The Hunting Dogs (William Wisting Mystery)

This is the third William Wisting book, and it is by far the best! Horst uses the shared investigation skills of father and daughter to create continual suspenseful tension and release, resulting in a very satisfying and thrilling read.

This is the eighth book in Horst's series about Norwegian homicide detective William Wisting, but just the third translated into English.Wisting's first big case was that of a young woman abducted and murdered seventeen years ago. The investigation ended in a conviction but now it appears that evidence was planted. Wisting is suspended from duty but decides to investigate on his own with the help of his crime journalist daughter, Line.I liked the previous two books available in English but thought this one was even better. Wisting is a thoughtful man, and we are privy to his thinking, which is quite detailed and interesting. His relationship with his daughter and her distinct talents really added to the story as well, and there were many interesting characters.The title refers to dogs on the scent, oblivious to anything other than their prey, and Wisting wonders if he and his colleagues were too eager to find their quarry, too ready to ignore evidence that didn't support their theories.The writing is excellent, and the fact that Horst was himself a homicide detective contributes tomthe book's authenticity.It's probably best to read these in order since Wisting's personal life is an important part of the series, but you could enjoy each case on its own too.The translations are good. In order they are: Dregs, Closed for Winter and The Hunting Dogs.

Hunting Dogs is the third Wisting novel I have read - the third to be translated. I'm not certain if they are in the order the author intended, but I have found each to be a very good translation from Norwegian. Hunting Dogs is a complex mystery involving three missing girls over an eighteen year span. Wisting was the lead in the old disappearances and is currently suspended, suspected of evidence tampering that caused an innocent man to spend nearly two decades in prison. Being the thoughtful, conscientious person that he is, Wisting wants to be absolutely sure that he wasn't remiss and didn't allow tainted information into the investigation. His adult daughter, Line, is an investigative newspaper reporter and helps him, not only to clear his name, but to solve the current murder and find another missing girl. They, father and daughter, are a good pair that compliment one another professionally and personally. Both are likable characters and add depth to the plot. I enjoyed reconnecting with Wisting, a most admirable detective, and I plan to move on to the next available tale, Caveman.

This is the second of Jorn Lier Horst's police procedurals I have read, and I am very impressed. Horst's detective, William Wisting, is a decent and contemplative sort of fellow, who is driven to right the wrongs that come with his job. The setting in coastal Norway is atmospheric and gloomy; you shiver as the seemingly never-ending rain falls outside on a bare and rocky landscape.Old sins cast long shadows, and a murder case from 17 years ago has come back to haunt Wisting. The man convicted of kidnapping and killing a young girl says that evidence which led to his conviction was planted, and his lawyer says he can prove it. Since Wistiing was the lead detective on the case, the buck stops with him, and he is suspended pending the investigation by the authorities. In the meantime, Wisting's daughter Line, a crime reporter for Verdens Gang newspaper, has managed to become embroiled in a murder case on Wisting's turf.Wisting still believes that the man he helped convict 17 years ago is guilty, but in order to prove himself innocent of evidence tampering, he needs to find out if the evidence was really tampered with, and if so who did it. As his investigation proceeds, he finds links in his old case with the murder case his daughter is following for Verdens Gang.If you like a believable mystery with an understated hero, this book and this author is for you.

I really enjoy this series and the author. Hinge reading them. The only carp is the daughter. She really just gets on my nerves and I find most ofher situations a bitit of a stretch of the imagination. But On the whole, bunker down with coffee or tea and he prepared to loose slepp. This is one terrific series, this book being a town jewel.

I am a sucker Scandinavian murder mysteries. This is the third Horst book I've read and enjoyed it very much. The protagonist William Wisting is a very believable character with realistic problems in his family life. In previous books he's been worried about his adult daughter Line relationship with a man whose past has some definite problems. Now William and Line have teamed together to determine who is trying to frame him for planting false evidence, evidence that have led to Wisting's suspension from the police force. At the same time a young girl has gone missing and Wisting can't help but believe that if he were at work his previous experience solving crimes of this nature, including the one over which he was suspended, would lead to the girl's rescue. Thus Wisting, with Line's help, has two crimes to solve as quickly as possible.There are, of course a limited number of suspects for both crimes. Fortunately Horst has thrown enough wrenches into the plot for to entice the reader into solving both crimes. Although I was pretty sure I had guessed who dun it, there were more than enough pieces of the puzzle to keep me guessing--and hoping that Wisting would be able to find the kidnapped victim in time.

This book sees Wisting suspended and accused of falsifying evidence to secure a conviction from years back. The convicted man is free and Wisting faces jail if he can't find out who did plant evidence as he knows it wasn't him.Wisting has a list of all those who were involved in the case and is going to work through each to find out if he can't nail who did falsify the eveidence in the case. As ever his daughter is following stories for her paper but gets drawn into to helping her Dad where she can.Considering that there is no murder in this one, only the mystery of who planted evidence and did the guy they convicted do it, it flows along nicely. It is never going to be a fast pace as Wisting doesn't work that way he is methodical and that is what you get all the way. There are some twists and doubts but it has it's moments and is a good read.This is now the fourth Horst book I've read and I've not been disappointed by any.

I have now read all 3 of the series and this is the most powerful. Wisting is suspended amid allegations of evidence planting on a case 17 years previously when a young woman went missing and was eventually found murdered. Initially he believes that Internal Affairs will.investigate the evidence planting and exonerate him but as time goes on he realises that they have already mentally tried and convicted him and are not looking for anyone else. This neatly parallels the old case where they found their suspect and didn't look further, but as that case was predicated on planted evidence did they do enough and was the perpetrator guilty or innocent?This is an emotionally complex novel as Wisting grapples with the accusations against him and the fact that people could believe it of him, the decline of his relationship with Suzanne and his growing acceptance that Line is no longer a child, does not need protecting and can be of help to him. He goes about all of this and investigating the case against him in his quiet, determined way - an honourable man in the face of dishonourable accusations.I don't have a bad word to say about this book and can't recommend it highly enough as a slow, inexorable uncovering of facts which lead to a great climax.

Yes, it's so reassuring to find a new detective series written in intelligent, clear and interesting prose. And of course the translator Anne Bruce plays a very important part in this.It's always been clear that working as a reporter is a felicitous training for good crime fiction (Simenon, Connelly, Burley, Price, Wahloo); a medical background has proved less so as the early greats (Conan Doyle, P D James) have been succeeded by others unable to maintain an even standard (Cornwell, Reichs, Gerritson). Now we have a police officer and one who can write. It's hard to imagine Inspectors Lestrade or Slack writing a successful novel, though Morse or Maigret might manage very well.With Jorn Lier Horst we are in safe hands. This is a good series: warmly recommended.

Well, this is certainly a page-turner. The story-line crackles and races along, compelling reading long beyond what should be sleeping hours. That said, there is not a great deal more to recommend this highly rated novel. The references to Ystad take us as close to Henning Mankell as Horst is capable of getting. The central police character is engaging enough, but lacks any depth. His daughter, Line, is less engaging, very much the hard-boiled, astute journalist, for whom conveniently loyalties to father and paper never really collide. The other characters are little more than sketches and we are given no real sense of place, again a far cry from Mankell. Horst can construct a good plot, but sadly there is little life beneath that level. No doubt for many the pace of the story carries across other deficiencies. There are strikingly more substantial Scandinavian crime novels.

Love the interaction of wisting and his daughterClever plotsCracking readFast moving intelligent page turnerJust bought next in series a minute after finishing this book