Blood on Snow

February 16, 2015
Olav—a hit man, or “fixer”—narrates this thin standalone from Nesbø (The Son) set in 1970s Oslo. His boss, drug kingpin Daniel Hoffmann, has an unusual assignment for Olav: “He wanted me to fix his wife.” Olav sets up surveillance on the beautiful Corina Hoffman from a hotel across the street and watches her let a man into the apartment. It’s someone she clearly knows, but the man’s first action is to strike her, then he sleeps with her, and Olav figures she’s being blackmailed. Olav, whose sympathies shift to Corina, hopes to save her and double-cross his boss in a plot reminiscent of a 1940s American noir novel. A damaged loner, Olav is full of contradictions, but he’s more intelligent and emotional than he’ll admit, which gives the book a bit of humanity and humor. Nesbø fans will enjoy this slender story, though newcomers may find it altogether too macabre. Agent: Niclas Salomonsson, Salomonsson Agency (Sweden).

April 27, 2015
Nesbø, the leading light of Norwegian noir, returns with this slim standalone thriller about a hit man with a heart of gold. Olav is a contract killer in 1970s Oslo, working for a ruthless drug kingpin named Daniel Hoffman. Hoffman orders Olav to kill Hoffman's own wife, Corina, whom he believes is having an affair. But, this being a Nesbø novel, things aren't as they seem, and Olav makes a snap decision that saves Corina, but places himself in danger and leads to a showdown with Hoffman. American singer-songwriter Smith is an odd choice as reader: the book is translated into colloquial British English, told from the first-person perspective of Olav. But Smith's affectless American drawl manages to somehow convey the deep humanity of an antihero who comes up short in the empathy department. At a trim four hours, this audio edition is a bit of a departure for Nesbø, whose novels tend to be two or three times as long (at least), but there's plenty of blood and snow to go around. A Knopf hardcover.

February 1, 2015
Versatile Nesbo (The Son, 2014, etc.) switches gears yet again in this chilly whisper of a novella: a hit man's account of a job gone fatally wrong.Christmastide 1977. As the Norwegian days draw ever shorter, Olav Johansen, who in Smith's translation comes across as touchingly sensitive in his banality, reflects on his limitations. He can't drive a getaway car, execute a successful robbery, or have anything to do with drugs or prostitution, and he's dyslexic to boot. The only thing he can do consistently and successfully is kill people-a skill that's made him very useful to Oslo heroin kingpin Daniel Hoffmann. But Hoffmann's latest request to his fixer is disturbing indeed: He wants Olav to fix his trophy wife, Corina. If he agrees, Olav will know far too much about his boss for comfort; if he refuses, he'll know almost just as much, putting himself in instant danger. So he temporizes, accepting the commission and settling in to watch the Hoffmann apartment. Soon enough he sees his target getting regular visits from a lover who beats and attacks her brutally. Thinking it over, Olav decides to alter the terms of the commission unilaterally, and disaster promptly ensues. The only way he can save himself, Olav decides, is to offer to fix Hoffmann himself for the Fisherman, an upstart rival in the heroin business. He's well-aware that this plan has its problems. In fact, it turns out to have additional problems he hasn't suspected, though many seasoned readers will be ahead of him here. A Nordic noir updating of James M. Cain's Love's Lovely Counterfeit (1942) with an equally sweet-natured killer at its improbably soft center.

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Starred review from March 1, 2015
Nesb tends to serve both small plates and large. The latter are typically novels in the Harry Hole series, multidimensional thrillers that often jump from the present to the past as the many-demoned hero sinks his teeth into a new case; the small plates, on the other hand, like this jewel of a novel, have a much narrower focus, homing in on one character caught in crisis at one sharply lit moment in time. Olav is a killer for hire; it's not that he particularly wants the job, but as a criminal, he can't do anything else well. Too sensitive to rob innocents or feed them drugs; killing is simpler. Until, that is, the boss decides to kill his wife and gives Olav the job. Danger bells clang: too personal, too likely the boss will want to have Olav killed after the job is finished. Oh, and after Olav gets a look at Mrs. Boss, there's another problem: he's in love with her. Attempts to carve a separate peace rarely work; the world is too much with us. Olav knows that but tries anyway; we admire him for it, the horror of his chosen profession notwithstanding. Nesb tells this small but razor-sharp story with precision and understated eloquence, even generating suspense despite the inevitability built into the plot: we know there will be blood on snow, but we're not quite sure whose and how much. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A 60,000 first printing isn't that high for Nesb, but expect this small plate to draw a big audience all the same.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

December 1, 2014

For the moment, Glass Key winner Nesbo bids good-bye to his Harry Hole series to craft a stand-alone set in 1970s Oslo and featuring a gifted killer named Olav who "fixes" things for the city's crime kingpin. Alas, he's so embedded in his boss's business that maybe his boss wants to fix him. The writing is reportedly clean and tight, movie rights have been sold, and Patti Smith is narrating the audio. With a 60,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 15, 2015

Olav and his employer, a major crime boss, agree that Olav is good for one thing only--serving as a hit man who expertly "fixes" up messes. However, when Olav is commissioned to kill his boss's wife, things start to go south for him. Olav knows if he takes her out, he is in danger of knowing too much and will have to be eliminated as well. He has to figure out a plan that will allow him to please his boss and still survive the contract. Unfortunately when he tails the wife, Olav becomes smitten with his new target. Nesbo steps away from his popular "Harry Hole" series (Police) to create a sympathetic, soft-hearted assassin trying to endure while following orders. This title is one of three short novels Nesbo wrote under the pen name Tom Johansson that have been optioned for movie rights (they were purchased by Leonardo DiCaprio and the movies will possibly star him). VERDICT Olav is not Harry Hole, but readers will love him just the same. This tender killer who tries to maintain reason and compassion in a brutal world will appeal to Nesbo's fans and generate new followers. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 11/17/14.]--Deb West, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.