by Jo Nesbø
Part of Harry Hole, book 8
First published 2011
Harry Hole sits in a Hong Kong back alley, drowning his losses in alcohol. The Snowman case cost him a finger and his lover, driving him to resign from the Oslo police. Detective Kaja tracks him down with urgent news. A serial killer mimicking the Snowman terrorizes Norway, and the original case may not be closed. His dying father needs him too. Harry boards a plane to Oslo, weighted by responsibility. The investigation stalls repeatedly. Harry visits the hospitalized Snowman, seeking answers from his old nemesis. The killer advises him that hatred keeps people alive, urging Harry to trace the hatred back to its source and warning that the culprit lurks close by. Following this guidance, Harry examines those around him as suspects. A familiar black shadow of depression settles over him, clinging like a chronic illness he cannot shake.
Genres: mystery, crime, detective, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Hong Kong, Norway, Oslo
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
517 pages · Hardcover · Knopf Publishing Group
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness, violence