When Norway's crime squad wants to quietly remove Harry Hole from the public's - and especially the press's eye - they promote him to investigator with the POT (Security Service) to essentially push paper around. In the process of pushing this paper around, Harry finds himself assigned to watch a neo-Nazi who escaped prison on a legal technicality and that assignment leads Harry into a serial murder case that has ties to World War II Nazis.

Jo Nesbø's The Redbreast is a complex novel involving two plots - one present-day Oslo, Norway, one World War II Eastern Front - that creatively swerve around, over and under each other for about 400 pages and then collide to create a spectacular conclusion. Each time the plots come close to each other, the reader moves a little closer to understanding the outcome, to solving the case. And THEN the plots twist. Right up to the end Nesbø is throwing twist after twist into the fold, which keeps the pace quick and the action sharp. This is a long book in page numbers, but those pages almost turn themselves. And don't get lazy reading this one; there are no lulls or unimportant parts.

The characters who inhabit this novel are rich and multi-dimensional. I've heard many people complaining about the cliché alcoholic cop. Harry Hole is a recovering alcoholic, but he doesn't fit any of the clichés. His relationships with others is probably what builds his character the most. When he leaves the crime squad, he is also leaving his partner and confidant, Ellen. Harry's relationship with his sister also helps to define him. He isn't a rebel or a maverick, and while he, at times, is on the outside looking in, he actually wants to belong. He desperately wants that light on his answerphone to be lit up when he comes home.

One of the elements I found most stunning about this novel were the various parallels of man to nature. The imagery the nature analogies present is stunning, and their purposes multi-faceted. They are presenting themes in the novel but they also work to create foreshadowing. The novel ends on bit of a mysterious note, one that makes the reader suspect that we haven't heard the last of Harry Hole. And that's a good thing in my opinion.

I'm not in any fit state to be writing reviews at the moment folks, but I'll say this: if you like crafty, well-paced thrillers, [b:The Redbreast|7113816|The Redbreast (Harry Hole, #3)|Jo Nesbø|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1330419297s/7113816.jpg|1487876] is well worth your time. [a: Jo Nesbo] is a very talented writer, and this book - the first of the Harry Hole books to be translated into English - is an entertaining, tightly-plotted novel in the same vein as [a: Steig Larsson|706255|Stieg Larsson|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1246466225p2/706255.jpg]'s Millennium trilogy. Chronology wise, The Redbreast is the third book in the series, but if you've never checked out Nesbo's work before, this is a pretty good place to start.

There are not many books that I am unable to put down. This is one of them. So much so that when I accidentally left my copy on a train, I had to go immediately to the nearest bookshop and buy another copy as I couldn't cope with the return journey without it!

This book has everything that a good Scandi crime novel needs, strong intricate plot lines, a solid and intriguing protagonist in Harry Hole and of course snow and ice. Not only this but I learnt a lot about Norway in WW2 a far from straightforward story.

I can't recommend this book enough!

I found this a bit disjointed to begin with, but once the story-lines became more obviously connected, it read more easily. Very enjoyable towards the end and I should like to read more of Inspector Harry Hole. (Worst cop name ever.)

I really enjoyed the book compared to some other Scandinavian crime fiction that I read such as Henning Mankell's Wallander series. It was an excellent read. Very fast paced. The writing style was very refreshing. Sections reminded me of Faulkner with the constant changes in perspective as well as jumping around chronologically.

3.5 stars

It is always great fun to read a well-crafted and intricately plotted mystery, but add a bit of historical fiction, realistic character development, and a strange and new setting (in this case Norway) and it is no longer just guilty fun but also an immersive and (slightly) educational experience. Having said that, some parts of the plot are a bit hard to swallow, and the final twist is a bit disappointing.

This mystery is about the Norwegian role in WWII. Some folks fought with the Germans against the Russians, and then were returned to Norway and tried as traitors. This is all fascinating stuff, but the number of characters that are included and the switching back and forth in perspective and time (from the Russian front and WWII to a recent present) left me dizzy. I finished the book, and I was glad that I did b/c now I know who done it, but it overwhelmed me with some history and some current Neo Nazi activities in Norway.