Wolf Hour by Jo Nesbo

Jo Nesbo has taken a page from his excellent Harry Hole series to craft the character Bob Oz, a flawed detective with a drinking problem, in this stand-alone Nordic noir thriller. Set in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Nesbo shows he's just as good at writing a novel set in America as he is in his native Norway.

In 2022, Holger Rudi, an aspiring Norwegian crime writer, sets his eye on an old serial murder case that occurred in Minneapolis in 2016. His interest in the case is complicated and not without bias. He begins his research by visiting the old crime scenes and familiarizing himself with the city and the culture.

In 2016, a police homicide detective, Bob Oz, was the first on the scene of the attempted murder of a gun dealer. Oz learns that another tenant in the apartment building, Tomas Gomez, may be the gunman. Oz begins an unofficial investigation just as another shooting occurs, this time with deadly consequences, and Oz is sure it's Gomez behind the attacks. As Oz looks into Gomez's past, he discovers a tragic history and a man out for revenge. With Gomez seemingly always one step ahead, Oz must figure out who Gomez is going to target next if he has any hope of stopping him.

This is a suspenseful book with a serial killer that I found myself conflicted over. On the one hand, Gomez's tragic history cries out for justice that never came. On the other hand, vigilante justice is never the answer. With two strong characters in Oz and Gomez, Nesbo does a good job of making it hard for the reader to choose sides. The book is intricately plotted, with a dark twist that shocked me. Nesbo is a mesmerizing storyteller, and Wolf Hour is an excellent example of Nesbo at the height of his game. 

5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is February 3, 2026.

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