The Snowman
""...a very cool thriller with a surprising twist in the tail." "
Synopsis:
Inspector Harry Hole is an obsessive dedicated policeman who struggles to keep himself on the wagon. He has a new detective partner - the young, attractive Katrine Bratt. He still has a connection to his old girlfriend , Rakel, who has opted for the comfortable and safe Doctor Mathias as a partner and father figure for her son Oleg.
Hole is called in to investigate the disappearance of a young woman. Her son finds only wet footsteps on the stairs and a snowman in the garden wearing his mother's pink scarf. Hole is convinced that there is a connection to a letter he received some months earlier and inspection of police records indicates to Hole that there is a serial killer at large who targets married women with children. As the investigation proceeds, Hole begins to believe that there is a personal aspect to the killings and as the story unfolds, the cunning and inside knowledge displayed by the killer leads Harry to the disturbed and clever murderer, but not without the odd red herring...
Purchase the book from Amazon.
Review:
Above all this is a fast moving, chilling and exciting story. I was hooked from the first minute and read it in super-fast time. In addition to the gripping plot, there are some very intriguing and knowledgeable psychological insight thrown into the mix. The characters have developed from the previous books, yet Harry Hole is still haunted by the disappearance and deaths of his valued colleagues. The impact of traumatic youthful experience on adult behaviour and mental stability is beautifully considered. There is more than one of the characters in the book who presents a normal face to the world whilst at the same time struggling with a completely absorbing obsession. Not all of them become killers... Another interesting slant is the description of modern day Norway, a very rich country as a result of the oil and gas fields, but still a very tiny country with limited impact on the international community. The Snowman is a very cool thriller with a surprising twist in the tail.