Wow! I have just read “The Snowman” by Jo Nesbo and what a read it was! I basically read the whole thing in one night because I could not put the book down. It took me a little bit of time to get into the book, as it required some concentration at the start with the Norwegian names and a variety of characters. However I quickly got my head around that and enjoyed the thrill of the ride.
Firstly, I loved the characters. Harry Hole is a wonderfully tormented detective, with the people around him equally interesting and well developed. The dialogue and character voice were authentic and appropriate and I genuinely cared about them. There was a good balance of attraction and care in this story that made it more human without deterring from the mystery and main purpose of the story.
Secondly, and most importantly, this book was a thriller and is one of only a few books ever to actually make me a little scared. Many creepy moments in this book that made it necessary for me to continue to read it to find out who the snowman actually is. A lot of ‘show don’t tell’ moments that had me guessing the outcome.
I am giving this book a 4.5 (out of 5). Brilliant in every way, except one flaw which seems to occur often in thriller/suspense novels, which I cannot explain due to spoilers.
Overall, I loved this book so much I have already purchased two more books by Jo Nesbo and will certainly be watching the movie adaptation.