Midnight Sun

A novel

By: Jo Nesbo, Neil Smith - translator

Narrated by: Kim Gordon

The internationally acclaimed author of Blood on Snow and the Harry Hole novels now gives us the tightly wound tale of a man running from retribution, a renegade hitman who goes to ground far above the Arctic circle, where the never-setting sun might slowly drive a man insane.

He calls himself Ulf—as good a name as any, he thinks—and the only thing he’s looking for is a place where he won’t be found by Oslo’s most notorious drug lord: the Fisherman. He was once the Fisherman’s fixer, but after betraying him, Ulf is now the one his former boss needs fixed—which may not be a problem for a man whose criminal reach is boundless. When Ulf gets off the bus in Kåsund, on Norway’s far northeastern border, he sees a “flat, monotonous, bleak landscape . . . the perfect hiding place. Hopefully.”

The locals—native Sami and followers of a particularly harsh Swedish version of Christianity—seem to accept Ulf’s explanation that he’s come to hunt, even if he has no gun and the season has yet to start. And a bereaved, taciturn woman and her curious, talkative young son supply him with food, the use of a cabin deep in the woods, a weapon—and companionship that stirs something in him he thought was long dead.

But the agonizing wait for the inevitable moment when the Fisherman’s henchmen will show—the midnight sun hanging in the sky like an unblinking, all-revealing eye—forces him to question if redemption is at all possible or if, as he’s always believed, “hope is a real bastard.”

Critic reviews

"This forcefully written story of personal defeat, despair, and salvation sends a man off to lose himself in the wilderness—where he finds himself instead." —The New York Times Book Review

"Readers who like their crime fiction cut-to-the-bone lean will love the opening pages of Jo Nesbø's new, swift-moving existential thriller.... A compelling exploration of love, faith, the meaning of life and redemption." —Richmond Times-Dispatch

"A fun read, with a likable protagonist and a brisk, page-turning pace. Nesbø is a talented storyteller and his narrative intuition is on full display." —Los Angeles Times

Not the usual Nesbo

The story is not bad and I may have enjoyed it more had I not been familiar with this author. This story moves more slowly and is missing the suspense and plot twists found in his other books. I kept expecting something more to happen...it didn't.

THANK GOD THIS BOOK WAS SHORT!

We all want to spread our wings at times and perform something different than where our talents normally take us. This is what Jo Nesbo and the narrator tried to do, and both failed miserably. The female narrator, Kim Gordon, spoke in the same irritatingly slow cadence with a monotone voice no matter what action was taking place -- and I use the word "action" here very loosely since no real energy or vitality occurs in the story -- and it was often quite difficult to discern which character was speaking. Nesbo, one of my favorite authors, essentially tried to convey a love story set in a cult-like atmosphere in his native land, which was neither interesting nor held the listener's attention. Quite a disappointment on every level.

Fair story line

I really disliked having a woman read this boy from a male's perspective. The story wasn't bad and had some good twists but not not as good as the Harry Hole series. Good research on a religion I was unfamiliar with so that was a good addition. Characters were only somewhat developed, for me - I didn't care about them.

This was good

This was good and worth listening to for any jo nesbo fan but not great. It was much softer than some of his others which maybe appeals to some. I did like the tie ins as well as the hint of more to come but prefer some of his darker work.

Another great Nesbo story

Great Nesbo story with a surprisingly compelling narration as a bonus.
I wish there was a follow up