Solid and sensational: Book Review: «Orderud» – VG

Could the murderer be a man with a name, the “shooter”, whom the Commission for the Resumption of Criminal Cases considered reasonable to suspect? Is the 180-year-old man a person that the police had in the spotlight and that with a more thorough investigation could have been revealed?

These are some of the latest clues that VG journalist Øystein Milli and investigator Olav Næss bring to the square in this robust crime documentary about one of Norway’s largest murder mysteries.

On the night of May 22, 1999, the couple Marie Orderud and Kristian Orderud, as well as their daughter Anne Orderud Paust, were shot dead at the Orderud farm student residence in Sørum. Two courts sentenced Per Orderud, Veronica Orderud, Kristin Kirkemo and Lars Grønnerød to long prison terms for complicity in the murders. So far it is unclear who actually shot and killed the victims.

The Orderud case is more fascinating than a detective story. Repeated assassination attempts, a marriage that became embroiled in legal conflict with his parents, his criminal sister, who had even been featured in various pornographic magazines, and the Bærum merchant’s son who ended
the inclined plane.

The book begins dramatically with Anne’s first assassination attempt, before the reader delves further into the case.

We get information about the interrogations and the head of investigation Asbjørn Hansen’s thoughts on the various evidence. We read about the agricultural conflict, the orange wool sock, the weapons tests and the fight for credibility in the trials.

Something is left out, like the drama within the jury during the second trial. Most surprising is the new information about “Skytteren” and the 180 men, not least that there are still new things to report after the case has been the subject of several years of media coverage, series of documentaries about NRK and the podcast “Familiene på Orderud”.

Two books have also been published, both in 2002. Kristin Kirkemo wrote “Captured and free” and VG journalists Erik Tumyr and Frank Gander: “When death came to Orderud”.

Since then, there have been several movements in the case, Per and Veronica Orderud have requested, among other things, that their case be resumed. “Orderud” provides a complete and balanced introduction to the various complex cases. In true True Crime tradition, the authors also criticize parts of the police work.

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The narrator’s style is toned down. The characters are characterized by their quotes. The sober facts of the scene make this reading unsettling at times.

The authors do not lean much in either direction when it comes to the question of guilt, but they present verifiable facts and allow the reader to draw their own conclusions. It was all told so captivatingly, without being speculative, that even the undersigned who are well acquainted with the case are absorbed. In some places, however, authors become insistent when hammering information so that the reader doesn’t miss a thing.

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The book could also have been served by an index, and a more original cover than one reminiscent of the 2002 crime documentary. It is also incomprehensible that the publisher has not washed the script better. Too many typos detracts from a solid overall impression.

In 2021, the Commission for the Resumption of Criminal Cases will decide whether Per and Veronica will resume their case. “Orderud” shows that there are good reasons to continue shedding light on the case and that hardly the last word has been said. Essential for anyone interested in knowing the case well.

Reviewed by: Elin Brend Bjørhei

NB: Book critic Elin Brend Bjørhei is freelance and has not worked with VG journalist Øystein Milli.