Crime, Mysteries & Thrillers discussion

Internationally acclaimed crime writer Jo Nesbo’s anti-hero police investigator, Harry Hole, is back in a bone-chilling thriller that will take Hole to the brink of insanity.

Oslo in November. The first snow of the season has fallen. A boy named Jonas wakes in the night to find his mother gone. Out his window, in the cold moonlight, he sees the snowman that inexplicably appeared in the yard earlier in the day. Around its neck is his mother’s pink scarf.

Hole suspects a link between a menacing letter he’s received and the disappearance of Jonas’s mother and of perhaps a dozen other women, all of whom went missing on the day of a first snowfall. As his investigation deepens, something else emerges: he is becoming a pawn in an increasingly terrifying game whose rules are devised and constantly revised by the killer.

Fiercely suspenseful, its characters brilliantly realized, its atmosphere permeated with evil, The Snowman is the electrifying work of one of the best crime writers of our time.

Thank you to our moderator, Matt

Great Author, great story...B

I am happy to be asked to moderate this book.
I re-read it about a year ago, because it became available at the library on audio. Be forewarned, this one stays with you, and is not for the squeamish.

I read this book a while ago and thought it was a fantastic, completely unpredictable, edge of your seat read. It is dark, creepy, chilling and gruesome at times, but I couldn't stop reading it. The main character, Harry, has to be one of my favorite characters and Nesbo's brilliance shines with him in this book.

I have only read books one and two. Will get to this one eventually, as I like the author's style. Enjoy!

Loving this book already. Love the moderator too

Christine wrote: "Loving this book already. Love the moderator too"
How kind! (:

Do you need to read books 1 and 2 to get this book?

I didn't. I jumped in at the middle of the series. It was so well done that it made me want to go back and read the others, which I did.

Nesbo jumps around alot during the series, referring back to people, places, and things from earlier books. These are quickly taken, though and do not detract from the story. Each book can stand alone.

I read this one last month and I'll refresh my memory so I can join in on the discussion. It kept me turning pages and honestly, I didn't know how far the author would go until the very last few pages.

I figured out who it was fairly early on, but not why.

As for whether you need to read the earlier books first? I would suggest book 1 and 3. You may not like Harry as much if you start with him right here, and you won't have the backstory on some other characters who become important players in this one. I won't say more because that would give away too much of the story.

To follow up a bit, The Snowman is in production for film. So they have jumped right to the heart of the series for the first movie. Certainly would have been my choice.

My comment is not related to this book specifically, but to the Harry Hole series. I only became aware of this series when The Bat became available in English, so I read that first and now I'm reading the books in the order they were written. I'm currently reading Cockroaches, the second book, and I have to admit I don't love it. It is plodding and slow, and I'm getting frustrated. Is this the style of the entire series, or does it change when the stories take place in Norway? Should I stick with it?
By the way, I'm new to the group. Thanks for inviting me :)

Arlene wrote: "I'm currently reading Cockroaches, the second book, and I have to admit I don't love it. It is plodding and slow, and I'm getting frustrated. Is this the style of the entire series, or does it change when the stories take place in Norway? Should I stick with it? ."

I'm interested in what people have to say. I feel the same way. I just picked it up at the library since I saw the group was reading and I'm about 40% of the way through. The style reminds me a lot of the Millennium trilogy (I've read the first two) but this definitely has a bit more action than those. I'm wondering if I want to go back through the others after I finish this one.

I am also new so "hello" everyone!

I have to say that I love the Harry Hole series. Nesbo does a fantastic job in creating atmosphere and delving into his characters. I like that Harry is a difficult character; even if I don't always like him, I find I always care about what happens to him. That's Nesbo's skill as a writer.

For those who have wondered, I would say that the first two in the series are quite different from the Norway-set books and would encourage you to stay with the series.

I read "Snowman" a few months back and even though it's one of the few Hole mysteries I managed to figure out before the Big Reveal, seeing how it all played out was still a suspenseful experience for me. Nesbo's twisted imagination is a wonder to behold

I'm yet another newcomer here, so hello and thanks for having me.

