William Wisting Books in Order

The Best Order to Read Jørn Lier Horst’s William Wisting Series

Step into the snowy, suspense-filled world of Chief Inspector William Wisting, where procedural authenticity meets deep, empathetic character study. Created by Norwegian author Jørn Lier Horst—himself a former Senior Investigating Officer in Norway’s Vestfold police district—this series is a cornerstone of modern Nordic noir. However, because English-language publishers initially skipped the first five books of the series and released the rest out of chronological sequence, finding the best reading path can be a puzzle for international fans.

Option 1: The English Publication Order (Recommended)

For most readers, starting where English publishers began is the smoothest entry point. English translation efforts launched with Dregs (the sixth book in the original Norwegian run). This order allows you to experience the series exactly as it captured the global imagination, starting with Wisting as a seasoned, mature detective before diving into his earlier career or the prequel later on.

Following this path, the order of the translated books is:

1. Dregs (2010)
2. Closed for Winter (2011)
3. The Hunting Dogs (2012)
4. The Caveman (2013)
5. Ordeal (2015)
6. When It Grows Dark (2016)
7. The Katharina Code (2017)
8. The Cabin (2018)
9. The Inner Darkness (2019)
10. A Question of Guilt (2020)
11. The Night Man (2021)
12. Snow Fall (2023)

Option 2: The Chronological Reading Order

If you prefer to see William Wisting’s life, family relationships, and investigative career develop in strict linear order, the chronological route is your best choice. In this layout, the prequel novel When It Grows Dark (set in 1983 during Wisting's early days as a young officer) comes first. Crucially, The Night Man (originally published as the fifth novel in Norway in 2009 but translated later in English) is placed before Dregs, establishing Wisting's earlier career before the timeline moves forward into the subsequent investigations.

The chronological order for the translated titles is:

1. When It Grows Dark (Prequel, 2016)
2. The Night Man (2021)
3. Dregs (2010)
4. Closed for Winter (2011)
5. The Hunting Dogs (2012)
6. The Caveman (2013)
7. Ordeal (2015)
8. The Katharina Code (2017)
9. The Cabin (2018)
10. The Inner Darkness (2019)
11. A Question of Guilt (2020)
12. Snow Fall (2023)

Subseries Spotlight: The Cold Case Quartet

For readers who want to experience the absolute peak of Horst's plotting, the Cold Case Quartet represents a highly popular subseries. This sequence of four books can be read almost independently from the earlier novels, making it an excellent alternative starting point. The quartet focuses heavily on long-unsolved mysteries, showing Wisting at his most introspective and methodical.

The Cold Case Quartet consists of:

• The Katharina Code (2017)
• The Cabin (2018)
• The Inner Darkness (2019)
• A Question of Guilt (2020)

What to Know Before You Start

Unlike many tortured, self-destructive detectives typical of Scandinavian crime fiction (such as Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole), William Wisting is a decent, principled, and deeply human protagonist. Horst purposely set out to write an "everyman" detective who relies on teamwork, analytical logic, and quiet determination rather than reckless heroics.

A critical pillar of the series is the relationship between Wisting and his daughter, Line. As a hard-nosed journalist, Line frequently covers the very cases her father is investigating. Their complex, loving dynamic provides a warm anchor to the otherwise chilly and dark atmosphere of the cases. Because of this running character development, reading the books in sequence—whichever path you choose—helps you appreciate the slow evolution of the Wisting family unit over the years.

Crossovers, Co-Authored Books, and Spin-offs

While the William Wisting series does not have direct spin-off novels, Jørn Lier Horst has written several other books that fans of Wisting will enjoy. Most notably, Horst has teamed up with fellow Norwegian thriller writer Thomas Enger to co-author the Blix & Ramm series. This series features police investigator Alexander Blix and celebrity blogger Emma Ramm. While it exists in its own separate narrative universe, it features a similar investigative realism and procedural grit that Wisting readers will find familiar. For younger mystery fans, Horst also writes the Detective Agency No. 2 and CLUE series, which are entirely separate from Wisting’s adult noir world.