(2007) Another very good story about the dysfunctional detective Harry Hole. He is tracking down ?The Snowman? who is killing women he deems to be whores because they have had children by fathers not her husband. This turns out to be because he was one such child. Harry has on his team a very competent detective, Katrine Bratt, who it is mistakenly determined to be the murderer. The real killer is a doctor who can earn the trust of patients but has the ability to order DNA tests to see if the children of parents, the father of which is not the familial one.Wikipedia: PlotIn 1980, a married woman has illicit sex with a lover while her adolescent son waits in a car outside; their lovemaking is disturbed when they think somebody is looking at them from outside the window, which turns out to have been only a tall snowman. Twenty-four years later, Norwegian detective Harry Hole investigates a string of murders of women around Oslo. His FBI training leads him to search for links between the cases, and he finds two of them�each victim is a married mother and a snowman appears at every murder scene.Looking through cold cases, Hole realises that he is tracking Norway's first known serial killer. Most of the victims vanished after the first snowfall of winter, and snowmen were found near each scene. Further digging leads Hole and his team, including newcomer Katrine Bratt, to suspect that paternity issues with the children of the victims may be a motive for the murders. They discover that all of the victims' children have different fathers from the men they believe to be their father. Following DNA testing, results lead the investigation down a few wrong turns and several suspects are eliminated from the inquiry.Within a short time, Hole and Bratt are romantically drawn together, although Hole doesn't pursue her overture. Hole sees her as a kindred spirit and a brilliant, dedicated detective in her own right. However, suspicion falls on Bratt herself being the "Snowman", after she attempts to frame one of the prime suspects. Hole chases her across Norway and catches up with her at a previously discovered murder site. She is apprehended and committed to a psychiatric unit. Hole's superiors, concerned that Bratt's arrest for the murders she reportedly committed will damage their reputation, suggest putting Hole forward as a scapegoat for the press. Harry's superior Gunnar Hagen, unhappy with the decision to punish Hole unjustly, intervenes and offers himself as scapegoat in Harry's stead.When another victim is discovered, Hole realises that the Snowman is still at large. Due to a random thought triggered by a chance comment, he makes a vital connection that ultimately leads him to the identity of the true perpetrator. His success in finally apprehending the killer obviates any need for a scapegoat, and Bratt, following further mental stability checks, returns to her post in Bergen.ReceptionThomas Kaufmann wrote that "The Snowman gives us suspense and a veritable gallery of memorable suspects makes it a great read. Once Alfred Hitchcock talked about people taking a roller-coaster ride ? how they would scream going down the hill, and laugh when they were finished. Some people like to be entertained in this way, Hitch said, and he was just a fellow who built roller coasters. The Snowman is a first-class roller-coaster ride."[1]

I liked it quite a bit. My reservation, as it always is with creepy murder books, is that I have mixed feelings about reading such awful things for fun -- and I have questions about the type of person who WRITES such awful things. Hence my three star rating instead of four.

The story has twist upon twist upon twist and while I saw some coming but a few totally blindsided me.

Harry Hole in an interesting character and I'm kind of interested in reading more in the series to get a fuller picture of him but I'm not so sure I'm interested in the dark subject matter.

Bottom line: worth reading if crime/murder is your genre. If it's not, the story is a little grim but not as grim/twisted as the Dragon Tattoo stuff.
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I just finished this book and am seriously hooked!I had heard about the author from a friend and am so glad I was directed to The Snowman.The only thing I regret is that I couldn't have started from the first Harry Hole book which has yet to be translated.(Now I am committed to going back to the first books available in English.)It is always a good thing to discover an author you enjoy who has several books published and you know exactly what to expect. I know I enjoy the author but I have to say you really cannot predict anything.The twists and turns leave you reeling with anticipation as you turn the pages-or click your kindle! Loved it! ( )

I enjoyed it much more than I expected. I think people shouldn't be scared of "Noir" here because I felt that it was a very well-written police detective. I didn't find it particularly dark. There was this weird detachment as almost in a cozy murder mystery. It was my first Harry Hole book and it read well as a stand-alone. The character development is great, the Norwegian setting was homey for me as a Latvian who has lived in Sweden for a while. We had a very warm November this year in Georgia (except for the last few days when it suddenly got cold), so it was nice to live through that dark month at least in a book.

Objectively, I don't really have anything bad to say about this book, but subjectively it was not an "I love" book, rather an "I really liked" book, hence 4 stars. ( )

Ok I'm all caught up. Now we can look forward to the film! ( )