Oh, man... this was trippy! 4.25 stars.

This is a classic multi-layered horror novel, getting scarier the further you read, and the closer you get to the truth.

Because is there anything more terrifying than the truth?

No spoilers, but a note on the writing style. Just stick with it! What it took for poor translation early on (sorry I doubted you, Neil) was actually a masterful stroke that helps you progress thru the story. That being said, it nearly made me give up on it.

My perseverance was rewarded, as Nesbø comes thru with a deeply unsettling horror debut.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A reader can pick up almost any novel by Jo Nesbo and feel confident that the story is worth the investment of time, thought, and money. The Night House is a prime example of expecting a detective/mystery noir for which he is most famous and realizing quickly that the novel is also a terrifying tale of age-old black magic targeting young teenagers. Nesbo uses several tropes to heighten the suspense: mirrors and self, word magic, palindromes, cryptic names and references, and best of all, the haunted house. A few of the themes are the nature of reality, friendship and love, heroic quest, can imagination be an indicator of mental illness, what and how does PTSD affect teenagers.
The narrator, Richard, is 14-15 at the start of the novel. He self-describes as a loner and a bully who has recently moved in with foster parents after his parents died in a fire. He harasses a fellow school mate, Tom, to follow him into the woods where he convinces Tom to make a prank phone call to a name seemingly pulled at random from a phone book. The prank turns tragic when the phone eats Tom. As Richard tries to explain truthfully what happened to Tom, how he disappeared, he becomes aware that the evil is increasing in intensity. And that, dear reader, is just the first 20 pages or so.
Initially I thought this was an extremely well-crafted YA novel disguised as adult fiction. Chronology and devices were sometimes implausible however that fit in with YA imagination. Nesbo carefully constructs a slow build of Richard's teen world view that I was totally unprepared for the intense build of part 2. Boy Howdy, this is not a YA novel. It is definitely one of the best novels I've read this year.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance proof.

This book totally freaked me out! It was scary and gripping. I couldn’t put it down! A must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!

I have enjoyed Nesbø’s crime fiction, and so was very excited to see him jump into horror headfirst. This novel rushes by, it is a ton of fun to read and I devoured the whole thing in a day (granted, it isn’t super long). It is hard to say too much without giving away some of the interesting twists and turns and revelations that come later in the book, but I obviously had fun with the story. I enjoyed the tension and how clearly unreliable the narrator was, and you could really feel those mystery/crime writing chops adapt themselves to explore something a little different. There were also some Stephen King vibes, which is always fun. By the end it is clear that the things I disliked about the novel as I read through it were somewhat intentional, and those choices made sense when the full picture is revealed. This is all well and good, and I appreciated it at the end, but it made some of the getting-there less pleasurable. For instance, the characters were, for the most part, sketches. They were ideas instead of being fully realized. This isn’t true across the board and there were interesting details to give some more substance or depth to some of them, but if you like to be totally invested in character-centric stories this will not do it for you. Similarly, some of the early plot resolutions feel too neat and easy, not quite lazy deus-ex-machina reveals but close to it, and these make perfect sense by the end, why everything played out the way it did, but at those moments I was left wanting a little more. It is a struggle to really think of how to rate this book, for those reasons.

By the final page, when the pieces slot together, you realize how well-crafted they each is, but that isn’t always enough if I was frustrated through the journey. In the end I thought it was well-paced and fun, had some really great scenes and imagery, and kept me unbalanced in a good way, not sure where or how it was going to swerve, which I always find refreshing. Ultimately it is kind of a disposable story, I don’t imagine it will linger with me, but I did have a good time reading it, like I said, in a single day because the writing was so compelling and the action so well-paced. If you like the twists and turns of a good mystery or thriller but you want to see them play out in a horror context that doesn’t really let you feel too comfortable with your handle on where the story is going, this is great fun and worth checking out.

I want to thank the author, the publishers Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Special thanks to Sharp, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I'm sorry to say that about 25% in, it just wasn't the book for me and with the very mixed reviews, I decided to skip it. It wasn't food me.

I just couldn’t get into this book. A young boy, with very little friends, new to a small town,who sees his friend get swallowed by a pay phone. His interaction with the two people who were raising him. Sorry to say, I didn’t finish it.

This was filled with so much derogatory language I didn't finish it. The horror aspect seemed like it was going to be really cool but that just took me out of it too much. There are entire pages where abolish, fatphobia, and other derogatory language is most of the page. The author tries to excuse it by saying that he tries to make people dislike him. Outside of that being incredibly problematic he thinks a lot of these derogatory things to himself. It doesn't make sense. It sounds like an excuse to have a derogatory, bigoted narrator. Its gross and it ruined what seemed to be a good story. Also our narrator doesn't seem to care about anyone around him. While he does have trauma that may attribute to having walls up. it wasn't written well into the book.

