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.

Jo Nesbo’s latest book, Wolf Hour, is an absolute page-turner which I devoured in a day.

The story is set in Minneapolis in Minnesota in the USA. The story unfolds in two time lines. One timeline is 2022 as a Norwegian crime writer visits the city to research his book on a series of murders that took place several years before. The other timeline unfolds in 2016 and follows the killer and also the detective, Bob Oz, as he tries to solve the case.

I loved detective Bob Oz, I found him to be multi-faceted. On the surface he is a very flawed man, but as the story moves along I saw him in a very different light. I found the setting of Minneapolis to be very interesting as it’s not a city or state that I’m familiar with. I found it really interesting that Minneapolis has a large number of the population descended from Norwegian settlers.

This is a very fast paced book with an ending you just won’t see coming.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Random House UK, Vintage, for making this e-ARC available to me in exchange for a fair and honest review.