Nordin Agency is proud to welcome authors Michael Hjorth and Bjarni Thorsson to our list.

Michael Hjorth is one of Sweden’s most renowned film and TV producers and screenwriters, known for Henning Mankell’s Wallander, Camilla Läckberg’s Fjällbacka films, and Jens Lapidus’ Easy Money. As a producer, he has adapted works like Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s One Eye Red and Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove. With Hans Rosenfeldt, he co-writes the bestselling Sebastian Bergman crime series, translated into 34 languages with over 8 million copies sold.

Bjarni Thorsson, born in Reykjavík, is a writer and director whose eight plays – including The Dad and The Grandad – have been performed in 25 countries. He has directed 24 stage and film productions such as Master Class by Terrence McNally, Defending the Caveman by Rob Becker, and A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. He is also the author of two books: The Dad and Thunder Trud and The Tornado from New City.

Together, Hjorth and Thorsson are creating The Helga & Bjarki Series – a gripping blend of Nordic noir, dark, atmospheric thriller and police procedural. Set in present-day Iceland, it merges the stark beauty and isolation of the Icelandic landscape with intricate suspenseful cases, dramatic relationships, and deep psychological exploration. The first instalment, Isle of Vile, will be published by Norstedts in January 2026.

Hjorth & Thorsson

The first four books in The Helga & Bjarki Series have already been sold to nine territories to great acclaim.

Isle of Vile is everything you can ask for in classic Nordic noir, but in a very untraditional way – the best of both worlds combined. Hjorth & Thorsson is a new author duo who mixes Swedish and Icelandic crime traditions while adding a special dark nerve that stays with the reader for a long time. It took just a few pages for me to see that this manuscript was something really outstanding. Isle of Vile has a page-turning pace which leaves the reader almost breathless, and a fierce drive that makes you stay on the pages until the end. It’s classic Nordic noir at its best!
– Adam Dahlin (Literary Director), Norstedts

Michael Hjorth has of one of the most brilliant criminal minds on the Nordic scene, and I am eager to follow his dark plots anytime, anywhere. Add Bjarni Thorsson’s Iceland to the mix, with its vast, dangerous and unbelievably beautiful landscape, its mythology and edge, and I think the risks of success are immense for this series. Helga and Bjarki are the strongest duo of protagonists I have encountered in a very long time, and I am so thrilled and proud that Aschehoug will be their Norwegian publisher. We’re in for a ride!
– Annette Orre (Editor-in-Chief), Aschehoug

Rowohlt Verlag has published Michael Hjorth for many years and I am a big fan – and I absolutely adore the Iceland crime series he started together with Bjarni Thorsson! I was so thrilled by the pitch of this fantastic series. I love the Icelandic setting and the atmosphere, the plot, the twists, the pace, and above all, the characters, especially Helga and Bjarki! The series has every potential to be a huge success in Germany.
– Nina Grabe (Acquiring Editor), Rowohlt Verlag