Blood Ties: A Novel

Kongeriket #2

by Jo Nesbø, Robert Ferguson (Translator), Euan Morton (Narrator)

From the modern master of Nordic suspense comes an explosive novel about a community in crisis and two brothers on the verge of losing everything they’ve worked so hard to achieve.

“A darkly entertaining thriller” (Kirkus Reviews) from a #1 New York Times bestselling author: When a new highway threatens to isolate the town of Os, local brothers Carl and Roy Opgard get their hands dirty to stop the construction. “A chilling and darkly funny noir that will haunt readers” (Publishers Weekly starred review), performed by an Audie Award–winning narrator.

By all accounts, Carl and Roy Opgard are doing quite well for themselves. Or at least they’re doing as well as can be expected in a small town like Os. Carl manages the area’s swanky and successful spa and hotel, while Roy runs a nearby gas station and harbors grand plans to build it out into an entire amusement park, complete with a roller coaster. But when news breaks about a new highway to be built nearby, bypassing Os and leaving the town cutoff and isolated, it’s clear that something has to be done . . . even if the methods are bound to be dirty. Fortunately, Carl and Roy have experience with just that kind of work.

Meanwhile, the town sheriff has gotten his hands on new technology that will enable him to take a deeper look at a slate of unsolved murders from years past—including that of his own father. And just as the sheriff reopens his investigation, the death toll begins to climb. It’s like Roy says about his roller “Once it’s rolling, it’s too late to get off.”

Blood Ties is a tense, compulsively enjoyable tour de force about loyalty, family ties, and love that is as destructive as it is powerful.

Genres: Thriller, Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Nordic Noir, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

Audible Audio

First published June 6, 2024

About the author

Jo Nesbø is a bestselling Norwegian author and musician. He was born in Oslo and grew up in Molde. Nesbø graduated from the Norwegian School of Economics with a degree in economics. Nesbø is primarily famous for his crime novels about Detective Harry Hole, but he is also the main vocals and songwriter for the Norwegian rock band Di Derre. In 2007 Nesbø also released his first children's book, Doktor Proktors Prompepulver.

Series:
* Harry Hole
* Doktor Proktor

For exclusive content about Jo Nesbø and his books, register for the official fan newsletter: https://jonesbo.com/newsletter/

Reviews

[Leeanne 🥀 The Book Whor3 🥀 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book is called The Kingdom, which I have not yet read, but I was aware this could be read as a stand-alone.
This is about Roy and Carl, their lives, loves, and the murders they have committed. Little did I realise, that this is only an exclusive sample, of Blood Ties, which is yet to be released. Looking forward to reading more, as I really enjoyed this sneak peak.

Thanks to NetGalley, and Penguin Random House Publishing for sending me this free ARC, with which I leave a voluntary review.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Tracy P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a rollercoaster ride of emotional ups and downs. Wow. This swept me away even more than the first book. Full review to follow.

[Mihaela Abrudan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo Nesbo chiar e un maestru al situațiilor complicare, iar mai complicat ca o relație de familie nu poate fi decât un sat de munte unde toți sunt un fel de familie, fiindcă fiecare e implicat direct sau indirect în viața celorlalți. Chiar eram curioasă să aflu cum va reuși Roy să rezolve tot puzzle-ul de crime și minciuni pe care l-a țesut din adolescență, iar răspuns cred că stă în logica lui rece și în inteligența cu care știe să-și joace viața.

[Theresa (mysteries.and.mayhem) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to have a serious book hangover now that I've finished Blood Ties. I've read some great books so far in 2025! This is one of them.

Here are some quick facts for folks considering whether they should read this book (you should, by the way!). Blood Ties is the sequel to Nesbo's The Kingdom. They both follow brothers Carl and Roy Opgard, who tend to make bad decisions, followed by even worse decisions. As hard as I tried not to like them, their characters are quite endearing. I couldn't help but hope something would go right for them - for once.

It's possible to read Blood Ties without reading The Kingdom first. But I've seen reviews stating how hard it is to like the characters from people who didn't read the first book. I think it's important to read so you get a better connection with the brothers and other citizens of the little mountain town of Os before you jump into Blood Ties.

