Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbø, Robert Ferguson (Translator)
2/3/26; 400 pages
Knopf Doubleday
Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbø is a very highly recommended crime novel set in Minneapolis Minnesota during two time periods. Robert Ferguson is the translator of the English edition I read
In 2016 Minneapolis police detective Bob Oz gets the call and meets his partner Kay Myers at the scenes of the attempted murder of a gun dealer. He determines the gunman is a sniper and his main suspect is Tomás Gomez, a former hit man who also has a tragic personal story. Soon the investigation turns into the hunt for a serial killer but Oz is suspended as he deals with anger issues and trauma. His potential witnesses included Mike Lunde, a taxidermist, who Oz befriends.
In 2022 Norwegian crime novelist Holger Ruch travels to Minneapolis to research for his new true crime book. He is researching the Gomez case, and wants to get into the mind of a policeman of Norwegian descent, Oz. He is looking into all the places Oz went while investigating.
Nordic noir writer Nesbø has given us another extremely well-written, atmospheric, intelligent crime novel which encompasses both a psychological thriller and character study. Telling the story through the two timelines works well. The main timeline in 2016 is where most of the novel is set as the 2022 present day true crime writer looks back and relates the events that occurred then from the viewpoint of the narrator. The plot is engaging and compelling as a flawed man looks into the mind of a serial killer and actually finds similarities to his own life.
Bob Oz is an antihero and deeply flawed. He has anger management issues, drinks too much, is lonely, has been sleeping with many women, and is suffering from a great trauma. He also has a strong sense of justice, even to the point of bending the rules. He gets suspended, but, nevertheless, he continues to work the case. The killer is intelligent and also suffering from loneliness and trauma. Bob's ex-wife Alice, a psychologist, tells him, “Trauma arises when you lose someone you thought you would be spending the rest of your life with.”and "The trauma is the wound. But the loneliness that comes with it locks you to your trauma.”
The plot is full of twists and there are some real surprises along the way. A minor note that Nesbø does judge American culture and politics in the plot, which Americans can easily ignore as he is Norwegian. He excels at portraying moody, lonely, and flawed, but intelligent characters in psychological thrillers so the cultural/political opinions are minor annoyances.
Wolf Hour is an excellent choice for those who enjoy Nordic Noir. Thanks to Knopf Doubleday for providing me with an
advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and
expresses my honest opinion.
