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Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:With Headhunters, Jo Nesbø has crafted a funny, dark, and twisted caper story worthy of Quentin Tarantino and the Coen brothers. FIRST TIME PUBLISHED IN THE U.S. NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM MAGNOLIA PICTURES. Roger Brown is a corporate headhunter, and he�??s a master of his profession. But one career simply can�??t support his luxurious lifestyle and his wife�??s fledgling art gallery. At an art opening one night he meets Clas Greve, who is not only the perfect candidate for a major CEO job, but also, perhaps, the answer to his financial woes: Greve just so happens to mention that he owns a priceless Peter Paul Rubens painting that�??s been lost since World War II�??and Roger Brown just so happens to dabble in art theft. But when he breaks into Greve�??s apartment, he finds more than just the painting. And Clas Greve may turn out to be the worst thing that�??s ever happened to Roger Brown.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member cameling
Not as gritty as his Harry Hole series, this Norwegian thriller had a bit of a slow start but once it got going, it became a pretty good thriller about a professional executive headhunter who supplements his income with art thefts. He may have bitten off more than he can chew on his latest heist
Things are not as they seem and the finale came as a total surprise.
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though when he discovers the man he's stealing from is having an affair with his wife. When he decides not to recommend this man later as a suitable candidate for a job position he would be perfect for, he doesn't know that he has set off a chain of events that will result in the death of a friend and business partner, him assuming another identity, and voluntarily submerging himself at the bottom of a cabin's rustic toilet. Things are not as they seem and the finale came as a total surprise.
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LibraryThing member kakadoo202
solid story but then gets a little frazzled. i was surprised to different characters than detectic horn but that was a nice change. translation was better than the leopard. easier read.
LibraryThing member callmecayce
It took me ages to finish this book. I didn't like any of the characters and about halfway through I just didn't care what happened. But a friend of mine read the book and promised that it got better and it did. The twists the Nesbo threw in were surprising (and at times both shocking and amusing).
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The end surprised me, even though I read a few parts several times. It was quite clever and over all I liked (not loved) this book. Not as good as Harry Hole, but good nonetheless. Show Less
LibraryThing member bfister
Not characteristic of Nesbo's Harry Hole series, this is a short, but far too long caper with a hapless unheroic protagonist. I couldn't finish it.
LibraryThing member smik
Norwegian crime fiction writer Jo Nesbo is well known to us for his Harry Hole police procedural series. I have read and reviewed a number of them (see the list below).
HEADHUNTERS is a stand-alone, not a Harry Hole title.
Set in Oslo, the novel's central character is Roger Brown, a highly successful
Roger Brown, the headhunter who has never nominated a candidate for a job he did not get, who if necessary manipulates, forces, levers and rams the candidate in, who has clients who trust his judgement implicitly, who without a moment’s hesitation place their company’s fate in his – and only his – hands.
To put it another way, it was not Oslo Port Authority who appointed their new traffic director last year, it was not Avis who appointed their Scandinavian director and it was quite definitely not the local authority who appointed the director of the power station in Sirdal. It was me.
Roger's problem is that he leads a lifestyle that demands an income well beyond what he actually earns, but Roger has come up with a ploy by which he supplements his income by stealing from the people he interviews.
In the interviews Roger uses a nine-step model developed by American police investigators designed to lead to confession. In Roger's case he wants the person being interviewed to come to realise how unsuitable he is for the job. The rare interviewee who does not, is the one who is suitable for the job. In the process Roger discovers what assets the person has that might be worth stealing. When a theft takes place the finger of suspicion never points back to Roger because he has other measures in place.
HEADHUNTERS begins at a very sedate pace and in fact had me wondering why I was reading it. I know some readers who give a novel 20 or 50 pages to ramp up. If it hasn't grabbed their interest, or they can't see where it is heading, then they abandon it. They might easily have done so with HEADHUNTERS. But it is not in my nature to abandon ship and my persistence was rewarded when, at 20% into the novel, Roger interviews Clas Greve. Greve appears to be very clever, able to turn the tables on Roger. From that point on the action ramps up and we are reading a fast moving thriller.
This is a very clever novel. Although the cards are all on the table, in fact some of what the reader is told is ambiguous and there are a number of red herrings. I particularly enjoyed a scene towards the end where the police investigator gives an extended television interview in which he explains the events for the benefit of the audience. It reminded me of a Hercule Poirot denouement, except that HP doesn't usually get it wrong.
HEADHUNTERS isn't Nesbo's best novel, and I'm not sure I ever want to read about Roger Brown again, but it is still top level crime fiction.
HEADHUNTERS is a stand-alone, not a Harry Hole title.
