A very enjoyable stand alone thriller. Quite slow to start but absolutely worth pushing through the opening stages although even then it's not one of these non stop action stories. Definitely making a point about gun control and the power which the NRA seems to hold over American politicians but in saying that it's not an overly political story. Well written characters and an intriguing plot.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my review copy.

Another great thriller from Jo Nesbo.

Although this standalone took me a little while to get into, it soon turned into a captivating twisty plot.

Nesbo has created an atmospheric read with some strong characters that weave their own storylines through the main plot.

Detective Oz is in pursuit of a killer, however following his suspension and his struggles to cope with his marriage breakdown, the case gets passed to his colleague....can he trust her?

4 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I had enjoyed a number of Nesbo’s Harry Hole series so was looking forward to reading Wolf Hour. It’s a stand alone book and quite different in style and language as in not so many Nordic words to grapple with.
However I couldn’t warm to Oz finding him very unlikeable and that had a big impact on my overall enjoyment. So only a three star review from me as the overall thriller element wasn’t there either.

I have to DNF this and I am gutted :(
I read the blurb so I knew it would have a political element in it but it was just too much for me. It was heavy on the political issues in the States and it made me disinterested in the story. I also wasn’t a fan of the main character, he was kinda gross and sex talk/obsession felt irrelevant. Not enough murder mystery for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The story jumps between an author from the present day and a detective trying to find a murderer. Was in parts but an enjoyable read

Holger Rudi has travelled from Norway to write a book about a series of killings in Minneapolis in 2016. A series of men were shot by a sniper and the police believed it to be the work of a gang assassin known as Lobo. Burnt-out detective Oz is struggling with his mental health but he believes that the killer can be caught. He befriends a man linked to the suspect but realises that there is more at play.
This is a standalone novel that really cements Nesbo's place as an outstanding writer of crime fiction. This is far more intelligent than most in the genre, the theme of loneliness running through the lives of the protagonists is one that is referred to often. Whilst the details of the crimes have the requisite gruesomeness, the actual story is a simple one and redemption at the end is played well.

I enjoyed reading Wolf Hour (kindle edition) a thriller that kept me in suspense by Jo Nesbo.

Bob Oz is a free spirited detective who is on a mission to hunt down a serial killer who is a wolf in sheep's clothing who wants revenge and is opposed to guns just like Detective Bob Oz hence Bob earning the nickname of Kentucky fried also both Bob and the serial killer are very lonely individuals.

I would never have guessed who the serial killer is until all is revealed toward the end of this intrepid thriller.

A Jo Nesbo thriller never disappoints and Wolf Hour is no exception. In a standalone novel with all the potential to become a series, we meet Detective Bob Oz and Holger Rudi. Rudi has travelled from Norway to Minneapolis to write a true crime novel about a 2016 crime involving his cousin. Detective Oz is dealing with his own demons whilst trying to catch the perpetrator.

Nesbo maintains his clever writing style in this story, which makes for an excellent, engaging read,

It took me a while to get into this book. I would say from about 40% in I was invested. I have read all of the Harry Hole novels and enjoyed them a lot. Wolf Hour isn't quite at HH level. I guessed the villain early one but the how of things were still pretty shocking and twisty. I am not sure we needed a lot of background information on the side characters though. There is also a moral message/ question about USA's gin culture which is worth pondering.

Wolf Hour is a standalone novel written by Jo Nesbo and brilliantly translated by Robert Ferguson. I have read most of Jo Nesbo books including the majority other Harry Hole series. The twists and turns in this book keep you interested to the end.Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

I’m enjoying a run of great thrillers at the moment. Jo Nesbo’s latest: Wolf Hour, publishes this coming week on 14 August, and it’s another gripping page turner with some unbalancing twists.
It’s my first Nesbo thriller and absolutely won’t be my last.
Detective Oz is my type of protagonist; antihero, rebel, morally grey with a strong sense of justice and a healthy disregard for the rules. He’s struggling to come to terms with the loss of his daughter and subsequent breakdown of his marriage, and making all the wrong choices in an attempt to find a solution.
Meanwhile, a sophisticated killer is on the prowl and all the signs point towards a notorious gang executioner who everyone thought disappeared a number of years ago.
When Oz is suspended, the case falls into the hands of one of the only colleagues he trusts, but her career is on the up, and she’s not a rule breaker.
Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK Vintage for a chance to read an ARC.
Easily a five-star read for me. If you’re a thriller fan, get this one on your reading list right now!

