Surely one of the major by-products of the Stieg Larsson phenomenon will be an uplift in sales for the multitude of other Scandinavian authors currently filling international bookshelves - let's call it the Salander dividend.
If so, then expect Jo Nesbo to be a major beneficiary. The Norwegian writer, along with his fictional Oslo detective Harry Hole, is not doing so bad already. For a few years now afficianados of the genre have sung their praises loud and long and helped to propel Nesbo towards the bestseller charts.
The publication of his latest novel, The Snowman, seems to have taken the exposure and acclaim for Nesbo to new levels - and it is this that brought me back to his work following a hiatus after reading both The Redbreast and Nemesis. As those reviews show, it was not the quality of the writing that stopped me reading more Nesbo, but confusion about the chronology of the books and the order of their publication - see Euro Crime's bibliography for details. The anal retentive in me likes to read novels in order, and I lost patience. Well, to mix bodily metaphors, I cut off my nose to spite my face.
The Snowman shows just what I have been missing. It is another superbly written crime novel with a powerful narrative that keeps the pages turning quickly.
Once again, as with Nemesis, it is the brilliance of the writing that stands out. Nesbo - and translator Don Bartlett - have an ability to deliver the right line and the right time over and over again. It is a rare quality, and one that adds so much to an already excellent story.
In The Snowman, Hole finds himself investigating an apparent serial killer who victimises the mothers of young children and leaves a peculiar calling card which carries a carrot for a nose. But the snowmen apart, there is little to link the victims and in the absence of hard evidence the investigation frequently runs aground with no clues to follow. Hole also finds himself the victim of shifting political sands, and the desire of his superiors to present the case as closed, when the detective suspects it is not.
Hole is not quite the typical tortured detective. He is a recovering alcoholic, yes, and a man whose life is littered with romantic disappointment brought on by his commitment to he job. But he is also popular and respected by colleagues, defended - to a point - by superiors - and has a vision for his work that incorporates all shades of grey rather than regular monochrome.
He is an instinctive man, prepared to take a chance on a hunch, but also meticulous in pursuit of detail.
It is a combination that makes him a fascinating detective and that is augmented in this novel by the arrival of a new partner, Katrine Bratt, a tough Bergen cop who is a match for the moody Hole.
Hole's investigation is imaginative and far-reaching as are the themes of the book: love and loss, crime and redemption, greed, ambition and revenge.
This is another superb Scandinavian import. Find some room on that shelf, it should fit in nicely after Larsson, Mankell...