It's unusual for me to read a second book in a series right after the first, but I couldn't resist with this one (which comes directly after The Redbreast) and I'm glad I succumbed. Once again, the plot is wonderful and challenging. Nesbo keeps the reader with him through some fairly complex twists and turns. I'm not totally convinced by the revelation in the end, but it didn't disappoint, either. Looking forward to the next one, though I'm trying to mix in some other books in between!

Oh Harry, Harry, Harry you certainly go get yourself into some right pickles!!

Following on from Redbreast, although it is not clear how much time has passed, Harry is still trying to hunt down Ellen's killer when he is asked to investigate a bank robbery where a cashier is killed.

Meanwhile on a side note, while girlfriend Rakel is in Russia fighting for the custody of her son Oleg, Harry is asked to dinner by a former old flame where he wakes up with no memory of the last 12 hours and oh this old flame is now also dead. The circumstances are mysterious and then the threatening emails start.

Both plots become intertwined with gypsy bank robbers and trips to two different continents coming into play.

Harry is a great character, yes he may be flawed but its his flaws that in some way make him a good detective, even if he is an alcoholic. Just be careful if you are a female friend of his it doesn't always end well!

His new partner Beate is interesting, she is not your usual female police officer, hopefully more will be seen of her in future novels.

It was a good whodunit with plenty of twists and turns - 3.5/5 rounded up to 4

Synopsis from Publishers Weekly: When a bank teller is shot during a holdup, Insp. Harry Hole investigates, along with Beate Lønn. Meanwhile, Harry receives a call from Anna Bethsen, a woman he hasn't seen in years. After he meets Anna, recovering alcoholic Harry awakens the next morning with a hangover and the news that Anna is dead, apparently by her own hand. While Harry quietly looks into Anna's death, he and Beate uncover ties in their bank robbery case to one of Norway's most notorious bank robbers, who's currently in prison. The deeper Harry digs, the clearer it becomes that Anna's death is linked to the robbery.

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I picked up this book based on a recommendation by a friend and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Nesbo has created a complex character in Harry Hole and does a wonderful job at developing him as well as the action. I will admit there were a few times when I got a bit confused with the subplot involving Tom Waaler and the background of Raskol, but nothing that I didn't eventually figure out. I will definitely be checking out the earlier work, Redbreast as well as The Devil's Star.

These are amazing books. This is the second I've read, and they keep getting better. Harry Hole is a great character, with many flaws, but great morals. The internal compass of morality that makes him a worthwhile read. The intriguing story intertwines Harry and his past, his present and his future. Can't wait for more.

My third Hole novel, and I think the third time I’ve at times found aspects hard to follow. It may be a fault in me, the writing or the translation; hard to say. Somtimes the distasteful attitudes of characters continue to be hard to differentiate from the author’s; it’s hard to shake the feeling there’s something unpleasant about the author’s viewpoints - but there’s also enough about plot and characters to keep me coming back.

This is part of my longish term strategy to read Nordic thriller writers, to get a sense of the what seems to be a really exciting literary wave. This was one of the best of those I've read, and I really enjoyed it.

Harry Hole is a bad-ass cop I can get behind: an alcoholic and cynical ex-punk rocker, Hole is kind of a mess, but also a really good detective, helped by the fact that he's totally huge.

In this particular story, there're some other strong selling points: there's the first compassionate and curious writing about Roma I think I've ever read, some nice international travel, some strong writing about class and place, and also, not a ton of murder. This is, for most of the book, a story about a bank robber, which is an appealing change of pace from what I'm used to.

It's also well-written-- it's long as hell, and maybe doesn't totally land the ending. But it's very good, and I'll gladly go back to read more in this series.

Another home run for me - what I liked about this book was that Nesbo is juggling multiple story lines and, like Lt. Columbo, Harry just keeps coming back around until nothing 'bothers' him about the situation anymore. There were some great 'twists' in this one!

Great read and satisfying mystery. Can't wait to read Snowman.