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Blood on Snow #2
И прольется кровь
Я — наемный убийца-неудачник. Я обманул заказчика, но мой обман раскрылся, и я был вынужден бежать, спасая свою жизнь. Та, из-за которой я решился взяться за это дело, умерла, не дождавшись моей помощи, так что все было впустую. И теперь я оказался на самом краю земли, где меня никто не знает и где мне не от кого ждать помощи. А между тем преследователи дышат мне в затылок...
Впервые на русском языке!
«Кровь на снегу», «И прольется кровь»... Эти два романа связаны некими сюжетными нитями. Но связь их может оказаться глубже, чем нам кажется. Что же ожидает читателя дальше?
Впервые на русском языке!
«Кровь на снегу», «И прольется кровь»... Эти два романа связаны некими сюжетными нитями. Но связь их может оказаться глубже, чем нам кажется. Что же ожидает читателя дальше?
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2015
804 people are currently reading
8403 people want to read
About the author
Jo Nesbø
183 books23.2k followersJo 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/
Series:
* Harry Hole
* Doktor Proktor
For exclusive content about Jo Nesbø and his books, register for the official fan newsletter: https://jonesbo.com/newsletter/
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,782 reviews
November 6, 2019
Q:
Could it be that simple? Did you just have to pray? (c)
We got ourselves another introspective villain. Or not quite a villain. A fixer in name only.
He's
Q:
Very amateurish for a professional. (c)
He's so very on the run:
Q:
Seventy hours on the run. One thousand, eight hundred kilometres. (c)
He would've done well to hide on Mars but, sadly, he can't get there so he'll have to do somewhere around the North Pole.
He hides so very North that he can have the following conversations in all seriousness:
Q:
‘Are you from the south?’...
‘That depends what you mean by “south”.’
‘That you’re from south of here, of course.’
‘Everyone’s from south of here.’ (c)
He's a sophisticated salesman:
Q:
... there I stood, in Slottsparken, muttering my concise sales pitch (‘Dope?’) to passers-by... (c) I'm kidding!
And he admits to some rather interesting intellectual shortcomings:
Q:
Not that I’m an irresponsible or careless person, I’ve just got really bad judgement. That’s why I was always prepared to follow the advice given by random strangers, and leave important decisions to other people. (c)
Q:
I’d gone somewhere I wasn’t safe, and I hadn’t taken the only thing that might make me a bit safer. Because I thought it might be tricky if I met a woman and had to get undressed. And now I had met a woman, and evidently didn’t want to get undressed after all. Is there a level below idiot? (c)
The ending was plenty bizarre but that's to be expected in Jo Nesbo's novels, after all.
Rating:
We start at 5 stars:
-1 star for this nice history revisionist gem:
Q:
...the first thing the Russians did when they occupied the east of the country was steal the Germans’ industrial... (c) Oh, really? So, did Russia invite the Germans to kills off 20-30 mln of its people for some Nazi bullshit? Off we go with 1 star.
+1 star for the noir
Overall rating is 5 :)
Q:
HOW ARE WE to start this story? I wish I could say that we’ll start at the beginning. But I don’t know where it starts. Just like everyone else, I’m not truly aware of the real sequence of cause and effect in my life. (c)
Q:
Beyond it lay yet more sea. And, beyond that, the North Pole. Perhaps this was somewhere they wouldn’t find me. (c)
Q:
They say that the Finnmark plateau is beautiful. Fucked if I know. Isn’t that just the sort of thing people say about inhospitable places? Either to make themselves seem a bit tough, to lay claim to some sort of insight or superiority, the way people boast about liking incomprehensible music or unreadable literature? I’d done it myself. I used to think it might make up for at least a few of the things about me that weren’t good enough. ... Because what was so beautiful about this flat, monotonous, bleak landscape? It’s like Mars. A red desert. Uninhabitable and cruel. The perfect hiding place. Hopefully. (c)
Q:
‘I burned my bed in the stove back in May. We had a cold May.’
‘Sofa? Mattress?’
‘Mattress?’ He spread his hands out towards the heather-covered plateau.
‘Thanks, but I like roofs and walls. I’ll have to try and find an empty dog kennel. Goodnight.’ (c) Hilarious.
Q:
My guides were the sun in the north, and the fact that churches – according to my grandfather – have their towers to the west no matter where in the world you go. (c)
Q:
You have an allotted time, you burn down to the filter, and then it’s over, for good. But the point is to burn down to the filter, and not go out before that. (c)
Q:
‘Why don’t most of the houses have curtains?’ I asked.
‘Because Læstadius taught us to let the light of God in,’ she said.
‘Læstadius?’
‘Lars Levi Læstadius. You don’t know of his teachings?’ (c)
Q:
‘You can’t hit a target, you don’t know anything about grouse, and you can’t tell jokes. Is there anything you can do?’
‘Oh, yes, ... I can hide.’ (c)
Q:
The plan up to now had been not to have a plan, seeing as he would be able to predict every logical plan I could come up with. My only chance was unpredictability. Acting so erratically that even I didn’t know what my next move was going to be. But I’d have to think of something after that. If there was any ‘after that’. (c)
Q:
The brain is a strange and wonderful thing. ...
But I had seen it. Seen it perfectly clearly. Like I said, the brain is a strange and remarkable thing. (c)
Q:
The useless old single-glazed windows in the flat let everything in: autumn storms, winter cold, birdsong... (c)
Q:
Getting the money for treatment just a week or two after the illness had progressed so far that it was too late, that was silly. Mixing Valium and vodka was silly. But not managing to shoot when your own life is in the balance, that’s a genetic disability. I was an evolutionary aberration, and the future of humanity would only be served by my immediate extinction. (c)
Q:
‘What’s so wrong about a quick fuck? We’re all going to die soon, didn’t you know?’
‘Yeah, I’ve heard the rumours,’ (c)
Q:
‘Can we take a detour through the churchyard, so that no one sees us?’
‘Why don’t you want anyone to see us?’
‘Just thinking about . . . er, your reputation.’
‘My reputation?’ She snorted. ‘Everyone knows that Anita likes men.’
‘Okay, mine, then.’
She shrugged. ‘Okay, if you’re so bloody precious.’ (c)
Q:
‘I can’t do it with a condom,’ I said. ‘It just doesn’t work.’
‘Yes, it will,’ she said, grabbing hold of my terrified cock. (c) LOL) That's quite a description!
Q:
Everyone should be allowed to change their name every so often. (c)
Q:
Lea’s a nice name, no reason to change—’
‘It means “cow”,’ she interrupted. ‘I’d like to be called Sara. That means “princess”. But my father said I couldn’t be called Sara Sara. So instead I’ve been called cow for twenty-nine years. What do you have to say about that?’
‘Well.’ I thought for a moment. ‘Moo?’ (c) LOL!
Q:
I let her down. That’s been the constant refrain to my life. (c)
Q:
A touch. I couldn’t remember the last time a woman had touched me. Until I remembered that it was less than twenty-four hours ago. To hell with this place, these people, all this. (c)
Q:
‘Does losing make you better, Ulf?’
I nodded slowly. I saw that Lea was paying attention too. ‘You get better –’ I squashed a midge that had landed on my arm – ‘at losing.’
‘Better at losing? Is there any point in being good at that?’
‘Life is mostly about trying things you can’t do,’ I said. ‘You end up losing more often than you win. Even Futabayama kept on losing before he started to win. And it’s important to be good at something you’re going to do more often, isn’t it?’
‘I suppose so.’ He thought about it. ‘But what does being good at losing actually mean?’
I met Lea’s gaze over the boy’s shoulder. ‘Daring to lose again,’ I said. (c) Ok, I loved this one.
Q:
I listened to her laughter. Bobby’s had been light and bubbly, like a lively stream. Lea’s was a well. No, a slowly flowing river. (c)
Q:
‘Everyone has doubts. Believers more than anyone.’
‘Really? You, too?’
‘Of course I have doubts... That’s why it’s called faith, not knowledge.’ (c)
Could it be that simple? Did you just have to pray? (c)
We got ourselves another introspective villain. Or not quite a villain. A fixer in name only.
He's
Q:
Very amateurish for a professional. (c)
He's so very on the run:
Q:
Seventy hours on the run. One thousand, eight hundred kilometres. (c)
He would've done well to hide on Mars but, sadly, he can't get there so he'll have to do somewhere around the North Pole.
He hides so very North that he can have the following conversations in all seriousness:
Q:
‘Are you from the south?’...
‘That depends what you mean by “south”.’
‘That you’re from south of here, of course.’