I really liked this book, it's different to the Harry Hole series, in that it's set in Minneapolis, but the main character Bob Oz has flaws that he's aware of. He's a good detective, but won't carry a firearm after an incident and some of his colleagues think that it makes him weak and a liability. Following a split with his wife, he has turned to alcohol and one night stands, so there may be some truth in their concerns.
When a man is shot, seemingly in a gang related shooting, Bob is curious about the perpetrator. When the case is passed from homicide to assaults as he survived, he is still curious. When there are further killings, he can see a common theme, but manages to get suspended and taken off any investigations.
Meanwhile he finds solace talking to a new acquaintance about his past and why things have ended up as they have. He starts to realise what has gone wrong with his life, but also in the investigation which leads to a confrontation with his own team.
A good read.

A fantastic standalone novel from Jo Nesbo.
As always I'm going to spare you the blur about the storyline, you can see that on almost every review and even here in the book details.
What i will say is that you know what you're going to get with a Jo Nesbo novel. A well written crime novel, but this one varies from his others in both its setting and its narrative method. This is a crime novel told from the perspective of someone looking back at the tragic and harrowing events that unfold in this story. There were many a time that I got so lost in the story that I'd forget this fact.
A great read and one that I believe would be a great starting point for anyone who hasn't read one of Jo's books before.
Very highly recommended.

The story is told over different time periods. In 2016, a sniper shots a small time dealer on the streets of Minneapolis and everyone thinks he is the lone wolf, who vanished some time ago. Fats forward to the present, a true crime writer, Holyer Rudi travels from Norway to Minneapolis to investigate the sniper and the victim. Along the way, he discovers information about other crimes and learns about Detective Bob Oz and he features in the story. Bob learns there are reasons for the shooting and tries to uncover the truth before anything else happens. It was well written and very descriptive. All the subplots were full of twists and turns with an unexpected conclusion.

Jo Nesbø is one of the most prolific Norwegian crime authors with his long running Harry Hole series and more recently a crime filled duology set in rural Norway (The Kingdom and Blood Ties). Wolf Hour is a stand alone thriller set in America, or precisely Minneapolis although while the setting has changed, retains many of the Nesbø trademarks.
The framing of Wolf Hour is a character called Holger Rudi who comes from Norway to America in 2022 to writs a true crime novel about his cousin. The events that he wants to write about took place in 2016 and the reader is led to understand that the bulk of the book set in 2016 is Rudi’s reimagining of the events. It is unclear, even at the end why Nesbø set the book up in this way. He definitely wants to reference the death of George Floyd but actually the central theme in this book is not police racism but rather the issue of gun control. It does add a level of misdirection (there is plenty of misdirection in this book resulting in some killer twists) but byt the end, the framing device adds very little to the story.
The story set in 2016 revolves around a serial killer and a disgraced and broken detective called Bob Oz (a Norwegian name pronounced Aa-ss). Nesbø fans will recognise Oz, a fairly good detective who has been broken by a tragedy (which is eventually revealed) and as a result his career is on the skids. But he desperately wants to solve this particular case and will keep working on it even when he is taken off it and then suspended from duty. That case starts with the shooting of a gun dealer by a sniper with an illegal weapon. That sniper seems to be on a mission of revenge but also wants to highlight the problem with America’s lax gun control laws just as a large NRA conference is taking place in the city.
Nesbø knows how to craft a great thriller, changing point of view when he needs to away from Bob to his corrupt colleague and his very competent partner. He also has some sections from the point of view of the killer, a technique that Nesbø pulls off much better than most. Nesbø also has great control of the pacing of this narrative as the police constantly come close to catching the killer only to have him elude them. This is all part of the game that Nesbø is playing with his readers. Like a great magician, he (and his killer) gets them to look one way while the sleight of hand is happening somewhere else. There is only one element of this game which, on reflection, feels a little forced.
Bob Oz provides the heart of this book. When it opens he is at a low and things do not get much better for him in the short term. But in the course of the investigation he learns about himself and his situation and begins to reconcile with his life. Through Bob, Nesbø is able to work on a number of levels – the pure investigative process but also what he learns about himself and his life from coming to understand what motivates his quarry.
Wolf Hour is a book that is angry with gun control laws in America and while it will probably not change anyone’s mind makes a strong case for them to be strengthened. But is carried through the poignant personal journey of its protagonist, Bob Oz, as he deals with this issue and its impact on his life. Nesbø effectively combines these elements with his own Scandinavian crime sensibilities to delivers a pacey, twisty thriller with plenty to say.

