This gripping story took me a long time partly because there's a deeply disturbing abuse story at its' heart. Please research before reading if childhood backgrounds are troubling.

The translation is great and there's a sense of Scandinavian life shining through. It's nihilistic, tortured, contradicting with love at its heart.

There are amazing plot twists but beyond that, it's deep and philosophical. Quite a Tour de Force.

I have read all Jo Nesbo's books but found this one very difficult to get into. Perhaps I am just missing Harry Hole but found that, unlike the earlier novels, I could not relate to the protagonists.

The Kingdom is the latest in a line of reliable dark scandi noir thrillers. Brothers Roy and Carl lose their parents in a car accident when they are just teenagers. Fast forward 15 years or so and we learn one brother left their village to carve out a glittering life for himself overseas while the other one remained to live a half life running a service station on a Norwegian holiday route. The two brothers are united when Carl, the younger brother returns with his wife Shannon - and they announce thy want to build a hotel spa resort. As they start to seek planning permission and entice the village to get on board secrets from the past begin to bubble to the surface. How did the parents really die? Why did a local police officer go missing at the same time? No spoilers but be warned there are some dark scenes in this that aren't for the faint hearted.

This book was so different from anything else I've read from Jo Nesbo! If his name was not on the cover I would never have been able to guess he was the author. 30% in and no brutal murder other then a poor dog put out of its misery.

Don't get me wrong it was a brilliant read in the end but don't expect your run of the mill, detective hunting down brutal killer, book.

It is a fascinating story of 2 brothers with some themes that might upset conservative readers. It's a tale of family ties and secrets and page by page the layers are pulled away to reveal shocking events.

Don't expect a fast read. This is definitely 1 of those slow burners that will gradually pull you into its twisted tale.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This is a standalone novel about Roy and Carl, little slow to start with and then picked up and from then on could not put it down.

The Kingdom is a remarkable book. It’s different from anything Nesbo had previously written, not an out and out crime thriller. Instead what unfolds is a story that slowly builds, page by page, into an incredible story of love and loss.

Nesbo drip feeds information as the book progresses, slowly allowing us to go deeper into the rather twisted family lives of the Opgard brothers.

The ending came as quite a surprise, taking a turn I read didn’t see coming. All in all a fascination character study of a book, well worth’s read.

A slow start but boy oh boy will you be glad you pushed through!! What a magnificent story!!

Theres a level fo character study in this book which is unlike many I have read, this is my first ever Nesbo and I will definitely be going through the archives for more of his work!!

This book tells the dark story of two brothers, from glimpses at their childhood to the unravelling of their adulthood and there lies and secrets that can't stay buried forever. This book is packed with layers upon layers of secrecy, loyalty, coverups, betrayal and love. Alls getting the scene for this slow burn of a powerful novel.

Can't wait to get my hands on more of his work! Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for the ARC!!

After a slow start which at times I wondered if I should continue suddenly this book took off and I found myself glued to my kindle wanting to know the outcome of the story.
It’s a disturbing tale of two brothers Roy and Carl, narrated by Roy it's a dark novel and a very complex one at that filled with mystery and suspense and I had no idea at all just where the story was going to go. I must admit it’s not quite was I was expecting after reading the Harry Hole series this was a much more brooding read than those and I found myself being drawn into the lives of Roy and Carl and wanting to know where the story was going to take me and it sure took me to some dark places !!
The writing was as you would expect from Jo Nesbo, clever with a great cast of characters and oh so deep with an intensity that could make you forget everything around you and where only the book mattered.
The ending was surprising and one I didn’t see coming and it was a read that I thoroughly enjoyed it was different, compulsive and one I would highly recommend.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage, Harvill Secker for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A great story about family secrets as Jo Nesbo takes a break from his usual novels. The story develops slowly as you are drawn in to the story of two brothers who hadn't been together for a decade. All the changes at home are documented well as you find out why one left and the other stayed. Throw a new wife in for the returning brother as well to help draw the secrets out. The depiction of the locals around the brothers is really well done as you get to know them and how/if they are involved. ~Highly recommended.

