Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

*****SPOILERS*****

TW: incest, rape, Homophobia, murder

About the book:Roy has never left the quiet mountain town he grew up in, unlike his little brother Carl who couldn’t wait to get out and escape his troubled past. Just like everyone else in town, Roy believed Carl was gone for good. But Carl has big plans for his hometown. And when he returns with a mysterious new wife and a business opportunity that seems too good to be true, simmering tensions begin to surface and unexplained deaths in the town’s past come under new scrutiny. Soon powerful players set their sights on taking the brothers down by exposing their role in the town’s sordid history.But Roy and Carl are survivors, and no strangers to violence. Roy has always protected his younger brother. As the body count rises, though, Roy’s loyalty to family is tested. And then Roy finds himself inextricably drawn to Carl’s wife, Shannon, an attraction that will have devastating consequences. Roy’s world is coming apart and soon there will be no turning back. He’ll be forced to choose between his own flesh and blood and a future he had never dared to believe possible.
Release Date: August 27th, 2020
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 560
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
• I'm a huge fan of Norwegen authors
• The book sounded interesting

What I Didn't Like:
• Dull.
• Boring
• Feels nothing happens in 600 pages

Overall Thoughts: Well you can definitely tell a man wrote this book.. An over sexed teen girl that can't stop herself from throwing herself at an older man. It was too much. This book started so good to me but then slowly died off. They beat you over the head that a girl is being raped by her father because he comes in once a week to get her the morning after pill. It was stupid because why not get her birth control so not to have eyes on yourself? Roy goes over there to beat the shit out of the dad only for the girl to deny he is raping her, so it's assumed maybe she's wanting it? I don't know.

Final Thoughts: I can't hear about the droopy eye anymore but maybe you can.

A different type of book by Jo Nesbo than his usual but I liked it. I mean, it's Jo Nesbo, whats not to like.

A tad slow in the beginning but not enough to put you off.

All in all a solid four stars.

The Opgard brothers grow up in rural Norway on the family farm their father calls The Kingdom. Roy is the older brother, Carl the youngest. Their father is hard and brutal, constantly pushing the boys. Roy does what he can to protect Carl. Carl is more like their mother, good-looking and full of charm. Roy is slower, the victim of dyslexia which is misdiagnosed as mental issues. Roy gets a job with their uncle in his garage; Carl shines at school. But there are dark secrets up on the mountain that is the farm. At night, the father abuses Carl with Roy in the bunk above, unable to help and listening to his brother's cries. It leaves Roy determined to do whatever it takes to save Carl.
When the brothers grow up Roy stays on the farm, working at the service station which the garage has become. Carl got out at seventeen, moving to the United States on a college scholarship. Now he has come home, driving a shiny Cadillac and bringing a beautiful wife with him. Carl is successful and has come home to build his vision; a luxury hotel on the farmland. He has the gift of gab and soon the entire village has bought into the scheme. But things go badly and soon there are tensions on the job site and with those the Opgard brothers grew up around. There are secrets on the mountain and unexplained deaths. There are rumors that the brothers have had something to do with the deaths. But now, Roy has fallen in love with Carl's wife and there is an added layer of betrayal between the two brothers.

Jo Nesbo is known for his Harry Hole series, a detective series with a brooding hero. This novel is a standalone and it is also bleak and suspenseful. Roy is a man torn by conflicting loyalties and secrets that he must keep in order to protect his younger brother. The reader will emphasize with Roy even as he descends further and further into actions that are unforgivable. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

I was enjoying the writing at first (my first Jo Nesbo) but this was far too long and just got more and more convoluted. Wouldn't recommend this one, but I've heard enough good things about Jo Nesbo that I will probably eventually read another.

This is a very different Jo Nesbo novel--more deliberate, thoughtful. It is certainly not a sunny novel. Two brothers, very close, are orphaned as teens. Roy stays hoime in their remote village and works as a mechanic. Carl returns as a wealthy man with a plan to transform the town into a tourist destination, the plan making them superrich, but also bringing wealth to the village. Good idea, except . . .

Oh, there are some dark secrets. These are rolled out slowly.. I didn't make it to the end.

Yet, this is a book I believe I'll return to. Nesbo is such a insinuating writer, the sort whose work sticks in the back of your mind long after you've finished.

Overall, I thought this was a good book.

I found that the beginning started off a little slow, but I realized that it needed to be crafted that way to fully develop the characterization and background information needed for the reader to understand the remainder of the plot that would unfold later.

Once I got towards the middle of the book, I couldn't put it down. So much was happening all at once, and the reader starts to see Roy in a different light than they did before. I started to empathize with him, versus thinking he was a mean, cold big brother.

Overall, very good book.

Very slow and not as exciting as previous books by Jo Nesbo. Still, I am glad I stuck with this one and ultimately enjoyed it.

Jo Nesbo is a solid thriller writer. I am never disappointed by his works. The Kingdom is a standalone novel about brothers who part ways after the death of their parents. One brother, Roy, stays in the small community where they grew up while Carl takes off to create a life for himself elsewhere. Later, Carl returns with big plans, and family secrets start to come to the surface. What seems innocent to begin with starts to unravel in a very sinister story. It keeps you guessing!

Two brothers bound together not just by family by incest and murder. Roy will do anything to protect Carl, while Carl capitalizes on that loyalty. The murders pile up in a small town over a short period. Dark, disturbing but hard to put down.

I love Jo Nesbo! I just became a fan a couple of years ago and never looked back. A dark, gritty, talented writer that I cannot get enough of.

