{{Short description|Norwegian writer and sociologist}} {{Use dmy dates |date= May 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Jan Mehlum | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1945|1|1|df=y}} | birth_place = Tønsberg, Norway | death_date = | death_place = | monuments = | nationality = | other_names = | education = | alma_mater = University of Oslo | occupation = Crime fiction writer<br>Sociologist | years_active = | employer = | organization = | agent = | known_for = | notable_works = | style = | television = | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | awards = Riverton Prize (1998) }}
'''Jan Mehlum''' (born 1 January 1945) is a Norwegian crime fiction writer and sociologist. He was awarded the Riverton Prize in 1998 for the crime novel ''Kalde hender''.
==Personal life and early career== Mehlum was born in Tønsberg on 1 January 1945.<ref name=snl/>
He studied at the University of Oslo, and is an economist and sociologist by education. He has work experience in various fields such as education, business and culture. He founded the private cinema Tønsberg Kino, and has taken an active part in contemporary debates, including writing non-fiction books.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.schwedenkrimi.de/mehlum_bio.htm |website=schwedenkrimi.de |title=Die Biografie des Autors Jan Mehlum |first=Alexandra |last=Hagenguth |date=January 2004 |language=de |access-date=13 May 2023 }}</ref>
==Literary career== Mehlum made his crime fiction debut in 1996 with ''Gylne tider'',<ref name=snl>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Jan Mehlum |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon |publisher=Kunnskapsforlaget |location=Oslo |url=http://www.snl.no/Jan_Mehlum |language=Norwegian | accessdate=4 October 2010 }}</ref> and was awarded the Riverton Prize for 1998 for his second crime novel, ''Kalde hender''.<ref name=river>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Rivertonprisen |first= Vidar |last=Iversen |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon |editor-last=Bolstad | editor-first=Erik |publisher=Norsk nettleksikon |location=Oslo |url=https://snl.no/Rivertonprisen |language=Norwegian |accessdate=12 May 2023}}</ref>
His next book was ''Det annet kinn'' from 1999, and his crime novels in the early 2000s include ''En rettferdig dom'' (2000), ''En nødvendig død'' (2002), ''Den siste dansen'' (2004), ''Din eneste venn'' (2005), ''For Guds skyld'' (2007), ''Det ingen vet'' (2008), ''Madrugada'' (2009), and ''Bake kake søte'' (2010). Most of his crime novels are set in Tønsberg, with the protagonist Svend Foyn, a lawyer, solving the crime cases.<ref name=snl/> The real-life Svend Foyn is a well-known historical personality from Tønsberg, a pioneer of seal hunting and whale hunting.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Svend Foyn |first=Per |last=Thoresen |first2=Susan |last2=Barr |encyclopedia=Store norske leksikon |editor-last=Bolstad | editor-first=Erik | editor-link= |publisher=Norsk nettleksikon |location=Oslo |url=https://snl.no/Svend_Foyn |language=no |access-date=20 December 2024}}</ref>
Mehlum's books from the 2010s include the crime novels ''Straffen'' (2011) and ''En god sak'' (2012), the thriller ''Lengsel etter penger'' from 2013, and the crime novels ''Ren samvittighet'' (2014), ''Et hardt slag'' (2015), ''To komma åtte sekunder'' (2016), and ''Hvit engel, svart natt'' (2018). In ''Fornemmelse av skyld'' from 2019, Foyn consults Varg Veum, when part of the novel is set in Bergen.<ref name=snl/>
In 2020 Mehlum published the novel ''Lang tids reise'', a disappearance mystery. His novel ''Ut av tiden'' from 2022 is a murder case where one of protagonist Foyn’s friends is the victim.<ref name=snl/> In the novel {{lang|no|Etterpå er vi alle kloke}} from 2023 Foyn investigates a case where the statute of limitations has passed.<ref name=snl/>
In 2025 he published the crime novel {{lang|no|Inn i mørket}}.<ref name=gyldendal>{{Cite web |title=Jan Mehlum |url=https://www.gyldendal.no/forfattere/jan-mehlum/a-33102/ |website=gyldendal.no |language=no |access-date=16 October 2025 }}</ref>
==Bibliography==
*''Gylne tider'' (1996)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Kalde hender'' (1998)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Det annet kinn'' (1999)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''En rettferdig dom'' (2000)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''En nødvendig død'' (2002)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Den siste dansen'' (2004)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Din eneste venn'' (2005)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''For Guds skyld'' (2007)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Det ingen vet'' (2008)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Madrugada'' (2009)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Bake kake søte'' (2010)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Straffen'' (2011)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''En god sak'' (2012)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Lengsel etter penger'' (2013)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Ren samvittighet'' (2014)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Et hardt slag'' (2015)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''To komma åtte sekunder'' (2016)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Hvit engel, svart natt'' (2018)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Fornemmelse av skyld'' (2019)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Lang tids reise'' (2020)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Ut av tiden'' (2022)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Etterpå er vi alle kloke'' (2023)<ref name=snl/><ref name=gyldendal/> *''Inn i mørket'' (2025)<ref name=gyldendal/>
==Awards== *Riverton Prize (1998)<ref name=river/> *{{ill|Vestfolds litteraturpris|no}} (2003)<ref name=gyldendal/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Mehlum, Jan}} Category:1945 births Category:Writers from Tønsberg Category:Norwegian crime fiction writers Category:Norwegian male novelists Category:Living people