Nesbo, Jo. THE SNOWMAN. (2011). ****.
Our favorite Norwegian crime writer is back with another adventure with his police anti-hero, Harry Hole. This time, Harry encounters what has to be the first serial killer ever in Norway. Since Harry is the only one on the force who has any experience with serial killers – remember his foray into Australia – he is assigned to the case. There is a bizarre murder of a woman that starts off the mayhem. It’s not just the murder, but the presence of a snowman in her front yard that gets everybody’s interest. Upon searching the records to see if similar killings had occurred in the past, the department finds that similar murders of women have happened for almost the past eleven years – all right after the first snowfall in the region. Hole recruits, and is recruited by various members of the Oslo force to find out what madman is behind all this. During his investigation, he comes across a variety of clues that are unrivaled in the history of crime solving in Denmark, and, indeed, any other country that you might be able to think of. The identity of the murderer – soon nicknamed The Snowman – is carefully hidden until the end, where the expected confrontation between him and Hole is played out. This is a good thriller as long as you are careful to keep all the characters straight. Recommended.