This was a fun book. It was everything that a cheap crime novel should be: compelling, sexy, plot-twisty, and easy to follow.It reminded me of the Girl with a Dragon Tatoo series (maybe it is just Scandanavia and all the cold and weird names); again with the rugged and unattractive main character who is a sweetie underneath.
The supporting characters were all a bit stereotypical: Skarre is the dumbass sexist guy; Holm is the geeky reliable forensics; and everyone else is a suspect.
I felt like maybe the world was too small (and therefore the characters are conveniently bumping into each other), but Nesbo does a good job commenting on the fact that Norway is a small country and these people are all intertwined intentionally by Malthus.
I did figure out that Katrine was Iron Ratko's daughter fairly early on and I didn't think she was the Snowman, but I did not realize it was Malthus until Hole is caught returning the watch.
I liked his description in the beginning of America as Norway's bodyguard: "Out bodyguard is a born-again Christian with a father complex, a drinking problem, intellectual limitations and not enough backbone to do his military service with honor." Maybe it's just because I can't stand G W Bush.
I did not like that all the loose ends were tied up so completely and that the radio stats on paternity and the Berhaus seal TV show ended up being relevant to Hole's analysis of the crime. I thought that Nesbo was just too cute to have all that info there for the picking at the beginning. Neither of these were important details and could have been left out.
Overall it was entertaining and quick. Nothing spectacular or artistic but thoroughly enjoyable.