Series
Genres
Publication
Vintage (2009), Edition: 1st Edition 1st Printing, 592 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: A fantastically gripping thriller from the best-selling author of The Snowman. Christmas shoppers stop to hear a Salvation Army concert on a crowded Oslo street. A gunshot cuts through the music and the bitter cold: one of the singers falls dead, shot in the head at point-blank range. Harry Hole�??the Oslo Police Department's best investigator and worst civil servant�??has little to work with: no suspect, no weapon, and no motive. But Harry's troubles will multiply. As the search closes in, the killer becomes increasingly desperate, and Harry's chase takes him to the most forbidden corners of the former Yugoslavia. Yet it's when he returns to Oslo that he encounters true darkness: among the homeless junkies and Salvationists, eagerly awaiting a savior to deliver them from misery�??whether he brings new life or immediate death. With its shrewdly vertiginous narrative, acid-etched characters, and white-hot pace, The Redeemer is resounding proof of Jo Nesbø's standing as one of the best crime writers of our time. From the Hardcover ed… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member cameling
When a soldier with the Salvation Army is shot and killed, the lack of a motive, suspect and weapon frustrates the Norwegian crime squad. What could have been the perfect crime, however, begins to unravel when the killer realizes that he's made a mistake a killed the wrong person.
With his nemesis
As the killer proceeds to go after his intended target, Harry and his team grasp at all and any possible clues that might help them understand the motive and uncover the identity of the murderer. But time is running out, and even as they manage to discover that the murderer is traveling under a false identity, the killer continues to keep one step ahead of Harry and his team and the danger to his team escalates as the killer becomes more desperate.
The escalating tension will keep the reader turning the pages right up to the surprise at the end.
With his nemesis
Show More
gone and his alcoholism under control for the time being, Harry Hole should be dancing on cloud nine. Instead, his boss retires and is replaced with a man who appears to play by the book and want to instill military-style discipline in the unit and he's now faced with a seemingly invisible killer. As the killer proceeds to go after his intended target, Harry and his team grasp at all and any possible clues that might help them understand the motive and uncover the identity of the murderer. But time is running out, and even as they manage to discover that the murderer is traveling under a false identity, the killer continues to keep one step ahead of Harry and his team and the danger to his team escalates as the killer becomes more desperate.
The escalating tension will keep the reader turning the pages right up to the surprise at the end.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bookczuk
Harry Hole has been a rather frequent visitor to our home of late. He's a good guest. Not very demanding about what he eats, spends equal time with my husband and with me (though rarely at the same time, which is good, because Jim Thompson is also visiting and we can give them each them time and
In Redeemer we see some different elements of Harry Hole emerge. Still the cop who works on intuition, until it proves him wrong, and then forgets the intuitive failures to go on and follow his gut feelings again. Still struggling to find a place to let his soul settle comfortably, accepting of his flaws, but trying to reduce their cataclysmic impact on those around him. I was struck by how often in this novel Harry put others first, overcoming his taciturn nature, to support those he interacted with emotionally, even when he couldn't grasp the emotion. In his own gruff way, he showed compassion time and again.
The plot of this book has been recounted elsewhere. It starts off straightforward enough, with a back story 14 years earlier, when a young girl was assaulted at a Salvation Army summer camp. Skip to modern day, where a Salvation Army officer is killed by someone in the crowd. Nesbø weaves the story around the Salvation Army folks, Hole and his associates, and the Little Redeemer, the assassin who came to do a job, only to realize he killed the wrong man, and must continue his mission, come hell or Harry Hole.
It also seems that despite his battles with alcohol, his cynicism, depression, anger, and the dark aspects of life he sees on the murder squad, Harry Hole. while not an optimist, is not completely overrun by the negatives presented in his world. I don't quite know how Nesbø does it, but I come away from each book feeling that Hole still has hope, even if he doesn't admit it to himself. I wouldn't call him an optimist, but then again, I wouldn't label him as a full-on pessimist, either. I think for Hole, there still is redemption out there in the world.
(And by way of a post-script, we got the series pretty much in order, though The Snowman came our way before The Redeemer, which husband has read. I started to, until I realized that we has acquired this book in the interim. In that "starting to" read, I learned some things that happened in this book, relating to several secondary characters, so my reading was tinged with some bitter-sweetness and anticipation of eventual outcomes. However, the way both played out in the book, particularly the last reveal, were nothing that I would have imagined. Nesbø is a master of twists, turns, and plot line surprises.)
Show More
attention they deserve.) Harry's even kept clear of the liquor cabinet, though I'm sure he brought his own flask and is taking discreet pulls from it whenever we leave him alone too long. In Redeemer we see some different elements of Harry Hole emerge. Still the cop who works on intuition, until it proves him wrong, and then forgets the intuitive failures to go on and follow his gut feelings again. Still struggling to find a place to let his soul settle comfortably, accepting of his flaws, but trying to reduce their cataclysmic impact on those around him. I was struck by how often in this novel Harry put others first, overcoming his taciturn nature, to support those he interacted with emotionally, even when he couldn't grasp the emotion. In his own gruff way, he showed compassion time and again.
