The Snowman

by Jo Nesbø
384 pgs  (Harry Hole series #7)

Several years ago, I saw a copy of Jo Nesbø's The Snowman at the bookstore and picked it up. I had never heard of Nesbø before, but after reading the summary of the book on the flap, I was interested and bought it. But I didn't read it. I'm the type that only reads a series from the beginning, and I typically buy the books I read, so I started collecting the previous six books and had to read those first. It's a little sad how long it took me to work my way to finally reading this one, but it didn't disappoint.

The book begins with the first snowfall in Oslo in 1980. A married woman is having an affair with a man and gets startled by what she believes is someone watching them through the window. It turns out to be merely a snowman outside. Twenty-four years later, a young boy wakes up in the night to discover his mother has gone missing. The only clue the police have to go on is the pink scarf the boy gave his mother for Christmas, which is now wrapped around the neck of a snowman, which inexplicably appeared in front of the house earlier that day.

During his investigation, Harry Hole discovers the links between the current missing-woman case and eleven previous cases, all of women who went missing in Norway over the span of several years, and all on the first snow of the season.

The Snowman is the best book in the series so far. I'm a fan of other mystery writers, who rely more on surprise twists and the use of red herrings to misdirect their readers away from the clues they place in the story. But Nesbø doesn't do that. Instead, he methodically and subtly presents the clues for Hole to discover, leading up to a very satisfying reveal by the end. And as good as his mysteries are, Nesbø's characters are always equally fantastic, Hole being primary among them. I'm looking forward to many more stories featuring the character.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