Synopses & Reviews
The electrifying first installment of the Harry Hole series.
Inspector Harry Hole of the Oslo Crime Squad is dispatched to Sydney to observe a murder case. Harry is free to offer assistance, but he has firm instructions to stay out of trouble. The victim is a twenty-three year old Norwegian woman who is a minor celebrity back home. Never one to sit on the sidelines, Harry befriends one of the lead detectives, and one of the witnesses, as he is drawn deeper into the case. Together, they discover that this is only the latest in a string of unsolved murders, and the pattern points toward a psychopath working his way across the country. As they circle closer and closer to the killer, Harry begins to fear that no one is safe, least of all those investigating the case.
Review
"This debut effort shows
Nesbø as an already confident genre craftsman, striking sparks from the
familiar genre material of Harry's fish-out-of-water experience in a
foreign land and odd-couple pairing with a mismatched partner."
Publishers Weekly
Review
"Harry is already every bit
as volcanic as in his later cases. The big difference is Australia,
which Nesbø, seeing it through the eyes of both a tourist and a cultural
pathologist, makes you wonder how much different it is from Norway
after all."
Kirkus Reviews
Review
"This is an absolute must
for devotees of the riveting train wreck that is Harry Hole....While
the chronological confusion is disconcerting, it adds a layer of
dramatic irony to the tale and enhances its tension and power."
Booklist (Starred Review)
About the Author
Jo Nesbø is a musician, songwriter, and economist, as well as a writer. His Harry Hole novels include The Redeemer, The Snowman, The Leopard and Phantom, and he is also the author of several stand-alone novels and the Doctor Proctor series of children's books. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Glass Key for best Nordic crime novel.