I won't say how the book left me feeling at the end - good, bad, indifferent. As up and down as the brothers' misadventures had me feeling throughout both books, it would be a sort of spoiler to say how I felt at the end. I will only say it was a wild ride that I'm so glad I took!! I have a new favorite author. Five stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 and even more if I had room to give them here. If you love a good thriller, you should read these books!

[Esti Santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novela redonda!! Me ha encantado! 👌
En esta segunda parte, los siniestros hermanos Carl y Roy Opgard continúan con su mafia en Os. Mediante chantajes y sobornos consiguen todo lo que quieren. Se sienten impunes y los amos de Os. Hasta que ellos mismos se enfrentan el uno al otro.
Es una novela tan bien construida y tan entretenida que no se puede parar de leer. Esta segunda parte me ha parecido mejor que la primera, y eso que la primera ya era buena.
El autor trabaja los personajes de maravilla. Y crea un ambiente en el pueblo que es atrapante.
Un diez para este autor!

[Barbara]

3.5 stars

This review was first posted on Mystery & Suspense Magazine. Check it out for features, interviews, and reviews. https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/bl...


This book is the sequel to The Kingdom, about brothers Roy and Carl Opgard, who live in a Norwegian mountain town called Os.

Older brother Roy has always been the 'fixer' of the siblings, and over the years, Roy has taken care of Carl's mistakes; protected Carl from enemies; and committed and covered up murders on Carl's behalf. Carl relies on Roy, expecting to be rescued no matter what.



As young men, the siblings took different paths: Carl went to America to study business, and Roy became the manager of a gas station in Os. After fifteen years, Carl returned to Os with plans for a luxury resort.



Much has happened since then, and now that the Opgard siblings are approaching middle age, Carl is the CEO of a five-star hotel, spa, ski resort complex.





Roy has become successful as well, and he owns the gas station, the Meiergård apartment building, and the Fritt Fall bar. In addition, Roy has plans to build a roller coaster and amusement park in Os.



To attract more guests to his luxury hotel, Carl has hired Natalie Moe to be head of marketing. Natalie grew up in Os, went away to school, and is now back. Roy helped Natalie escape an abusive home when she was a pale skinny frightened adolescent, and Natalie has returned as a confident beautiful woman who catches Roy's eye.





Though things seem to be going well for the Opgard brothers, they have a problem. The Norwegian Roads Administration wants to build a tunnel through the city of Todde, to replace the road that runs through Os. Should this happen, Carl's resort hotel and Roy's amusement park will be toast. A company called GeoData is assessing the feasibility of the tunnel, and Roy offers a bribe to the surveyors, to say the tunnel isn't viable.



The Opgards have other concerns as well. Carl has mismanaged hotel funds, and needs a loan to cover the resort's running costs; and Roy needs a loan to pay the bribes to GeoData, and to finance his amusement park. The bank manager, Asle Vendelbo, is skeptical about lending the money, and Roy has to provide some incentive.



In the midst of all this, Carl and Roy's past homicides are on the verge of exposure. The brothers' method of committing (or covering up) murder was to send a car hurtling off a dangerous curve into a deep narrow valley. The victims' deaths were attributed to accidents, and the cars were left in the ravine.



The Highways Department is now building a crash barrier, and will winch the cars up first, making them available for forensic examination. Sheriff Kurt Olsen is convinced the Opgards killed his father, and is sure KRIPOS (The National Criminal Investigation Service) will find the evidence. This could well send the Opgard brothers to prison.



It's hard to empathize with either brother, but Roy at least has the excuse of blood ties, because to him, family trumps money, power and glory. Carl, on the other hand, who thinks of himself as the 'King of Os,' is self-centered, arrogant, and smug.



For instance, Carl's office, on the third floor of his hotel, is extremely impractical, given that all the administration takes place on the ground floor; moreover, Carl's office occupies what could have been the second-best suite in the hotel, with a view of the mountains that matched the one from the Bridal Suite.

