Norwegian author Jo Nesbo is well-known for his Harry Hole novels. This is not one of them. Instead, Nesbo is trying something new and here we have a short noir novel with a remarkable plot and a very dark and cold atmosphere. The anti-hero of the piece is Olav, a hitman who finds himself in a difficult position. Mob boss Daniel Hoffmann wants his own wife eliminated, but while observing the woman Olav falls in love with her. His decisions from then on bring him into direct conflict with his boss and, as he hatches a scheme to run away with Corina Hoffmann, he contemplates his own difficult upbringing and what it means to be in love.

Be warned, Harry Hole fans have complained about this book, but we’re recommending it not because it’s different but because it’s brilliantly different. “Jo Nesbo’s prose is as poetic and evocative as ever,” said CrimeFictionLover. Read the review here.