Jo Nesbø
Jo Nesbø was born on March 29th, 1960 and is currently 66 years old. Jo Nesbø was born in Oslo, Norway. Nesbø attended Norwegian School of Economics where he received a B.A. Economics and Business Administration.
Jo Nesbø is known for writing in the Mystery, Thriller, Children's Books, and Crime Fiction genres.
Jo Nesbø is the author of the Harry Hole series which currently consists of 14 novels. The Harry Hole series started in 1997 with the novel The Bat. The most recently released novel in the Harry Hole series was Killing Moon which was released in 2023. There is an upcoming novel for the Harry Hole series titled Kill Shot which is being released on November 5th, 2026.
Jo Nesbø has also written the Doktor Proctor series which has 7 books including Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder and Bubble in the Bathtub / Time-Travel Bath Bomb.
Jo Nesbo was shortlisted for the 2015 Dead Good Reader Award in The Lee Child Award for Best Loner or Detective category for his character Harry Hole.
Jo was shortlisted for the 2015 Dead Good Reader Award in The Patricia Highsmith Award for Most Exotic Location for the location, Oslo, in his novel
Police.
Jo Nesbø: Awards & Accolades
Jo Nesbø won the Riverton Prize, Riverton Club Honorary Award, in 2016.
Nesbø's books have also won multiple awards, The Bat won the Riverton Prize, Best Norwegian Crime Story, in 1997 as well as the Glass Key Award - Best Nordic Crime Novel in 1998. Knife won the Riverton Prize, Best Norwegian Crime Story, in 2019.
The following novels by Jo Nesbø were also nominated for these awards:
- The Redbreast: Crime Writer's Association Award, International Dagger Award (2007).
- The Redeemer: Crime Writer's Association Award, International Dagger Award (2009).
- Nemesis: Macavity Award, Best Mystery Novel (2010). Edgar Award, Best Mystery Novel (2010).
- The Leopard: British Book Awards, International Author of the Year (2011).
- The Bat: Crime Thriller Awards, The Bestseller Dagger (2012).
- Phantom: Goodreads Awards, Best Mystery and Thriller (2012). Crime Writer's Association Award, International Dagger Award (2012). CrimeFest, Sounds of Crime Award (2013).
- Police: Riverton Prize, Best Norwegian Crime Story (2013). Goodreads Awards, Best Mystery and Thriller (2013).
- The Son: Goodreads Awards, Best Mystery and Thriller (2014). CrimeFest, Sounds of Crime Award (2015). RUSA Awards, Adrenaline Award (2015).
- Macbeth: British Book Awards, Crime and Thriller Book of the Year (2019).
- Knife: Glass Key Award, Best Nordic Crime Novel (2020).
- London: Crime Writer's Association Award, Short Story Award (2022).
Jo Nesbø: Lists & Other Mentions
- The Snowman was a Richard & Judy Book Club 2010 Winter Pick.
- The Thirst was a Richard & Judy Book Club 2018 Spring Pick.
- The Kingdom was a Richard & Judy Book Club 2021 April Pick.
- Wolf Hour was a Richard & Judy Book Club 2026 Spring Pick.
- The Son was a BBC Radio 2 Book Club April 2014 Pick.
- The Snowman has made several lists including:
- Dead Good Books: 100 Best Crime Books Of All Time Selection in 2020.
- The Sunday Times: The 100 Best Crime Novels and Thrillers since 1945 Selection in 2019.
- Telerama: The 100 Best Thrillers Selection in 2024.
- The Redbreast was a Time Magazine: The 100 Best Mystery and Thriller Books of All Time Selection in 2023.
Related Authors
Fans of Jo Nesbø also enjoy these authors:
- Jonathan Kellerman, author of the Alex Delaware Series.
- Henning Mankell, author of the Kurt Wallander Series.
- Jussi Adler-Olsen, author of the Department Q Series.
- Adrian McKinty, author of the Detective Sean Duffy Series.
- Alex Kava, author of the Ryder Creed Series.
- Joe Ide, author of the IQ Series.
- Arnaldur Indriðason, author of the Inspector Erlendur Series.
- Angela Marsons, author of the D.I. Kim Stone Series.
- Peter Lovesey, author of the Peter Diamond Series.
- Ed McBain, author of the 87th Precinct Series.
Jo Nesbø: F.A.Q
When was Jo Nesbø Born? How old is Jo Nesbø?
Jo Nesbø was born on March 29th, 1960. Jo Nesbø is currently 66 years old.
Where was Jo Nesbø Born?
Jo Nesbø was born in Oslo, Norway and is Norwegian.
What awards has Jo Nesbø won?
Jo Nesbø has won the following awards: Riverton Club Honorary Award at the Riverton Prize (2016).
What book awards has Jo Nesbø won?
The Bat: Riverton Prize Best Norwegian Crime Story (1997), Glass Key Award Best Nordic Crime Novel (1998).
Knife: Riverton Prize Best Norwegian Crime Story (2019).
What was the first book Jo Nesbø wrote?
The first book written by Jo Nesbø was The Bat, published in 1997.
What was the most recent book Jo Nesbø wrote?
His most recently released work was Wolf Hour on August 14th, 2025.
What is the most popular book by Jo Nesbø?
Based on the number of readers on Book Notification, the most popular Jo Nesbø book is
The Bat. Here are his most popular books:
- The Bat (7.2)
- Cockroaches (7.79)
- The Redbreast (7.7)
- The Snowman (8.51)
- Nemesis (8.06)
What genres does Jo Nesbø Write?
Jo Nesbø primarily writes in the Children's Books, Crime Fiction, Mystery, and Thriller genres. His work includes sub-genres such as Crime Thriller, Crime Fiction Police Procedural, and Cops / Detectives.
Are there upcoming new books by Jo Nesbø?
Jo Nesbø has a new book coming out on November 5th, 2026 called
Kill Shot.
Click and we will keep you updated on this via e-mail, and about any new books Jo Nesbø announces in the future.
How many books has Jo Nesbø written?
Jo Nesbø has written 32 books across 10 series.
- 14 books in the Harry Hole Series
- 7 books in the Doktor Proctor Series
- 2 books in the Blood on Snow Series
- 2 books in the Kingdom Series
- 4 Standalone Novels
- 1 Short Stories/Novellas
- 1 Short Story Collections
- 1 book in the Hogarth Shakespeare Series