Blood Ties was a super interesting read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I'd read more from the author.

More of the misadventures of the Opgard brothers. From page one I was hooked! Roy is still guarding himself and revealing bits and pieces of who he is (or wants to be seen as).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This was my first read from this author (and this series), and I enjoyed it. It's quite different from my normal genres, which was refreshing. I felt like the comparison to Fargo was a helpful framing in approaching this story, and the translation ended up working really well.

Definitely recommend if you're into thriller/crime stories!

In The Kingdom, Nesbo fans met Carl and Roy Opgard who live in the small town of Os, Norway. Carl is the local entrepreneur, lately returned from the United States, bringing home a wife and lots of plans for a luxury hotel. Roy works in the local garage. The two share a weighted childhood with abuse a common feature until Roy takes matters into his own hands. Since then, the two have managed to remove any obstacles in their way, making them look like accidents or suicides.

Things have moved on. Carl and Roy are living together in the family home, their love/hate relationship still intact. But Roy now owns the garage he used to work in along with some other properties. Carl, now without the wife, is building the biggest house Os has ever seen and planning an extension to the hotel/spa. He is back with his high school sweetheart although she is married.

Roy has a new woman in his life as well. Natalie is a local Os girl but she was sent away when she hit puberty, the result of Roy's interference in her life. Everyone knew her father was abusing her every night but only Roy stepped in. He gave the man a beating to within an inch of his life and insisted that he send Natalie away to grow up in peace with relatives. Now Natalie is back in town and Roy can't believe that she is attracted to him but she is.

But everything isn't perfect. There are business problems with people trying to take what the Osgard brothers have built or cheat them. The local sheriff has been a long time enemy as he suspects that the brothers are behind the death of his father and he won't give up until he has them behind bars. The government is planning a new road, one that will bypass Os and make the hotel obsolete. Will the brothers continue to thrive?

Jo Nesbo is known for his mysteries set in his native Norway. In this novel, Roy is no doubt a horrible person but most of his crimes come from his desire to protect those he cares for. Even though Carl has cheated him all his life, he still loves him and tries to protect him. The reader can't help but pull for Roy as he outmaneuvers his enemies. The plot is intricate and it is a joy to watch it unfold. For me, Jo Nesbo is an automatic read as his work is complex and satisfying. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

I am a big fan of Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series and remember enjoying an earlier standalone novel of his. Unconnected to the much-loved series, Blood Ties is the sequel to The Kingdom and looks to be the concluding part of a duology.

Roy and Carl Opgard are tied by blood, not only because they are brothers but also because of the several deaths they have caused. Carl is dashing and audacious, and likes to think of himself as the King of Os, a small mountain town in Norway, where he owns a swanky hotel and other properties. Roy, the elder one, is reticent and intelligent, and does what needs to be done without much fuss. He owns a gas station and has an ambitious plan to build an amusement park with an iconic roller coaster. Both Carl and Roy have a ruthless streak and have never hesitated to play dirty, though Roy has his own moral compass that takes him to difficult places. The brothers’ thriving lives are getting complicated fast, with a proposed tunnel threatening to divert the traffic away from Carl’s hotel, and the local sheriff’s unrelenting efforts to pin a few old murders, including that of the sheriff’s own father, on them. Feeling a strong sense of loyalty towards Carl due to their twisted past, Roy fights to protect his kid brother, at times even from himself, but things get to a point where loyalty alone will not be enough.

Blood Ties, despite its serious body count, is far different from the Harry Hole series due to its sweeping range, proof of Nesbo’s versatility. The characters, big and small, are superbly etched, with personalities complex and realistic. Roy, Sheriff Kurt Olsen, and Natalie Moe are especially memorable. The storytelling is languid by the standards of the Harry Hole series, but it is compelling enough to resist putting the book down. The plot feels like a winding mountain road with tight turns and unexpected obstacles, which Nesbo’s characters navigate fascinatingly. The first-person narration in Roy's voice has the right measure of emotions, humour, and articulation, and is immensely enjoyable. Though it is the second novel featuring the Opgard brothers, I had no problems reading it as a standalone. Aided considerably by Robert Ferguson’s top-notch translation, Blood Ties is a splendid ride that will interest all thriller fans.

