Blood Ties, by Jo Nesbø (REVIEW) -- Suspenseful Take on If Cain and Abel were Norwegians...

Everyone’s familiar with the saying, “blood is thicker than water”... but is it, really?

Norwegian suspense author Jo Nesbø puts that idea to the test in his latest tale, Blood Ties (giving big-time Cain-&-Abel energy).

 

 

One thing you can count on, living in a really small town? That everyone else knows your business. 

Your family. Your history. Everything you ever did. Basically, all the dirt.

 If your family’s respected (and respectable), you’ve got a lot to live up to... but your fellow townsfolk probably give you the benefit of the doubt if one of you does something to raise eyebrows.

 

But if your family’s always been a little bit “off”, well... the town doesn’t cut you as much slack.

 

Brothers Carl and Roy Opgard grew up in tiny Os, moved away for a spell, then made their ways back... and made good, in middle-age. 

 

Carl manages the town’s biggest draw—the chic Os Spa and Hotel—and has grand plans for expansion (including the mansion he’s building for himself). Roy, meanwhile, owns a gas station and a few other business properties... and wants to build an amusement park is Os, with the largest wooden roller coaster in the world.

 

Turns out, though, that some of the backstory for how Carl and Roy achieved—and hope to continue to achieve—their successes is... murky. As in, not-at-all-entirely-above-board.

 

And the town sheriff, who’s long harbored a serious dislike for—and distrust of— both brothers, is dead set on using the latest technology to dig into a string of unsolved murders, disappearances, and otherwise-uncertain events... all of which he’s convinced can be laid at the feet of the brothers Opgard.

 

There couldn’t be a worse time for things to come to a head... when Roy has finally met someone who makes him really, really happy. 

 

And, when both Roy and Carl have all those grand plans for the future of Os--ones that don't necessarily jive with each other's visions of the future, well. That's a problem.

 

Only one thing’s for sure: there are gonna be more bodies for the sheriff to wonder about...

 

 

So, first I’ve gotta say that it took me a minute to get into Blood Ties. (And I’ve read Nesbø before, so was familiar with his style.)

 

The biggest problem? I just didn’t connect with Roy. He’s... well, he’s quite a character... not that easy to identify with, or frankly, to even like. (He’s 100 times more likable than brother Carl, though, so at least that’s something...)

 

That kind of held true for most of the characters, actually. 

 

I knew if I could hold on long enough to find my hook—the thing that grabs you and makes you care (about someone, or something)?— I’d be fine... and eventually it happened. 

 

I got hooked... and needed to find out how everything all panned out.

 

And in the end, Blood Ties gave me the ending I “hoped” for (-ish)...

 

Final Thoughts...

Blood Ties is masterfully-written, offering an engrossing look at life in very-small-town Norway (which translates to plenty of other small-town places, as well), plus an interesting look at sibling rivalry. 

 

But you need to have a really open mind about your “hero” character(s) with this one... because in Blood Ties? The “heroes” have lost a good 90-percent of their ideals and capes, before the story even starts...

 

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. ;)

~GlamKitty

 

[My sincere thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, and Vintage, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are, as always, entirely my own.]

Kills Well with Others, by Deanna Raybourn (Spy Thriller REVIEW) -- When the Monsters Are Also Menopausal

There are friends... and then there are your Ride-or-Dies, The People Who Have Your Back (No Matter What).

One thing I’ve learned, over the years, is that it doesn’t matter how many “friends” or “followers” you have, or how many “likes” you get, on whatever social platform. 

 

What does matter is what happens when you’re at your lowest. Your ugliest. Your neediest (or, your I-absolutely-don’t-need-anyone-iest, which of course, is when you absolutely-really-do).

 

Because the people who show up for you then, in all your whateverness? They’re the ones worth holding onto, listening to, and sharing your best—and your worst—with, forever.

 

Deanna Raybourn’s newest spy thriller, Kills Well With Others, gives us a masterclass in the why... and does so, in surprisingly poignant--and frequently hilarious--fashion.

