Our reviews of
The Snowman by Jo Nesbo
Synopsis:
The night the first snow falls a young boy wakes to find his mother gone. He walks through the silent house, but finds only wet footprints on the stairs. In the garden looms a solitary figure: a snowman bathed in cold moonlight, its black eyes glaring up at the bedroom windows. Round its neck is his mothers pink scarf.Inspector Harry Hole is convinced there is a link between the disappearance and a menacing letter he received some months earlier. As Harry and his team delve into unsolved case files, they discover that an alarming number of wives and mothers have gone missing over the years. When a second woman disappears Harrys suspicions are confirmed: he is a pawn in a deadly game. For the first time in his career Harry finds himself confronted with a serial killer operating on his turf, a killer who will drive him to the brink of insanity. A brilliant thriller with a pace that never lets up, The Snowman confirms Jo Nesbs position as an international star of crime fiction.
Tony's Review
Reviewed: March 2010
This book by Norwegian writer Jo Nesbo is a ripper! It's about a serial killer who builds a snowman at the murder sites of his victims before he strikes. DI Harry Hole receives an anonymous letter signed by 'The Snowman', and a few months later, a young boy's mother disappears during the night without trace, except for her scarf draped around the neck of a snowman in the garden, and some wet footprints in the hallway. A few days later, the severed head of another woman appears on top of another snowman. The hunt begins. Harry digs up some past unsolved murder files, and finds that there is a similarity between some older murders and these current ones. The Snowman has been active for some time, but hadn't previously announced his presence. Now that the killer knows Harry is on the trail, the battle of wits begins. It's a hair-raising investigation, ending in a violent confrontation with the murderer. A terrific read.