The Katharina Code Audiobook By Jørn Lier Horst, Anne Bruce - translator cover art

The Katharina Code

The Cold Case Quartet, Book 1

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The Katharina Code

By: Jørn Lier Horst, Anne Bruce - translator
Narrated by: Tim McInnerny
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Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Katharina Code by Jørn Lier Horst, read by Tim McInnerny.

Twenty-four years ago Katharina Haugen went missing. All she left behind was her husband Martin and a mysterious string of numbers scribbled on a piece of paper.

Every year on October 9th Chief Inspector William Wisting takes out the files to the case he was never able to solve. Stares at the code he was never able to crack. And visits the husband he was never able to help.

But now Martin Haugen is missing too.

As Wisting prepares to investigate another missing persons case he's visited by a detective from Oslo. Adrian Stiller is convinced Martin's involved in another disappearance of a young woman and asks Wisting to close the net around Martin.

But is Wisting playing cat and mouse with a dangerous killer or a grief-stricken husband who cannot lay the past to rest?

Set between the icy streets and dark forests of Norway, The Katharina Code is a heart-stopping story of one man's obsession with his coldest case.

©2018 Jørn Lier Horst (P)2018 Penguin Audio Crime Thrillers International Mystery & Crime Mystery Police Procedurals Psychological Thriller & Suspense Heartfelt

Critic reviews

Jørn Lier Horst is one of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today (Joan Smith)
Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers (Marcel Berlin)
The Katharina Code is the best and most ingenious novel that Jørn Lier Horst has written thus far (Tvedestrandsposten)
If you haven't already, introduce yourself to Norway's Chief Inspector William Wisting - you'll warm to him even though his patch can get pretty cold (Jon Wise)
Jørn Lier Horst only gets better and better . . . The Katharina Code is a beautiful crime fiction story (Stavanger Aftenblad)
The Katharina Code vibrates with anticipation all the way to the finish (Dagbladet)
The author has employed literary devices one only rarely finds in a crime novel. And he's succeeded marvellously (Tvedestrandsposten)
With The Katharina Code Jørn Lier Horst again delivers an excellent crime novel with a credible plot . . . All that remains is to declare that Jørn Lier Horst impresses again (Østlands-Posten)
The untangling [of the mystery], the tactics, and the climax keep the suspense at a solid Horst level (Trønder Avisa)
Jørn Lier Horst has truly done it this time . . . Exceptionally well-executed (Tønsbergs Blad)
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Well written story maybe a bit slowl unraveling. The narrator read a (too) fast pace. He had barely finished the last sentence and alteady the new chapter is being announced

Well written, slowly unraveling

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Jorn Lier Horst, author of the Chief Inspector William Wisting series, sets his main character Wisting to slowly unravel a mysterious 24 year old disappearance and also solves an cold case faked kidnapping. All the elements are there for a great book, but perhaps let down somewhat by the narrator.

Jorn Lier Horst slowly unravelled a 24 year old

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Wouldn't call it boring but the pacing is too even and there's no surprises. Tbe ending is waaay too ...ok, boring.

underwhelming

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Heard a review on the radio and sounded very interesting but it was a little flat. Did not inspire me to look up this author again.

Average

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As a frequent Lier Horst reader, the slow burn is something I'm used to. An additional bonus is that I know the area quite well from my time of living in Norway. Most Lier Horst books are read by a different narrator, whose Norwegian pronounciation is good. I found this narrator much harder to listen to as he mispronounced quite a few words. When this includes the main character's name, one really has to push past it...

Enjoyed the story, narrator less so

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