While Jo Nesbø had carved out a successful career in his native Norway, it was 2007's The Snowman (Norwegian: Snømannen) which, when translated in 2010, really propelled him into the big time where Scandi-Crime is concerned. As often happens in these matters, such propulsion had very little to do with Nesbø himself. In this case, it had more to do with the popularity of Sweden's Stieg Larsson and the Millennium series, the third volume of which had been published in English at about the same time. Suddenly, Scandinavia was the place in which to set crime fiction, and with Larsson no longer alive to contribute further adventures of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist (the more recent continuation of that series notwithstanding), someone else had to fill the gap.
For that reason, at the very least, it makes sense that my edition of The Snowman has a cover blurb identifying Nesbø as "The next Stieg Larsson", even though fans of the Swede may not necessarily find themselves in familiar hands when discovering Harry Hole.
The Snowman is, in many ways, the novel Nesbø had been threatening to write throughout the first few of Hole's cases. Picking up almost where The Redeemer left off, we are rapidly plunged into Nesbø's trademark pitch-black incarnation of Norwegian society and Oslo in particular.
Hole is attempting to deal with the death of his former investigative partner Jack Halvorsen and the disappearance of his former superior Bjarne Møller. Outside of work, his ex-partner Rakel seems to be even closer to her new love interest Mathias than before, and this presents its own set of challenges both for Hole and Rakel's son Oleg who has taken a shine to the unconventional policeman. So far, so much as expected.
Hole and his new colleague Magnus Skarre are sent to investigate a missing person report. Birte Becker, the attractive young wife of physics professor Filip Becker, has disappeared in the middle of the night with the only clue being her scarf left on a strangely menacing snowman in the front yard of the Becker house. While both detectives begin this investigation as they would any other disappearance, Hole's new colleague Katrine Bratt unearths some unfortunate similarities between Becker's disappearance and those of other young mothers around Oslo and further afield. Hole - who seems to spend much of his time practicing "speed-cuffing" chair legs in his office - becomes increasingly convinced that Oslo has a serial killer on its hands.
In what can only be described as Nesbø's customary manner, this isn't just any serial killer. The body count climbs rapidly and is heading towards double digits before 200 pages of the novel have elapsed. Squeamish readers should also take note that "The Snowman", as the killer is soon nicknamed, takes particular delight in torture and sadism, and the fates of many victims are described in a higher level of detail than is typical even in today's blood-soaked crime fiction.
The investigation, too, covers a lot of ground. Themes such as hereditary illness and madness are to the fore, along with fidelity and the somewhat laissez-faire approach that Scandinavian society takes to it. These are new themes in Nesbø's work, but he also backs them up with some typically sharp jabs at the culture of celebrity in Norway (and around the world), with Hole attempting to interview a suspect live on television at one point, with decidedly mixed results.
Where The Redeemer was possibly a little loose in its presentation of all the important clues, The Snowman is pointedly fair. Every single clue which is relevant in the identification of the killer - and even the killer's motive - is presented in clear view throughout. The fact that the reader will almost certainly miss these no matter how obvious they are is hardly Nesbø's fault, and in fact deserves praise for the utterly crackling plot built around them. There are, in fact, several red herrings which darken the plot further and provide some opportunities for highly memorable set pieces. Again, these are images which may not fade in the short term if you're not into this sort of thing.
Above all, this is an exercise in sheer narrative tension. The earlier Hole novels flirted with different ways of building tension - The Redeemer, notably, is essentially an extended chase scene - but with Snowman, Nesbø's got it down to an art form. Hole's constant unease that the killer knows exactly what his next move will be, coupled with the unpredictability of the killings themselves, makes this an utterly compulsive read.
Nesbø even plays bait-and-switch with the readers. Cut-away scenes to different characters frequently lead in specific directions...apart from when they don't. Characters who seem "invincible" by right are shown to be anything but.
The experience is exhausting by the end of the novel. There's the customary sense of "oh" when a novel ends, but in this case it's tinged with relief that no more of this madness can occur to anyone. One can sympathise with Hole when he announces at the end of the case that he intends to disappear and not be found.
While Snowman continues on from the events of Redeemer, there's no particular need to have read the previous novel to understand this one. The plot arc which has been building silently is recapped at the right moment for maximum impact, and the recurring characters are given enough introduction for the casual reader to understand who they are. There is, however, one important revelation from - of all places - the first Hole novel contained in the plot here, so my customary advice of "start from the first in the series" still stands.
Last but not least, there's a film version of this novel scheduled for an October 2017 release. Tomas Alfredson (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) is directing, and Hole will be played by Michael Fassbender. JK Simmons, Val Kilmer, Chloe Sevigny and Charlotte Gainsbourg are also in the cast. This could well be one to watch out for, as the Hole novels are cinematic in ways the Millennium series weren't on the printed page.
A must-read. Five stars and the strongest possible recommendation.
[Update: I've now reviewed the film version]
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