with a similar case reference, Wisting cannot help but look into it as well, soon seeing interesting parallels between the two cases, which were two years apart. Both have some troubling aspects and Wisting’s personal exploration soon receives the attention of those within the department, forcing a reexamination of the cases. All this, while a current murder investigation heats up as well.
As Wisting draws some intriguing conclusions, a keen reporter adds fuel to the fire and gets media attention on what might have been a wrongful conviction. However, evidence is sometimes harder to come by than supposition, making any true legal about face harder to accomplish. That said, Wisting’s work soon has some within the department taking a closer look at their current caseload and another open-and-shut case. A great story with some wonderful investigative work, showing that Jørn Lier Horst is on the ball!
It was years ago that I discovered the work of Jørn Lier Horst, not shying away from the fact that the novels were not originally in English. It was his William Wisting novels that got me interested in the Scandinavian Noir genre and I have not looked back since. Well-paced stories with great plot development help pull me into the middle of the investigation with little concern for the outside world. These four cold case novels, plopped into the middle of the larger series, proved just as entertaining and insightful as anything else William Wisting has tackled as a police detective.
William Wisting has a great backstory, though much of it has been hidden in novels that were never translated into English. That said, the crumbs that are available proved highly entertaining for series fans, as well as some of the great character development that has occurred. Wisting is sharp, on point, and relatively laid back as he works through the nuances of a case, never one to let outside pressures guide him. While there is little room for development within the novel, Horst allows the reader to see his personal side as he interacts with his daughter and granddaughter throughout his investigation.
Even without the proper context of the first six novels, this series has never missed a beat for readers of the English translations. As I have said before, the seamlessness of these stories makes it such that one would not readily know the stories were not penned in English at the outset. Horst tackles a great deal within his stories and the reader can see this in a strong narrative that keeps gaining momentum throughout. The plot evolves and keeps the reader in the middle of a great story, always tossing in twists to keep things interesting. Short chapters help push things along and the reader finds themselves devouring large portions of the book in a single sitting, begging to find out what is about to happen. I am eager to see where William Wisting is headed now and what mysteries await him as he returns to ‘present day’ investigations.
Kudos, Mr. Horst, for another stunning read. While you have your other series in full swing now, I hope you won’t forget your stunning detective in the coming years.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
judefire33's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Question Of Guilt is Book 4 In The Cold Case Quartet
So, I discovered the William Wisting books at the beginning of 2020, and immediately I fell in love with Jorn Lier Hort’s style of writing and the character, William Wisting. So ive eagerly been waiting for A Question Of Guilt for a year, when it arrived i was SO excited.
As with all the Wisting series, we start with William being on annual leave and he starts getting anonymous letters leading him to a case he was not involved in, twenty years ago. But being the honest Detective he is, He cannot help but to get involved.
I’m not going to give away the plot, but I will try to tell you why I adore the Wisting Series so much. Firstly Jorn Lier Horst is an ex-police Detective, so his knowledge of the procedural side of police work is extremely clear when reading his books. As someone who spent 12 years in the Police as a civvy but working closely with Police officers, I’m always wary of reading how fictional characters deal with the Police side of things, however, with Wisting there are no such worries. as a reader, you can feel that Jorn has a depth of knowledge of what it’s like to work on murder investigations etc, and this shines through in the writing.
The way these books are written and A Question of Guilt especially is just so smooth, the story flows and the plot builds like a snowball gathering speed and size down a steep hill. The amount of twists and turns is enough to make you feel like you’re on a rollercoaster ride! I also love that Wisting’s daughter Line, gets involved in some of the plots, she is a freelance Journalist and has the same exceptional mind as Wisting, and the way Jorn writes as Line’s character is fabulous.
The description of the settings in Norway are so realistic, whether it be in the summer ( as A Question Of Guilt is set) or in the winter. I’m a massive fan of Norway and Jorns’ Wisting series is perfect for that.
So in summing up, A Question Of Guilt was a fast and gripping read, and we again get to solve the crime with this century’s greatest Police detective, William Wisting. If you havent read anything by Jorn Lier Horst, then please start the Wisting series, they are quite simply an exquisite example of Nordic Noir. Any Jorn is one of my utter favourite authors!
Another 5 Star read!
caroline_carnivorous's review against another edition
3.0
Dette er den tredje boken i denne serien jeg leser, og tenker jeg gir meg nå. Har ikke vært særlig imponert av noen av dem. Bøkene er ikke særlig spennende, og det er en del kjedelige personlige ting som er med (passing av barnebarn, blæreproblemer...). Syns det bare var unødvendig. Denne turen til USA som ble arrangert på 20 minutter og var såvidt en dagstur var også en rar ting å inkludere.
Selve mysteriet tok seg opp mot slutten som vanlig, men syns fortsatt ikke det var veldig spennende.
Jørn Lier Horst er visst ikke noe for meg!
Selve mysteriet tok seg opp mot slutten som vanlig, men syns fortsatt ikke det var veldig spennende.
Jørn Lier Horst er visst ikke noe for meg!