The Snowman - Jo Nesbo

The second book chosen by my book club, this is a genre I wouldn't usually touch because it looks too much like an airport trashy thriller. In many ways it is. The first page gives the reader a bio on Harry Hole, the series' hard-boiled detective who ticks all the boxes in grizzled anti-hero cliches. Harry is a rogue operator, a lone wolf and a loose cannon who manages to retain his position by being the best detective on the Oslo police force. His methods are brutal and unorthodox yet he always turns up results. He has a murky past, is a recovering alcoholic, and has a complicated relationship with a beautiful woman. After reading this, and finding out Jo Nesbo was an ex footballer, my expectations were understandably low.

The Snowman is part of a wider series, and although some characters and events from previous cases are occasionally referenced, they are not integral to enjoying the book on its own. The Scandinavian setting lends some degree of novelty to what would otherwise be a pedestrian, by-the-numbers crime read. Having been to Oslo within the last year, I was able to recognise some of the locations where the action unfolds. The plot is about a killer who targets married women with children, who are cheating on their husbands. I was able to guess the culprit as soon as he/she was introduced, despite the numerous red herrings set up along the way. The serial killer's signature stamp is to build a snowman at the crime scene, which we later find out has tenuous significance to their medical condition. Nesbo tries a bit too hard to make everything 'tidy' but it's a compelling pulp read nonetheless.

Rating: 3/5