roads beneath the hotel mark the final resting places of some of those who have gotten in the Opgards’ way. One was the former sheriff, whose body was dissolved in an industrial solvent. The brothers then staged the sheriff’s disappearance to make it appear a suicide.

As Blood Ties opens, the brothers have more grandiose plans. Carl wants to expand the spa, while Roy wants to turn some nearby land into an amusement park featuring the world’s tallest roller coaster. (I’m not sure of the financial viability of an outdoor theme park in northern Norway.) However, a proposed tunnel project near an adjacent town would mean that virtually all area vehicular traffic would bypass Os. That’s no problem for Roy. In the first chapter of Blood Ties, he bribes the engineering firm doing the tunnel’s feasibility study so they reject the proposal. However, as anyone familiar with American or Nordic noir knows, the sins of the past rarely stay buried. Subsequent events threaten to expose Roy’s bribery. That’s the least of his problems, though. Kurt Olsen, the town’s new sheriff and the son of the deceased lawman, has always believed Roy killed his father. He may have new forensic evidence to prove it. And finally, Roy finds romance of a sort with Natalie Moe, a younger woman he knew when she was in high school. Her father abused Natalie, and Roy threatened the man to force him to quit. He’s still around and still a threat to Roy’s relationship with his daughter.

Based on this plot description, readers might think that the solution to all Roy’s problems will soon lie at the bottom of the ravine. However, “Blood Ties” is a surprising novel in that regard. The book has its share of violence, but it’s more of a financial thriller than the hyper-violent fare often found in Nesbo’s works. Blood Ties gets a bit talky at times, but Roy has to maneuver his way around the sheriff, various bankers, foreign investors, local landowners, and opportunists with their hands out. The story probably has more bribery, fraud, and insider trading (or whatever the Norwegian equivalent) than shootings and bludgeoning. Jo Nesbo used to be a financial analyst, and he makes the financial wheeling and dealing here interesting.

The character of Roy Opgard is even more interesting. In The Kingdom, he was the older brother who got his more ambitious younger brother out of jams. However, in Blood Ties, he shows that he’s got the best business sense in the family, along with a pragmatic ruthless streak. Roy has a moral code that displays itself in practical generosity towards those who work for him. Despite his criminality and character flaws, he has a certain likability. (Plus, I was rooting for him to build the world’s tallest roller coaster on his land.) It helps that the book’s other main characters are worse.

One significant development about two-thirds of the way through Blood Ties didn’t work for me. It was the author’s apparent attempt to humanize a character, but it was completely out of character. In addition, it required a tremendous coincidence to resolve successfully. That’s not the only time in Blood Ties in which lucky breaks and coincidences play a part in moving the plot along. Blood Ties is too good a novel, and Jo Nesbo is too good an author to stoop to this level of chance to resolve the plot.

Blood Ties caught me by surprise when I agreed to review it for NetGalley. I was aware of Jo Nesbo and had seen the movie version of one of his Harry Hole books (starring Michael Fassbender), but I was unprepared for this rather bleak Nordic noir. This book made me a fan. It’s compelling, with a twisty plot and a main character who draws you in despite his massive personality flaws. The cold truth is that Nordic noir done right like “Blood Ties” is as solid a read as any of the warmer American variety.  

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.