 

 

They’re a foursome, alright... but definitely not your killer Sex-and-the-City kind of quad (not even the and-then-years-went-by reboot). 

No, the ladies at the heart of this series are full-on, literal killers... assassins, if you want to get technical.

 

(As a mentor tells them early on, “Do not grieve for the life you have not chosen... We have different gifts and are called to a different path. The world needs us to remove what stands between the good and decent people and chaos. We are necessary monsters.”)

 

They’re also well into their prime (for assassins, at least), having all crossed the age of 60. 

 

They’re semi-retired... as they should be, having worked as agents for a shadowy organization known as the Museum, dispatching certifiable “bad guys” for some 40 years. 

 

[Okay, so I’m a native Midwesterner. EVERYONE was a “you guys” or “those guys” or “us guys”... regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. So "bad guys" still works, trust me.]

 

Anyway, back to our female assassins. 

 

Billie, Helen, Natalie, and Mary Alice—working together, on and off, since the late ‘70s—are reunited for a case that requires their particular strengths, histories, and expertise... because this one goes all the way back to one of their earliest assignments.

 

One of their first hits—that of a truly horrible man—is coming back to haunt them... with a little help from someone on the inside.

 

A list with their names is now out there... only made possible, obviously, by someone with 

access to historic files. 

 

And this case? It’s a doozy. An Eastern European gangster, who left unsavory progeny in his wake, after his demise... offspring whose sole aim in life seems to be long-after-the-fact revenge for their father.

 

The worst part is there’s precedent. Another well-respected agent with ties to that case—known by these women—has already been murdered... with an unmistakable calling card, warning them of more to come, left behind.

 

Clearly, there’s nothing to debate. The foursome reunite for another escapade—this time, with a “support staff” that includes their significant others, wannabe significants, and a pair of cats [and hell yes, I’m grinning!!] in tow—on a madcap, dangerous adventure around the world.

 

Oh, and so you know how the media like to remind us that “age is just a number”? Well, Billie, Helen, Natalie, and Mary Alice are damned-well determined to live up to that. In spades.

 

 

 

Kills Well With Others first of all, is an absolute breath of fresh air.

 

I mean, female killers—total badasses, smart and skilled—in their 60s?!? How often do we get to see that?? (Oh, hey, I’ll answer... NEVER.)

Seriously, what was the last book you read (or show/movie you watched) that featured not one post-menopausal woman, but four of ‘em, using their brains, their wiles, and kickin’ ass (okay, technically, killin’ ass)... on the reg? (Um, yeah, you didn’t, because that isn’t a thing... and more’s the pity.)

 

[Meanwhile, we still see movies featuring the likes of Tom Cruise, George Clooney, and Brad Pitt—all in their 60s—doing the above, on the big screen, for bajillions of dollars, like it’s NBD. Ugh.] 

 

But Kills Well With Others is about so much more than just showing how strong and resourceful women can be, at any age.

 

Because at its core? It’s a continuing (apparently, as I discovered it's the second in a series!) tale of friendship. Of the ties that bind us, oh-so-tightly. Of knowing someone so well that you can bicker and hate and love and heal, all in the space of a few minutes.

 

And that, well... at the end of the day, that’s everything, really, innit? 

 

Final Thoughts...

 

While this book will appeal to many (many) women, no one who doesn’t identify strongly as a woman should worry about being put off by it, because this—as I’ve said—is truly a story about friendship, love, and longevity... things that tend to mean more to all of us as the years go by. 

(Also? Not everyone is “straight”. Which is awesome. )

 

I can only hope that Raybourn sees additional outings in these wonderful womens’ futures... because I definitely want to see more of them. I’m not in my 60s, but they’re absolutely giving me hope... ;)

 

This is definitely going to be one of my fave books of 2025, because it's such a treat... and because it makes OUR futures look brighter. 

~GlamKitty

[My sincere thanks to Penguin Random House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are, as always, entirely my own.]