View of Oslo city after July 22, 2011 bombing.

Bestselling thriller writer Jo Nesbø, best known for his gritty Harry Hole series, is quite familiar with the themes of murder and evil, having explored these dark impulses in his books. Yet he, and his fellow country men, were forced to deal with the ugly truth of murderous rage on July 22 when a terrorist launched twin attacks on Utøya island and an Oslo government building in Norway, killing 76 people. In an article for The guardian, Nesbø writes of the loss of innocence that his homeland experienced after the attacks and how the tragedy has changed the national psyche. Read more…

By Jo Nesbø
Knopf | 400pgs
Release Date: May 10, 2011

Summary:
The troubled but brilliant Norwegian Inspector Harry Hole returns in Jo Nesbø’s latest thriller The Snowman. The fifth installment of the Scandinavian series tracks Hole’s investigation of several murders perpetrated during winter’s first snowfall. When two women turn up dead, each with an menacing snowman built to mark the occasion, Hole and his new partner Katrine Bratt uncover a string of murders spanning several years. During the hunt for the killer, Hole realizes a connection between the case and an ominous letter he received months earlier, referencing the recent murders and events in the Inspector’s past, signed by The Snowman. As Hole’s quest for justice becomes obsessive, the Snowman draws him into a deadly game, where the ultimate prize may be the policeman’s life. Read more…