‘Everyone’s from south of here.’ (c)
He's a sophisticated salesman:
Q:
... there I stood, in Slottsparken, muttering my concise sales pitch (‘Dope?’) to passers-by... (c) I'm kidding!
And he admits to some rather interesting intellectual shortcomings:
Q:
Not that I’m an irresponsible or careless person, I’ve just got really bad judgement. That’s why I was always prepared to follow the advice given by random strangers, and leave important decisions to other people. (c)
Q:
I’d gone somewhere I wasn’t safe, and I hadn’t taken the only thing that might make me a bit safer. Because I thought it might be tricky if I met a woman and had to get undressed. And now I had met a woman, and evidently didn’t want to get undressed after all. Is there a level below idiot? (c)
The ending was plenty bizarre but that's to be expected in Jo Nesbo's novels, after all.
Rating:
We start at 5 stars:
-1 star for this nice history revisionist gem:
Q:
...the first thing the Russians did when they occupied the east of the country was steal the Germans’ industrial... (c) Oh, really? So, did Russia invite the Germans to kills off 20-30 mln of its people for some Nazi bullshit? Off we go with 1 star.
+1 star for the noir
Overall rating is 5 :)
Q:
HOW ARE WE to start this story? I wish I could say that we’ll start at the beginning. But I don’t know where it starts. Just like everyone else, I’m not truly aware of the real sequence of cause and effect in my life. (c)
Q:
Beyond it lay yet more sea. And, beyond that, the North Pole. Perhaps this was somewhere they wouldn’t find me. (c)
Q:
They say that the Finnmark plateau is beautiful. Fucked if I know. Isn’t that just the sort of thing people say about inhospitable places? Either to make themselves seem a bit tough, to lay claim to some sort of insight or superiority, the way people boast about liking incomprehensible music or unreadable literature? I’d done it myself. I used to think it might make up for at least a few of the things about me that weren’t good enough. ... Because what was so beautiful about this flat, monotonous, bleak landscape? It’s like Mars. A red desert. Uninhabitable and cruel. The perfect hiding place. Hopefully. (c)
Q:
‘I burned my bed in the stove back in May. We had a cold May.’
‘Sofa? Mattress?’
‘Mattress?’ He spread his hands out towards the heather-covered plateau.
‘Thanks, but I like roofs and walls. I’ll have to try and find an empty dog kennel. Goodnight.’ (c) Hilarious.
Q:
My guides were the sun in the north, and the fact that churches – according to my grandfather – have their towers to the west no matter where in the world you go. (c)
Q:
You have an allotted time, you burn down to the filter, and then it’s over, for good. But the point is to burn down to the filter, and not go out before that. (c)
Q:
‘Why don’t most of the houses have curtains?’ I asked.
‘Because Læstadius taught us to let the light of God in,’ she said.
‘Læstadius?’
‘Lars Levi Læstadius. You don’t know of his teachings?’ (c)
Q:
‘You can’t hit a target, you don’t know anything about grouse, and you can’t tell jokes. Is there anything you can do?’
‘Oh, yes, ... I can hide.’ (c)
Q:
The plan up to now had been not to have a plan, seeing as he would be able to predict every logical plan I could come up with. My only chance was unpredictability. Acting so erratically that even I didn’t know what my next move was going to be. But I’d have to think of something after that. If there was any ‘after that’. (c)
Q:
The brain is a strange and wonderful thing. ...
But I had seen it. Seen it perfectly clearly. Like I said, the brain is a strange and remarkable thing. (c)
Q:
The useless old single-glazed windows in the flat let everything in: autumn storms, winter cold, birdsong... (c)
Q:
Getting the money for treatment just a week or two after the illness had progressed so far that it was too late, that was silly. Mixing Valium and vodka was silly. But not managing to shoot when your own life is in the balance, that’s a genetic disability. I was an evolutionary aberration, and the future of humanity would only be served by my immediate extinction. (c)
Q:
‘What’s so wrong about a quick fuck? We’re all going to die soon, didn’t you know?’
‘Yeah, I’ve heard the rumours,’ (c)
Q:
‘Can we take a detour through the churchyard, so that no one sees us?’
‘Why don’t you want anyone to see us?’
‘Just thinking about . . . er, your reputation.’
‘My reputation?’ She snorted. ‘Everyone knows that Anita likes men.’
‘Okay, mine, then.’
She shrugged. ‘Okay, if you’re so bloody precious.’ (c)
Q:
‘I can’t do it with a condom,’ I said. ‘It just doesn’t work.’
‘Yes, it will,’ she said, grabbing hold of my terrified cock. (c) LOL) That's quite a description!
Q:
Everyone should be allowed to change their name every so often. (c)
Q:
Lea’s a nice name, no reason to change—’
‘It means “cow”,’ she interrupted. ‘I’d like to be called Sara. That means “princess”. But my father said I couldn’t be called Sara Sara. So instead I’ve been called cow for twenty-nine years. What do you have to say about that?’
‘Well.’ I thought for a moment. ‘Moo?’ (c) LOL!
Q:
I let her down. That’s been the constant refrain to my life. (c)
Q:
A touch. I couldn’t remember the last time a woman had touched me. Until I remembered that it was less than twenty-four hours ago. To hell with this place, these people, all this. (c)
Q:
‘Does losing make you better, Ulf?’
I nodded slowly. I saw that Lea was paying attention too. ‘You get better –’ I squashed a midge that had landed on my arm – ‘at losing.’
‘Better at losing? Is there any point in being good at that?’
‘Life is mostly about trying things you can’t do,’ I said. ‘You end up losing more often than you win. Even Futabayama kept on losing before he started to win. And it’s important to be good at something you’re going to do more often, isn’t it?’
‘I suppose so.’ He thought about it. ‘But what does being good at losing actually mean?’
I met Lea’s gaze over the boy’s shoulder. ‘Daring to lose again,’ I said. (c) Ok, I loved this one.
Q:
I listened to her laughter. Bobby’s had been light and bubbly, like a lively stream. Lea’s was a well. No, a slowly flowing river. (c)
Q:
‘Everyone has doubts. Believers more than anyone.’
‘Really? You, too?’
‘Of course I have doubts... That’s why it’s called faith, not knowledge.’ (c)
February 15, 2016
3.5 This is apparently the second in The Fisherman series, I haven't read the first. Though this is lacking the depth of the Harry Hole novels, I enjoyed this one. The spare prose seems to fit perfectly this fast moving story. Had never heard of the Laestradians before, but they and there beliefs are a key component of this story. I loved the characters, Ulf or Jon, the reluctant hitman, Lea and her young son, Knut and Mattis, a sami priest. A story of retribution, of second chances and difficult choices, not particularly violent, think I will call this series Nordic lite.
ARC from publisher
ARC from publisher
June 4, 2019
In his second novella, Nesbø offers new insight into the world of drug dealers and the redemption they seek, sometimes in places they'd least expect. Jon Hansen has lived a troubled life, at least since he began peddling hash. After a number of unfortunate events, Jon ends up working for the Fisherman, Oslo's drug kingpin. Taking on the role of debt collector and fixer, Jon makes a calculated error and is on the lam with a large sum of drugs and money, with henchmen after him. When Jon shows up in Kåsund, he is not sure what to expect. Located in the far northerly regions of Norway, the area is vast and open, as well as being populated by the Læstadian, a branch of the Lutheran Church, who take their Bible very seriously and cast aspersions on those who frolic in an 'unChristian' manner. Befriended by Knut and Lea Eliassen, Jon is able to hide in a family hunting cabin just outside of town while taking on the name Ulf. However, as Jon tries to plan his next move, the Fisherman sends someone from Oslo to bring a mortal message. Jon must hide himself and gather his wits in a place that he does not belong. As the reader leans more of Jon's backstory, Nesbø also tells of Lea's struggles as daughter of the town's minister and how she has shielded Knut from the harsh truths that many others know. As Jon begins to discover himself and the connection he's developing for those around him, his executioners return to finish the job. Has Jon done enough to save himself, if not the soul that may not be found within him? Nesbø quasi-continuation of the Blood on Snow series is equally captivating as the first novella, though offers fresh and entertaining aspects the reader can appreciate.
There are many authors who are able to concoct and publish a number of novels under their name; even some who can get their work translated for larger distribution. However, Jo Nesbø has acquired a skill that few can profess to have in their quiver, the Midas Touch for fiction writing. Nesbø pushes the limits in all he writes and puts blood and sweat out on the page as he creates characters, plots, and locales that allow fresh ideas to flourish, while staying true to himself. In this novella, Nesbø taps into the devout religiosity that some have and how faith can fit alongside logic in formulating a life plan. He gets a little soft at times, but this only goes to show just how versatile the man can be. I have said it many times before and will do so again, Jo Nesbø is an author whose writing becomes highly addictive, even though it was never penned in English from the start. Not to be dismissed because of its short length, Nesbø can pretty much do whatever he attempts, with great success.
