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.

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.

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.

A standalone thriller from best-selling author Jo Nesbo.

2016: a lone gunman shoots a renowned drug dealer from a US high rise building, the first of a string of killings to come. Detective Bob Oz investigates

2022: Norwegian author Holder Rudi follows the gunman’s trail six year’s later, researching a book he plans to write.

The setting of the book – Minneapolis – rather took me by surprise (I was expecting a Nordic noir), but there’s no doubt it makes the book feel fresh. There are some well written characters here, particularly that of central protagonist Bob Oz. An unlikable figure in many ways, but a nuanced one. The story kept me turning the pages and the gunman’s motive is a thoughtful one.

Overall a worthy read. Recommended.

Wolf Hour Jo Nesbo
4 stars

The story begins when a journalist , Holger Rudi, arrives in Minneapolis in 2022 to write a book about a serial killer who was active back in 2016. We do not really hear much about 2022 as we are immediately taken back to 2016 and the main character Detective Bob Oz,a troubled character who has recently split from his wife and is drinking too much and sleeping with every available woman that he can find.

His complicated personality comes to light as he begins to investigate the attempted murder of a gun dealer and then an actual murder. The main suspect is a former gang member, Tomas Gomez who had his entire family killed by a gunman. He is trying to make a statement about the ease with which Americans can get access to guns by using them to kill various people.

As Bob starts to work on the case, quite often in a very unorthodox way , his own tragic family background is revealed and we can see that he has a certain empathy with the killer. In many ways, Bob is a similar character to the amazing Harry Hole in previous novels and this is obviously the type of character that Jo Nesbo is very good at describing.

However the actual story is extremely clever and I had no idea about how it would end which was so unexpected. My only reservation is that this is a long book and sometimes I fee it was a little too drawn out but this author never fails to impress with his writing.


Karen Deborah
Netgalley Reviewer

Our story starts in 2022, with Holger Rudi arriving in Minneapolis from Oslo. He's writing a book about a series of murders that happened in the area 6 years ago and has hired a taxi to take him around the various locations.

Most of the story now continues in 2016 as we follow down and out Detective Bob Oz, an alcoholic womaniser struggling to come to let go of his ex-wife. He shouldn't be a likeable character but he grows on you throughout and I really sympathised and understood him. Testament to Nesbo's writing and character development.

We also see the world from the killers perspective. The identity isn't revealed to the reader, until the dramatic climax of the story. Without spoilers its fair to say that Bob Oz and the killer do have a similar view on the world and their motives are understandable.

I did take a while to get into this one, though I think that was more on me not dedicating time or concentration in the early chapters, sorry Nesbo. The story is a real world possiblilty, cleverly plotted with characters that despite their vices, or perhaps because of them, created a sympathetic understanding for their actions. They were very real.

Jo Nesbo has been added to my list of authors who's back catalogue I will have to start working through.

I would like to convey my thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage publishers for providing the opportunity to review this novel. All opinions are my own.

Wolf Hour is due to be released on 14th August 2025.

Tale of the tape: 432 Pages

Wolf House is the latest stand-alone book by Jo Nesbo and it is another excellently paced thriller with lots of twists and turns right until the very end.

Definitely recommended.

2016 Minneapolis - The Jordan Projects. A gunman takes aim and fires, hitting his target, a known gun dealer.

2022 Author Holger Rudi flies in from Oslo and takes a trip to the same locations, researching a book he plans to write.

Flashback to 2016 as the body count rises the hunt for a killer is on and this is where the storyline really takes off. This standalone thriller is Nesbo at his best, thought provoking themes, damaged individuals and superb scene setting. I loved the characterisation, the pacing and most of all I loved Detective Bob Oz. Got my fingers crossed this isn't the last we'll see of him.

I hadn’t read Jo Nesbo in a while — the Harry Hole series started to feel a bit formulaic, and I drifted away. But Wolf Hour reminded me exactly why I was drawn to his writing in the first place. This standalone thriller is an absolute knockout: razor-sharp, unsettling, and thought-provoking in all the right ways.

Nesbo weaves a complex, layered story that demands attention. The shifting timelines and scattered character perspectives might feel disorienting at first, but stick with it — it’s all masterfully intentional. The disjointedness only adds to the tension and mystery, drawing you deeper into the mind of both the hunter and the hunted.

This isn’t just a crime novel; it’s a commentary — on violence, on gun culture, and on the dark psyche that simmers beneath American society’s surface. The killer in Wolf Hour has a story, and disturbingly, it’s one that echoes with familiarity. Maverick detective Bob Oz is a compelling lead: gritty, flawed, and just self-aware enough to realize he might be more like the killer than he wants to admit.

And that ending? Brilliant. Nesbo pulls off a final twist that’s as emotionally resonant as it is shocking — the kind that lingers long after you turn the last page.

If you thought Nesbo had run out of tricks, Wolf Hour proves he’s still the king of the dark and unexpected. Highly recommended for fans of intelligent, character-driven thrillers that leave a mark.

This is one of those books, just as soon as you think you have it figured out, whoops, and another twist hits you from the side. I really enjoyed the thrilling ride, and hope to read more again in future.

Holger Rudi is in Minneapolis in 2022 to conduct research for a murder mystery he is writing. The majority of the narrative then shifts to 2016 and alternates between the first-person perspective of the murderer and the third-person perspectives of Detective Bob Oz and a number of other people. What follows is a cracking read full of twists with characters that become familiar very quickly due to the storytelling skills of Jo Nesbo.

