Review of KILLING MOON by Jo Nesbø (New Release)

 4 Stars

I‘ve been a longtime fan of Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole series so was happy to receive this 13^th installment. 

 Harry is in Los Angeles trying to escape his life in Oslo after the events outlined in Knife, the 12^th book in the series.  It is almost an understatement that he is traumatized, grief-stricken, and burdened with guilt.  Because he needs some money to help a new friend, Harry agrees to return to Oslo when a wealthy man, under suspicion for the murder of two young women, hires Harry to clear his name.  He puts together a team of unlikely colleagues to help him uncover the truth. 

This is a dark police procedural with definite thriller elements as is usual with this series.  There are several graphic scenes depicting torture, cannibalism, murder, and rape, so the book is not for readers who do not want gruesome details.  There are also other elements found in the previous books:  multiple points of view, including that of the killer, and the endangering of a significant character who is important to Harry. 

The novel is layered since there are several subplots.  Besides the case that Harry, as well as the police, is investigating, there is a subplot around a new romantic interest for one of Harry’s friends/former colleagues.  And one other subplot, involving a store owner and his employee, is added into the mix.  This latter is the weakest since it’s intended only to muddy the waters and provide another possible suspect. 

In fact, there is a lot of misdirection.  Readers will find themselves believing one thing, only to discover that they have been misled.  There are multiple points of view with constant switches which often left me doing a double-take, as did passages which can be interpreted in more than one way.  This is the case right to the very end.  For instance, one character decides “to drop the slow torment and drive the knife right into his heart” and state, “’he’s not with me anymore.’”  This clearly suggests a killing, but that proves not to be the case. 

The perspective of the killer is given throughout.  This serves to explain motivation, though I had difficulty accepting the killer’s unusual method of luring victims.  It seems far-fetched to say the least.  Unfortunately, my scientific knowledge is not sufficient to determine if his method is credible.  I narrowed down my list of suspects to two, but both proved incorrect.  The identity of the murderer is anything but predictable, though thinking back, it’s obvious that clues are there. 

I don’t regard this as a standalone.  Many characters from previous novels reappear and their relationships with Harry are important.  Readers unfamiliar with these relationships can certainly follow the plot of this book but will miss a great deal of background.  Also, this book is full of spoilers about previous books.  I’d hazard a guess that this is not the last we will see of Harry; the ending definitely suggests at least one more book. 

Lovers of Nordic noir will enjoy this book.  It is dark and full of twists and turns.  Suspense abounds with more than one character being placed in danger.  There is little humour, though I did enjoy descriptions like “he was encumbered with the brain of a man and could only concentrate on one thing at a time, and sometimes not even that” and comments about underrating Leonard Cohen and overrating Bob Dylan. 

This is a perfect escapist book for a summer vacation.   But if you’re unfamiliar with Harry Hole, go back to the beginning of the series and you’ll find you have enough books for several vacations. 

Note:  I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.