I am extremely thankful to Alfred A. Knopf / Penguin Random House for the digital review copy of Blood Ties through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

really good mystery. Kept me on my toes and loved all of the characters and what they went through on this journey. Loved that they a happy ending happened.

The link below is my spoiler free review on this book. If you have any further questions please feel free to reach out.

https://youtu.be/JLc6e5jy52c

Blood Ties
By Jo Nesbo

This is the follow-up to "The Kingdom", a book about two brothers in Norway: Carl Opgard – handsome, smart, and charismatic – the younger brother; and Roy Opgard – quiet, dyslexic, not as good looking – the older brother who is determined to protect his younger brother at all costs. Theirs is a love/hate relationship. Roy is guilty because, when his father was sexually abusing his baby brother, he could do nothing to stop it. All of this is explained in the first book and mentioned again here.

Now the brothers are middle-aged men. They are well-off through a number of endeavors both legal and not. As their various activities lead them on separate paths, Roy, the narrator here, begins to distrust his brother and distance himself, taking his own path. Carl continues to think of Roy as not too bright but a loyal follower. Roy has even killed for his brother. But Carl fails to understand that the relationship is changing.

In true Nesbo style, Roy manages to extricate himself from several sticky situations, just when you think he is caught out. Maybe Roy is much smarter than his brother – and most other people - believe. The slick way he manages to outwit the sheriff, the engineers, and even his brother will keep the reader entertained.

This book can be read as a standalone. However, having read the first one, I think "Blood Ties" has much more to offer if you have read "The Kingdom". I am a fan of Jo Nesbo's books and hope he has plans for another Opgard book.

Thank you to the publisher and NeetGalley for this ARC.

My favorite author but...just addicted to Harry Hole. Jo's other books are well written but font scratch the itch like my fave!

I really enjoyed this book. However at times I felt like it was more of a family drama book than a mystery or thriller.

It did hook me from the beginning and kept me entertained throughout the book.

The drama between the brothers was insane at times and definitely added to the intrigue of the book.

Being a longtime Harry Hole series fan, I absolutely love the writing of Jo Nesbo. This book is not a part of that series but a follow up to The Kingdom, which I unfortunately didn’t read. I believe I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read the Kingdom. Having a deeper understanding of the Opgard brothers would enhance the story. Even so, I’d give this book 3 1/2 out of 5 stars as the writing is wonderful as always.

Nesbo constantly gives us crisp, fresh stories. Always hard to put down. Writing is terse. Every word counts. Loved this book about a couple of brothers getting in over their heads. Great ending.

A story that has two brothers who are controlling things in the town and also killing people. When a new highway is looking at being built they want to put a stop to it one way are another. As well as anyone who gets in their way or finds their dumping ground. Especially when the sheriff has new technology that can look into the ground. A dark story but if you are into it a good read.

Thank you Netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an arc for my honest opinion.

Blood Ties picks up where we left off in "The Kingdom". For all the bad things that Roy has done, you can't help but like him and root for him. Carol is just a terrible person and it's so frustrating that he gets away with so much. I enjoyed reading about the brotherly competition, the sheriff constantly trying to trip up Roy and Carol and the bit of romance that's in the book. I was a little bored in the beginning with the book because there was a lot of recapping, but it was an enjoyable read overall and I found that I needed to keep coming back to find out what the "town gossip" was.

Everyone’s familiar with the saying, “blood is thicker than water”... but is it, really?

Norwegian suspense author Jo Nesbø puts that idea to the test in his latest tale, Blood Ties (giving big-time Cain-&-Abel energy).

One thing you can count on, living in a really small town? That everyone else knows your business.

Your family. Your history. Everything you ever did. Basically, all the dirt.

If your family’s respected (and respectable), you’ve got a lot to live up to... but your fellow townsfolk probably give you the benefit of the doubt if one of you does something to raise eyebrows.

But if your family’s always been a little bit “off”, well... the town doesn’t cut you as much slack.

Brothers Carl and Roy Opgard grew up in tiny Os, moved away for a spell, then made their ways back... and made good, in middle-age.

Carl manages the town’s biggest draw—the chic Os Spa and Hotel—and has grand plans for expansion (including the mansion he’s building for himself). Roy, meanwhile, owns a gas station and a few other business properties... and wants to build an amusement park is Os, with the largest wooden roller coaster in the world.

