Midnight Sun is the second book in Jo Nesbo’s Blood on Snow (Fisherman) trilogy. When I picked it up, I thought it was a standalone book, and when I realized it was part of a series, I was apprehensive I wouldn’t understand the plot. Thankfully, I had no issues with it, and in every way, it reads like a standalone book.
The Plot
Jon is on the run. He has betrayed Oslo’s biggest crime lord: The Fisherman.
Fleeing to an isolated corner of Norway, to a mountain town so far north that the sun never sets, Jon hopes to find sanctuary among a local religious sect.
Hiding out in a shepherd’s cabin in the wilderness, all that stands between him and his fate are Lea, a bereaved mother, and her young son, Knut.
But while Lea provides him with a rifle and Knut brings essential supplies, the midnight sun slowly drives Jon to insanity.
And then he discovers that The Fisherman’s men are getting closer.
~ Synopsis from GoodReads
My Thoughts on Midnight Sun
I wasn’t too impressed with this one. I had read The Son a couple of years back and enjoyed it very much, and I felt this book was a lighter and flimsier version of that book.
The plot is essentially a misunderstood bad boy on the run with a bagful of stolen money. Hitman Jon runs away from his mafia boss after a very revealing truth is out in the open. Now, the mafia boss (called The Fisherman) has sent another hitman to catch him.
Jon is now holed up in one of the most isolated sections of northern Norway (where the sun never seems to set) and is slowly going mad amid the isolation. The few people he meets and befriends are extremely religious and follow Laestadianism. In this highly unlikely place, Jon tries to set roots only to find that he cannot hide from his past.
The Fisherman always finds what he’s looking for.
This very menacing quote is used multiple times in the book to remind us that a huge confrontation is awaiting and that Jon’s chances of survival are negligible.
Nesbo does an excellent job of describing the local people (the Sami) and their religious beliefs. His descriptions of the landscape and the moody narrative are also top-class.
I loved Jon and his backstory, too.
So what didn’t I like?
I felt a little cheated by the novel’s lack of depth. For such a complex setup and the number of issues faced by Jon, the ending and resolution of all these issues were a bit too pat. The relationships also developed a bit too fast.
Within a few days, people fall in love, inconvenient people die off conveniently, and God’s grace explains the eventual implausible-sounding ending. To me, this just seemed like a little laziness in the writing, as the book started off impressively and then ended as a damp squib.
Overall, it was quite a forgettable read, and from now on, I”‘ll stick to reading Nesbo’s Harry Hole books.
Are you a fan of Jo Nesbo? Have you read this one? Which books of his would you recommend to me?