Carl has also been having a blatant, long-term affair with Mari, the wife of newspaper editor Dan Krane. Everyone knows Carl fathered Mari's third child, and though the Cranes remain married, Dan is a broken man.



Roy notes, "I had started to feel sorry for [Dan]. Gone were the firm strides, the straight back, and those inspired editorials in the newspaper, their place taken now by a head one saw a little too often bent to a morning glass of beer at Fritt Fall, and badly written editorials.



As the narrative develops, there's double-dealing, threats, and additional murders. Fans of Nordic suspense won't want to miss The Kingdom and Blood Ties.

Thanks to Netgalley, Jo Nesbo, and Knopf for a copy of Blood Ties.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[Jannelies (living between hope and fear) · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading The Kingdom I was very, very impressed. I didn’t think Blood Ties could be even better, but it turned out to be exactly that.

Page after page there is so much happening in this book. Sometimes I had to stop reading for a while and catch my breath. All those big decisions, and all those very small ones too. Roy still has to think on his feet many times and he does an incredible job in showing only what he wants to show to the people in Os. To the sheriff, to his employees, and especially to his brother Carl.
I think this is the kind of book you need to read and reread multiple times.

Here is my review of The Kingdom:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

felt this was one of his weakest books he has written so far

[Oscar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good sequel

[David Putnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. (I'm hit and miss on the Harry Hole books). I read The Kingdom (the first book in this series) and loved it. I pre-ordered this one and couldn't wait and was not disappointed.
Blood Ties is a continuation of two Norwegian brothers in a small town of O. This is an antihero story, a first person account told by one of the brothers. The point of view character ends up killing some folks. The author is so talented he makes the murders seem logical and you root for the good guy who, if you take a step back and think about it, he is a bad guy. The setting in these two books have equal weight to a main character which I also really enjoyed.
What also works so well, is how the author blends (and makes interesting) the regular (and not so regular) lives in this Norwegian town while he carefully builds the motivation for the killings. Several lives swirl around each other, the people wary, eyeing each other while the suspense builds. Highly recommend this one.
One detractor--critical comment. I truly believe the reading experience of this one (Blood Ties) is greatly enhanced by reading The Kingdom, first. Even though he author reiterates what happened in the first book, the motivation in this one (Blood Ties) is a continuation of an intricately woven plot. These two are great books but I favorite still stands, Headhunters.

David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series, Imogene Taylor series, and the Dave Beckett series.

[| M a r v i k k i s | · Rating 5 out of 5]

En mesterlig lesefest!!! En ny favoritt!!! sa jeg tidligere om Kongeriket, og oppfølgeren Kongen av Os skuffer ikke. En brilliant og språksterk spenningsroman med knallgod driv fra bygde-Norge. Fantastisk!

[Paula Strange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finalizada. Empezar el año con Nesbo siempre es buena idea. Me gustó mucho más que el primero. Nota 4/5. FIN.

[Gemma entre lecturas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

Me ha gustado mucho y habla de un tema fascinante...

  ¿Nos atan los lazos de sangre? Pág. 108. Si en El Reino hubiese zarandeado a Roy hasta espabilarlo, cuando empecé y fui viendo que Carl seguía manejando a su hermano a su antojo me dije, cuando va a poner límites, LÍMITES. «Durante un tiempo creí que todo tenía arreglo. Ya no…». En las familias cada uno tiene sus propias necesidades, no todos expresamos el afecto de la misma forma, cada uno tiene sus cualidades y capacidades, pero lo que no puede faltar NUNCA es el respecto. Y si se falta el respeto, LIMITES, me da igual que sea el padre, la madre, el hijo, la abuela o el hermano, LIMITES. Lidiar con una familia tóxica no es nada sencillo, Roy no lo tuvo fácil en la primera novela, se dejó arrastrar por el sentimiento de culpa, manipulado por su hermano que le responsabilizaba de los abusos sufridos y ahora va por el mismo camino. Carl no se responsabiliza de sus actos, instrumentaliza a los demás para reforzar sus necesidades. Evidentemente el primer paso es el más obvio, si algo no nos da paz, se aumenta la distancia. Y poner LIMITES físicos y emocionales. De eso va esta novela.
                Carl es un personaje tóxico, vive para invadir y sortear los límites ajenos, Roy debe por una vez dejar que su hermano pequeño cargue con el peso de las consecuencias. El desapego es la clave, cierto que en este proceso se necesita un apoyo, ¿cuál es el de Roy?