Turns out, though, that some of the backstory for how Carl and Roy achieved—and hope to continue to achieve—their successes is... murky. As in, not-at-all-entirely-above-board.

And the town sheriff, who’s long harbored a serious dislike for—and distrust of— both brothers, is dead set on using the latest technology to dig into a string of unsolved murders, disappearances, and otherwise-uncertain events... all of which he’s convinced can be laid at the feet of the brothers Opgard.

There couldn’t be a worse time for things to come to a head... when Roy has finally met someone who makes him really, really happy.

And, when both Roy and Carl have all those grand plans for the future of Os...

One thing’s for sure: there’s gonna be more bodies for the sheriff to wonder about...


So, first I’ve gotta say that it took me a minute to get into Blood Ties. (And I’ve read Nesbø before, so was familiar with his style.)

The biggest problem? I just didn’t connect with Roy. He’s... well, he’s quite a character... not that easy to identify with, or frankly, to even like. (He’s 100 times more likable than brother Carl, though, so at least that’s something...)

That kind of held true for most of the characters, actually.

I knew if I could hold on long enough to find my hook—the thing that grabs you and makes you care (about someone, or something)?— I’d be fine... and eventually it happened.

I got hooked... and needed to find out how everything all panned out.

And in the end, Blood Ties gave me the ending I “hoped” for (-ish)...

Final Thoughts...
Blood Ties is masterfullyl-written, offering an engrossing look at life in very-small-town Norway (which translates to plenty of other small-town places, as well).

But you need to have a really open mind about your “hero” character(s) with this one... because in Blood Ties? The “heroes” have lost a good 90-percent of their ideals and capes, before the story even starts...

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. ;)
~GlamKitty

[My sincere thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, and Vintage, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are, as always, entirely my own.]

Although I’ve read my share of good old American noir works over the years, I’ve never ventured north and eastward to the wintry regions of Scandinavia until now. I’ve now taken my first trip in the novel, “Blood Ties.” My guide was the best Norwegian practitioner of the Nordic noir genre, Jo Nesbo. The book blends some elements with which I was very familiar with some distinctly local flavor, and the result would make some of my favorite American authors proud.

“Blood Ties” is the sequel to another Nesbo book, the 2020 novel, “The Kingdom.” However, the book is easy to follow for those who haven’t read its predecessor. (I recommend reading “The Kingdom” first, since some developments in this book shed a vastly different light on key events in the earlier work.) “Blood Ties” is the story of two brothers, Carl and Roy Opgard, the leading entrepreneurs in the small mountain town of Os. Carl owns a luxury spa and hotel further up the mountainside from the town proper. Roy (the narrator) has more down-to-earth ventures, including the local garage and nightclub. Over the years, the brothers have resorted to select acts of violence to get what they want. The ravines next to the treacherous mountain roads beneath the hotel mark the final resting places of some of those who have gotten in the Opgards’ way. One was the former sheriff, whose body was dissolved in an industrial solvent. The brothers then staged the sheriff’s disappearance to make it appear a suicide.

As “Blood Ties” opens, the brothers have more grandiose plans. Carl wants to expand the spa, while Roy wants to turn some nearby land into an amusement park featuring the world’s tallest roller coaster. (I’m not sure of the financial viability of an outdoor theme park in northern Norway.) However, a proposed tunnel project near an adjacent town would mean that virtually all area vehicular traffic would bypass Os. That’s no problem for Roy. In the first chapter of “Blood Ties,” he bribes the engineering firm doing the tunnel’s feasibility study so they reject the proposal. However, as anyone familiar with American or Nordic noir knows, the sins of the past rarely stay buried. Subsequent events threaten to expose Roy’s bribery. That’s the least of his problems, though. Kurt Olsen, the town’s new sheriff and the son of the deceased lawman, has always believed Roy killed his father. He may have new forensic evidence to prove it. And finally, Roy finds romance of a sort with Natalie Moe, a younger woman he knew when she was in high school. Her father abused Natalie, and Roy threatened the man to force him to quit. He’s still around and still a threat to Roy’s relationship with his daughter.