I'd say the beginning of the early books is slower, esp because he's setting up details of the characters and the locations. I've been to both Australia and Thailand, so I actually really enjoyed the details.

One key thing with this series, that I take away as a writer, is how well he fleshes out the characters. The political stuff with what department does what in the first 2 is dry. But in the later books, the inter-agency problems get incredibly interesting and all because he laid the groundwork for personalities of very minor characters who later show up in much larger roles.

Keep going, but you can skim over a lot of the set-up details. Do pay attention to the interactions Harry has with people.

The books will reward you with rich, layered characters that you like/love/hate, which I don't see as much in American mysteries.

I just finished Phantom last week and I had to take a break before the next one because it was so emotional--only because Nesbo set up the characters in ways that hurt later on, after you get attached to them.

Here is the Harry Hole series to this point. FYI


The Bat, 2012)English release date
Cockroaches, 2013)English release date
The Redbreast, 2006)
Nemesis, 2008)
The Devil's Star, 2005)
The Redeemer, 2009)
The Snowman, 2010)
The Leopard, 2011)
Phantom, 2012)
Police 2013)

I read them totally out of order, just whenever I could borrow or buy any available. As with any series, some are more entertaining than others for various reasons, but I would rate Snowman, Leopard, and The Devils Star as my favorites. I am trying to finish Police now, but have had a hard time due to discovering Goodreads and bookclubs.

I just finished Cockroaches. I did not enjoy it. Too violent, and just over the top pathos. Too much. Are the later books really that different?

I just finished the book. It took me a while to get into it but overall I enjoyed it more so the back half than the first. I can see what people say about not liking Harry if you don't read the first couple in the series.

I've yet to be disappointed by a Jo Nesbo book and couldn't put The Snowman down. I love Nesbo's intricate plotting and the window he gives into this faraway world. I aready want to know what Harry's going to do next.

It seems to me that the Harry Hole series includes some unusual and horrible means of killing. The electric loop in The Snowman is an example. There is an equally nasty device in The Leopard. Harry seems to get challenged or tested by these things, coming out damaged or scarred but alive. Do these experiences make him a more endearing character? Successive books re-iterate his dings and dents, showing his adjustments and limitations. Seems he gets more and more ugly on the outside, while more handsome on the inside. And this is not to mention the alcohol issue.
Thoughts?

Finished my re-read of The Snowman. I think I must re-evaluate it higher in my Pantheon of favorites. Unless he performs some real magic down the road in the Hole series, this one will be the example that stands out.
I truly doubt that any movie or tv show will do this book justice.

I just got? his book at the library a couple days ago and started it today. I am now hooked on this book. I am only on chapter Three so far but it starts out with suspense. This isothermal first book in the series that I read. I've heard that the first two weren't too good, so I decided to start with this one. Looking forward to the rest of the story.

I have read a number of Scandinavian writers including Steig Larsson, Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbo. I find the violence and the sex to be a bit more twisted and violent than the usual thrillers. Alcoholism also seems to figure into the plot more often. I wonder if it is the culture that is different or perhaps I just haven't read any of the more gruesome thrillers.
I have been enjoying the Department Q series by Jussi Adler-Olsen. The violence is still quite twisted, but the humor and comical characters that he writes make this seem much lighter than the usual Scandinavian fare.

I am reading The Absent One, and have read 2 others about Dept Q. I agree you about the humor, and i think Assad is a major reason. A new one is out, i'll be getting it soon.

I do believe that this book is very violent, but Meaning is a very good writer. Even though it is violent I can't seem to put the book down.
I am dying to find out who is the Snowman. Are the rest of the series as violent as this one?

Just finished it! Wow what an ending!! I was not expecting that at all!! Nesbo is a very good writer with knuckle biting suspense!!

I'm late to this one but thought I'd comment anyway seeing as I just finished reading this book. I've seen Nesbo's books in the shops quite a lot, and heard about them, but hadn't read any. The Snowman was my first, and it won't be the last. Grabbed my attention from the start and made me want to keep reading. I didn't guess the killer too early on. I really liked the atmosphere that was created - I could totally imagine how it would have felt reading the book with it snowing. (Unfortunately here there was only 1 snow shower that just about coated the car when I was reading this!)