Set in Oslo, the novel's central character is Roger Brown, a highly successful
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corporate headhunter.Roger Brown, the headhunter who has never nominated a candidate for a job he did not get, who if necessary manipulates, forces, levers and rams the candidate in, who has clients who trust his judgement implicitly, who without a moment’s hesitation place their company’s fate in his – and only his – hands.
To put it another way, it was not Oslo Port Authority who appointed their new traffic director last year, it was not Avis who appointed their Scandinavian director and it was quite definitely not the local authority who appointed the director of the power station in Sirdal. It was me.
Roger's problem is that he leads a lifestyle that demands an income well beyond what he actually earns, but Roger has come up with a ploy by which he supplements his income by stealing from the people he interviews.
In the interviews Roger uses a nine-step model developed by American police investigators designed to lead to confession. In Roger's case he wants the person being interviewed to come to realise how unsuitable he is for the job. The rare interviewee who does not, is the one who is suitable for the job. In the process Roger discovers what assets the person has that might be worth stealing. When a theft takes place the finger of suspicion never points back to Roger because he has other measures in place.
HEADHUNTERS begins at a very sedate pace and in fact had me wondering why I was reading it. I know some readers who give a novel 20 or 50 pages to ramp up. If it hasn't grabbed their interest, or they can't see where it is heading, then they abandon it. They might easily have done so with HEADHUNTERS. But it is not in my nature to abandon ship and my persistence was rewarded when, at 20% into the novel, Roger interviews Clas Greve. Greve appears to be very clever, able to turn the tables on Roger. From that point on the action ramps up and we are reading a fast moving thriller.
This is a very clever novel. Although the cards are all on the table, in fact some of what the reader is told is ambiguous and there are a number of red herrings. I particularly enjoyed a scene towards the end where the police investigator gives an extended television interview in which he explains the events for the benefit of the audience. It reminded me of a Hercule Poirot denouement, except that HP doesn't usually get it wrong.
HEADHUNTERS isn't Nesbo's best novel, and I'm not sure I ever want to read about Roger Brown again, but it is still top level crime fiction.
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LibraryThing member nbmars
Note: Jim and I co-wrote this review, and each gave it different ratings.
Jo Nesbo has written a standalone crime novel, eminently suited for a movie directed and produced by the Coen Brothers. It doesn’t really take off, however, until after the somewhat boring initial set-up section. (But once
Roger Brown, age 35, is a corporate headhunter who is considered to be the best in his field. He is obsessed with his height, or lack thereof, at 5’5”, and so always insists that a good candidate must first of all be a tall one. He then subjects each prospect to the FBI’s nine-step interrogation techniques developed by Inbau, Reid and Buckley. [This comes from an actual manual on interrogation, Criminal Interrogation and Confessions, published in 1986.] Thereby he figures out weaknesses, buttons to push, Achilles heels, and one other important thing: if the candidate owns any valuable works of art. For Roger also has a side business, which is art theft. His beautiful wife Diana requires quite a bit of money to keep her happy, and he has worked out a good way to take care of the problem.
Roger’s ambition to get the pièce de résistance of stolen art turns into a Fargo-in-Oslo type debacle, with plenty of black humor and plot twists. Roger even becomes a bit more likable (but only in comparison to the other characters) and Nesbo winds it all up with his usual bookend-style twist.
Jill’s favorite quote: "I grabbed a carton of grapefruit juice and was about to put it to my mouth. But changed my mind and fetched a glass from the overhead cabinet. You don’t need to let all your standards decline just because you have become a murderer.”
Jill’s Evaluation and Rating: I didn’t actually like this book much, because I didn’t like the characters, I’m not into black humor, and I don’t like Coen-Brothers-type plots. But I can understand how this could have become, as it has, a blockbuster movie in Norway. Nevertheless, as intensely as I like the Harry Hole series by Nesbo, I could have given this standalone book a pass. But I recommended it highly to Jim, because he is a fanatic Coen Brothers fan, so I felt pretty sure he would have fun with this book.
Jim’s Evaluation and Rating: I wish I could say more about the plot without spoiling it, but it is very entertaining, and full of surprises and twists. All the loose ends are tidied up at the conclusion. The narrative is just a little slow in the beginning as we are learning Brown’s headhunting secrets, but once it gets going, it is hard to put down. I loved it!