Based on this plot description, readers might think that the solution to all Roy’s problems will soon lie at the bottom of the ravine. However, “Blood Ties” is a surprising novel in that regard. The book has its share of violence, but it’s more of a financial thriller than the hyper-violent fare often found in Nesbo’s works. “Blood Ties” gets a bit talky at times, but Roy has to maneuver his way around the sheriff, various bankers, foreign investors, local landowners, and opportunists with their hands out. The story probably has more bribery, fraud, and insider trading (or whatever the Norwegian equivalent) than shootings and bludgeoning. Jo Nesbo used to be a financial analyst, and he makes the financial wheeling and dealing here interesting.

The character of Roy Opgard is even more interesting. In “The Kingdom,” he was the older brother who got his more ambitious younger brother out of jams. However, in “Blood Ties,” he shows that he’s got the best business sense in the family, along with a pragmatic ruthless streak. Roy has a moral code that displays itself in practical generosity towards those who work for him. Despite his criminality and character flaws, he has a certain likability. (Plus, I was rooting for him to build the world’s tallest roller coaster on his land.) It helps that the book’s other main characters are worse.

One significant development about two-thirds of the way through “Blood Ties” didn’t work for me. It was the author’s apparent attempt to humanize a character, but it was completely out of character. In addition, it required a tremendous coincidence to resolve successfully. That’s not the only time in “Blood Ties” in which lucky breaks and coincidences play a part in moving the plot along. “Blood Ties” is too good a novel, and Jo Nesbo is too good an author to stoop to this level of chance to resolve the plot.

“Blood Ties” caught me by surprise when I agreed to review it for NetGalley. I was aware of Jo Nesbo and had seen the movie version of one of his Harry Hole books (starring Michael Fassbender), but I was unprepared for this rather bleak Nordic noir. This book made me a fan. It’s compelling, with a twisty plot and a main character who draws you in despite his massive personality flaws. The cold truth is that Nordic noir done right like “Blood Ties” is as solid a read as any of the warmer American variety.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

So, this is the first and only book by Jo Nesbo I have DNF'ed. I usually love his writing, but this is just not his best work. I get where he was trying to go, with a tragic mafia ish brothers who control the small town and commit crimes, and the crimes are starting to catch up with them. But I just couldn't get into it. It was very much written for the male gaze.

Jo Nesbo's suspense thriller grabbed me from the first page. Having read several of the Harry Hole series, I was happy to see how versatile Nesbo's writing is. Although Blood Ties is the second in a series, it worked well as a standalone. Blood Ties is about brothers; Carl and Roy, and their deadly ambition to obtain power and wealth in their small town. It is writing at its best when the reader can emphasize with a killer. This is a fast and captivating book that is hard to put down. Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

Another amazing thriller from the king of Norwegian Noir.
Having read and enjoyed all 13 Harry Hole Novels ( and wanting more ) this was my first "stand alone" Nesbo Fiction. Technically the sequel to the Kingdom ( which I own, but admittedly haven't read yet ) this story follows the further adventures of siblings, Carl and Roy Opgard, whose livelihood are threatened by a proposed tunnel that will ultimately cause the main road to bypass their hometown Os.
Roy gets caught in one sticky situation, after another, and is constantly hounded by the town Sheriff... er "Station Head", Kurt Olsen, who is hell bent on pinning one or more murders, discussed in the first book, on the brothers ( preferably Roy )now that the Statute of Limitations has been lifted.
Meanwhile the brothers are trying to expand their real estate holdings in Os, including the expansion of Os Spa, owned by Carl, and a new amusement park to be built by Roy. This can happen, only if the engineers report can show the infeasibility of building the tunnel and sparing the town.
With all these moving parts, it all comes down to sibling rivalry and which brother will emerge as "King of Os."
A well crafted and taught Noir Thriller, and can be enjoyed by those of us who did not read the Kingdom first. I highly recommend this and all the Harry Hole Novels.

A slower build than the Harry Hole series as well as this one’s predecessor, but once it got going, it was GOING. Roy truly is a likeable killer and it is fascinating watching the machinations in Os - by Roy, by Carl and by the rest of the town. Suspenseful with lots of moving parts, this is a great example of Nordic noir, but not my favorite from Nesbo.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC of this title!