The Catalyst Killing and other books by Hans Olav Lahlum

Covers of bestselling books by Hans Olav Lahlum, published by Pan Macmillan.

Hans Olav Lahlum is a Norwegian crime author, historian, chess player and politician. The books that make up his crime trilogy, featuring Criminal Investigator Kolbjørn Kristiansen (known as K2) and his precocious young assistant Patricia, are bestsellers in Norway. The Guardian wrote:

Critics have been lining up to praise this remarkable novel from historian, chess-player and politician Hans Olav Lahlum and it’s not hard to see why.

Book covers designed by James Annal, featuring Sheldon and Kokoschka fonts by PintassilgoPrints. Both fonts are loaded with alternate glyphs managed by an OpenType feature, while Kokoschka additionally has smart ligatures, for an even more eloquent handlettered feel.

Blogger Johnny Compton critically reviews the covers as a homage to the (Saul Bass) movie posters they refer to:

While I’ve never believed that subtlety is inherently better or more artful than bombast or conspicuousness, in the case of an homage, less is often preferable to more.