You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
A very good read. Kept me guessing right up to the end. kept me reading well into the night.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Imagine if [a:Stieg Larsson|706255|Stieg Larsson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1246466225p2/706255.jpg] undertook a modern version of an [a:Agatha Christie|123715|Agatha Christie|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1321738793p2/123715.jpg] novel, and threw in a dash of [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1261866457p2/3389.jpg]. You might end up with something like this.
Apparently The Snowman is #7 in Jo Nesbø's detective series, but this one -- I can't speak for the others -- stands pretty well on its own. There are some references to earlier cases the detective has made, but they're well-explained enough that I was up to speed pretty quickly.
I do hate that the star detective is named Harry Hole, though. I'm sure it's my fault that my mind drifts into the gutter, but throughout the whole book I kept thinking it was a name better suited for a second-rate porn star. I even tried imagining that his name was Høle (disclaimer: I have no idea whether that changes the pronunciation or not) so that I could blame it on an unfortunate Norwegian-English cognate.
I thought twice that I had guessed the killer's identity, and I turned out to be wrong both times, so the plot twists were well done. Unfortunately, the detectives also think they've caught the killer a couple of times, so I got a little tired of the CLIMAX-WE-CAUGHT-THE-KILLER-no-wait-just-kidding-anticlimax! rollercoaster. I used to be a fairly hardcore Agatha Christie fan back in the day, and I don't remember ever thinking the mystery was solved halfway through and wondering what on earth the rest of the book was about.
Still, the snowman murder mystery with the dash of horror made this the perfect Halloween/hurricane read. I recommend it for a chilly night when you can read it through in one sitting... perhaps when the children next door have built a creepy snowman that seems to be watching you...
Apparently The Snowman is #7 in Jo Nesbø's detective series, but this one -- I can't speak for the others -- stands pretty well on its own. There are some references to earlier cases the detective has made, but they're well-explained enough that I was up to speed pretty quickly.
I do hate that the star detective is named Harry Hole, though. I'm sure it's my fault that my mind drifts into the gutter, but throughout the whole book I kept thinking it was a name better suited for a second-rate porn star. I even tried imagining that his name was Høle (disclaimer: I have no idea whether that changes the pronunciation or not) so that I could blame it on an unfortunate Norwegian-English cognate.
I thought twice that I had guessed the killer's identity, and I turned out to be wrong both times, so the plot twists were well done. Unfortunately, the detectives also think they've caught the killer a couple of times, so I got a little tired of the CLIMAX-WE-CAUGHT-THE-KILLER-no-wait-just-kidding-anticlimax! rollercoaster. I used to be a fairly hardcore Agatha Christie fan back in the day, and I don't remember ever thinking the mystery was solved halfway through and wondering what on earth the rest of the book was about.
Still, the snowman murder mystery with the dash of horror made this the perfect Halloween/hurricane read. I recommend it for a chilly night when you can read it through in one sitting... perhaps when the children next door have built a creepy snowman that seems to be watching you...
3.5/5 A good Scandinavian detective novel with twists and turns. It was somewhat predictable at some points, and did not grip me as much other ones I have read. But generally, if you are in a mood for crime, this will definitely do. Triggering warning though - a lot of gruesome depictions of rape and murder.
Thrillingly good
First Sentence: It was the day the snow came.
I really enjoyed [a:Nesbø's|904719|Jo Nesbø|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1493220079p2/904719.jpg] writing. He have a way of convincing you his red herrings is the true thing. I loved how he made me question myself - I'm usually very good in figuring out how the killer is - but I will confess [a:Nesbø|904719|Jo Nesbø|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1493220079p2/904719.jpg] made me change my mind a million times before the end.
I'm adding him to my "try out more of this guy's books" list.
First Sentence: It was the day the snow came.
I really enjoyed [a:Nesbø's|904719|Jo Nesbø|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1493220079p2/904719.jpg] writing. He have a way of convincing you his red herrings is the true thing. I loved how he made me question myself - I'm usually very good in figuring out how the killer is - but I will confess [a:Nesbø|904719|Jo Nesbø|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1493220079p2/904719.jpg] made me change my mind a million times before the end.
I'm adding him to my "try out more of this guy's books" list.
Much better than the first #1 (The bat).
Fast paced, good mysteries but most of all, loved the characters.
Fast paced, good mysteries but most of all, loved the characters.
This was such a slog to get through. All the men are ugly grumpy douchebags, all the women are gorgeous, succesful and loveable. I don't get why detectives always have to be so unlikeable. I'd much rather read a book about a happy camper that finds clues through walking in a zoo or something. There were a lot of weird conclusions, obvious false leads, and I guess it's supposed to be suspense but it really did not work for me at all. It's a shame, I had quite high hopes because these books are so popular but it isn't for me.
2.5 stars rounded up. A good concept, but I think the translation made the story clunky.
Highly entertaining but a little muddled towards the third act. I guessed the killer pretty early in but it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book because there were plenty of other suspects and I wasn't sure about any of them.