Blood Ties by Jo Nesbo

Blood Ties is the new thriller by Jo Nesbo, published in the UK at the end of September. Jo Nesbo is one of my favourite authors, so I was very happy to see the hardback on sale for half price in our local Sainsbury’s. I love Nesbo’s Harry Hole books, but I find his standalone novels to be a bit more hit and miss. From my point of view, probably the best one was The Kingdom. It turns out that The Kingdom is no longer a standalone novel, because Blood Ties is a sequel.

Blood Ties continues the story of brothers Roy and Carl Opgard and is narrated entirely by older brother, Roy. Carl is the attractive, popular brother. Roy is the more intelligent brother, who is always there to clear up when Carl makes a mistake. Sometimes they hate each other, but they are always there for each other when things start to go wrong.

Carl is the self-styled ‘king’ of their small village. He has built a successful spa and hotel. Roy owns the local garage and has big plans for a theme park. There is always something or someone in the way of his plans. But everyone has their price. Through bribery and corruption, Roy and Carl can make things happen.

Over the years, a lot of people seem to have conveniently died when they got in the way of Roy and Carl’s plans. There’s never been enough evidence to prove they have murdered anyone, but the local sheriff is determined to bring them down…

Blood Ties is another really good read from Jo Nesbo, with lots of twists and turns. If you enjoy a thriller and don’t mind main characters who aren’t very nice, I would definitely recommend it. Do you have to read The Kingdom first? Personally, I think it is worth reading it, as it is a good introduction to Roy and Carl’s relationship and the lengths they will go to to protest themselves.