There were two things that drew me to this book -

1. It’s written by Jo Nesb0. I’ve been a fan for a long time.
2. The cover. It gave me those nostalgic, old-school horror vibes!

If the cover is any inclination, the contents match perfectly. This short , 256 page novel read like a ghost story that you’d tell around a campfire back when you were a kid.

The book is broken into three parts. I was in a constant state of “what the hell?!” until part three when you get the “aha” moment and things start to make sense. You think.

This was campy and reminiscent of Stephen King stories that I read as a kid. It was a great read.

This isn't what you think it is. Or maybe you already know? It's a horror story in all ways that matter and clearly also very much about trauma. It's got some twists and is a pretty quick read.

The Night House by Jo Nesbo is a modern day Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale. Dark and moody. All the elements are there. An orphan boy. Missing children. A haunted house deep along a wooded path.

Richard Elauved is a young teenager, new in town and cast as an outsider. His one friend, a girl named Karen is a bit of an enigma. Smart and well liked but prefers to be on her own. She’s the only one who believes Richard when spins his seemingly tall tales about the disappearance of his two mates. One eaten by a phone and the other turned into a bug.

The story deepens as the two find out more of the town’s history and Imu Jonasson who was a former resident of the sinister house but got institutionalized years ago. With no one in the town believing his story, young Richard must be his own detective and follow this story to its end.

Of course a fairy tale is often only a reflection of the life and time of the person who penned ir - and that may be even more horrifying.

I found the tale intriguing. It’s a quick read and filled with sinister undertones and things that go bump in the night.

#TheNightHouse #JoNesbo #Knopf #NetGalley #spooky

The cover drew me in and I started reading right away. I have to be honest that I was a little underwhelmed. Sure, this is definitely horror and there was plenty of sinister shenanigans throughout but I felt it was a little far-fetched (yes, yes, I know it’s horror but..) and I just didn’t love the ending. Creepy, yes. Scary, yeah. Just not my cup of tea.

The Night House A novel by Jo Nesbo pulled me in because of the stunning cover. However, after watching reviews and attempting to read the novel I have decided to not check it out. I hope that this book is for someone else, but it is not for me. Thank you for the early copy!

📞 This book wasn’t even remotely what I expected. I should clarify… it was exactly what I expected until the end and then it became a different book entirely. I haven’t decided yet if I am happy about that or upset to be honest. The ending did make me stop and contemplate everything I just read in this book, and then completely reevaluate the entire story from a different perspective. That was a unique experience.

📞 I honestly can’t say much else about this book without ruining it. It is definitely horror and very strange. There are some crazy, weird things going on and some truly disturbing scenes. But it is also way more than just a horror. Honestly, this is the ultimate unreliable narrator book... and it just might be genius.

📞 When I finished the last page, I was thinking that this story is sort of like if The Wizard of Oz was a horror novel. Good luck figuring that one out!

📞 I think purist horror fans may dislike this book more than casual horror readers because it doesn’t follow the typical horror formula at all. But I thought it was quite a ride and I’m glad I read it.

Thank you @NetGalley and @aaknopf for an eARC of this book, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Thank you for the advance copy of this but this really wasn’t my cup of tea. I loved her book The Snowman but this read more to me like a Stephen King novel, which are very hit and miss for ‘em.

The Night House was a decent book, but it wasn’t great. I think it’s because the story was set in three different parts, but the twists didn’t really surprise me. This particular type of story has been done numerous times—and the ending was completely ridiculous (even if it wasn’t true, there’s NO way she would have asked him that.)

One thing I did note is that the character of “Fatso,” which never should have been a character’s name, brought together elements of the two fictional books the narrator tried to read. As to calling someone “Fatso,” what we read has an impression on us. If we keep reading books that make fun of people for being fat, that’s what we, as a society, are going to think is okay. Please stop doing this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Not for me. Did not connect with the characters or story. Might be that some aspects were lost in translation. Could work for others if they find the premise interesting.

Oh. My. Goodness. I'd forgotten just how good a writer Nesbo is. This is the best mystery / horror book I've read in a very long time. Love the main character, love the evil entity, love the premise. IMHO, Jo Nesbo is every bit as talented as Stephen King, and the e-book is almost impossible to put down, even to sleep. Hollywood, this would make a GREAT movie!