Kudos Mr. Nesbø for a unique spin on a successful collection of ideas. I am hooked and hope you'll keep writing for years to come.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
There are many authors who are able to concoct and publish a number of novels under their name; even some who can get their work translated for larger distribution. However, Jo Nesbø has acquired a skill that few can profess to have in their quiver, the Midas Touch for fiction writing. Nesbø pushes the limits in all he writes and puts blood and sweat out on the page as he creates characters, plots, and locales that allow fresh ideas to flourish, while staying true to himself. In this novella, Nesbø taps into the devout religiosity that some have and how faith can fit alongside logic in formulating a life plan. He gets a little soft at times, but this only goes to show just how versatile the man can be. I have said it many times before and will do so again, Jo Nesbø is an author whose writing becomes highly addictive, even though it was never penned in English from the start. Not to be dismissed because of its short length, Nesbø can pretty much do whatever he attempts, with great success.
Kudos Mr. Nesbø for a unique spin on a successful collection of ideas. I am hooked and hope you'll keep writing for years to come.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
June 9, 2022
Our hero, or antihero, Ulf, was a ‘fixer’ for a drug Lord in Oslo. But he's on the run for double-crossing his boss. If you want to disappear in Norway, where do you go? You go to the farthest, northernmost point of the country, up near Alta, where Norway borders Russia. This is the land of the Midnight Sun, aurora viewing and ice hotels.
Although Ulf (that's his made-up escape name) was in the drug world, we’re kind of supposed to like him, or at least sympathize with him, because he never had to kill anybody or beat anybody up. In fact, his inability to do violence is why he's on the run.
On the other hand, he never makes the connection between his dirty drug dealing doings and the fact that the mother of his infant daughter became a drug addict. He himself is addicted to Valium and alcohol but none of the hard stuff.
A lot of the folks he deals with in the far north region are members of the Sami people (formerly known as Laplanders), and many of them are members of a Christian cult. The cult is real, made up of followers of a strict Swedish Lutheran pastor from the early 1800s named Lars Levi Laestadius.
Ulf gets involved with a young woman who has a boy just becoming a teenager, and whose husband, a fisherman, has just died at sea. They start to fall in love but how is this woman whose father is a minister in the cult going to develop a relationship with this former drug dealer?
The hitmen from the drug dealer track him down of course. Will they get him?
As a geographer I found it interesting how the folks in this region think of Stockholm, Sweden, not Oslo, as kind of ‘the promised land.’ The young woman who has never traveled, dreams of what life in Stockholm would be like.
It was a good story, pretty fast-paced, the plot a bit predictable, but there was a lot of local color of the land of the Midnight Sun, the Sami people, and the cult.
A few lines I liked:
“Hope is a real bastard.”
“We store up all sorts of stories with fabricated logic, so that life can look as though it has some meaning.”
“It’s pretty arrogant, calling all other gods, apart from the one you’ve come up with, idols.”
The author, Jo Nesbo, is obviously a brilliant guy. Consider that he is also a professional rock musician and songwriter. He has been a stockbroker and a journalist. Until sidelined by an injury, he was a professional footballer (soccer).
He is best known for his Harry Hole detective series, but this novel is not one of those. I previously enjoyed his Harry Hole novel, The Snowman, as well as one other non-Harry novel, Blood on the Snow. (Midnight Sun, this book I am reviewing, is Blood on the Snow #2.) All are Nordic noir.
Top photo of Tromso, Norway, near Alta from dangerous-business.com
The author from theguardian.com
Although Ulf (that's his made-up escape name) was in the drug world, we’re kind of supposed to like him, or at least sympathize with him, because he never had to kill anybody or beat anybody up. In fact, his inability to do violence is why he's on the run.
On the other hand, he never makes the connection between his dirty drug dealing doings and the fact that the mother of his infant daughter became a drug addict. He himself is addicted to Valium and alcohol but none of the hard stuff.
A lot of the folks he deals with in the far north region are members of the Sami people (formerly known as Laplanders), and many of them are members of a Christian cult. The cult is real, made up of followers of a strict Swedish Lutheran pastor from the early 1800s named Lars Levi Laestadius.
Ulf gets involved with a young woman who has a boy just becoming a teenager, and whose husband, a fisherman, has just died at sea. They start to fall in love but how is this woman whose father is a minister in the cult going to develop a relationship with this former drug dealer?
The hitmen from the drug dealer track him down of course. Will they get him?
As a geographer I found it interesting how the folks in this region think of Stockholm, Sweden, not Oslo, as kind of ‘the promised land.’ The young woman who has never traveled, dreams of what life in Stockholm would be like.
It was a good story, pretty fast-paced, the plot a bit predictable, but there was a lot of local color of the land of the Midnight Sun, the Sami people, and the cult.
A few lines I liked:
“Hope is a real bastard.”
“We store up all sorts of stories with fabricated logic, so that life can look as though it has some meaning.”
“It’s pretty arrogant, calling all other gods, apart from the one you’ve come up with, idols.”
The author, Jo Nesbo, is obviously a brilliant guy. Consider that he is also a professional rock musician and songwriter. He has been a stockbroker and a journalist. Until sidelined by an injury, he was a professional footballer (soccer).
He is best known for his Harry Hole detective series, but this novel is not one of those. I previously enjoyed his Harry Hole novel, The Snowman, as well as one other non-Harry novel, Blood on the Snow. (Midnight Sun, this book I am reviewing, is Blood on the Snow #2.) All are Nordic noir.
Top photo of Tromso, Norway, near Alta from dangerous-business.com
The author from theguardian.com
January 10, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It's short, well written and told at a good pace. I found it difficult to put down once I started. I liked the main character, Jon, and really wanted the best for him. I also liked the other characters he meets, particularly Knut. I found the interaction between Knut and Jon humorous and lovely. This story isn't quite as in depth as the Harry Hole series, and I liked this. Sometimes I found the Harry Hole series had too many characters and story lines. This one was just perfect for me, as the story alternates between the present moment and Jon's past. I also loved the vivid descriptions of Finnmark, and learning about the Sami people and Laestadianism. I would say this is probably my favourite Jo Nesbo story!
February 5, 2021
در داستانهای یو نسبو، همیشه اوضاع و احوال و شرایط اجتماعی که وصف میشه برای من جذابیت بیشتری داره تا هیجان ناشی از معما و ماجرای پلیسی. اینجا هم مثلاً تعصبات مذهبی و شیوهی زندگی سنتی در روستاهای نروژ، که قدری دور از انتظار بود، خیلی خوب و جالب نشون داده شده. ترجمهی تروتمیز و روانی هم داشت
December 4, 2015
Finally, he had reached the end of the line, the Finnmark Plateau, where the summer months see no sunset in the land of the Midnight Sun. Peering squinty eyed over the horizon , the sun casting its blood orange hue on the dark, glassy sea, just passed the island that dots its surface, he could imagine the frosty tip of the North Pole. He pulls his jacket closer bracing for the chill, absentmindedly fingers the gun in his pocket and surrenders to the cold isolation and the stark desolation ahead.
What was so beautiful about this flat, monotonous, bleak landscape? It's like Mars. A red desert. Uninhabitable and cruel. The perfect hiding place.
Surely, here in this furthest north section of Norway, he could leave far behind his criminal mistakes, become invisible, escape the manhunt and the deadly clutches of the drug lord known in Oslo as the Fisherman. In the quaint, religious-minded, small community of Kåsund, as he bunks down for the night in its quiet little village church, it certainly seems that way.
Jo Nesbo's second novella in the crime thriller series, Blood on Snow, features his new anti-hero, Jon Hansen alias Ulf, fleeing from his drug-pushing past, a painful personal tragedy and, more perilously, the debt-collecting employ of a deadly underworld crime boss.
Ironically, this ex-hitman has never 'hit' anyone. Jon has so far been effective in wit and words, not bullets; when called to act, his trigger finger literally freezes - a flaw in his job description that makes him in the readers' eyes a likable character worth salvaging; yet that same flaw, in its duplicitous nature, might turn out to be the thing that would ultimately destroy him.
The Fisherman always finds what he's looking for.
