Winner of the Petrona Award 2026 announced
The winner of the Petrona Award 2026 for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year is:
INTO THIN AIR by Ørjan Karlsson translated from the Norwegian by Ian Giles and published by Orenda Books.
Both Ørjan Karlsson and Ian Giles will receive a trophy.
The judges would like to highly commend BROKEN, the dark and compulsive police procedural by Jón Atli Jónasson, which is translated by Quentin Bates and published by Corylus Books.
The judges’ statement regarding INTO THIN AIR:
Ørjan Karlsson puts a spotlight on the stunning beauty of the Lofoten Islands in the Norwegian Arctic Circle while discovering devastating secrets hidden beneath the calm surface. With empathy and deep understanding he introduces a fascinating investigative duo dealing with personal challenges, and explores relationships within the tight-knit community.
Told from several perspectives Into Thin Air has a contemporary feel and nuanced narration. This taut and tense thriller has a strong sense of location and utterly engaging characters, with nature as one of them. Perfect pacing and atmospheric storytelling add to the compelling story which moves seamlessly between recent European political history and dramatic local events from the past, all of them having impact on everyone in the area.
Statements from the winning author, translator and publisher:
Ørjan Karlsson:
I am both delighted and honoured to be the recipient of this award. The fact that many of this year’s nominees are my own go-to authors for Scandinavian and Nordic crime makes this recognition extra special. A huge thank you to the jury and the organisers of the Petrona Award for championing Nordic crime fiction in this way; it is truly appreciated.
Publishing your novels in a foreign language is a collaborative effort. I would like to thank my agency at Gyldendal in Norway for their tireless work in opening the world of Jakob Weber to readers in other languages. I am also deeply grateful to my publisher, Karen Sullivan, and the entire ‘Team Orenda’ for believing in the series and making all of this happen.
Translating a book into another language often means reading between the lines and adapting parts of the text to ensure it stays true to the spirit of the original. I couldn't ask for a better team to achieve that than Orenda’s excellent editorial director, West Camel, and my brilliant translator, Ian Giles. Thank you.
Ian Giles:
I knew from the moment I first read INTO THIN AIR in Norwegian that Ørjan had nailed the intersection in the Venn diagram of setting, characters, and great writing. Fortunately, Orenda Books grasped this too, and took a chance on an author who was previously untested in English translation. While I like to think that I have the right voice to share Jakob, Noora and the rest of the gang with anglophone readers, Orenda also had the good sense to pair us with our indefatigable editor, West Camel. I’m chuffed that the Petrona judges recognise what our little trinity worked so hard to achieve with this book.
Karen Sullivan (Orenda Books):
We are absolutely thrilled to see Ørjan Karlsson’s English debut, INTO THIN AIR, honoured with this prestigious award. I was transfixed by the premise of the book (and series) from the moment I heard about it. The sheer scale of Chief Investigator Jakob Webber’s job – policing Nordland, Norway’s untamed north, a landscape surrounded by glaciers, forests and lakes, with its endless, rugged coastline and thousands of islands – is utterly compelling, bringing dangers and challenges, but the immensely believable characters (of which the landscape is definitely one), and Ørjan’s exceptional writing makes this stand-out Nordic Noir in every way. In fact, this is the quintessential modern example of Nordic Noir, ticking all the classic boxes of the genre while bringing a fresh, highly authentic energy to the traditional police procedural. At its heart are the social issues, moral ambiguity and flawed (but never clichéd) detectives with a superb dynamic – everything we would expect from the best Nordic crime fiction. We are grateful to the judges for choosing INTO THIN AIR, the first in what we hope will be a long-running series.
The judges
Jackie Farrant - creator of RAVEN CRIME READS and a bookseller for a major book chain in the UK.
Ewa Sherman - translator and writer, and blogger at NORDIC LIGHTHOUSE.
Sonja van der Westhuizen - a book critic for print and online publications in the UK and South Africa, as well as a blogger at WEST WORDS REVIEWS.
Award administrator
Karen Meek - owner of the EURO CRIME blog and website.
On social media, please use #PetronaAward26.
