OMG SO GOOD! Horror lovers with love this book. Set in the same town as the Lizzie Borden murders, the main character investigates the death of town prominent people because her brother is being accused of the murders.

The bigotry in this book wasn't done with the intention to show the problems with it, but to be offensive `cause. I couldn't enjoy any part of the book.

I appreciate Nordic Noirs, however, it was really hard to get into this Nordic Horror. It is definitely deep, and I love the references to Metamorphsis; however, it isn't my concept of "horror". This made the relatively short book, quite dense. The main character seems very neurotic, but not in a good way. I guess that kind of mirrors Kafka's Gregor Samsa. I am sure others will like this; but this was just not for me.

Part three gave Shutter Island vibes. Lots of people like this trope : person is in a mental institution, but does not know they are, until the big reveal. I do like the message that trauma can really impact someone, for years to come. But...I wanted more of a haunted house narrative than this one.

I feel like this one is probably going to polarize a bunch of people. Today in three different timelines, but always centering around the same group of characters. I loved the unreliable narrator, and I feel like some books play really well with that.

This one kind of lost control halfway through and ended up going into one of my pet peeve tropes that I’m not going to post here because spoilers, but if you really need to know it, just shoot me a message!

All in all, I liked this one but didn’t love it. The spooky vibes were perfect, and there’s some super cool set pieces, but it just didn’t stick the landing for me.

Richard Elauved, 14, moves to Ballantyne to live with an aunt and an uncle after the terrifying house fire that took the life of his parents. Richard isn't the friendliest of boys and he quickly gets a reputation at school and within the community as being a loner, a bully, and a trouble-maker.

One day Richard convinces another boy to join him and make a prank telephone call to a random number in the phone book. Using a phone booth at the edge of town (and dating the story) Richard pushes the boy (Tom) to make the call but is then horrified as Tom is slowly sucked into the phone, bloody and screaming.

Richard traces the number that was called to an old, abandoned house in the woods and, along with another frightened school boy, go off to investigate. But that boy is transformed into an insect and burrows into the dirt at Richard's feet.

Being the last person known to be with the missing boys, Richard is suspected of foul play by the police. But telling the truth does no good because no one will believe him. No one, that is, except for another school outcast, Karen, with whom Richard will need to investigate - even if it's just so that he can sleep again at night.

I am slightly familiar with author Jo Nesbo, having read a couple of his mysteries with detective Harry Hole (which I was only moderately interested in, but it was at a time before I really appreciated mysteries) and I could see that this was NOT one of the Harry Hole stories, so I thought it might be a good time to try this author again. What I was not expecting was that this was going to be a horror novel.

Fortunately I like horror novels.

This read like a classic 1980's/90's horror novel ala King, Straub, Etchison, or Coyne. You could almost feel the Stranger Things vibe, but without the likable characters.

Let me expound on that. I know I've written before about liking or not liking a book because of the 'likability' of a character. Richard is not a likable person, but we rally around him, despite his being someone that we wouldn't want hanging around us or with our children. We know the situation is not of his own making - he's a victim here, almost as much as the two boys who disappear/die.

Is he a reliable narrator? Hmm. The story is deeper than what I've summed up (there are two short parts to the book that take place years later as Richard is still trying to come to terms with what's happened. Or is he? Is this the story of an addled mind? The twists and turns, on top of the horror and fear really make this compelling.

Richard is likable in that we know that he's probably the only one who is going to make sense of what's going on and that probably he's going to be a changed person. Karen, and her strength, is also likable, and since she likes Richard, we tend to go along with her. But Karen is unlikely to be changed at the end of the story, at least not in the same way that Richard will be - or at least that's the impression we get as we read.

There are some suggestions of romance between Richard and Karen which is mostly subtle and very appropriate for the average school-age loner. Still, it slowed the story down and was completely unnecessary from this reader's point of view.

It still surprises me that this was a Jo Nesbo novel. The author of Scandinavian noir mysteries is the author of a dark, 80's-style horror novel? Did the galleys get mixed up at the publisher's office and this is really Stephen King or Grady Hendrix? I'm impressed and more interested in reading more Nesbo.

Looking for a good book? If you think Jo Nesbo only writes mysteries you're in for a surprise. His novel The Night House is a physical and psychological horror story. Fans of the genre will enjoy this.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Jo Nesbo takes a chilling detour from his usual crime thrillers with "The Night House”, a venture into horror that starts off strong and keeps you guessing until the very end. Buckle up, because this one is packed with twists and turns that will have you questioning everything you think you know.

The opening scene throws you headfirst into the nightmare. Nesbo doesn't waste any time establishing a sense of unease, and the small-town setting adds an extra layer of creepiness. Following our troubled protagonist, Richard, as he navigates a house shrouded in mystery and his own troubled past was a genuinely unsettling experience.

The story moves at a breakneck speed, with new reveals and cliffhangers keeping you glued to the pages. Just when you think you've figured things out, Nesbo throws another curveball, making it hard to put the book down.

"The Night House" is a chilling and suspenseful read. If you're looking for a quick and creepy escape with plenty of twists and turns, then Nesbo's foray into horror is definitely worth checking out. Just be prepared to hold on tight for the ride.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the opportunity to read and review.