For most Nesbo fans who relished the high-powered adrenalin pump and 'torture porn' ( Nesbo's words) of his Harry Hole series, this new Nordic Noir would seem considerably Nesbo-lite. But don't take that as a letdown. He trades the complex criminal plot design, violence and gory pulp for a more human-interest construct: a contemplation of irreversible mistakes, an introspection of human frailties, the healing of wretched spirits and the redemptive value of love. One may even recognize traces of the themes masterfully illuminated in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, of Jean Valjean's self discoveries nuanced in Jon Hansen's. Though I have a thing for the old Harry Hole's brooding, self-immolating character, I like this new style of Jo Nesbo, easing up on the violence and darkness, but still keeping apace with psychological thrills, a little humor and a human edge. Read in a few uninterrupted hours, this tale from the land of the Midnight Sun may be short but in its partially light and dark tones, it is nonetheless a Goodread.
What was so beautiful about this flat, monotonous, bleak landscape? It's like Mars. A red desert. Uninhabitable and cruel. The perfect hiding place.
Surely, here in this furthest north section of Norway, he could leave far behind his criminal mistakes, become invisible, escape the manhunt and the deadly clutches of the drug lord known in Oslo as the Fisherman. In the quaint, religious-minded, small community of Kåsund, as he bunks down for the night in its quiet little village church, it certainly seems that way.
Jo Nesbo's second novella in the crime thriller series, Blood on Snow, features his new anti-hero, Jon Hansen alias Ulf, fleeing from his drug-pushing past, a painful personal tragedy and, more perilously, the debt-collecting employ of a deadly underworld crime boss.
Ironically, this ex-hitman has never 'hit' anyone. Jon has so far been effective in wit and words, not bullets; when called to act, his trigger finger literally freezes - a flaw in his job description that makes him in the readers' eyes a likable character worth salvaging; yet that same flaw, in its duplicitous nature, might turn out to be the thing that would ultimately destroy him.
The Fisherman always finds what he's looking for.
For most Nesbo fans who relished the high-powered adrenalin pump and 'torture porn' ( Nesbo's words) of his Harry Hole series, this new Nordic Noir would seem considerably Nesbo-lite. But don't take that as a letdown. He trades the complex criminal plot design, violence and gory pulp for a more human-interest construct: a contemplation of irreversible mistakes, an introspection of human frailties, the healing of wretched spirits and the redemptive value of love. One may even recognize traces of the themes masterfully illuminated in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, of Jean Valjean's self discoveries nuanced in Jon Hansen's. Though I have a thing for the old Harry Hole's brooding, self-immolating character, I like this new style of Jo Nesbo, easing up on the violence and darkness, but still keeping apace with psychological thrills, a little humor and a human edge. Read in a few uninterrupted hours, this tale from the land of the Midnight Sun may be short but in its partially light and dark tones, it is nonetheless a Goodread.
August 10, 2018
λοιπόν έχουμε και λέμε, ο Νέσμπο γράφει παιδικά βιβλία, γράφει αστυνομικά και γράφει και ρομαντικά! ναι λοιπόν, ρομαντική περιπέτεια με ευχάριστο τέλος! ίσως και 3,5 γιατί με εξέπληξε ευχάριστα το τέλος της ιστορίας παρόλο που ήταν κοινότυπο και συνηθισμένο, ναι γιατί θέλουμε και λίγο love story μέσα σε όλο το φονικό, ναι γιατί ο Νέσμπο το 'χει ό,τι και να λέμε.
αυτά! δεν έχω να πω τίποτα άλλο, μάλλον ανήκω στους λίγους που τους άρεσε αλλά γουστάρω να βλέπω το Νέσμπο να τσαλακώνει το υπέροχο αστυνομικό στυλ του!!!
αυτά! δεν έχω να πω τίποτα άλλο, μάλλον ανήκω στους λίγους που τους άρεσε αλλά γουστάρω να βλέπω το Νέσμπο να τσαλακώνει το υπέροχο αστυνομικό στυλ του!!!
March 16, 2017
اگه این خدایی که میگین وجود داره، پس چرا اینطوری با جون آدما بازی میکنه، چرا میذاره یه بچه توی بدبختی بزرگ بشه و یکی دیگه توی رفاه کامل، یا به یکی این شانس رو میده که ایمان نجات بخشش رو پیدا کنه، در حال که یه کرور آدم هیچوقت هیچی راجع به خدا به گوششون نمیخوره. چرا آخه... چطور میتونه...؟
از متن کتاب
از متن کتاب
March 21, 2018
Een goede Nesbo...toch geef ik de voorkeur aan de Harry Hole thrillers!
February 27, 2020
“Maybe people do have something in common after all, a desire to hold onto something solid.”
“Midnight Sun” is a quick read, and a little unlike some Jo Nesbø I have read. Many of his books have disappointed me, this one did not!
The plot is simple, a hitman (who has actually never performed a “hit”) flees from a crime boss whose orders he did not follow into the northern Norwegian hinterlands.
This novel reads and feels like noir, and its economic prose is perfect for the text. Nesbø does an excellent job of filling in knowledge gaps for the reader bit by bit. Chapter 8 in the text came as a complete shock to me. I did not see the book leading to what it revealed because I was making assumptions about information the text provided. A great feat performed by the author. Another pleasure of the text are the conversations between the protagonist Ulf, and Knut, a boy of 10.
The ending of “Midnight Sun” works. It is simple, and you can take it as definitive, or open ended depending on your view. Tight characterization, some great dialogue, and a suspenseful and tautly rendered plot made this a fun read for me.
“Midnight Sun” is a quick read, and a little unlike some Jo Nesbø I have read. Many of his books have disappointed me, this one did not!
The plot is simple, a hitman (who has actually never performed a “hit”) flees from a crime boss whose orders he did not follow into the northern Norwegian hinterlands.
This novel reads and feels like noir, and its economic prose is perfect for the text. Nesbø does an excellent job of filling in knowledge gaps for the reader bit by bit. Chapter 8 in the text came as a complete shock to me. I did not see the book leading to what it revealed because I was making assumptions about information the text provided. A great feat performed by the author. Another pleasure of the text are the conversations between the protagonist Ulf, and Knut, a boy of 10.
The ending of “Midnight Sun” works. It is simple, and you can take it as definitive, or open ended depending on your view. Tight characterization, some great dialogue, and a suspenseful and tautly rendered plot made this a fun read for me.
December 1, 2020
Segundo libro de la serie Sicarios de Oslo como continuación a "Sangre en la nieve". Ya me gustó mucho aquella y me ha vuelto a gustar mucho también esta. Pero tengo que quejarme de lo mismo que en la primera, es muy cortita para mi gusto, me la he leído en un pis-pas. Insisto que no tiene nada que ver con las intensas del comisario Harry Hole, todas las cuales he leído y seguiré siendo fiel seguidor, pero reconozco que esta serie me está gustando mucho, tiene un humor negro que agradezco. Lo dicho , insisto en lo que dije por la anterior, una pequeña gran novela negra.
May 25, 2016
Καταρχήν αυτό το βιβλίο (και θα έλεγα και το πρώτο) είναι καθαρό μάρκετιγκ και σίγουρα δεν αξίζει να το αγοράσει κάποιος, δίνοντας 12 € και άλλα 12 για το πρώτο μέρος, τη στιγμή που θα μπορούσε με 15 € να αγοράσει ένα άλλο που θα ήταν και τα δύο μαζί σε όγκο. Πιο ειλικρινές στο αγοραστικό κοινό θα ήταν και τα δυο μέρη να ήταν ένα βιβλίο, όπου η μοίρα των πρωταγωνιστών αποδεικνύεται τελικά άκρως αντίθετη.
Πάμε τώρα στα ενδότερα του βιβλίου: ο Νέσμπο που αγαπάμε, με τον ήρωά του να είναι στη δούλεψη ενός μεγαλέμπορoυ ναρκωτικών, που προσπαθεί να ξεφύγει από αυτόν, μετά από μια επιπολαιότητα που έκανε (ναι, τον έκλεψε....) Για το λόγο αυτό διαφεύγει στη Λαπωνία, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapland...) εκεί που ο χρόνος φαίνεται να κυλάει χαλαραααα (αλλά τα φαινόμενα απατούν) και "μπλέκει" με μια σέχτα χριστιανών που πιστεύουν... ότι όλοι οι υπόλοιποι θα καούν στην κόλαση με λίγα λόγια. Λογοτεχνική αφήγηση, κινηματογραφική δράση, ήρωας με ιδανικά που αντιτίθενται στη δουλειά του, θα βρείτε πολλά κοινά με τον Όλαφ του πρώτου μέρους. Όχι, μην περιμένετε να μάθετε τη μοίρα των προηγούμενων πρωταγωνιστών, η ιστορία τους τελειώνει στο πρώτο μέρος. Εδώ οι ήρωες είναι διαφορετικοί, αλλά του αυτού συναφιού, με τα δικά τους προβλήματα να αντιμετωπίσουν και τους δικούς τους δαίμονες να σκοτώσουν (κάτι που κατορθώνουν συνήθως με το αλκοόλ).