... las expectativas afectan a nuestra percepción.
 
¡Feliz lectura!

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nesbo returns to Os in this follow-up to The Kingdom, and as before this slow-burn thriller balances incredible atmosphere with a dark violence that is held barely beneath the skin. There is no need to have read the first novel, it is literally summarized in this book for the new readers, and yet this novel does serve as a type of emotional catharsis to those who have read the first.

Nesbo has great skill with characters and world-building. Every character in this story simultaneously feels like a small-town archetype and also incredibly robust, relatable, understood character. This balance or mixture of identities and personalities is a proven and winning formula, but nothing about these characters feels formulaic. It is easy to feel invested in these characters, the main character as well as many of the ancillary characters, because they feel easy and genuine, not forced or simply convenient for plot purposes. Similarly, you are really transported to this small town, and how it is a place of hopes and ambitions that may always be bigger than the thousand people that comprise its population. The setting and atmosphere go a long way in making all of the characters make sense, and really elevate the story. The writing, too, is compulsive and easily readable. It is straight forward prose, but playful and a little sneaky when it has to be. Nesbo does hide things from the reader but never anything too dramatic nor for a long time, the story is littered with little reveals that are usually set up just before, though we does manage to weave in some pay-offs across the duration of the story. Even though the prose is relatively direct he does play with metaphor a bit, not just in terms of word choice but also on a thematic level. Having a dyslexic main character that loves classical literature does give him some room to play, and Nesbo enjoys that room without ever feeling anything but comfortable, and maybe darkly contemplative, once in a while.

The plotting of this story did hold me back from loving it, a bit. A lot of the story is not much more than bureaucratic maneuvering, the characters trying to nudge the right dominoes in place. This is shot through with intermittent moments of violence and emotional/traumatic revelations, but it is still a lot of planning… Plus, there is a lot of repetition for those who have read The Kingdom. The backstory is presented in a different way, without the same emotional intimacy, but that robs returning readers of some of the emotional reveals. The second half of the book did pick up, as more obstacles started appearing, not everything going to plan, but it took a while to get there. Even appreciating the slow-burn nature of this small-town story, it does, ultimately, feel very small. Yes, there are some grander ideas the reader can take away, about what a good life looks like, how regret and family and trauma and ambition all mix together, and what roles a weary forgiveness and compassion might have as you try to secure the best possible future for yourself and your loved ones. But the stakes are always, actually, remarkably small. Yes, they may involve a whole town and more than a few dead bodies, but still, there is no attempt at conquering the world, here. This simultaneously works for me and also doesn’t. It works because it makes the story have a feeling of being grounded, of being realistic. We all have ourselves at the center of our universes, so what seem like explosively high stakes to one person may very well be trivial in any sort of bigger picture. This really does shape the vibe of the story in a useful way. Yet it also means that the structural ground work of the first half is just kind of slow to get through. The characters may have big dreams or may be petty and vindictive, but either way they are small, and seeing all the legwork for their schemes isn’t always super captivating. If the first half was a little tighter, and had a little more propulsive pacing, then this scope would be nothing but helpful to the experience; as it is, it is a little mixed.

Still, this is a fun thriller. The writing and characters and atmosphere alone are enough to keep you captivated. There aren’t any monumental surprises, but it also doesn’t feel cozy, flat, or phoned in. It does summarize the entire first book but never feels expository, so while stealing some emotional revelations from the returning reader it never feels boring, and it works well to let anyone pick up this novel and fall right into it, regardless of having read the first or not. If you appreciate the Scandinavian thriller vibe, the slow-simmer that only occasionally boils over while fighting off the dark and cold, where the tension is real but also somewhat limited in just how explosive it is, with consequences intimately affecting a handful of folks in a small town but not much else, there is a good amount of fun you will find in this story.

