by Jo Nesbø
Part of Harry Hole, book 7
First published 2011
Jonas wakes during the night to discover his mother has vanished. Outside his window stands a snowman that appeared in their yard that day. His mother's pink scarf is wrapped around its neck. Detective Harry Hole receives a threatening letter that he believes connects to the disappearance of Jonas's mother. Hole uncovers evidence linking her case to approximately twelve other missing women. Each woman disappeared on the same day the season's first snow began to fall. Hole's investigation reveals a disturbing pattern behind these vanishings. The detective realizes he has become an unwilling participant in a deadly contest. The killer controls this game and changes its rules without warning. Hole must decode the connection between the snowmen and the missing women before more lives are lost. Set against the backdrop of November in Oslo, the investigation forces Hole deeper into a trap designed specifically for him.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, detective-story, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Norway, Oslo
Period: November
383 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Knopf Publishing Group
Content warnings: murder, violence