Wolf Hour is a gripping standalone thriller.
Most of the story takes place in 2016 when detective Bob Oz is called in to investigate shootings in Minneapolis USA. In 2022 Holger Rudi arrives from Oslo to research the events of 2016 for a book.
Nesbo is a master thriller writer and this book does not disappoint, Some great characters - particularly Bob Oz.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The latest Jo Nesbo book is a slight departure from the norm in that it is set in Minneapolis rather than Norway. Our narrator is a Norwegian author who is visiting the USA to research some real life murders that took place a few years previously.
The story has all the macabre wists and turns that we have come to expect from Jo Nesbo's books and it will not disappoint readers like myself who have devoured most of his previous titles.

I’ve only read one Jo Nesbø book before and it was so long ago I couldn’t remember much about it, so went into this with an open mind. Oh my gosh it was incredible!

For the first few chapters, I must admit I was a bit confused. We start in 2022 with Holger Rudi arriving in Minneapolis to research a book he’s writing about a murderer. We then switch to 2016 for most of the story and flit between the 3rd person viewpoints of Detective Bob Oz and several other characters and the 1st person viewpoint of the murderer.

But once I got into it and who everyone was, it was amazing!

First there is an attempted murder of a gun dealer. And then an actual murder - and it all links back to former gang member Tomas Gomez and a family killed by a gang whilst having a birthday meal. Killed with guns. The killer wants to make a statement about American gun laws - it’s not about revenge but making a stand to show that it makes no sense for guns to be so easily acquired, for people to need them to protect themselves because they’re so prolific.

It was a thought provoking topic which made it easy to empathise with the killer! There was also a strong theme of loneliness- for the killer and also Bob himself - and the widening gap between the rich and poor, and that political turning point pre-Covid and just before Trump’s first election.

Bob was a difficult man and very flawed but I grew to really like him and want him to move on with his life and find happiness. He trusts his gut and just wants to make the town safe for everyday people, and doesn’t care if he needs to go against the rules to just make that happen!

The development of the story was so clever - I was so surprised by the ending and never saw it coming. But then it made so much sense and was just brilliant. It was a strong blend of real, political, gory and disturbing and weirdly sad and heartwarming!

I wasn't a big fan of the main character in this standalone, he comes off as a bit arrogant and smug. But by the end he is tolerable and gets the job done, so maybe I was just not in the mood for him :)

The story is good. I liked the sniper angle, although I personally enjoy a more hands on killer. The motive was murky. The book will make you think and make you wonder about morals and justice etc. Definitely though provoking, and unusually for me and this author, I read it really quickly. Nesbo is one of those authors where the books are chunky and the subject matter is heavy and dark, so although we had that here, I did fly through it. Definitely a plus.

Overall a good read and one I would recommend.

As a non-Norwegian speaker, I experience Nesbø through translation, so I have both the author and his translator to thank for the stunning prose in Wolf Hour - the closest English equivalent for the intelligence and sharpness of the writing on display here is, I think, Mick Herron. Nesbø never talks down to the reader. As with his excellent Harry Hole series, this standalone keeps us on our toes, with plenty of twists, turns and shades of grey. A worthy companion for the bank holiday, definitely!

An author decides to follow the cold case of a serial killer by taking the known facts , visiting the relevant sites and collate a sequence of events linked to fictional dialogues. He would use real places and people super imposing his knowledge and fictional acumen to form a credible fictional story of what could have occurred nearly a decade earlier. And so we the reader visit the places, meet the victims and try to identify the identity of the perpetrator. In doing so we share the highs and disappointments ,the actions and lack of action of traumatised victims, culpable damaged individuals seeking revenge and law enforcement officials often equally damaged by life’s disappointments. A harrowing story drip fed in order that we feel each characters struggles and learn that life is not black and white and emotions are often skewed to give room for the many shades of grey inflicted on society. Totally and completely immersed into this 5 star read that leads to a dramatic yet acceptable conclusion that satisfies on every level yet manages to raise many ethical questions on gun laws in a civilised society. Many thanks to author at the top of his game, publisher and Netgalley for this superb ARC..

4.5

2022. Holger Rudi has arrived in Minneapolis from Oslo. What is the purpose of his visit? Well, it’s to get inside the mind of a killer for a book that is writing. Maybe the title will be The Minneapolis Avenger which all happens six years ago. He hires a taxi driver for the day to follow the trail, first stop Jordan, next Dinkytown.
2016. The Jordan Projects Minneapolis. The gunman awaits his target from a sixth floor window, it’s a gang land leader who always leaves his place at 8:16 precisely. He aims and hits his target and then disappears. Detective Bob Oz, currently in a bar in Dinkytown, get the call from Superintendent Walker. His partner Kay Myers arrives shortly after, but their bird has flown. Little do they know that this is just the start.

It’s no secret that I love Scandi Noir and Jo Nesbø’s books are my favourite as he always has me caught up in his exciting plots and this one is no exception. It hits the ground running at a fast pace right from the start as a hold my breath when the drama unfolds. The pace rises and falls appropriately and there’s plenty going on to keep me engaged and reading on, aided by some ‘bombs’ at the end of some chapters. There’s the hunt for the assassin and that’s fascinating all by itself, Bob‘s life, corruption, a cat and mouse game and the one they’re hunting has planned and is one step ahead, urban legends that might not be legends and transformations in more ways than one. Inevitably, this is Jo Nesbø after all, there are numerous plot twists and turns and some are good and very unexpected.

The two timelines blend together well although most of the focus is on 2016.

What of Bob Oz, of Norwegian extraction as many of the characters are? Well, it’s safe to say the author has created another interesting central protagonist. He can be rude and provocative, he doesn’t play by the rules, he’s suffered, he has his struggles but he’s a darn good cop. Despite all the negatives, I root for him and grow to really like him.

It builds and twists to a good ending part of which is sad but part is the exact opposite.

Highly recommended to fans of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House, Vintage for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.