Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The Snowman: A Worthy Cure For Your Scandinavian Crime Cravings

I don't know what the deal is with Scandinavian mystery writers. Maybe when you live in such cold climates subsisting on open sandwiches, coffee, and massive amounts of liquor, your imagination gets particularly dark and twisty. At any rate, thank goodness for that because they end up writing some of the most taut and terrifying mystery novels. Ever since I finished reading Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy two years ago (and you can expect a full review of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo when I finally see it), I haven't found a mystery writer who could invoke as much page-turning terror. Thankfully, I have now found Norway's Jo Nesbo, a mystery writer par excellence.

Caveat: I have only read one of Nesbo's books so far, so this post is largely about how fantastic The Snowman is. But I'm all set to check out the rest of his books from the library and will let you know if the rest of the series is just as excellent. The flawed protagonist at the center of The Snowman is Harry Hole (a name that occasioned laughter from my friend Christina - can someone please confirm if Hole is a common Swedish surname that's pronounced differently?) Hole is an alcoholic loner detective who is nonetheless allowed to serve on the Norwegian police force because of his brilliant deductive talents. He is responsible for catching a serial killer in Australia and this novel follows his quest to nab Norway's first serial killer, who goes by the moniker of The Snowman. His modus operandi is to kill women (who all seem to have children and unhappy marriages) and then build a snowman in their backyard. Sometimes he builds a snowman that contains a body part of the victim he has just carved up. If this doesn't already illustrate the creepy possibilities of the story, you have no imagination.

The Snowman is an elegant novel and unbeknownst to you, Nesbo gives you all the clues you need to solve this case. But like any good mystery, you won't realize that until the very end, when you are dragged into the most horrifying showdown you could expect between hunter and the hunted. The best part is that there are multiple denouements, multiple mistaken arrests, and just when you think you are safe, there's another twist to get your heart rate up again. I've had friends who complained about The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and how they couldn't get into it because of all the exposition in the opening pages. Well, The Snowman plunges right in for the kill, with a first chapter that is wonderfully invoked at the end of the novel and reveals how we got from the beginning of this story to the epic finale.

For anyone who was wishing that Stieg Larsson was still around to give us a glimpse into Scandivanian culture and crime, Jo Nesbo is your answer. There are nine books so far in the Harry Hole series, so you can treat yourself to a nice long fix of Norwegian darkness and depravity. Just don't write me to complain when you freak out the next time you see a snowman. 

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