When you have the privilege of reading a Jo Nesbo novel, you know you are in for a treat from the beginning. The book setting is against the beautiful Norway, you get engaged with all the characters from the beginning and the reader is part of the roller coaster journey until the end! Highly, and I mean it, highly recommended.
TB

I have read and enjoyed a couple of this author's Harry Hole books so I was quite excited when I saw this, a new stand alone. I will just say that it is nothing like the series apart from being just as good!
In it we meet Roy and Carl - two brothers who are chalk and cheese. Their parents died when they were quite young and it was Roy who stepped into the role of protector to his younger brother. It was Roy who stayed in the family home, who built himself a life as a mechanic and manager of a garage. It was Carl who left home to seek his fame and fortune elsewhere. As we meet them, Carl has just returned home with his architect wife Shannon in tow, the two of them armed with grand designs on the family land. They want to build a spa hotel. They spin it as a great thing for the dying village. To bring some well needed money in. But it would be a pretty pointless book if everything went swimmingly. So, of course, it doesn't - that's no spoiler. But it's not all about what is happening in the present. There are so many secrets from the past. Really big juicy ones. As these start to come out, despite the brothers trying to keep them hidden, as Roy starts to really get to know Carl...well... buckle up, you're in for one heck of a ride...
Oh my days... this is a bit of a slow burner initially. It builds up the intrigue layer by layer, hinting at things in the past that threaten the present. Once the scene is really set, when all the players are in place, then the author ramps it all up as he starts to expose the truth bit by delicious bit until the whole truth of the brothers' past is laid bare. Brilliant!
With secrets and lies aplenty this book kept me on my toes throughout. I tried to guess what was coming next but when it hit me, well, talk about sucker punch! The slow starts eats away at you, it slowly got under my skin until I was firmly in its thrall, powerless to put it down. It's one of those books that will have you reading into the wee hours - it did me!
Reading and loving this book has reignited my determination to revisit the Harry Hole books I have yet to read. There's quite a few so wish me luck!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

It at all what I was expecting and I was quite disappointed overall. It’s not that the book isn’t good because it is. The characters were well developed and the two main ones Roy and Carl hook you in and dangle a complex and complicated back story and future. It just didn’t feel like I was reading a Jo Nesbo in any way and I missed the usual tension that there always is in his books. If I take away all that history of the previous Books of Nesbo that I have read and give an honest review of The Kingdom I’m left with a four star so that is what I will score it.

The Opgard brothers - Roy and Carl - live on a mountain farm their father refers to as The Kingdom. After the death of their parents, Roy stays and Carl goes to the USA and Canada. He returns fifteen years later with architect wife Shannon and a big dream for a Kingdom hotel and a plan that will involve the local village community. Some people are enthusiastic, others suspicious including Sheriff Kurt Olsen who is watching the brothers very carefully, with good reason. The story is told by Roy.

At the start of the book I was a little bit worried but have no fear, this is the Norwegian maestro. If I can make a car analogy (cars are very important in the storytelling especially Cadillacs) it’s like one of those vintage cars you crank with a handle, it takes a while to get it going but once it’s off, it goes at a lick. In fact, at times the pace is warp speed. The story of the two brothers is as dark and long as a northern Norwegian night. At times it has a sort of biblical Cain and Abel vibe, though at others the brothers collaborate but there’s underlying jealousy and mistrust although they have a bond of love bound up in secrecy. The brothers are absolutely fascinating and their characters are absolutely intrinsic to the storytelling and plot line. It’s convoluted, intriguing, mysterious, full of suspense and as twisty as one of the roads up to The Kingdom. There’s layer upon layer of secrecy, lies, coverups, pretence, betrayal, obsession, love and violence. I love the idea of the hotel, the setting adds to the atmosphere and the wildlife especially birds, is used effectively. I cannot do the book justice in this review because the plot is so packed it’s impossible to mention everything!

Overall despite the slow start this is another brilliant thriller from Jo Nesbø who is one of my favourite authors. I think this will be a memorable one because of the depth of the character study. Highly recommended to fans of this genre.
4-5 stars rounded up
With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House, Harvill Secker for the much appreciated ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an advance copy of this amazing book. I've read all of Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole books, and this is quite different, but still a gripping read. The story is a little slow to pick up, but once it all starts to fall into place, you can't put the book down !