Jo Nesbo has written a standalone crime novel, eminently suited for a movie directed and produced by the Coen Brothers. It doesn’t really take off, however, until after the somewhat boring initial set-up section. (But once
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it takes off, it really flies!)Roger Brown, age 35, is a corporate headhunter who is considered to be the best in his field. He is obsessed with his height, or lack thereof, at 5’5”, and so always insists that a good candidate must first of all be a tall one. He then subjects each prospect to the FBI’s nine-step interrogation techniques developed by Inbau, Reid and Buckley. [This comes from an actual manual on interrogation, Criminal Interrogation and Confessions, published in 1986.] Thereby he figures out weaknesses, buttons to push, Achilles heels, and one other important thing: if the candidate owns any valuable works of art. For Roger also has a side business, which is art theft. His beautiful wife Diana requires quite a bit of money to keep her happy, and he has worked out a good way to take care of the problem.
Roger’s ambition to get the pièce de résistance of stolen art turns into a Fargo-in-Oslo type debacle, with plenty of black humor and plot twists. Roger even becomes a bit more likable (but only in comparison to the other characters) and Nesbo winds it all up with his usual bookend-style twist.
Jill’s favorite quote: "I grabbed a carton of grapefruit juice and was about to put it to my mouth. But changed my mind and fetched a glass from the overhead cabinet. You don’t need to let all your standards decline just because you have become a murderer.”
Jill’s Evaluation and Rating: I didn’t actually like this book much, because I didn’t like the characters, I’m not into black humor, and I don’t like Coen-Brothers-type plots. But I can understand how this could have become, as it has, a blockbuster movie in Norway. Nevertheless, as intensely as I like the Harry Hole series by Nesbo, I could have given this standalone book a pass. But I recommended it highly to Jim, because he is a fanatic Coen Brothers fan, so I felt pretty sure he would have fun with this book.
Jim’s Evaluation and Rating: I wish I could say more about the plot without spoiling it, but it is very entertaining, and full of surprises and twists. All the loose ends are tidied up at the conclusion. The narrative is just a little slow in the beginning as we are learning Brown’s headhunting secrets, but once it gets going, it is hard to put down. I loved it!
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LibraryThing member Schatje
This book, which was chosen the 2008 Norwegian Best Novel of the Year, is a standalone thriller, not part of the Harry Hole series.
Roger Brown seems to have it all. He has a good career: he is a headhunter who is very successful at selecting the right candidates for top corporate positions. He is
Because of financial straits, Brown burgles Clas Greve, a candidate he is considering for a prestigious job, but things go seriously wrong and he finds himself in the sights of another type of headhunter. A thrilling cat and mouse game ensues.
The book is an entertaining read. Roger is a fully developed character. The dialogue is quick and witty with touches of black humour. The fast-paced plot is complex with many twists and turns, but if the reader pays close attention, he/she can work things out since Nesbo does not cheat. Be forewarned: there are some gruesome scenes.
Roger Brown seems to have it all. He has a good career: he is a headhunter who is very successful at selecting the right candidates for top corporate positions. He is
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married to Diana, a beautiful, accomplished woman. All is not as it seems, however. Brown has insecurities (his height) and is morally dubious; he dabbles in art theft as a sideline. He wonders why his wife is "incapable of seeing my contemptibility, my treacherous nature, my weakness when I encountered adversity, my mindless wickedness when I encountered mindless wickedness" (22).Because of financial straits, Brown burgles Clas Greve, a candidate he is considering for a prestigious job, but things go seriously wrong and he finds himself in the sights of another type of headhunter. A thrilling cat and mouse game ensues.
The book is an entertaining read. Roger is a fully developed character. The dialogue is quick and witty with touches of black humour. The fast-paced plot is complex with many twists and turns, but if the reader pays close attention, he/she can work things out since Nesbo does not cheat. Be forewarned: there are some gruesome scenes.
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LibraryThing member magentaflake
Prefer his Harry Hole novels but this book is a good read, about a man Roger Brown who has it all, clever, wealthy, top man in his business, beautiful house , beautiful wife but he also leads a double life. A gripping read about a man willing to risk everything.
LibraryThing member Beamis12
Very readable but though the description of the book called the lead character likable, I did not like him at all. That said I did enjoy the book, the flow of the book moved swiftly and the storyline was well thought out and interesting. Still like the Harry Hole novels best because this wasn't at
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all like most of the Nordic novels I have read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Twink
What a great cover eh? Take a second look at it....creepy and clever. And so is the author Jo Nesbo. I picked up Headhunters thinking that it would feature Nesbo's recurring series character Detective Harry Hole. I started reading, realized that it wasn't and felt slightly disappointed. But I lost
Roger Brown is a professional recruiter, a 'headhunter' if you will. He's not just one of the best, he is the best, as he'll tell you. And Roger likes having the best of everything. Sadly his salary does not quite match the lifestyle he's created for his wife and himself. So Roger dabbles....in art theft. Conveniently during his many recruitment interviews, he steers the discussion to art. His latest applicant, Clas Greve, has a piece of art that would leave Roger sitting pretty for the rest of his life. Roger breaks into Greve's home in search of the painting and finds much more than he bargained for......