The plot of this book has been recounted elsewhere. It starts off straightforward enough, with a back story 14 years earlier, when a young girl was assaulted at a Salvation Army summer camp. Skip to modern day, where a Salvation Army officer is killed by someone in the crowd. Nesbø weaves the story around the Salvation Army folks, Hole and his associates, and the Little Redeemer, the assassin who came to do a job, only to realize he killed the wrong man, and must continue his mission, come hell or Harry Hole.
It also seems that despite his battles with alcohol, his cynicism, depression, anger, and the dark aspects of life he sees on the murder squad, Harry Hole. while not an optimist, is not completely overrun by the negatives presented in his world. I don't quite know how Nesbø does it, but I come away from each book feeling that Hole still has hope, even if he doesn't admit it to himself. I wouldn't call him an optimist, but then again, I wouldn't label him as a full-on pessimist, either. I think for Hole, there still is redemption out there in the world.
(And by way of a post-script, we got the series pretty much in order, though The Snowman came our way before The Redeemer, which husband has read. I started to, until I realized that we has acquired this book in the interim. In that "starting to" read, I learned some things that happened in this book, relating to several secondary characters, so my reading was tinged with some bitter-sweetness and anticipation of eventual outcomes. However, the way both played out in the book, particularly the last reveal, were nothing that I would have imagined. Nesbø is a master of twists, turns, and plot line surprises.)
Show Less
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
Utterly dreadful. If this is what passes for popular fiction there I can understand why Scandinavian suicide rates are so high. I would have found it more entertaining to have spent a couple of hours reading through my log tables.
LibraryThing member Lettypearl
Another great Harry Hole novel. This is the 6th in the series, and starts out with the rape of a 14 year old girl at a Salvation Army summer camp. Twelve years later, one of the Salvation Army soldiers is shot during an outdoor Christmas concert in Oslo. The shooter is an assassin from Zagreb and
Show More
the police learn this fairly early on, although catching him is thwarted by the fact that he is able to change aspects of his face without makeup. This assassin is quite different than many of the villains Harry has had to track down as he is not so intensely evil. However, he is not the only villain (and maybe he is not a villain at all???). Part of the suspense lies in figuring out which character is truly evil, how the rape twelve years earlier ties into the present events, and what will Harry do about it. Another great read --- thank you Jo Nesbo! Show Less
LibraryThing member nbmars
This is the sixth book featuring detective Harry Hole, and the fourth translated into English. In sequence, it comes in between "The Devil’s Star" and "The Snowman", but I read those two books before this one. Nesbo is such a good writer, I forgot about being obsessive-compulsive!
A Salvation Army
The theme of redemption is salient for the characters in this book. Both those who perpetrate the crimes and those who try to stop them are eager for redemption, although it is never good enough when they get it. The police in particular struggle with the desire for redemption versus adhering to paths that are strictly legal. Harry's former boss, Bjorne Moller, tells Harry:
"It’s chance and nuances that separate the hero from the villain. That’s how it’s always been. Righteousness is the virtue of the lazy and the visionless. Without lawbreakers and disobedience we would still have been living in a feudal society.”
Evaluation: Nesbo is adept at portraying existential pain, and Harry Hole - brilliant and unconventional, is a walking embodiment of pain. He has internal demons that beset him constantly (his colleagues think of him as a sullen alcoholic, but there’s more to it than that), and the only distraction he knows is to pursue the external demons, who go about in the world and take away the lives of those not ready to give them up. One senses that Harry would not be so reluctant if his time came, and yet this compulsive, obsessed, hard-boiled, self-destructive loner is irresistibly endearing. Aside from the gripping story lines and deeply-realized characterizations, Harry Hole is someone you want to nurture, beware of, hang out with, benefit from, and be around to find out what he’s going to do next.
A Salvation Army
Show More
officer in Oslo is shot in the head during a pre-Christmas concert. The professional hit man who did the shooting, a Croat known as “The Little Redeemer,” is appalled to discover he hit the wrong man. He stays on in Oslo to go after the correct one. It is evident quite early on who has done the shooting, although we don’t yet know the motive for the hit or who arranged it, and the action revolves around Hole’s attempt to find these answers and to catch the perpetrator.The theme of redemption is salient for the characters in this book. Both those who perpetrate the crimes and those who try to stop them are eager for redemption, although it is never good enough when they get it. The police in particular struggle with the desire for redemption versus adhering to paths that are strictly legal. Harry's former boss, Bjorne Moller, tells Harry:
"It’s chance and nuances that separate the hero from the villain. That’s how it’s always been. Righteousness is the virtue of the lazy and the visionless. Without lawbreakers and disobedience we would still have been living in a feudal society.”
