Blood on Snow (Norwegian: Blod på snø) is a crime novel and thriller by Norwegian author Jo Nesbø. It was first published in Norway by Aschehoug in October 2014, and in English translation in 2015. The novel is a standalone work, distinct from Nesbø's long-running Harry Hole detective series, and is narrated in the first person by Olav Johansen, a professional contract killer.
Premise
Set in Oslo, Norway, in the late 1970s, Olav works as a "fixer" (contract killer) for one of Oslo's most powerful crime bosses, Daniel Hoffman. Hoffman discovers that his wife, Corina, has been unfaithful and assigns Olav the task of killing her. While observing Corina to plan the murder, Olav falls in love with the woman he is supposed to eliminate, leading to a conflict between his professional obligations and his personal feelings.
Reception
The novel received a mixed reception. Alan Cheuse of NPR described the book as fast-paced and entertaining, calling a scene in a church crypt "one of the wildest scenes in recent crime fiction." Alison Flood of The Guardian praised Nesbø's writing as "ever so noiry and pulpy" but criticized the first-person narration for "always slipping in clunky asides," and compared the novel unfavorably to Nesbø's Harry Hole series. Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times gave a negative review, describing the plot as "as predictable as it is hackneyed" and "saccharine where it's meant to be moving, contrived where it's supposed to be suspenseful."
Sequel
A companion novel, Midnight Sun (Norwegian: Mere blod), was published in 2015 and serves as a sort-of sequel. It follows a different protagonist, Jon, who is on the run after betraying Oslo's crime lord known as "The Fisherman."
Film Adaptation
A film adaptation of Blood on Snow is in development, with Cary Fukunaga directing. The cast is reported to include Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Olav, along with Benedict Cumberbatch, Eva Green, Emma Laird, and Ben Mendelsohn. The screenplay was written by Jo Nesbø and Ben Powers.
Folklore Motif
The phrase "blood on snow" also appears as a recurring visual motif in European folklore and fairy tales, most famously in the Brothers Grimm's Snow White, where a queen pricks her finger and wishes for a child "as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony." The triad of red, white, and black is a durable symbolic pattern in folk narrative, where white represents surface or blankness, red marks rupture or vital change, and black frames or threatens. This color triad appears across many traditions as a way of marking human thresholds and consequential narrative turning points.
