Every single time I pick up a Jo Nesbø book, I am transported across time and space to a world where violence and danger and horror and drama mesh together to form an experience I can’t entirely describe as completely beautiful or completely horrifying. It’s something in the limbo and that’s why his books always resonate with me. Blood Ties is one of such stories that you’ll keep in the back of your mind as you go about your day, constantly wondering about the characters and their actions that you may not agree with, but just may understand on a very primal level.
Against all odds, Carl and Roy Opgard have made a profitable business for themselves in the small town of Os. While Carl manages the area’s swanky and successful spa and hotel, Roy runs a nearby gas station with grand plans to build it out into an entire amusement park. What’s hidden beneath the grand aspirations and seemingly close bond between the two brothers is a labyrinth of suffocated secrets and truths that simmer under the facade until they can deceive each other no more when new faces and new alliances come into the picture.
Jo Nesbø’s writing invokes a sentimental response to events and situations that haven’t happened to you. He does so through resonating and flawed characters that you can’t help but imagine yourself in their shoes. The locations themselves come to life in this expressive tale, with each tree and road in the small town charged with vivid energy. The story being told through Roy’s perspective adds a layer of urgency and connectivity as you feel compelled to participate in the narrative rather than just passively read a book. It’s an energetic and somber experience with some incredibly dark moments that are typical of Nordic crime thrillers with chilly settings and nebulous characters.
Blood Ties is bound to be one of the most engrossing and harrowing thrillers of 2025 with all the dark and gritty elements you expect from Jo Nesbø as a master of his craft, including wild twists and stellar characters.
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Purchase Blood Ties
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