I want to thank the author, the publisher Knopf, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Effie Saxioni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Παρόλο που και αυτό και το Βασίλειο ήταν καλογραμμένα, κάτι απροσδιόριστο έχουν που μου είναι απωθητικό. Δεν ξέρω τι. Ελπίζω μόνο να μην αποφασίσει να αντικαταστήσει τον Χάρι με τούτους δω.Αυτό.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sticking together, no matter what, is perhaps the family’s great blessing, but it’s also its greatest curse.”

Blood Ties is the second book in the Kingdom series by best-selling Norwegian musician, songwriter, economist and author, Jo Nesbo. It is translated from Norwegian by Robert Ferguson. Carl Opgard may be the acknowledged King of Os, but it’s his brother, Roy who goes to the geologist commissioned to report on the viability of the Todde tunnel to offer a bribe of twelve million kroner.

The tunnel would bypass the highway going through Os, adversely affecting all of their interests, including the Os Spa hotel, about to add an extra wing, and the rollercoaster Roy plans to build. The tunnel can’t go ahead, and Roy knows how to persuade, which buttons to press. Murder isn’t out of the question: between them, he and Carl have already killed seven.

Before the news of the tunnel’s demise goes public, Roy needs to buy the land for his amusement park at the right price, and then, once it is known that the highway will be upgraded, press the bank for the loan he needs to build the rollercoaster. Meanwhile, Carl needs to keep the French hotel group interested in their investment.

But Roy is a little distracted. Before the Highways Department constructs the crash barrier at the dangerous turn on Geitesvingen leading to their home, for which the Opgards have agitated, KRIPOS going to retrieve the three vehicles that went over the edge and 100m down into the Huken ravine, cars that didn’t actually get there by accident, and it’s hard not to worry what the police lab might find, even after all these years. Os Sheriff, Kurt Olsen is determined to pin a few murders on the brothers, including that of his father, then Sheriff Sigmund Olsen.

Another distraction is the return of Natalie Moe, the teenager whom he saved from domestic abuse, now an enchanting young woman employed by Carl to look after the Spa’s marketing. And perhaps to help promote the rollercoaster? Meanwhile, Carl has a few things on his mind as well: should he make things official with his married lover, the mother of his child? Progress on the palace he’s building himself is slow; and Os Spa’s incomings aren’t covering its debts.

Carl Opgard may be the one who went to America on a scholarship and spent fifteen years there, but Roy, without formal education, is far from stupid. He has street smarts, is quick-thinking, clever and creative, all talents he will need as things ramp up in their small town. Roy has multiple reasons to hate his brother but, up till now, the fact that they are brothers has always ranked over any other relationship. Has Carl pushed that too far, this time?

While this is a sequel to The Kingdom, it can easily be read stand-alone without confusion, although there are major spoilers for the first book. The blurb says that “the body count in Os is about to get higher” but is actually only increases by two, with a third in Oslo that is not by the Opgard brothers’ direct hand. A certain bathroom scene is blackly funny, while there’s also a particular dark humour in the climactic barn scene. This Scandi crime fiction is hard to put down.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Random House UK Vintage Harvill Secker

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When two lives are as intertwined as ours are it becomes impossible to see and feel everything at one and the same time. You focus on particular aspects or parts of it, you can say ‘hey, remember that time?’ and for that brief moment that’s all that has ever happened, and the only feelings that really exist are the memories aroused.” p156

Blood ties.. there’s something about the ties that bind families together. For better or for worse. Ties that bind. Ties that have to be severed and even then, still keep us connected in ways that are a mystery to ourselves. Try as we might to escape there is always something that keeps us tethered. Escaping those ties becomes life’s work.

Carl and Roy Opgard. Brothers in arms. Bound together by so much shared experience. Carrying the wounds of childhood well into adulthood. Patterns of behaviour that have a habit of repeating themselves.

Jo Nesbø brings a top notch follow up to The Kingdom, continuing the saga of Carl and Roy Opgard, of Os, rural south central Norway. After a murderous spree in The Kingdom, Blood Ties, highlights the lengths that these brothers go to, to cover their tracks, increase their wealth and try to find some sort of meaning for their lives. Eventually, they seem to succumb to the inevitable family breakdown that can come from being too close, too intertwined and too involved.