I love Thrillers, I also am learning that I really like Horror. But I just feel like I was expecting more from this. In the end I got 50 percent in and it just wasn’t holding my attention any longer. I found that I was getting angry because while disappearances happened in the book that were outlandish for the adults and they even gave the 14 year old a LIE DETECTOR TEST that the events that were happening around it just didn’t seem plausible to me. I felt that there wasn’t as much adult interaction from the kids guaridan and in the end it just wasn’t for me. I will give Jo Nesbo another chance becuase I have heard good things about him.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

I was BLOWN AWAY by Jo Nesbo's The Night House, and I greedily consumed the words, like the treasured treat they comprise!

Honestly, when I saw my favorite mystery author had just penned a horror novel, well, are you familiar with the term to "jump the shark" or "jumped the shark"? If not this phrase harkens back to The Happy Days, a. VERY POPULAR TV series in the United States, which I grew up watching in the 70's.

However,
I was BLOWN AWAY by Jo Nesbo when I saw that my favorite mystery novel author had penned a horror novel.

Well, are you familiar with the term, "jump the shark" or "jumped the shark?" ? (this term harkens back to Happy Days, when Fonzie, the ever popular and cool rebel without (very sexy icon played perfectly by Henry Winkler). The episode that was definitely a bad decision on the part of network exes, it heralded the END of the series, as in the last or one of the last episodes Fonzie dons a pair of swimming briefs (added to, not replacing) his legendary ever present leather jacket, and he travels to the ocean where he jumps over a shark (using a ramp) with his motorcycle...

Much as I love Jo Nesbo, I must admit "oh no, I hope Nesbo didn't jump the shark"I ran through my mind when I saw he had written a horror novel (don't know what to say about his " fart" books, attribute those to a new papa trying to elicit a smile from his kid:'s faces).

Trust the master! Jo Nesbo deliver an amazing mind-bender of a new classic with his new novel,, The Dark House, and this book cannot be easily classified or identified using the standard genres.

Until next time, dear readers, I have indicated this book is definitely worth reading, for those from ages 15-100, It WILL surprise you (and it will run you through the gauntlet of your emotions).

Time for you to pick up a copy, read it, and post a review of your own! 😀

For Harry Hole fans (and you all know who you are) I wanted to provide clarity regarding the name of the main character in ALL OF Jo Nesbo's police procedurals series. The name's translation,, Harry Hole, has, um somewhat negative connotations in the English language. however, the Swedish pronunciation of "Hole' is pronounced "HoleA" (whole"A") which is a soft " h" followed by "Ole!" (think of the sound a matador makes when enraging or "teasing" a bull).

Well, I hope this tips help pull your mind out of the gutter. Before I learned this tip, I hated the instant vision that would pop into my mind, every single time I read that man's name! Personally, I trained myself long ago to read this name as: "wholeA" removing the ugly american connotations produced when those of us reading English translations of Nesbo's novels encounter Mr. Hole:s unfortunate moniker given to the ever present "reluctant hero" if you will of Nesbo's series.

Trust the masterfully talented Jo Nesbo, to deliver an amazing mind-bender of a read, with with his new novel The Night House that cannot be easily classified or identified..

This story is packed full of fun, including a disappearing/reappearing house,, and an evil spirit which is rapidly consuming the young man's friends, as they meet dire ends such as being sucked up in a phone's handset or turned into an insect with a short "shelf life". You have to grab yourself a copy of this book!

As an attribute to other treasured icons, I rate this book: 5 stars, AND (drum roll please) two big thumbs up, a tilt to the head, and a loud, long, and somewhat self_deprecating Fonzie "Aaaaaayeeee". (what can I say, watch an early to mid series episode of the American 70's standard, "Happy Days" to understand this and the shark reference in detail).

Until next time, dear readers, I have indicated this book is definitely worth reading, for those from ages 15-100, It WILL surprise you (and it will run you through the gauntlet of emotions).

Time for you to pick up a copy, read it, and post a review of your own! 😀😉

The Night House follows fourteen year old Richard, an outcast who lives with his aunt and uncle after his parents tragic deaths in a fire. One day Richard bullies his friend into making a prank call, and as a result, sees his friend eaten by the phone. Everyone thinks the disappearance is Richard's fault, and nobody believes him. Unfortunately for Richard, the craziness is just beginning.

In general, I thought this book was fine. Its premise is certainly unique, but I didn't find anything particularly compelling about it. I also think that once the book reveals its hand, the story feels a bit deflated and predictable (I don't want to use any spoilers, but when you get to Part II you'll understand). The horrific elements of The Night House lie in the strangeness of what occurs; if you need gore, violence, or super shocking moments, this book may not be your favorite.

Despite this, I still enjoyed reading the book. The characters are very likeable and for how short the book is they're well-rounded; nobody feels inserted into the story without a reason. The way the story manages to come full circle was satisfying when it was all said and done.