Φανταστείτε ότι βλέπετε μια καλογυρισμένη ταινία, ξαπλώστε, στον καναπέ ή στο κρεβάτι σας (ή οπουδήποτε αλλού σας βολεύει) και απολαύστε.... Ο 11ος Χάρυ Χόλε πάντως κυκλοφορεί το φθινόπωρο!!!
ΚΑΙ ΜΕ ΑΥΤΟ ΤΟ ΒΙΒΛΙΟ ΕΧΩ ΟΛΟΚΛΗΡΩΣΕΙ ΠΛΕΟΝ ΟΤΙ ΚΥΚΛΟΦΟΡΕΙ ΣΕ ΝΕΣΜΠΟ!!!! ΡΩΤΗΣΤΕ ΜΕ ΟΤΙ ΘΕΛΕΤΕ, ΕΧΩ ΔΙΑΒΑΣΕΙ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΝ ΠΑΙΔΙΚΗ ΣΕΙΡΑ ΤΟΥ!!!!!
Πάμε τώρα στα ενδότερα του βιβλίου: ο Νέσμπο που αγαπάμε, με τον ήρωά του να είναι στη δούλεψη ενός μεγαλέμπορoυ ναρκωτικών, που προσπαθεί να ξεφύγει από αυτόν, μετά από μια επιπολαιότητα που έκανε (ναι, τον έκλεψε....) Για το λόγο αυτό διαφεύγει στη Λαπωνία, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapland...) εκεί που ο χρόνος φαίνεται να κυλάει χαλαραααα (αλλά τα φαινόμενα απατούν) και "μπλέκει" με μια σέχτα χριστιανών που πιστεύουν... ότι όλοι οι υπόλοιποι θα καούν στην κόλαση με λίγα λόγια. Λογοτεχνική αφήγηση, κινηματογραφική δράση, ήρωας με ιδανικά που αντιτίθενται στη δουλειά του, θα βρείτε πολλά κοινά με τον Όλαφ του πρώτου μέρους. Όχι, μην περιμένετε να μάθετε τη μοίρα των προηγούμενων πρωταγωνιστών, η ιστορία τους τελειώνει στο πρώτο μέρος. Εδώ οι ήρωες είναι διαφορετικοί, αλλά του αυτού συναφιού, με τα δικά τους προβλήματα να αντιμετωπίσουν και τους δικούς τους δαίμονες να σκοτώσουν (κάτι που κατορθώνουν συνήθως με το αλκοόλ).
Φανταστείτε ότι βλέπετε μια καλογυρισμένη ταινία, ξαπλώστε, στον καναπέ ή στο κρεβάτι σας (ή οπουδήποτε αλλού σας βολεύει) και απολαύστε.... Ο 11ος Χάρυ Χόλε πάντως κυκλοφορεί το φθινόπωρο!!!
ΚΑΙ ΜΕ ΑΥΤΟ ΤΟ ΒΙΒΛΙΟ ΕΧΩ ΟΛΟΚΛΗΡΩΣΕΙ ΠΛΕΟΝ ΟΤΙ ΚΥΚΛΟΦΟΡΕΙ ΣΕ ΝΕΣΜΠΟ!!!! ΡΩΤΗΣΤΕ ΜΕ ΟΤΙ ΘΕΛΕΤΕ, ΕΧΩ ΔΙΑΒΑΣΕΙ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΝ ΠΑΙΔΙΚΗ ΣΕΙΡΑ ΤΟΥ!!!!!
September 27, 2025
Ulf is a loser, a former drug dealer trying to escape the wrath of a crime lord by hiding out in far northern wilderness of Norway. There he reflects on his sorry life and ultimately finds hope and possibly salvation.
May 28, 2025
My first ever jo Nesbo I would say it was ok.
This book is not a Harry hole novel
To me this was just a stop gap for me
This book is not a Harry hole novel
To me this was just a stop gap for me
September 5, 2019
This is the second of this series about Fixers and The Fisherman who is Oslo’s number one drug baron. This one features Jon Hansen or Ulf who is on the run from Fisherman having failed to carry out a ‘fix’. I absolutely love the setting in Finnmark so far north that the sun never sets in summer and the Sami characters that he meets in Kasuna. Mattis is an interesting character and in a slightly dodgy way, he is honourable. The boy Knut is fabulous as is his mother Lea who Jon/Ulf falls for. The culture is this area is part of the backdrop to the story, there’s the strict Laestadian (Lutheran) church with its core belief that anyone who isn’t of their faith are false Christians and then there are the Sami traditions which do seem more fun! There are some humorous moments, some elements that are quite magical, some fantastic dream sequences, some lovely descriptions, some aspects that are sad and cruel and some ingenuity in order to escape the fixers sent by The Fisherman to extract revenge for failing to carry out an order. Jon is another fixer with a heart as his motives for getting involved in the jobs that he does for The Fisherman are motivated by love and he escapes the avenging hitmen because of love.
Overall, an interesting novella that I enjoyed. Finally, I love that meatballs are considered ‘fancy’ in Alta!!!
Overall, an interesting novella that I enjoyed. Finally, I love that meatballs are considered ‘fancy’ in Alta!!!
May 7, 2016
What do you do when you are running from the most powerful crime boss in Oslo? You go to the ends of the earth, figuratively. Ulf narrates this story, as he explains that he’s hiding from a dangerous past. Ulf decided Finnmark would be a perfect place to hide, given its inhospitable climate and landscape. During May through July, Finnmark is so far north that the sun is shining 24/7, which is called “The midnight Sun”. The problem is, because of the remoteness, the population is sparse. Hence, it’s difficult to “hide” in an area where a new person popping up in town sets the Town Crier aflutter.
Author Jo Nesbo, notably known for his Harry Hole series, is an author with a dark sense of humor, who’s not afraid of using that wit to amuse his readers. Nesbo sets up his story perfectly: a criminal in hiding finding himself a town of quirky characters. Among the eccentric individuals is an enclave of strict
Sami Laestadians Christians. Ulf finds himself walking a tight rope between the Samis and the strict Christians, which provides fodder for Nesbo’s wit.
As a devotee of the Harry Hole series, I was pleased with this novel. I enjoy Nesbo’s repartee and sparse prose. His descriptions are minimal, but the reader gets the full jolt of feeling. Like Harry, Ulf is a complex character who despite dabbling in unpleasant business, the reader finds likable. It’s a quick and enjoyable read. I highly recommend it as a fast weekend novel.
Author Jo Nesbo, notably known for his Harry Hole series, is an author with a dark sense of humor, who’s not afraid of using that wit to amuse his readers. Nesbo sets up his story perfectly: a criminal in hiding finding himself a town of quirky characters. Among the eccentric individuals is an enclave of strict
Sami Laestadians Christians. Ulf finds himself walking a tight rope between the Samis and the strict Christians, which provides fodder for Nesbo’s wit.
As a devotee of the Harry Hole series, I was pleased with this novel. I enjoy Nesbo’s repartee and sparse prose. His descriptions are minimal, but the reader gets the full jolt of feeling. Like Harry, Ulf is a complex character who despite dabbling in unpleasant business, the reader finds likable. It’s a quick and enjoyable read. I highly recommend it as a fast weekend novel.
March 19, 2016
Προβληματίστηκα αρκετά μ' αυτό το βιβλίο..Παρόλο που ορίζεται σαν η συνέχεια του "Αίμα στο Χιόνι",η μόνη πραγματική ομοιότητα είναι η ναρκοκοινότητα του Όσλο και ο περιβόητος Ψαράς.Είχα την εντύπωση πως ο ήρωας του πρώτου μέρους είχε κάπως επιβιώσει,και στο δεύτερο έτρεχε να ξεφύγει από τους διώκτες του.Όταν συνειδητοποίησα πως δεν ισχύει,το βιβλίο έχασε λίγη,τόση δα,από τη λάμψη του.
Λατρεύω τον Nesbo.Λατρεύω τα βιβλία του και δεν συγκρίνω τα 4 που έχει γράψει εκτός Χάρι Χόλε,με το Χάρι Χόλε.Είναι διαφορετικά πράγματα,τόσο απλά!Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο το διάβασα σαν αυτόνομο(αφού κατάπια την πίκρα της μη συνέχειας)και προσπάθησα να ξεχωρίσω τα υπερ και τα κατά του.Ιδού,λοιπόν:
Στα υπερ,αναμφισβήτητα η γρήγορη αφήγηση των γεγονότων και οι απίθανες περιγραφές του σκανδιναβικού Βορρά.
