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Who Dunnit?

The question that is at the heart of every mystery/crime/thriller novel; the question that fuels authors and inspires readers to turn the page.
Although the mystery/crime/thriller genre (from hereon, abbreviated as MCT) is one of the most popular genres of all time, it is one genre that my bookshelf seems to lack. From my limited knowledge of this genre, however, I have learned that MCT novels can be written with many tones:
  • Witty adventures, such as the The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Eloquent, eery tales such as The Godmother by Hannelore Cayre (you can actually listen to the music from the film "The Godfather" while reading this, it is surprisingly fitting)
  • Calm, contemporary tales of suave detectives, such as Still Life by Canadian author Louise Penny 
  • And last, but not least--the ones that make your skin crawl, and the inspiration for this blogpost: The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

In the midst of a snowy Norwegian winter...

Women are disappearing. Young, married women with children. No one knows where they have gone, for they leave no notes or clues, all that is left behind is a snowman. Inspector Harry Hole, a recovering alcoholic, does not believe that these disappearances are unrelated. On the contrary, in these cases he sees that which he has always feared (or perhaps craved): A serial killer.

Jo Nesbo is a man of many talents, one of which is making his readers quiver as they grip his books tightly in their hands with wide, fearful eyes. The Snowman is a uniquely terrifying MCT novel, because the person at the centre of Inspector Hole's investigation is someone who kills for a calculated reason, and based on a pattern. Each woman who disappeared did so with little evidence left behind, and that which was left behind was done so intentionally.

The Stress/Relaxation Chart

Throughout Nesbo's book, I found that my stress levels fluctuated as the plot progressed, with only brief moments of relaxation. 
As Inspector Hole and his team went through each fact, my stress would increase, until they settled on a suspect and I could breathe again. That would provide me with a brief moment of relaxation until I realized that not all of the facts were lining up. Nesbo doesn't write anything in his story if it is not directly related to who the Snowman is, so if all the facts do not fit into the puzzle, then the story is not yet over.

Everything is relevant. Everything must add up.

When I realized this in my moments of relaxation, my stress would increase yet again. This trend continued right until the novel concluded; it's an interesting ride, and an amazing sensation.

Will I be picking up another Harry Hole Thriller soon? Unfortunately not, I am going to search for something a little lighter for now. Despite the thrilling stress and the constant terror I experienced, I found that the writing was brilliant and I believe this is a 4/5 star novel.

The Challenge

There's a Hallmark TV movie series called Mystery 101 (featured gif), in which Amy Winslow, a crime fiction professor, helps Detective Travis Burke solve crimes. This is the only Hallmark series that I loyally follow because I absolutely adore the stories and the characters/actors. The crimes are not as gruesome as The Snowman (something I am grateful for), but they are gripping.

In the first episode, Amy says, "When you are nearing the end, always go back to the beginning." With this advice in mind, I would like to issue a challenge: Can you discover who the Snowman is before Inspector Harry Hole does? You and Inspector Hole will be asking all of the same questions anyhow, might as well see if you can solve the crime! I try to do this whenever I read MCT books (for entertainment as well as to boost my ego), but I was left puzzled in this case. Try it, it might be fun. Just remember, every detail Nesbo gives you is important. Trust your gut, do not overlook anything, and most importantly, follow Professor Winslow's advice.

Good luck! 

Don't forget to email any questions or recommendations to theopinionatedbookworm@gmail.com. 

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