Blood Ties

Blood Ties by Jo Nesbø, the sequel to The Kingdom, continues the turbulent saga of the Opgard brothers, Roy and Carl, set in the isolated Norwegian mountain town of Os. This gripping tale of loyalty, betrayal, and criminal intrigue builds on the dark foundation laid in the first book, delving deeper into the brothers’ troubled lives and morally complex bond.

Roy Opgard, the older sibling, remains the fixer in their dynamic. Over the years, he’s shielded Carl from enemies, covered up his mistakes, and even committed murder for his sake. Carl, in turn, has relied on Roy’s protection, assuming his brother will always save him, no matter the cost.

As young men, the brothers took divergent paths: Carl left for America to study business, while Roy stayed behind to manage a gas station. Now, as they approach middle age, their lives appear to have taken contrasting trajectories. Carl is the CEO of a luxury resort hotel, spa, and ski complex, while Roy continues to run the gas station, the Meiergård apartment building, and the Fritt Fall bar. However, Roy also has ambitions—namely, building a roller coaster and amusement park in Os, a project that promises to reshape the town’s future.

But these grand plans are threatened when the Norwegian Roads Administration proposes a tunnel through the nearby town of Todde, which would bypass Os altogether. The tunnel’s construction would devastate Carl’s resort and Roy’s amusement park prospects. To counter this, Roy resorts to bribery, hoping to persuade GeoData, the surveyors assessing the tunnel’s feasibility, to declare the project unviable.

Complicating matters further is Carl’s financial mismanagement, which leaves his hotel struggling to stay afloat. Meanwhile, Roy needs significant funds to both pay off GeoData and kickstart his amusement park. Their hopes rest on bank manager Asle Vendelbo, whose approval they must secure—at a price.

Adding to their troubles, the brothers’ history of covering up murders is about to catch up with them. Their favored method—staging car crashes at a notorious curve and disposing of vehicles in a ravine—faces exposure as the Highways Department prepares to install a crash barrier, requiring the cars to be retrieved and examined. Sheriff Kurt Olsen, who suspects the Opgards of killing his father, is determined to see them brought to justice.

The narrative is packed with deceit, danger, and tension, offering readers a complex web of double-dealing, threats, and additional murders. Carl emerges as particularly loathsome, his hubris and self-centeredness on full display. From occupying prime office space in his hotel to his blatant affair with the wife of a local newspaper editor, Carl’s arrogance alienates even his closest allies. By contrast, Roy’s actions, though equally reprehensible, stem from an unwavering sense of familial duty, lending him a semblance of relatability.

As Nesbø expertly builds toward a climactic reckoning, Blood Ties delivers the atmospheric suspense and moral ambiguity that fans of Nordic noir crave. A must-read for those who enjoyed The Kingdom, this sequel cements Jo Nesbø’s reputation as a master of psychological crime fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jo Nesbø, and Knopf for providing a copy of Blood Ties.