This was a great read, not quite as good as The Kingdom imo, but definitely a worthy 4 star follow up.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book pulled me into the dark, complicated world of Carl and Roy Opgard. These brothers have clawed their way to the top in the tiny town of Os—Carl running a luxury spa hotel, and Roy dreaming big with plans for an amusement park. But their success is built on secrets, and the local sheriff is determined to expose them. As past murders resurface and loyalties are tested, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

I’ll admit, the book starts off slow. It took me a while to get into the rhythm of the story, but once the second half hit? Wow. The tension exploded, and I couldn’t put it down. Nesbø is brilliant at crafting twists that leave you breathless, and the way he brings Os to life is incredible. The town, its history, and its people feel so real, like I’ve been there myself.

What I loved most were the characters��flawed, human, and relatable. The bond between the brothers is complicated and fascinating, adding layers to the suspense. Even though this is the second book in the series, you don’t need to read the first to enjoy it but I recommend to read it too!

If you're in for a slow-burn thriller that crescendos into unrelenting suspense, this book won’t disappoint!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all let me say that I am a Jo Nesbo fan and that I have enjoyed many of the Harry Hole novels and a number of the stand-alone books he's written. That said, this book was difficult for me. I had anticipated digging in and spending time with this one, but I admit struggling through the first half of the book trying to get interested, then finally the last half of the book became more interesting and kept my attention more. I didn't care for the characters nor the plot. Maybe it's because I failed to read the first book in this Kongeriket series, but I don't think I will pick it up. I think some people may enjoy reading about these criminals, but it wasn't for me.

Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf through Netgalley for an advance copy.

[Bruce Hatton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood may be thicker than water, but it can also be poison. Roy Opgard and his younger brother Carl, who have a somewhat strained relationship, are undoubtedly the Kings of Os, a small and remote Norwegian town. Carl manages the town’s only hotel and Roy plans to build an amusement park with the world’s largest wooden roller coaster. However, all this success has been built on the deaths of at least seven people. So far, the brothers have managed to evade justice, but Sheriff Kurt Olsen is determined to prove they were responsible for the death of the former sheriff, who was his father.
The brothers’ other problem is that there are plans to build a tunnel to bypass Os, which will have a detrimental effect on through traffic and hence their businesses.
This is a thrilling tale of greed, revenge and betrayal which reads like something from the American Wild West transplanted to rural Norway.

[Lucia Nieto Navarro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Segunda parte de lo que sin duda, será otra serie de libros, en la que volvemos a tener a nuestros dos personajes principales Carl y Roy, a los que sus proyectos del pasado les va bien y están pensando en ampliarlos, tanto su hotel como la construcción de una montaña rusa si son capaces de conseguir un préstamo… y ya os digo que harán lo que sea por ese préstamo.
Desde el principio de la historia sabemos quienes son los buenos y quienes son lo malos, al igual que en la primera parte, viviremos como Carl y Roy “huyen” de la policía para evitar ser acusados tanto de fraude como de asesinato.
Jo Nesbo ha creado una trama compleja, con un ritmo que comienza tranquilo pero que según avanzas se vuelve frenético, con dos personajes astutos e inteligentes, y tratando temas como los lazos fraternales, la poca moral, la culpa, el odio a uno mismo….
Me ha encantado como Nesbo explora el odio como emoción, algo que muchos luchamos por comprender, hay una frase “Cuando odias a alguien de esa forma tan intensa, es porque en realidad de odias a ti mismo”. Un libro que no solo es un thriller psicológico sino también una historia de reflexión sobre como nos reconciliamos con nosotros mismo a través de los demás.

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 estrellas porque es el colofón perfecto para El reino, el cierre del círculo ideal. El personaje de Roy, aunque es un asesino, me ha encantado, es brillante y la rapidez con la que resuelve los problemas es increible. Lo recomiendo para quien ya haya leido El reino y a quien no lo haya leido aún, que vaya corriendo!

