Blood on snow by Jo Nesbo
Jo Nesbo is most known for his now ten books about the police investigator Harry Hole,but with this book he has tried something completely new.
Olav is a dyslectic, hopelessly romantic poet who likes to read and write, although it takes ages for him to get something down on a paper. He has a tendency of falling in love with almost every women he sees, and he works as an assassin for Daniel Hoffmann, one of the bigger "mafia bosses" in town.
It's usually no problems when Daniel Hoffmann gives Olav a job to do. But this one has two: 1. The assassination is to be done on Daniel Hoffmann's wife, and 2. Olav falls completely in love with her.
This is a really short book you can easily finish in one or two nights. For me, it actually felt like a relief to be able to do that, as the other book I'm currently reading probably will take another 2 or 3 months (shantaram, if you're wondering). I've never used the word "cute" to describe a crime book before, but this time it is the first word that pops in my head. Which is kind of funny, especially since the main character is an assassin. But he is, in a strange way, a really cute and misunderstood character. He is both dumb and smart, and also he is amazingly caring about others. It's easy to sympathize with him, and it doesn't take long before you like him.
The story is written from Olav's perspective, which works amazingly well in this book. By getting to know how he thinks, you get to know him a lot more, and as this is a very short book, creating a solid main character is almost just as important as the story itself. The story is not exactly complicated, but is is good enough; things are hapenning, some things turn out to be different from what you were expecting and some things work out in the classic way it is supposed to.
All over, I’m pleased. The book is nice and the size is kind of perfect if you just need something to read in the easter vacation, or a little break from something.
★★★☆☆