The Night House by Jo Nesbo tells the story of Richard Elauved, who, after his parents die in a house fire, is sent to live in the small village of Ballatyne. Richard is quite the bully - making fun of his schoolmates and disrespecting pretty much everyone. When his buddy Tom goes missing no one believes the horrifying story that Richard tells, except for his classmate Karen. When another student goes missing after being with Richard, he becomes the #1 suspect and is sent off to a juvenile detention center. He is desperate to prove his innocence, but no one believes him (even though lie detector tests all say he's telling the truth).

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. This is one of my first in the "horror" genres. This was also my first novel by Nesbo (I know the detective series is well recieved). But I just couldn't take this one and decided to DNF it at 50%. The first part was so remincent of a Goosebumps book by RL Stine that I thought it was truly a juvenile book at first. Richard was terrible - fatphobic, homophobic, and a true bully - and I couldn't take it. I am not sure how to rate this since I didn't get all the way through it, but I wanted to leave a review with my thoughts about it.

I probably won't pick up another Nesbo book, but there are plenty of good reviews and some say that part three redeems the book for them. I just have more interesting books in my TBR pile to get to than to spend time on this one.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

The Night House was a decent spooky thriller. I've never read Nesbø before and I think I got a bit hyped up for this. I expected a trippy horror novel, and that's not quite what I got.

As a former Goosebumps kid, this felt like a very nostalgic Goosebumps story. It made sense for the story (and also may have had to do with translation) but the writing felt very YA. Not a bad thing, just not what I was expecting. It was more fun and weird than scary. The ending didn't do it for me and felt a little cliche, and I could've done without the constant fat jokes.

Maybe skip if you're looking for a straight up, dread inducing horror novel. You may love it if you're looking for a Hendrixy- Sagery campy creepy book with a gorgeous cover.

This was my first Jo Nesbo, and I was not disappointed! 14 year old Richard moved to a new town after his parents die in a fire. He's a bit of an outcast, so when something horrible happens and a some kid goes missing, everyone blames Richard. No one believes that he actually saw what happened...and I probably wouldn't either. This book was out there! Definitely not for everyone, but I liked it a lot and thought it was great fun.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a decent read but wasn’t what I expected.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed the characters and their arcs, and found the plot interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I have been a huge fan of Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series for years. That series is nordic mystery, so I haven't read any of his work in the horror genre before. I did like the creepiness of this novel, but it fell a bit short for me. I think this book was a victim of my high expectations of Nesbo's other work. If you are new to his writing and enjoy horror, I would highly recommend this. If you enjoy a gritty mystery, then I would recommend you try out some titles in the Harry Hole series - it is amazing!

This was my first book by this author and I look forward to reading their other work as well. Really enjoyed this.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m backlogged with my ARC’s but working diligently to get caught up. I really enjoyed most aspects of this scary story! It had so many dimensions and every time I felt like I knew where it was headed, I was caught by surprise! There were some truly terrifying moments and I’ll definitely think twice before making a prank phone call or even picking up the phone! If you like horror and suspenseful thrillers with an unreliable narrator, be sure to check this book out!

I am going into this review with the knowledge of how much I enjoyed the Harry Hole crime series. This is a very big departure from his usual work. I was excited to see a horror novel from Nesbo. This one didn't really impress me as I expected. The over all story was good, but a bit YA for me. Maybe it is and I thought it was an adult novel. The main character is really unlikeable, but it really fits the storyline. I think in the end I wanted a little bit more from the horror element with this one.

I wanted to like this and there were definitely good aspects. The twists in time and reality were interesting, but I think the stark changes at intervals were jarring. The character through most of the book was severely unlikable, and not in a way that made it compelling. I think I understood by the end how memory and mental illness were twisting perceptions, but you don't know that until the end. If I hadn't gotten this on Netgalley, I probably would have quit reading before I knew the twist, which would have made it even less satisfying.

This book is told in 3 parts. Part 1 begins with Richard moving in with his aunt and uncle. When some of his classmates start to disappear and he gets blamed, he sets out to prove that he's innocent. He insists that there are dark forces killing his peers. This part read like a campy horror movie and was a great start to the book.

Part 2 takes place 15 years later with the story taking a sharp turn. This is where the first plot twist happens

Part 3 completely lost me. The story took another crazy turn and I stopped enjoying the book.

I don't think horror is for me. Too many unbelievable plot points. I also didn't like Richard, so it was hard for me to get into the story.

An utterly unique take on haunted house tales, with shades of those creepy folk and fairy stories from your childhood. This one stayed with me for a while after finishing!

I really wanted to enjoy this one but I just could not get into it. I tried for a bit but I ended up dnf'ing.

I've enjoyed Jo Nesbo's mystery books, so I was thrilled to see what he would do with horror. I'm glad I requested this one. Grief horror has been so good lately, and The Night House is no exception. Richard was a wonderfully written character, and Nesbo writes this age group with wonderful nuance—all of the ways childhood can be confusing and dishonest and scary.