[Lauma Gurgone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es biju tā noilgojusies pēc Nesbē, ka šī likās satriecoša. Nemitīgi notikumu un emociju amerikāņu kalniņi, kas caurvijas ar smalku psiholoģiju. Nebija iespējams nolikt malā. To pieprot tikai šis autors. Iesaku gan sākt ar pirmo daļu “Karaļvalsts”.

[BookCLE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Ties is a dark comedy about two brothers, Carl and Ray Opgard, expanding their empire in small town Os, Norway. Even with the local sheriff about to call their number at any moment, that doesn't deter their nefarious behavior—blackmail, theft, fraud, and even murder. The brothers will stop at nothing to become the King of Os.

This offbeat story is Fargo meets True Detective but from the criminal perspective and it will charm the pants right off of you. Even in the fog of greed and power, I couldn't help rooting for Opgard success. Ray and Carl are slick, smooth operators with dopey facades that disguise their intelligence each time. They're playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. It's glorious.

But the true heart of this book is a story about family, love, and community. Excluding the infighting and shady dealings, the people of Os are just trying to make their home a better place even if they have a unique—or shall we say unorthodox—way of going about it.

This novel is well-constructed and flows seamlessly from cradle to grave and you will find yourself unexpectedly delighted by the sinister yet clever schemes involved. I found myself audibly chuckling at their twisted games.

Released as a sequel last year in Norwegian, Blood Ties has been successfully translated for English publication today! The translation initially felt slightly off but found its footing fairly quickly. Also, you don't need to read the first one to understand the next story. I had no problem jumping right in and it makes me want to go back to the first book.

Ultimately, Jo Nesbø has created a criminally charming, dark comedy that will delight readers with unexpected laughter and pockets of thrills.

Thank you to NetGalley; Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf; & Jo Nesbø for the ARC in exchange for my authentic review.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Jo Nesbo's body of work. I was introduced to it by a Norwegian ex-patriot who ran a local bookstore with his wife. I am not a fan of the character in the Kongeriket series. Roy Opgard is a manipulative sociopath. He seems to win despite being one of the worst people in the book by preying on the greed, fears, and petty hatreds of those around him. If you like the character, there is something wrong with you.

Despite this, I give the book a solid four-star rating for the plot twists. Some of them are quite fantastic. This book is not for everyone. If you enjoy Nesbo, or very dark stories of the criminal mind, give it a look.

[Kristina mato ne špygą · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://matonespyga.wordpress.com/202...

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars for Blood Ties (audiobook) by Jo Nesbø translated by Robert Ferguson read by Euan Morton.

Just how many people are going to have to die so Carl and Roy can be a success in the hotel business.

[JoyReaderGirl1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The dark side of human nature and the complexities of familial bonds are explored in “Blood Ties” by Jo Nesbø.

   Blood Ties’ richly character-driven narratives about loyalty, ambition, and survival take us back to the Norwegian village of Os and the passive-aggressive siblings Roy and Carl Opgard (”The Kingdom”).

   The Opgard Brothers' dark secrets, personal ambitions, and professional rivalries were a malignancy that they chose to ignore—a festering gangrene. It was only a matter of time…

   Making matters worse, was the highway department bypassing Os for a more direct route to Oslo?

   And after a decade, would they be implicated in deaths previously ruled as accidents?

   JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Jo Nesbø, and Publisher Random House UK for this advanced readers copy for review.

[Charlie Hasler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes a bit slow to start but that is Nesbos style and it works wonderfully. Technically a stand alone book but id advise reading The Kingdom first.

[LerThriller.Andreia · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨Acho que Jo Nesbø, tal como King, é um exímio contador de histórias. É este livro não é excepção. Um relato onde entramos a fundo dentro da personalidade de cada uma das personagens principais .
✨ Laços de sangue, irmandade, vale tudo, até que ponto? O eterno tema da rivalidade de irmãos que em muitos casos vai até às últimas consequências. Onde começa o amor e onde começa o ódio? Estes laços de sangue, são votos inquebráveis? Família é familia?
✨Um livro que nos faz refletir acerca da violência doméstica, abuso de menores, abuso de poder, corrupção...