Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Published: October 5, 2021
Source: Publisher
Summary:
A veritable crime lover’s delight from a true master of mystery and suspense. Experience the #1 New York Times best-selling author as never before in this dark and thrilling short story collection that takes us on a journey of twisted minds and vengeful hearts.
Jo Nesbø is known the world over as a consummate mystery/thriller writer. Famed for his deft characterization, hair-raising suspense and shocking twists, Nesbø’s dexterity with the dark corners of the human heart is on full display in these inventive and enthralling stories.
A detective with a nose for jealousy is on the trail of a man suspected of murdering his twin; a bereaved father must decide whether vengeance has a place in the new world order after a pandemic brings about the collapse of society; a garbage man fresh off a bender tries to piece together what happened the night before; a hired assassin matches wits against his greatest adversary in a dangerous game for survival; and an instantly electric connection between passengers on a flight to London may spell romance, or something more sinister.
With Nesbø’s characteristic gift for outstanding atmosphere and gut-wrenching revelations, The Jealousy Man confirms that he is at the peak of his abilities.
My thoughts:
Jo Nesbo is not a new-to-me author as I am slowly making my way through his Harry Hole series. I have also read a few of his stand-alones and really liked them, so when I heard he had a collection of short stories coming out, I knew I had to read them. I’ve really come to enjoy reading short stories recently and had to see what spin Nesbo would put on them.
This collection is divided into two sections – Jealousy and Power – and as I typically find when I read collections of short stories I definitely liked some more than others. The stories are dark and they include morally grey characters, which I loved. And none of them ended the way I expected to them…they are filled with great twists that really keep you guessing the entire time as to where it is heading, no matter how long each story is.
My absolute favorites were London, The Jealousy Man and The Line, which incidentally were all in Part One. Part Two had a more dystopian feel to the stories and that isn’t really my thing, though I did like Cicadas of all the stories in this section.
This book clearly shows just how talented Jo Nesbo is. And it makes me more eager to get back to his Harry Hole books. If short stories are your think…I definitely suggest picking this one up!
