Espen Skjerven
Nothing to Hide

Oscar is fifty years old and works as a teacher. He lives a good and harmonious life with his wife Maria and their son Erik. Just before the Easter holiday, the principal asks him to speak with a student at the school who has started wearing a wig. Oscar feels taken aback, because he has never shared his own story with anyone at the school. He lost his hair at the age of seven and wore a wig for many years.

During the holiday, Oscar also comes across an article about a new, promising medicine – a treatment the state will not support financially. All of this stirs something within him. He feels a need to put his emotions into words – feelings he has hardly shared with anyone.

The book is recommended to everyone (6/6).

Anne Lise Johannessen, Hverdagsnett.no

An incredibly beautiful book (6/6)

alicesfavoritebooks, bookstagrammer

A brilliant fiction debut (5/6)

Kjell Magne Gjøsæter, bokblogger.com

“Espen Skjerven writes with such playful ease and skill about a vulnerable subject he knows everything about.”

Vigdis Maria Andreassen, bookstagrammer

"...the pages fly by in this lovely story."

"I warmly recommend the novel to both young and adult readers."

Mariann Tokle, blogger

Espen Skjerven

Kjetil Birkedal Pedersen

Espen Skjerven works as a district court judge at Sør-Rogaland District Court. He has a background as a prosecutor in the national investigative units Økokrim and Kripos, as well as a business lawyer/litigator.

Nothing to Hide is Skjerven’s first work of fiction. Skjerven himself experienced losing his hair as a child, and although the story is fictional, it is inspired by his own experiences.

Skjerven has written four books in the crime series about police officer Tom Grayston: Slaughter (Slakt 2019), Blood is Thicker than Water (Blod er tykkere enn vann, 2021), The Kleptocracy (Kleptokratiet, 2022), and Traitors (Svikere, 2024).

Traitors won the Norwegian Silver Dagger Award (Sølvkniven), for best release of 2024.

Book reviewer Tor Hammerø in the newspaper Nettavisen reviewed the Kleptocracy and wrote: “Espen Skjerven has taken a giant step up into the Norwegian crime literature elite.”