In Norway’s far north, something unspeakable is surfacing…
When a mutilated body rises from the icy waters off the jetty in Kjerringøy, it shocks the quiet coastal village – and stirs something darker beneath. Not long after, a young woman is found dead in a drab Bodø apartment. Suicide, perhaps. Or something far more sinister.
Detective Jakob Weber and former national investigator Noora Yun Sande are drawn into both cases. Then a hiker reports a terrifying encounter in the nearby wilderness: a solitary cabin … and a man without a face.
As the investigation deepens, the clues grow more disturbing – and the wild, wintry landscape closes in. Jakob is certain of one thing: if they don’t find the killer soon, he’ll strike again.
SECOND in the dark, addictive Nordic Noir series set in Norway’s unforgiving Arctic north.
Into The Dark by Ørjan Karlsson was published on 15 January 2026 by Orenda Books and is book two in the Arctic Mysteries Series. It is translated by Ian Giles.
Into the Dark by Ørjan Karlsson, translated by Ian Giles, is very much my type of Nordic Noir. From the beginning it is quietly unsettling, a story that slowly draws the reader into its pages with such confidence.
This is not a book that rushes. Instead, it settles into its own rhythm. There’s an intensity to the writing that encourages you to slow down, and to pay attention, and to really live in the story rather than race through it.
Set in Norway’s far north, the novel opens with the discovery of a mutilated body pulled from the icy waters near the small coastal village of Kjerringøy. When another death follows soon after in nearby Bodø — one that may or may not be suicide — Detective Jakob Weber and former national investigator Noora Yun Sande are drawn into an investigation that becomes increasingly disturbing. As the boundaries between the cases begin to blur, the sense of unease deepens, particularly when reports surface of a chilling encounter in the surrounding wilderness.
One of the real strengths of Into the Dark is its setting. The Arctic landscape is described with an authority that makes it feel vast, isolating and, at times, almost oppressive. It seems to press in on the characters as the investigation deepens, heightening the tension without ever overwhelming the narrative. I love crime fiction where the location feels integral to the story, and Karlsson does that so well.
A special mention for the translation by Ian Giles too. It is beautifully done, the writing is understated and never loses the underlying sense of menace. There’s a real emotional feeling to it.
I was really impressed by authentic the story feels. The characters feel believable and human, carrying their fears and uncertainties quietly and never over dramatically.
Although Into the Dark is the second book in the series, it works perfectly well as a standalone. I never felt as though I was missing crucial information, and the characters are introduced with enough care that it’s easy to settle into their world.
Overall, this is thoughtful, atmospheric Nordic Noir that lingers in the mind long after the final page. If you enjoy crime fiction that concentrates on mood, character and psychological depth, then you will love this. Highly recommended.
Ørjan N. Karlsson grew up in Bodø.
A sociologist by trade, he received officer training in the army and has taken part in overseas missions.
He has worked in the Defence Ministry and is now a departmental manager in the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection.
He has written a large number of thrillers, sci-fi novels and crime novels for adults.
Ian Giles has a PhD in Scandinavian literature from the University of Edinburgh.
Past translations include novels by crime and thriller luminaries such as Arne Dahl, Carin Gerhardsen, Michael Katz Krefeld, David Lagercrantz, Camilla Läckberg and Gustaf Skördeman.
His translation of Andreas Norman’s Into a Raging Blaze was shortlisted for the 2015 CWA International Dagger.
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