BY HOLLY CUTHBERT

 

Action packed, dark and menacing - Jo Nesbø’s latest novel, The Son, is one of the best crime thrillers out this year.

Sonny Lofthus, prisoner at Staten, believes his father to have been a police traitor until a fellow prisoner confesses the truth about his death. Sonny, whose fellow prisoners believe he has the power to heal, breaks out of prison to right the wrongs that have been done to him.

Essentially what follows is a killing spree but there is nothing tacky or predictable about Nesbø’s killer. Everyone who meets Sonny likes him and comments on the softness of his eyes. He is surprisingly considerate and kind to people which jars with people’s picture of a killer and makes him an incredibly likeable character.

The novel is written in the third person and covers many different types of characters allowing the reader to see a whole range of Oslo’s citizens. The city is once again a character in its own right as is often the case in Jo’s novels.

This novel is about friendship and forgiveness as much as it is about justice and the character’s Sonny meets emphasise this beautifully. The novel shows the ties that bind people together in their best and worst forms.

At times this text seems surprisingly religious, not a theme that has crept into Nesbø’s novel’s before. This works well with the idea of retribution in the book and adds an interesting angle to what is taking place.

Music also plays a large part in this book, not surprising for a novelist who is himself the lead singer and songwriter for a successful band in Norway. Sonny listens to specific songs and I would really recommend playing the songs mentioned as you read that section of the book as it gives an extra layer of connection to the character that has not been used much in literature before.

This is a stand alone novel, not part of Nesbø’s acclaimed Harry Hole series so it might be a good place for new readers to start. For Nesbø fans it contains everything you expect and more. It is easily one of my favourites and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good read.

 

This book was published by Harvill Secker and is available to buy for £18.99. It can also be borrowed from The Hive as well as other Worcestershire libraries. Click here to check availability and check it out