Bob Oz is a detective in Minnesota, known as One Night Bob, not because he solves cases quickly but because of his propensity of having one night stands back in the day, he drinks too much, and struggles with anger management, His life has fallen apart since leaving his wife and prior to that, the beyond tragic loss of a child. He is just about holding onto his career.

Marco Dante is a criminal, specialising in the sale of illegal arms, so it's not a huge surprise when he is shot, but actually by a sniper from a fair distance away, that was a suprise. The sniper is identified as Tomas Gomez, and he isn't just the ordinary person people think he is.

This was a book I could not put down, twists and turns everywhere, and did I end up having a sympathy for the killer, I admit I did.....

Highly recommended

Unbelievably this is actually my first Jo Nesbo novel but it definitely won't be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and am now going back to start the Harry Hole series.

Wolf Hour is a standalone novel by Jo Nesbo. A psychological suspense and gritty noir set in Minneapolis where a sniper doesn’t just want to kill, but to send a message.

The novel opens with the execution style killing of a small-time crook. Clean and clinical, and seemingly random. The killer who is nicknamed ‘a lone wolf’ by the authorities, vanishes without a trace. A second victim is shot in the same fashion shortly afterwards and the city is understandably gripped by fear.

Detective Bob Oz is assigned to the case, an eccentric investigator who has a reputation for unconventional methods, as well as a dark past. Oz is a good character, a flawed man who is aware he probably has more in common with the killer than he’d like to admit. As Oz delves into the case the trail leads him into a mesh of personal vendettas, hidden traumas, where right and wrong look justice and vengeance start to look seriously close.

Wolf Hour is not just about the hunt for the killer but about understanding what moves someone to kill in the first place. This is a thriller with psychological depth and moral complexity. Ideal for fans of Scandinavian noir.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful stand alone novel from Jo Nesbo. A Minneapolis detective with a tragic history lacking respect from colleagues acts as a lone detective into the shooting of a gun dealer. The assassin is also a feature of the story with a similar tragic history. The detective Bob Oz is not authorised to investigate the case but carries on regardless as the body count rises he is suspended but continues on. Full of twists and turns the clever shock ending is a cracker!

Review of ‘Wolf Hour’ by Jo Nesbo, due to be published on 14 August 2025 by Random House UK, Vintage.

A stand alone thriller from Jo Nesbo, bestselling Author of the Harry Hole series.

Two timelines - Detective Bob Oz of the Minneapolis Police Department set in 2016, investigating a series of shootings, alongside the city gearing up to host an NRA event - and Holger Rudi, from Oslo in 2022 researching the serial killings of 2016 for a book he is writing, who has family ties to the City.

This was a gripping, fast paced thriller with well developed characters, attention to detail on backstories and a few surprises along the way.

This will no doubt be another bestseller for Nesbo, and a highly recommended read for thriller fans.