I have to say the end wasn't what I expected - and I had to keep checking to see if maybe there were a few pages missing. But a good read, couldn't put it down once I got about halfway through.

This is a story of choices and courage, and about Roy against everyone else. A year older than Carl, it is clear he is the more robust of the two brothers. But the day Carl heads out with his father’s beloved dog changes everything.

Roy has always been Carl’s guardian, his protector and helper. ‘Nothing is as good as the sound of a little brother who is safe.’ He has lived in his wilderness kingdom for fifteen years alone with the oppressive ghosts of Opgard, while Carl studied finance and business administration in the USA. Now Carl is back home with a rather large agenda. A mountain hotel and the idea of selling the property that had been in their family’s possession for four generations. He returns with Shannon in tow and this time, the world is a little different.

The book has a great sense of community and rivalry, and the poetic descriptions that stay with you for days are, as always, stunning. A much slower pace than Nesbo’s Harry Hole series, it nevertheless delivers the same massive punch. It also delves deep into Roy’s and Carl’s pasts, a seemingly normal upbringing with the underpinnings of unresolved grief, infidelity and revenge. Is Carl’s sudden return simply to show off how well he’d done? And how will he build this ‘castle in the air’ and gain investors from a town built on skepticism?

From the outside, Carl’s relationship with Shannon appears tender and devoted, living in each other’s pockets. But there is underlying tension and you wonder what kind of straw will break the camel’s back. Accidents do happen, although Kurt Olsen has his own opinions. He’s a hunter. He won’t give up.

To say I couldn't put it down is an understatement. I kept thinking I knew how it would end but I was far from it. Bruises, revenge affairs, fires, and Roy’s plan. What could possibly go wrong?

Strangely addictive and a keep-you-up-all-night story, it’s no wonder Scandinavian writers continue to dominate the thriller market. Intricate plotting and masterful characterization makes this one of my favorite books this year.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher – Random House, and the author – Jo Nesbo, for an advance copy of this fabulous book!

A much slower read than Nesbo's normal thrillers, but for the main part - despite the slow start - was really engrossing, Narrator Roy is compelling and both the backstory and current plot kept changing my take on what was happening. Ultimately found the ending a bit frustrating and implausible, but 80% of the book had me completely gripped. It will make an amazing film

The bad news for Jo Nesbo fans is that this is not the latest in the Harry Hole series. The good news is that The Kingdom is Nesbo's best book to date.
Set in a remote village in Norway The Kingdom is about 2 Brothers, Roy and Carl, The book is written from Roy's perspective.The brothers are orphaned as teenagers and Roy becomes violently protective of his younger brother whose attraction to the opposite sex is the source of much jealousy amongst their peers. Roy is seen as a sullen and aggressive loner by villagers who reflect on the brother's closeness and why he's never been seen with a woman while the popular and outgoing Carl leaves to make his mark in a big wide world.
Several years later an apparently very successful and rich Carl returns to the village with new wife Shannon and big plans for to build a Hotel and Cabins that he claims will make the whole village rich.
That's the basis for a twisted tale of deceit, murder, small town politics, relationships and events in the past influencing those of the present .Neither of the brothers are what they appear to be , Roy in particular is a very complex character, and the reader's perceptions will be changed as the story progresses.
This is as much the tale of the village as the 2 brothers with it's gossips,feuds and grudges carried down through the generations,, it's characters good and bad ,secrets and lies..
Roy and Carl have always been very close, the addition of Shannon makes their lives a lot more complicated and affects the whole dynamic of their relationship.
This a great read with plenty of twists and surprises ,just when you think you know Roy Nesbo turns things upside down and you learn that,like his neighbours, you're completely wrong and there's yet another layer to his story.
Much as I love the Harry Hole books,this is a step up and some of the thoughts and philosophical musings of the characters on life,relationships and feelings are powerful and thought-provoking.
My book of the year so far.

Thanks to Jo Nesbo,Harvill Secker and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.