A review by acouplereadss
The Night House by Jo Nesbø

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Richard Elauved’s whole life has been tumultuous. His parents are gone and he’s been sent to live with his aunt and uncle in the remote town of Ballantyne. He doesn’t think life could get worse until his classmate Tom goes missing. Richard was the only witness to Tom being sucked up by the telephone receiver in the woods. Nobody believes him except for his classmate Karen. She encourages him to follow the clues to Tom’s disappearance. That is until a second classmate goes missing and Richard is yet again, the only witness. Richard must prove his innocence but is Richard’s narrative relatable?

A love a coming of age story, there’s something so nostalgic about them! The first half of this book was a complete five star for me. I loved the horror and mystery of the disappearances. The pacing was excellent and kept me hooked. But then a twist occurred and it threw me off. And then another twist happened and it just lost me. I think there was a few different layers to this one that just didn’t work for me but I did enjoy the first half of this concept.

Nesbo is a prolific Nordic noir writer that I’ve been thinking of trying. I’ll definitely try some more of his work because this book was so polarizing to me, deserves another chance!

Thank you @penguincanada for sending a copy my way in exchange for a review, 3✨!