Nesbo's characterization of Roger is perfect - he comes across as a cocky, superior know-it-all, confident in his abilities to out think and out maneuver anyone and everyone. When Clas Greve begins to challenge Roger's abilities, a delicious game of cat and mouse is the result. The dialogue is quick, witty and darkly humourous. The plotting is very inventive and had me guessing until the very end.
Headhunters has been made into a film in Nesbo's native Norway. The publisher's blurb on the back of the book.." Nesbo has crafted a funny, dark and twisted caper worthy of Quentin Tarantino and the Coen brothers" is spot on.
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that feeling about 10 pages in. Nesbo has written an ingenious, intricately plotted stand alone thriller that had me hooked from start to finish. Roger Brown is a professional recruiter, a 'headhunter' if you will. He's not just one of the best, he is the best, as he'll tell you. And Roger likes having the best of everything. Sadly his salary does not quite match the lifestyle he's created for his wife and himself. So Roger dabbles....in art theft. Conveniently during his many recruitment interviews, he steers the discussion to art. His latest applicant, Clas Greve, has a piece of art that would leave Roger sitting pretty for the rest of his life. Roger breaks into Greve's home in search of the painting and finds much more than he bargained for......
Nesbo's characterization of Roger is perfect - he comes across as a cocky, superior know-it-all, confident in his abilities to out think and out maneuver anyone and everyone. When Clas Greve begins to challenge Roger's abilities, a delicious game of cat and mouse is the result. The dialogue is quick, witty and darkly humourous. The plotting is very inventive and had me guessing until the very end.
Headhunters has been made into a film in Nesbo's native Norway. The publisher's blurb on the back of the book.." Nesbo has crafted a funny, dark and twisted caper worthy of Quentin Tarantino and the Coen brothers" is spot on.
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LibraryThing member Liz_57
Dark thriller with an ending I never suspected.
LibraryThing member les121
I liked this book, but not because I liked a single one of the characters in it. In fact, I was about 50 pages in when I decided that the protagonist is a despicable person who deserves whatever’s coming to him. And yet, I didn’t stop reading. Within the next 50 pages, I became hooked. I still
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didn’t sympathize with any of the characters, but I was enthralled by the drama that played out, compelled to find out what twisted, messed-up thing was going to happen next. Although some parts are ridiculous and unbelievable, it’s a testament to Nesbo’s writing that I was so powerfully drawn into a story about characters that I abhorred. The surprise ending is perfectly crafted, and I loved putting the pieces of the mystery together. Overall, this thriller starts out slow, but once the action starts to build, you won’t be able to put it down. Show Less
LibraryThing member coachsully
An anti-heroic narrator is dangerous. I wasn't crazy about him at the beginning of the novel and not sure by the end if I liked him any better. But the nasty things he does and lives through to survive are fascinating. And the ending-it was quite a surprise! Will be thinking about it for awhile,
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that's for sure. Show Less
LibraryThing member AramisSciant
I missed Harry Hole but I still really liked this book, especially the improbable surprise ending. I realized though how much of what I like about Nesbø is how well and precisely he builds his characters and how much depth he gives them and I missed that a bit with this novel. Maybe it was because
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the protagonist is an anti-hero.. Still the great pacing and suspense is there and I found it a very entertaining read. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookczuk
What a well-choreographed dance of duplicity, malice and mistrust, with Machiavellian overtones. It read like a screen-play, which means the recently released movie based on the book must be pretty good. The movie probably will never get to Charleston, but hopefully will hit our radar at some
It's only looking at the cover on book sites that I realize the white on read forms a primitive face, complete with canines, which is apt, given part of the story. The book has one of the best toilet scenes I've ever read, and I'm pleased to say I caught one of the major plot elements because it had just a touch of a character similarity to something in the Harry Hole books (and made me wonder if Jo Nesbø had personal experience with something, to have put it in both this book and the Hole series.)
We picked up this book at the Stanford Book Store while there for our son's graduation(!!).
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point. The main character is despicable and unlikeable, yet I found myself sort of rooting for him, since everyone else was worse. I'd never have made it in the high-power business world.It's only looking at the cover on book sites that I realize the white on read forms a primitive face, complete with canines, which is apt, given part of the story. The book has one of the best toilet scenes I've ever read, and I'm pleased to say I caught one of the major plot elements because it had just a touch of a character similarity to something in the Harry Hole books (and made me wonder if Jo Nesbø had personal experience with something, to have put it in both this book and the Hole series.)
