Jo Nesbø, who is world-famous for his outstanding Harry Hole novels, steps away from the series for another stand-alone effort. BLOOD TIES is the tale of two brothers, corruption and small-town secrets, all told in classic noir style.

The second chapter poses an interesting question: “Can anyone be a killer?” Our narrator, Roy Opgard, and his brother, Carl, live in the small town of Os. Their family has had a long-standing history of successful businesses there. Now that they are the last of the Opgards left, they are trying to keep Carl’s spa and hotel and Roy’s automotive shop running as efficiently as possible.

"BLOOD TIES is a solid read, and it’s so nice to see the classic crime noir framework applied to a Norwegian landscape, which makes the proceedings all the more foreign and chillier."

Sheriff Kurt Olsen already resents Roy for allegedly sleeping with his wife. Now, he believes he has DNA evidence that connects the Opgard brothers and their late father to an old murder. The victim happens to be Olsen’s father. Olsen is on a roll with this discovery and feels he may have unearthed a string of unsolved murders that he would love to pin on his archnemesis.

Meanwhile, Roy is trying to keep a low profile as he continues to press the bank officer to secure a loan for him to build an amusement park featuring a monster rollercoaster. However, the town is threatening to do a major refacing in the form of a new highway that would all but eliminate the area where Roy would like to fulfill his long-standing dream.

With the occasional help of his untrustworthy brother, Roy attempts to come out on top regarding the old murder allegation. At the same time, he is blackmailing both the bank officer --- who may be leading a secret gay life behind his wife’s back --- and the town commission seeking to install the new roadway. In the hands of a master plotter like Nesbø, this is easily done and is an absolute pleasure to see.

With a target clearly on his back, readers get to watch the exceedingly clever Roy as he skates on very thin ice to see all of his goals come to fruition. It does not make it any easier when Carl attempts to block him with a counterproposal that he never saw coming. What remains in the background this entire time is that Roy may indeed be a skilled killer, and anyone who crosses him better watch out before they end up being just another unsolved murder case.

BLOOD TIES is a solid read, and it’s so nice to see the classic crime noir framework applied to a Norwegian landscape, which makes the proceedings all the more foreign and chillier. There is nothing that Jo Nesbø cannot do, and his loyal fans should simply eat this one up.