Harry Hole Series, No 3
Jo Nesbø
Harper
September 2011 / ISBN 978-0062068422
Thriller / Crime Fiction
Amazon
Reviewed
by Linda Morelli
Harry Hole is a Norwegian
police investigator who is assigned with others to keep the visiting
President safe. When an American Secret Service agent is wounded
due to a lack in communication, Harry and his partner, Ellen, rush
the agent to the hospital. As a result, Harry is promoted to a new
position in the Norwegian Secret Service, assigned to investigate
neo-Nazi movements in Norway. Then Harry learns that a rare and
powerful rifle was purchased by a possible assassination and his
subsequent investigation leads him to a crime that has originations
in the battlefields of WWII's Eastern Front.
The Redbreast opens
with a tense scene, introduces Harry and several other current characters,
and then travels back in time to 1942 to the Russian front. The
chapters are brief, switching from the present to the past during
the first hundred pages or so, but this only adds to the dark mystery
and urgency conveyed in Harry’s attempts to prevent a future
assassination attempt. Harry is a determined character, gruff on
the outside, yet strong despite his drinking tendencies. He knows
how to get a job done, and his actions lead us at a breathless pace
to a thrilling climax.
Norway is quite proud
of Jo Nesbø, and I understand why The Redbreast is
considered the Best Norwegian Crime Novel ever. The author masterfully
weaves the past and present together in a tense, fast-paced novel
that held me in its relentless grip until the very end. This is
the third book in the series, and the first one I've read. Even
though I missed the initial releases revealing Harry Hole’s
background, it wasn't hard to figure out the gist of Harry’s
resilient, unwavering character. As I finished the last page, I
longed to read more of Harry’s exploits.
Other Reviews
in this series
Nemesis, No
4 [review]
The Devil’s Star, No 5 [review]
Reviewer's Notes: Translated into English by Don Bartlett
|