Child’s Play

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

3 words:
creepy, gripping, grim

I was
almost too scared to read Jo Nesbo. I kept thinking Nordic noir… that’s some
depressing stuff. Then you throw in creepy serial killers with inventive ways
of dispatching people, and yeah. I’m running in the opposite direction.

But he
was on the genre study assignment list, so I made inquiries of Nesbo readers
and learned that The Snowman “isn’t that
bad.” And I took a deep breath and downloaded the eBook.

I was traveling when I was reading it, and I got so hooked into the story, it
ran down the battery of my iPhone. When I got off the plane, I had to find a
power outlet fast.

That
made me rather happy.

So
we’re talking here about a plot that won’t let go of you. Twists and turns and
all that good stuff.

But we’re
also talking about some seriously disturbing murder action. I had to skim over
sections (I did that thing where I un-focus my eyes) in order to be able to
handle it. (I’m a feeble thing when it comes to messed-up murderer characters.)

And
Harry Hole, the police detective who is at the center of the series, leads a
life so miserable, he’d have to be a Scandinavian police officer.

Grim,
my darlings. This stuff is grim.

For
those who can handle Luther and
for those who became hooked on the Stieg Larsson books.