Roy and Carl are back and with their return they bring their own darkness and tension this book is definitely Nordic noir . The relationship between the brothers is dysfunctional at best and disturbing at its worst . The sheriff knows the secrets that the brothers hide and he’s trying his best to bring them to justice . The writing is excellent as you would expect from Nesbo and the story is certainly dark and tense and full of intrigue. It left me wondering what would happen next and also kept me turning the pages . A different read from Nesbo but still an entertaining one . Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage .

This started off a bit slow but picked up in the second half of the story. Two brothers, Roy and Carl, are quite interesting characters who have committed crimes in the past and the story is mostly told by Roy. It's about family ties, loyalty and the plot is certainly different but with few thrills along the way. I just failed to engage with the characters and found it all a bit dull.

I'm a big fan of books by this author and enjoyed Blood Ties which can be read on its own. I thought the first half was very slow going, which I struggled with and wondered where the story would go. I'm glad to say the 2nd half of the book did pick up and became a more engaging read. The story follows two brothers who have committed past crimes and a Police Officer determined to bring them down, and is told mostly through Roy. How strong are the ties binding each brother? Will you protect family first whatever the cost? I quite liked Roy as a character, and also Natalie. The authors writing is good, the story flows well and in my opinion became more absorbing in the 2nd half. I feel that the thrills, suspense and atmosphere I'm used to from this authors books are quite lacking here. I really like the ending though, it gives good closure to the story. I did enjoy Blood Ties and would recommend it, I just don't think it's one of Jo Nesbos' best. 3 stars