If you're into twisted Scandinavian noir, then you'll enjoy this book. The tropes of the genre (dark pasts, secrets and murder) play out between two brothers in a small town with enough suspense and surprises to keep you engrossed along the way.

An absolutely stunning book that kept me on the edge of my seat. Highly recommend!

The Kingdom blew me away. I wasn't sure exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn't this! In The Kingdom, we follow the story of two brothers, Roy and Carl. It is told from Roy's perspective, as we learn about their pretty tragic and traumatizing childhood, through their teenage years and into adulthood, until we're caught up to the present.
Roy is managing a gas station in the boys hometown, with the goal of one day owning a station/repair shop. Carl was living and studying abroad when suddenly he returns home, with a new wife and business venture for the whole town.

Through the book, events of the present are snowballing to what feels like what will be an intense revelation, and things from the past creep up and we start to link clues together and understand certain parts of the picture, but the ending was unexpectedly shocking.

I truly enjoyed this read, although it is a bigger book with a slower burn to it, and will definitely be purchasing the hardback copy. It was intense, captivating, suspenseful, and written so differently compared to the author's other work that kept me reading.
The ending definitely left me with more questions though, and I"m kind of hoping there is a sequel, or some sort of follow up to this one that will answer some of these questions.

I'm sorry, but I found this book a bit boring. Fans of the author may enjoy it. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

With his latest, Jo Nesbo explores the ties that bind two brothers together. Roy and Carl Opgard are no strangers to violence. Together, they’ve survived those who’ve wronged them in the small Norwegian mountain town in which they grew up. While Carl fled abroad to become an entrepreneur, Roy stayed behind to run a petrol station in town.

But Carl surprisingly returns with his new bride, Shannon, at his side. Carl has big plans for the them, and for the town—they’re to build a grand hotel and spa on their very own land, the same land where their parents plummeted to their death.

And with a plan that seems too good to be true, tensions begin to simmer, and the brothers are once again a target. To make matters more complicated, questions around unexplained deaths resurface, bringing unwanted scrutiny which threatens to reveal long-buried secrets.

With a gradual and deliberate mastery, Nesbo reveals sinister truths about Roy and Carl. Truths so dark, disturbing and insidious that you can’t seem to look away from what happens next.

THE KINGDOM imparts a classic Nordic Noir narrative with its dour, ominous atmosphere, dark themes, and the nuanced character study of the two flawed brothers—in particular, the introspective Roy Opgard.

The illusions of family and loyalty are masterfully deconstructed by Jo Nesbo as tension gradually ratchets towards a shocking set of events.

The more I thought about the book, the more I appreciated how layered and brilliant it was in its unfurling, but initially, because I was expecting a pace akin to the Harry Hole novels, it admittedly felt a little slow. This is a different side of Nesbo and a different type of story altogether. Knowing that may better frame expectations and allow you to enjoy this sinister standalone from a truly exceptional author.

Nesbo is one of my favorite authors. So one might ask why only 3 stars? If you have ever read Nesbo, you know that you can’t trust him to tell you the truth, and this story insinuates a false narration from the beginning. The story of two brothers Roy and Carl, a year apart in age, raised in a violent household. This is a very dark story of family secrets and shame, with all the twists Nesbo can toss at you. He is a skillful writer who excels at carefully crafted characterization and action, but I found The Kingdom plodding and well, just rather painful. The ambiguous ending left me feeling a bit cheated for having hung in until the end. Perhaps I just miss Harry too much

As my first Jo Nesbo, I loved it! It was so engrossing and I could not put it down. I will now be looking into his entire catalog to read more! Will for sure recommend to not only those who like crime fiction but thriller as well

This is a very good thriller by Jo Nesbo. It starts out slow by building a very dark and complicated connection between two brothers.

As the story goes on not only do the brothers have dark secrets but so do many members of the town. Sure to keep you reading through the night.

Thank you to Net galley for the ARC.

Jo Nesbø is one of my all-time favorite authors, however, I found this to be an extremely slow burn. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish it. While there were plenty of engaging parts, there were just as many others that seemed to love slowly. I hope that it was a case of “wrong book at the wrong time” and think I would like to give THE KINGDOM another chance, probably with a physical copy. Nesbo is an incredible writer, so I won’t write this title off, yet!!
**For now, I will give this title 3 stars as I plan to try it again in the near future.

From my blog: Always With a Book

Jo Nesbo is still a relatively newish author to me, as I have only read a few of his books so far. But of what I have read, I have really liked and I know he is one of those authors that I will continue to read.

This latest book is a stand-alone and I really enjoyed it. I find that his books, whether they are stand-alones or part of his Harry Hole series, are ones that are not meant to be rushed through, but rather to be read a little slower. This one in particular is so layered and there are so many secrets that are just waiting to be peeled back that you really need the time to digest what you are reading and I found myself flipping back to earlier sections just to remind myself of what had already been revealed.

This story is dark and it is disturbing at times and it is certainly not for the faint of heart. While it starts off a little slow, the pace definitely picks up and it becomes a book that you just cannot walk away from. There are more than a few secrets that are eventually exposed and play a central part to this book. As they come to light, you first think one way about them and then come to find out it was completely another way...that is what I love about Jo Nesbo's writing. It's so clever and cunning.

This book, while still a crime novel, also delves into how far we will go for family and those we love. This dark family saga has psychological undertones that make for such a riveting, gripping read and the twists and turns really keep you on edge. Jo Nesbo really proves he is a master at his craft and I look forward to reading more from this uber-talented author.