Review of "The Kingdom: A Novel of Suspense" by Jo Nesbo

Norwegian author Jo Nesbo - who's probably best known for his Harry Hole crime novels - goes in a different direction with this book.

*****

Brothers Roy and Carl Opgard grew up in a Norwegian mountain town called Os. Big brother Roy was always very protective of his sibling. Thus, when little Carl cried, Roy comforted him.



When young Carl couldn't kill a mangled dog, Roy did it for him; And when teen heartthrob Carl was attacked by jealous boys, Roy beat them up.

Carl knows he only has to call, and Roy will rush to his side and do what has to be done. Carl relies on this, expecting to be rescued no matter what.



Roy and Carl were young teens when their mother and father were killed in a horrible road incident.



This causes reverberations down through the years, which are slowly revealed as the story unfolds.

After their parents died, Roy and Carl were looked after by an uncle, but mostly raised themselves. Then, when the boys became young adults, Carl went off to school in America and Roy remained in Os. Carl became a real estate tycoon/property developer.....



and Roy became a car mechanic/service station manager.



It's now fifteen years later, and Carl returns to Os with his beautiful bride Shannon, who's an architect.



Carl and Shannon plan to use the mountaintop Opgard property to build an upscale hotel, spa, ski resort complex.



Carl hopes to get most residents of Os to invest in the project, believing everyone will get rich, especially himself and Roy.

Not everyone in town has warm feelings towards the Opgards, however, and some people would be more than happy to derail the hotel project. In part, this is because Carl left broken hearts behind when he exited Os to go to America;



Roy's teenage beating victims are now men with a grudge;


Carl is reputed to have cheated partners in a previous real estate scheme;



the sheriff suspects the siblings of various kinds of wrongdoing; and more.



Moreover, Os is not an idealic Norwegian village. Dark undercurrents permeate the story, including child abuse; incest; unfaithfulness; adultery; blackmail; malfeasance; murder; arson; and more.

There's also some plain bad behavior. For instance, Roy is thought to have little interest in women, and his fifteen-year-old service station employee, Julie, seems bent on rectifying the situation. Julie's attempts to seduce Roy are both funny and disturbing.



It's mesmerizing to see the secrets of Os revealed, one by one, and to observe the dark depths of the human soul. There are truly horrific revelations in the book, which - if you're familiar with Nesbo's work - won't come as a surprise.

This is an excellent suspense story, highly recommended.

Rating: 4 stars