Στα κατά,η επίπεδη αφήγηση(πουθενά έξαρση,πουθενά σασπενς,δεν μας έχει συνηθίσει σε τέτοια ο άρχοντας και τα έψαχνα.)Η σκηνή όπου ο ήρωας βρίσκει το πιο απίθανο και σιχαμερό μέρος να κρυφτεί μου θύμισε την αντίστοιχη στους "Κυνηγούς κεφαλών".Το ότι ο ήρωας δεν είχε τόσο βάθος τελικά όσο άλλοι χαρακτήρες του Nesbo.Τον συμπάθησα πολύ λιγότερο από εκείνον του "Αίματος στο Χιόνι",δεν ξέρω να σας πω ακριβώς γιατί..
Για το happy end,δεν μπορώ να αποφασίσω ακόμα αν κατατάσσεται στα υπέρ ή τα κατά.Από τη μία,εύλογα χαίρεται κανείς όταν ο ήρωας βρίσκει τη γαλήνη και ζει αυτός καλά και οι αναγνώστες καλύτερα..Από την άλλη δε μας έχει συνηθίσει σε τέτοια ο συγγραφέας,ήμουν κι επηρεασμένη από το πρώτο βιβλίο,τι να πω..Δεν έχω καταλήξει ακόμα.Το σίγουρο είναι πως κατάφερε να κλείσει την ιστορία με ωραίο τρόπο - αν και δε θα με εξέπληττε να έβγαζε σε κανέναν χρόνο το τρίτο μέρος,το "Ακόμα περισσότερο αίμα" ή κάτι τέτοιο! :P
Συνοπτικά,είναι ένα καλό βιβλίο,αν διαβαστεί ανεξάρτητα.Βγαίνει εύκολα,γρήγορα -μικρός ο όγκος του,βλέπετε!- αλλά δε νομίζω πως μένει εύκολα στο μυαλό του αναγνώστη.Δεν θα το χαρακτηρίσω σε καμία περίπτωση "ξεπέτα",αλλά "ενδιαφέρουσα προσπάθεια"..Σίγουρα όμως ο Jo Nesbo έχει γράψει πολύ καλύτερα βιβλία και όλοι οι πιστοί του αναγνώστες περιμένουμε με ανυπομονησία το επόμενο,πολυσέλιδο,συναρπαστικό μυθιστόρημά του.
Περισσότερα,εδώ: http://www.artsandthecity.gr/%CE%B2%C...
Λατρεύω τον Nesbo.Λατρεύω τα βιβλία του και δεν συγκρίνω τα 4 που έχει γράψει εκτός Χάρι Χόλε,με το Χάρι Χόλε.Είναι διαφορετικά πράγματα,τόσο απλά!Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο το διάβασα σαν αυτόνομο(αφού κατάπια την πίκρα της μη συνέχειας)και προσπάθησα να ξεχωρίσω τα υπερ και τα κατά του.Ιδού,λοιπόν:
Στα υπερ,αναμφισβήτητα η γρήγορη αφήγηση των γεγονότων και οι απίθανες περιγραφές του σκανδιναβικού Βορρά.
Στα κατά,η επίπεδη αφήγηση(πουθενά έξαρση,πουθενά σασπενς,δεν μας έχει συνηθίσει σε τέτοια ο άρχοντας και τα έψαχνα.)Η σκηνή όπου ο ήρωας βρίσκει το πιο απίθανο και σιχαμερό μέρος να κρυφτεί μου θύμισε την αντίστοιχη στους "Κυνηγούς κεφαλών".Το ότι ο ήρωας δεν είχε τόσο βάθος τελικά όσο άλλοι χαρακτήρες του Nesbo.Τον συμπάθησα πολύ λιγότερο από εκείνον του "Αίματος στο Χιόνι",δεν ξέρω να σας πω ακριβώς γιατί..
Για το happy end,δεν μπορώ να αποφασίσω ακόμα αν κατατάσσεται στα υπέρ ή τα κατά.Από τη μία,εύλογα χαίρεται κανείς όταν ο ήρωας βρίσκει τη γαλήνη και ζει αυτός καλά και οι αναγνώστες καλύτερα..Από την άλλη δε μας έχει συνηθίσει σε τέτοια ο συγγραφέας,ήμουν κι επηρεασμένη από το πρώτο βιβλίο,τι να πω..Δεν έχω καταλήξει ακόμα.Το σίγουρο είναι πως κατάφερε να κλείσει την ιστορία με ωραίο τρόπο - αν και δε θα με εξέπληττε να έβγαζε σε κανέναν χρόνο το τρίτο μέρος,το "Ακόμα περισσότερο αίμα" ή κάτι τέτοιο! :P
Συνοπτικά,είναι ένα καλό βιβλίο,αν διαβαστεί ανεξάρτητα.Βγαίνει εύκολα,γρήγορα -μικρός ο όγκος του,βλέπετε!- αλλά δε νομίζω πως μένει εύκολα στο μυαλό του αναγνώστη.Δεν θα το χαρακτηρίσω σε καμία περίπτωση "ξεπέτα",αλλά "ενδιαφέρουσα προσπάθεια"..Σίγουρα όμως ο Jo Nesbo έχει γράψει πολύ καλύτερα βιβλία και όλοι οι πιστοί του αναγνώστες περιμένουμε με ανυπομονησία το επόμενο,πολυσέλιδο,συναρπαστικό μυθιστόρημά του.
Περισσότερα,εδώ: http://www.artsandthecity.gr/%CE%B2%C...
July 23, 2023
Credeam că volum doi al seriei o să aibă aceleași personaje și că o să dea un final fericit primul volum, asta fiindcă are un titlu cam romantic. M-am înșelat, este o poveste de dragoste dark plasată într-un loc mai puțin cunoscut din Norvegia. Bineînțeles că se desfășoară tot în lumea crimei și drogurilor, dar e mult mai puțin întunecată.
June 24, 2017
4.5 stars
Midnight Sun is essentially a companion piece to Blood on Snow, a standalone featuring a “fixer” (hit man) by the name of Olav and employed by one of the kingpins who control the Oslo heroin market. In that novella, anti-hero Olav stole the hour as a contract killer with a heart, caught up in the crossfire of his bosses battle for control of the drugs trade with arch enemy, The Fisherman. Midnight Sun is a character study of Jon Hansen, a man who is employed like Olav in the role of “fixer” and this second novella packs an even more powerful punch that the first. Having crossed The Fisherman somewhat unintentionally due to his inability to pull the trigger and having made off with shared financial spoils, Jon is on the run with nowhere to go. The Finnmark Plateau is where is winds up amid the bleak and desolate backwater town of Kåsund. Seventy-hours on the run and with two-thousand kilometres covered from Oslo takes him far above the Arctic Circle to a region where there is continuous daylight from early May to early August; the so called “end of the line”. Originally thought of as the home of the Sami people (Laplanders), what Jon in fact discovers on arrival is a town that is home to native Laplanders but dominated by a draconian religious order in the Laestradian religious sect. Sparsely populated, the first person he meets is Mattis, a nosy native with an idiosyncratic sense of humour. Giving his name as Ulf, self-deprecating Jon states his business as ‘hunting’, but without a rifle and too early for the season to have started, impish Mattis suspects he is being a little reticent and directs Ulf to the church for shelter. With pistol and loot stowed, he is woken the next morning by a ten-year-old boy, Knut, whose grieving mother, Lea, is the church cleaner and his grandfather the pastor behind the religious sect, Jakob Sara. August 1978 and the arrival of the southerner becomes a focus for the community where everybody knows everybody else’s business…
Sending Ulf to the seclusion of the nearby hunting cabin and lending him her husbands rifle, Lea Sara is kind but quite clearly weighed down by her own problems. Her son, Knut’s, fascination with the visitor sees him delivering supplies and the pair forging a tender father-son like bond. Without his regular supply of Valium, the never setting sun and anxiety of discovery combine to keep sleep out of Ulf’s grasp. As he steadily finds himself being driven to insanity with the isolation and withdrawal from society, his sleep-deprivation finds him craving company and venturing into the village to a pagan wedding. As he becomes acquainted with the locals, made up of the Sámi population and dominated by the Laestadian church he aligns himself with beautiful Lea and her son, despite his atheism. As he awaits his hit man replacement, Johnny Moe, to terminate his life, Ulf’s capacity for empathy sees him observe the suffering of Lea and Knut and recognise someone who despite originally seeming worlds apart he has more in common with than seemed evident. As Ulf comes to understand how religion has effectively tied Lea’s hands he simultaneously learns that the body of her husband, trawlerman Hugo Eliassen, has washed ashore and thereby confirmed his death at sea. But for Ulf to rescue Lea and Knut he must rely on the peaceful town not to throw him to The Fisherman’s thugs. Focused on rescuing Lea from misery and fear and living like a man on borrowed time, Ulf’s emotions are sent into overdrive by the approach on the men who have come to hunt him out of the lonely cabin he has settled into.