We picked up this book at the Stanford Book Store while there for our son's graduation(!!).
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LibraryThing member clq
The English translation of this book, "Headhunters", has been on the bestseller-lists in the UK for quite a while. Also, I wanted to read this book before watching the film of it. However, having read Nesbø before, and not quite liking it, I was a little sceptical. Fortunately I liked Hodejegerne
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better, perhaps partly because it doesn't include Harry Hole, the recurring character in quite a few of the other books, and a character I never quite liked. Hodejegerne is very original, both in its story, and in the way the story unfolds. The thing that bothered me throughout the book was the fact that I just didn't believe a lot of what was happening. At some point almost all of the main characters make choices which seem more than a little contrived. Still, this is a quick, rather fast-paced, sometimes genuinely thrilling, book. Worth a read. Show Less
LibraryThing member martinhughharvey
Wasn't sure at first but took off nicely part way through. Interesting read, unexpected twists, and an unusual role for the central character. I'll read more.
LibraryThing member RDHawk6886
Very pleasantly impressed. Reminiscent of a nordic Don Winslow with a little more substance. THe set-up is terrific and very convincing. I am a sucker for book's that involve art heists, although, the art heist in this novel is a Maguffin of sorts. Roger Brown, the main character, has a authentic
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and convincing voice. The action is a bit over-the-top, the Quentin Tarantino references are well-arned. ALthough there are several laugh out-loud sections; the book does loose some of its credibility. Ultimately, I think the book may have been stronger relying on the real emotions that were created early on. I found the epilogue to strain believability even within the books own constructs. I have not yet read any of the Harry Hole books, overall, I did enjoy this stand alone. Show Less
LibraryThing member jerhogan
This was up to the brilliant standard of the Harry Hole books in terms of excitement with the added extra of some laugh-out-loud moments. The ending was quite good though just a tad too pat, as evidenced by the media savvy but clueless detective. However the ending was also quite funny. Definitely
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one of the better Nordic thrillers as are the Harry Hole books. Show Less
LibraryThing member maneekuhi
Why would someone write a crime fiction novel with a headhunter as a protagonist? I kept asking myself that for the first 100 pages, came up with many way out there explanations including a lost bar wager - but nothing fit, and I continued. I learned a lot about interviewing techniques, not only
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for corporate leadership executives, but also methods used by police and intelligence agencies. So-so. The plot involves stolen art and stolen lovers, a murder or two, a highly skilled Special Forces type, and of course a twist or two. It's entertaining, but I kept hoping that there would not be future stand-alones from Nesbo and that he will get back to Hairy Hole and enjoy a monogamous relationship. There are some real stretches here, and a few situations that anyone who has watched an autopsy focused TV crime show for no more than 30 minutes will not buy, but overall it was OK. 3 stars, completed 11/17/11. Show Less
LibraryThing member PaulaCheg
A bit like Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, but not quite as complex or sophisticated. A good quick read. I suspect better read in Norweigan...
LibraryThing member PaulRx04
Another great Nesbo read. Plot a bit far out, but still good.
Even made a decent movie.
Even made a decent movie.
LibraryThing member hairball
Not one of Nesbo's best offerings--it starts off normally enough, but turns into a crazy-coincidental-violent thing. I can see why it's being made into a movie, but I also wonder how closely the tie to the film is, because it makes a better screenplay than a novel. (And not a screenplay for a film
If you haven't read Nesbo, don't start here.
A side note: the title left me with a Front 242 earworm.
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I have any real desire to see, either...)If you haven't read Nesbo, don't start here.
A side note: the title left me with a Front 242 earworm.
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LibraryThing member femme_letale
What was this all about? I am a fan of Nesbø but I found this book very disappointing. THe characters and the plot are completely unbelievable. I know that part of the appeal of the Harry Hole series is the false clues, the red herrings, but the ones in this book are just totally ridiculous. I
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don't even know why I finished it. I should have left it as soon as the military guy made his appearance and the alpha-male competition started. Show Less
LibraryThing member richardcjennings
"I had been thinking of putting a single bullet through your head as a mark of respect for being a prey worthy of a hunter, Roger. But I think I'll go back to the original plan after all. Shooting you in the stomach. Have I told you about the stomach shots? How the bullet bores through your spleen
Fast paced. Couldn't put it down, Can't wait for the movie. Four stars.
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causing gastric acid to leak out and burn its way through the rest of the intestines? Then I have to wait until you beg me to kill you. And you will, Roger."Fast paced. Couldn't put it down, Can't wait for the movie. Four stars.
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