A very deliberately paced suspense novel that I ended up liking once I got past the set-up and into the meat of the story.

File this under shamelessly jumping on the bandwagon. Escaping to the book shop last week I felt the need for something less cerebral to reignite my current reading drought, so I picked up he first of the Harry Hole books. Well, I thought so - it's actually the third (the first two aren't published in English yet). It doesn't make too much of a difference though, excepting a few references to recent events in Australia and Thailand.

Harry is generally a good character to read, though a little underdeveloped in my mind (alcoholic, alone, maverick etc, etc), much like the supporting cast (though I quite liked Ellen, brief as her appearances are). I thought his burgeoning relationship was actually handled quite nicely.

Plot wise, things truck on at a leisurely pace as we flit between the second world war (something I found quite interesting, not knowing much about Norway's involvement) and the current day (well, 12 years ago now). It's perhaps a little too slow at times though I actually found the ending to be genuinely thrilling, with an escalating feeling of tension and excitement. That's not something I often feel. We're given enough clues to try and figure out what's going on, without being able to fully piece it together (there are some helpful pages of exposition near the end to set everything straight).

The Norwegian settings are subtly integrated with the story resulting in a different atmosphere though this feels more American than the Wallander stories. I think the huge 'The Next Stieg Larsson' sticker on the front of all his books is rather unfair too - for a start, Nesbo is a better writer (see my Dragon Tattoo reviews for my issues there), but it's also rather a lazy comparison and not really that accurate. I'm sure it sells though.

Anyway, I quite enjoyed the book, finding it easy and enjoyable to read, generally engaging and varied enough to feel like it's own creation rather than a generic police procedural. I'd be keen to pick up the next, hopefully discovering where they're going with the big plot reveal midway through which is left undiscovered.

This was quite a good book. I enjoyed it - it had continuity, a compelling plot and interesting characters. One of the better mysteries I've read in awhile and much better than Stieg Larssen.

I also enjoyed it, because I got to go to Oslo about a year ago, and I appreciated being able to imagine the city as I read the book.

Review edited


After a whole bunch of heavy historical reading i decided i needed a change of topic, perhaps something lighter...lol.
So there i go browsing the library shelves and oh look at that, its been ages since i read Jo Nesbø! yeah..nothing like a good Scandinavian gruesome murder mistery to lighten up the mood! ;)
Everyone is more than familiar with the present day "thing" for Scandinavian murder misteries - in book or TV series form.
For me Nesbø is on the top 5 of those authors, perhaps even tied with my other personal fav - Swedish Henning Mankell.
From among his several books with Harry Hole i find this one in particular to be exceptionally well crafted with a continuously tense, electric at times even, atmosphere, skilfully tying together what seem at first glance to be two very different storylines - One concerning Norwegians who joined the Waffen SS in WWII and fought on the Eastern Front believing they were defending their country from Soviet annexation, and the other a murder mystery involving Neo Nazi's in modern day Oslo.
The contemporary murder is investigated by the newly promoted Inspector Harry Hole and as this puzzling case begins leading him into a dark era of recent Norwegian history the pages flyby and we realize that, to solve this present day mystery he must first find answers to an intriguing egnima from WWII - and this was really interesting for history
nerd me, it gave a glimpse of how Norway dealt with its collaborators at the end of WWII ( i got the impression that it is still a delicate subject).
What really gripped my attention was the fascinating way in which Nesbø, through this plot, ended up showing us readers that the past is way much more complicated and complex than it is often presented, after events, and that choices made in convoluted times can create sinners out of saints. By showing us the two storylines he makes us accompany these characters and trough their decisions see how much their choices end up shaping the future of everyone around them.
This is the 3rd book in the Harry Hole series, but i dont think that the reader will "suffer" from lack of previous knowledge about Harry should he/she happen to start here...especially if you are already a fan of Scandinavian authors!
Actually the worst that can happen is it will make you go look for the previous 2 books so u can get the background on Harry before moving on to the next!
I should however leave a note, for those not used to Nesbø or familiar already with Harry. The first 50 pages or so can feel a bit slow and even a little confusing with all the names, places and dates being introduced, but be patient because once you pick up the pace along with Harry, its a hell of a good ride!

Happy Readings!

Možná to částečně dělalo čtenǐ v angličtině, ale kniha mi přišla dost rozvlǎčná a orientace v postavách mi taky zabrala nějakou dobu. Škoda taky pořadí, v jakém kniha Zlín Nesba vydává (i když to není jejich chyba), takže člověk už o radě věcí věděl, že se stanou.

Nesbo gives us a fast-paced, complex thriller with interesting, conflicted characters. The combination of complicated plot-lines and short, charged chapters kept me turning pages late into the night. Nesbo handles the switches between time periods and characters with ease, creating a very readable thriller that engages the reader's mind.

kuuntelin