As Nesbo cuts back and forth between life in Kåsund and the life that came before for Jon in Oslo, readers will be touched by his sincerity and humanity and gain some understanding of a man who has felt both grief and despair. Running from a certain death at the hands of one of The Fisherman’s henchmen, in Kåsund he finally discovered something worth living for in beautiful Lea and Knut. Despite this being a novella (approximately two-hundred-pages), I did not feel that it suffered from a lack of depth as the story and central characters proved fascinating. Midnight Sun weaves the story of Jon on the run with a poignant look at his life to date in Oslo and Nesbo’s stripped back and candid prose hits home as Jon discovers that there is a second chance waiting and the possibility of redemption. Superbly plotted with an audacious barrage of twists, Midnight Sun is sketched in markedly broad strokes and much of the enjoyment is left to the readers imagination in painting the finer details. The unforgiving landscape, the customs of the Laplanders and the prevailing religious fervour combine to make a mesmerising tale. But it is Jon’s compunction and a heart stopping finale that shows that it is events which drive people and sometimes doing bad things along the way can be forgiven when seen as a means to an end. Blurring the distinct boundaries of morality, my heart wanted to give this a five star, but it was the constant recourse and focus on the church’s fundamental position in the community that weighed on me, largely because Lea’s miserable circumstances to date have been dictated by the Laestradian church.
Midnight Sun is essentially a companion piece to Blood on Snow, a standalone featuring a “fixer” (hit man) by the name of Olav and employed by one of the kingpins who control the Oslo heroin market. In that novella, anti-hero Olav stole the hour as a contract killer with a heart, caught up in the crossfire of his bosses battle for control of the drugs trade with arch enemy, The Fisherman. Midnight Sun is a character study of Jon Hansen, a man who is employed like Olav in the role of “fixer” and this second novella packs an even more powerful punch that the first. Having crossed The Fisherman somewhat unintentionally due to his inability to pull the trigger and having made off with shared financial spoils, Jon is on the run with nowhere to go. The Finnmark Plateau is where is winds up amid the bleak and desolate backwater town of Kåsund. Seventy-hours on the run and with two-thousand kilometres covered from Oslo takes him far above the Arctic Circle to a region where there is continuous daylight from early May to early August; the so called “end of the line”. Originally thought of as the home of the Sami people (Laplanders), what Jon in fact discovers on arrival is a town that is home to native Laplanders but dominated by a draconian religious order in the Laestradian religious sect. Sparsely populated, the first person he meets is Mattis, a nosy native with an idiosyncratic sense of humour. Giving his name as Ulf, self-deprecating Jon states his business as ‘hunting’, but without a rifle and too early for the season to have started, impish Mattis suspects he is being a little reticent and directs Ulf to the church for shelter. With pistol and loot stowed, he is woken the next morning by a ten-year-old boy, Knut, whose grieving mother, Lea, is the church cleaner and his grandfather the pastor behind the religious sect, Jakob Sara. August 1978 and the arrival of the southerner becomes a focus for the community where everybody knows everybody else’s business…
Sending Ulf to the seclusion of the nearby hunting cabin and lending him her husbands rifle, Lea Sara is kind but quite clearly weighed down by her own problems. Her son, Knut’s, fascination with the visitor sees him delivering supplies and the pair forging a tender father-son like bond. Without his regular supply of Valium, the never setting sun and anxiety of discovery combine to keep sleep out of Ulf’s grasp. As he steadily finds himself being driven to insanity with the isolation and withdrawal from society, his sleep-deprivation finds him craving company and venturing into the village to a pagan wedding. As he becomes acquainted with the locals, made up of the Sámi population and dominated by the Laestadian church he aligns himself with beautiful Lea and her son, despite his atheism. As he awaits his hit man replacement, Johnny Moe, to terminate his life, Ulf’s capacity for empathy sees him observe the suffering of Lea and Knut and recognise someone who despite originally seeming worlds apart he has more in common with than seemed evident. As Ulf comes to understand how religion has effectively tied Lea’s hands he simultaneously learns that the body of her husband, trawlerman Hugo Eliassen, has washed ashore and thereby confirmed his death at sea. But for Ulf to rescue Lea and Knut he must rely on the peaceful town not to throw him to The Fisherman’s thugs. Focused on rescuing Lea from misery and fear and living like a man on borrowed time, Ulf’s emotions are sent into overdrive by the approach on the men who have come to hunt him out of the lonely cabin he has settled into.
As Nesbo cuts back and forth between life in Kåsund and the life that came before for Jon in Oslo, readers will be touched by his sincerity and humanity and gain some understanding of a man who has felt both grief and despair. Running from a certain death at the hands of one of The Fisherman’s henchmen, in Kåsund he finally discovered something worth living for in beautiful Lea and Knut. Despite this being a novella (approximately two-hundred-pages), I did not feel that it suffered from a lack of depth as the story and central characters proved fascinating. Midnight Sun weaves the story of Jon on the run with a poignant look at his life to date in Oslo and Nesbo’s stripped back and candid prose hits home as Jon discovers that there is a second chance waiting and the possibility of redemption. Superbly plotted with an audacious barrage of twists, Midnight Sun is sketched in markedly broad strokes and much of the enjoyment is left to the readers imagination in painting the finer details. The unforgiving landscape, the customs of the Laplanders and the prevailing religious fervour combine to make a mesmerising tale. But it is Jon’s compunction and a heart stopping finale that shows that it is events which drive people and sometimes doing bad things along the way can be forgiven when seen as a means to an end. Blurring the distinct boundaries of morality, my heart wanted to give this a five star, but it was the constant recourse and focus on the church’s fundamental position in the community that weighed on me, largely because Lea’s miserable circumstances to date have been dictated by the Laestradian church.
August 6, 2025
Започна интересно тази новела, но в последствие приликите с "Кръв по снега" се понатрупаха и това уби донякъде удоволствието от прочтита ѝ.
Несбьо се справя добре в по-кратките форми, а Хуле не ми липсва никак.
Все пак, има и други разбойници на този свят, не са всичките нежни и раними души. Може да се поогледа за таквиз следващия път.
Несбьо се справя добре в по-кратките форми, а Хуле не ми липсва никак.
Все пак, има и други разбойници на този свят, не са всичките нежни и раними души. Може да се поогледа за таквиз следващия път.
January 20, 2016
After crossing Oslo’s drug kingpin The Fisherman, low-level thug Jon flees to a tiny mountain town a stone’s throw from the North Pole. Careful not to get too comfortable as his enemies are just over the horizon, Jon takes up the temporary alias of “Ulf”, a hunter from the city, and befriends a single mother, Lea, and her young son, Knut.
Already suffering from a drug-deprived insomnia, Jon underestimated just how difficult it would be to live where the sun never sets. Coupled with intense paranoia surrounding the arrival of his would-be assassin, Jon’s sanity begins to unravel in the face of his mortality and the safety of those he has grown to love.
Midnight Sun is the sort-of-sequel to 2014’s Blood on Snow. While we’re following a different character, the plot remains similar in so much as we have a rogue employee on the run from his vengeful boss. Although the original was planned as a stand-alone, Nesbo clearly loved playing around in a world uninhabited by his signature character Harry Hole and decided to continue following the exploits of The Fisherman, a Scandinavian crime-lord and his disobedient staff.
In keeping the timeline rooted in the 1970s, Nesbo doesn’t have to bother with cell phones, computers or any “new” technology keeping the plot pretty bare-bones, giving him more time to spend inside the character’s head as he waxes philosophical on life, depression and music.
Midnight Sun, while not exactly a fresh and exciting presentation, is still a solid read. It’s a little old-school crime fiction that hardboiled readers should be able to blow through in an afternoon.
Already suffering from a drug-deprived insomnia, Jon underestimated just how difficult it would be to live where the sun never sets. Coupled with intense paranoia surrounding the arrival of his would-be assassin, Jon’s sanity begins to unravel in the face of his mortality and the safety of those he has grown to love.
Midnight Sun is the sort-of-sequel to 2014’s Blood on Snow. While we’re following a different character, the plot remains similar in so much as we have a rogue employee on the run from his vengeful boss. Although the original was planned as a stand-alone, Nesbo clearly loved playing around in a world uninhabited by his signature character Harry Hole and decided to continue following the exploits of The Fisherman, a Scandinavian crime-lord and his disobedient staff.
In keeping the timeline rooted in the 1970s, Nesbo doesn’t have to bother with cell phones, computers or any “new” technology keeping the plot pretty bare-bones, giving him more time to spend inside the character’s head as he waxes philosophical on life, depression and music.
Midnight Sun, while not exactly a fresh and exciting presentation, is still a solid read. It’s a little old-school crime fiction that hardboiled readers should be able to blow through in an afternoon.
December 14, 2015
Well another tale about somebody from the criminal underworld of Oslo. He is on the run from the Fisherman, a character we first met in Nesbo's "Blood in Snow". Jon has traveled to the utmost north of Norway were in the Summer is no night at all, hence the title Midnight Sun.
He decides to take cover in a little village in the middle of nowhere where he meets Knut and his mother. They know something is wrong about him but leave him to himself while giving him the hospitality he never expected. During his stay in this area we learn more about the circumstances of his betrayal and character. Which shows a quite unexpected development you would not expect. You learn something about a special kind of Christianity and the flaws of people in their kindness and cruelty. When at the end the tale comes to and explosive ending you find that Nesbo did an excellent job of telling a calm tale with a sting at the end of the story.
While Nesbo is a great, smart and entertaining writer and does deliver with this story you feel cheated due to the lack of depth you are used to with the Harry Hole stories or even with his "The son".
That said a nice and easy to read tale during this winter when it is too cold to go outside.
He decides to take cover in a little village in the middle of nowhere where he meets Knut and his mother. They know something is wrong about him but leave him to himself while giving him the hospitality he never expected. During his stay in this area we learn more about the circumstances of his betrayal and character. Which shows a quite unexpected development you would not expect. You learn something about a special kind of Christianity and the flaws of people in their kindness and cruelty. When at the end the tale comes to and explosive ending you find that Nesbo did an excellent job of telling a calm tale with a sting at the end of the story.
While Nesbo is a great, smart and entertaining writer and does deliver with this story you feel cheated due to the lack of depth you are used to with the Harry Hole stories or even with his "The son".
That said a nice and easy to read tale during this winter when it is too cold to go outside.
April 23, 2019
De ce am 5 stele dacă nu le dau, de teamă că o să-mi scoată cineva ochii că vai, nu e de nivelul lui x sau y...? Ar trebui să nu mai comparăm cărțile, să dăm stele doar pentru ce simțim în momentul în care închidem cartea, după ultimul cuvînt citit. Foarte fain acest al doilea roman din seria de nuvele („Sînge pe zăpadă” i-au zis alții). O poveste simplă, dusă pînă la capăt cu o scriitură sigură și eficientă, artistică în același timp, dar fără ostentație. E foarte frumos scrisă cartea, dar fără să simt nici o clipă că autorul se ițește de undeva și întreabă: nu-i așa că sînt talentat? E bun de tot Nesbo, e la nivelul ăla care adună puncte pentru tagma scriitorilor de polițiste și, în același timp, îi face să se rușineze pe scriitorii de doar-polițiste.
Nu e o cartea polițistă (poate s-ar încadra totuși la thriller), e despre un băiat care se îndrăgostește de o fată, amîndoi cu ceva povești nasoale în urmă. E despre prietenie, loialitate, soartă și puterea de a te bate cu ea, despre religie și credință și despre tradiții, despre adevăr și minciună, despre populația sami. Din punctul meu de vedere e și despre îndrăgostirea de un scriitor.
Nu e o cartea polițistă (poate s-ar încadra totuși la thriller), e despre un băiat care se îndrăgostește de o fată, amîndoi cu ceva povești nasoale în urmă. E despre prietenie, loialitate, soartă și puterea de a te bate cu ea, despre religie și credință și despre tradiții, despre adevăr și minciună, despre populația sami. Din punctul meu de vedere e și despre îndrăgostirea de un scriitor.
October 20, 2019
This is a relatively short story from the author of the Harry Hole series and centres around a petty criminal called Jon Hansen who, in an attempt to evade Oslo crime boss The Fisherman, flees to Finnmark: an area at the extreme north of Norway close to the Russian border. He soon discovers his intended sanctuary is home to a small, bizarre religious sect.
Jon is the archetypal “criminal with a conscience”. His debt to the Fisherman was incurred because he was trying to buy treatment for his young daughter who was dying of leukemia. There are some excellent episodes where he tries to regain his moral compass, whist still rejecting the dogmas of his current neighbours. There are also some wonderful descriptions of the bleak landscape and life in the nightless midsummer period inside the Arctic Circle.
Overall, a very enjoyable and thought-provoking story. It even has a happy ending too.
Jon is the archetypal “criminal with a conscience”. His debt to the Fisherman was incurred because he was trying to buy treatment for his young daughter who was dying of leukemia. There are some excellent episodes where he tries to regain his moral compass, whist still rejecting the dogmas of his current neighbours. There are also some wonderful descriptions of the bleak landscape and life in the nightless midsummer period inside the Arctic Circle.
Overall, a very enjoyable and thought-provoking story. It even has a happy ending too.
January 19, 2021
Este segundo libro de Jo Nesbo no fue menos singular que su predecesora, y sinceramente sigo sin estar segura de lo que lei.
La historia es aparentemente sencilla, sin embargo, segun van pasando las hojas demuestra ser mucho mas compleja y enrevesada de lo que imaginas, ademas en esta segunda oportunidad me costo menos adentrarme en la lectura, tal vez, porque ya tenia una idea clara de como era la pluma del autor.
La novela se lee en poco tiempo, y eso que el estilo del escritor no es precisamente lo que yo llamaria ligero, aun asi, cuando le coges el ritmo es muy entretenido e interesante de leer. Me falto mas desarrollo en cuanto a los personajes, y no me crei la supuesta historia de amor, fue en mi opinion, forzada y un tanto innecesaria.
En resumen, Midnight Sun fue un libro diferente a lo que suelo leer, lo que en ocasiones es un buen cambio, y aunque no creo que me vaya a convertir en la mayor fan de Jo Nesbo, disfrute con los dos libros suyos que he leido.
3 Estrellas!
March 1, 2016
Jon is on the run from the Fisherman, and heads to Finnmark, a remote area in Northeast Norway, near Russia and Finland, where life is very hard. Jon has a pile of ill-begotten cash, and stumbles into a devout religious community, where he finds a broken family, who find him worthy of redemption. Now called Ulf, he deals with his fears of being discovered and his shortcomings as both a father and lover. Nesbo does a nice job capturing a religious sect and the indigenous Sami tribe.
November 21, 2015
Μεγάλη πατάτα!
April 23, 2021
وای که چقدر خوبی تو نسبو جان
وای که چقدر خوبی
4.5
نیم به خاطر گنگی بعضی صحنه ها
اما کامل میدهم
وای که چقدر خوبی
4.5
نیم به خاطر گنگی بعضی صحنه ها
اما کامل میدهم
August 17, 2022
সত্যি বলতে অনেক প্রত্যাশা নিয়ে শুরু করেছিলাম এই নভেলাটা। কিন্তু প্রত্যাশার ছিটেফোঁটাও পূরণ হয়নি। মাঝেমধ্যে মনে হচ্ছিল আসলেও জো নেসবোর লেখা তো? কোথায় হেডহান্টার্স, ব্লাড অন স্নো অথবা হ্যারি হোল সিরিজের মত উপন্যাস আর কোথায় এটা! লেখক যেন নিজেও জানে না কাহিনী কোথায় যাচ্ছে। অতিমাত্রায় ধীরগতির, সিকোয়েন্সের অভাব, অপ্রয়োজনীয় বক্তব্যে ভরপুর। যতই পড়ছি হতাশা বেড়েই চলেছিল, তবে শেষটা দেখতে চাইছিলাম। শেষটাতেও উত্তেজনা বা আনপ্রেডিক্টেবল কিছু ছিল না। উল্টো হ্যাপি এন্ডিং দেয়ার চেষ্টা। ভালো বলতে কিছু ডায়লগ (Hope is a real bustard) আর ন্যারেটিভ। না পড়লেও চলে টাইপ একটা উপন্যাস। অতিমাত্রায় আশাহত।
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