Evaluation: Nesbo is adept at portraying existential pain, and Harry Hole - brilliant and unconventional, is a walking embodiment of pain. He has internal demons that beset him constantly (his colleagues think of him as a sullen alcoholic, but there’s more to it than that), and the only distraction he knows is to pursue the external demons, who go about in the world and take away the lives of those not ready to give them up. One senses that Harry would not be so reluctant if his time came, and yet this compulsive, obsessed, hard-boiled, self-destructive loner is irresistibly endearing. Aside from the gripping story lines and deeply-realized characterizations, Harry Hole is someone you want to nurture, beware of, hang out with, benefit from, and be around to find out what he’s going to do next.
Show Less
LibraryThing member maneekuhi
Didn't want it to end. Salvation Army, assassination, a wrong victim, , past rape - good twists, some romance, and several excellent scenes. Oh and did I mention a body stuffed down a laundry chute and a victim's eyes sucked out by the killer....Meanwhile the embers of the Harry/Rakel affair still
Show More
smoulder. Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
The shooting of a Salvation Army officer at point blank range as Christmas shoppers stand listening to a street concert in Oslo is almost unthinkable. Many saw the assailant, the gun in his hand, but predictably, afterwards, they were almost of no help. If there is an irony, it is that the victim
At Police HQ Harry Hole is investigating another case, the death of a young heroin addict, found dead in a unit at the container terminal. Harry's boss Bjarne Moller is leaving. If it hadn't been for Moller's protective wing Harry would have been off the force years ago. Harry mistrusts his new boss, Gunnar Hagen, who threatens to make him toe the line.
You can almost feel Nesbo building this book, layer on layer, investigating how events that took place over a decade before, can have consequences in present time. You certainly forget that it is translated, so natural is the English.
We've already met Harry Hole, most recently in NEMESIS, and before that in THE REDBREAST and in THE DEVIL'S STAR. (see below for my mini-reviews). THE REDEEMER is a great read, a book whose ending may shock. Harry's personal life is also once again at the centre of this book.
Show More
should not have been there, having changed his shift with his brother.At Police HQ Harry Hole is investigating another case, the death of a young heroin addict, found dead in a unit at the container terminal. Harry's boss Bjarne Moller is leaving. If it hadn't been for Moller's protective wing Harry would have been off the force years ago. Harry mistrusts his new boss, Gunnar Hagen, who threatens to make him toe the line.
You can almost feel Nesbo building this book, layer on layer, investigating how events that took place over a decade before, can have consequences in present time. You certainly forget that it is translated, so natural is the English.
We've already met Harry Hole, most recently in NEMESIS, and before that in THE REDBREAST and in THE DEVIL'S STAR. (see below for my mini-reviews). THE REDEEMER is a great read, a book whose ending may shock. Harry's personal life is also once again at the centre of this book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bfister
A hired assassin from the Balkans, called the 'little redeemer' when he was a child soldier in Croatia during the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, travels to Norway to kill an officer in the Salvation Army. Unfortunately, he picks off the wrong guy, and has to stick around a very cold country where
Show More
they speak a language he doesn't know to finish the job. Harry Hole is in pursuit, trying to figure out why someone would have a beef with the foot soldiers of God. As always, there's a tangle of threads connecting this book with others in the series, some revelations about his co-workers, and a mordant, morally ambiguous ending. Nesbo is a very, very good writer. Show Less
LibraryThing member johnbsheridan
My first Harry Hole novel and for whatever reason kept reminding me of Harry Bosch probably due to the Michael Connelly blurb on the cover as well as the first name. I dislike reading novels out of order but as I was travelling I had to pick up something new rather than from my massive TBR pile and
The story itself is quite intricate and overall a pleasure but have deducted half a star owing to the seeming inability of anyone to recognise one of the protagonists and even though this is explained I don't find it wholly convincing and given that a large part of the action is dependent on this single fact it does reflect on the novel as whole.
Show More
therefore I felt I was probably missing out on some of the backstory and references to Harry's previous partners & cases.The story itself is quite intricate and overall a pleasure but have deducted half a star owing to the seeming inability of anyone to recognise one of the protagonists and even though this is explained I don't find it wholly convincing and given that a large part of the action is dependent on this single fact it does reflect on the novel as whole.
Show Less
LibraryThing member callmecayce
I'm a huge fan of Nesbø and eagerly look forward to all the books of his that get translated into English. The Redeemer is an excellent book, a nice follow up to The Devil's Star. Harry Hole continues to struggle with his alcohol problem and yet again, Nesbø kills off a well liked main character,
Show More
but these events string the novel together instead of tearing it apart. I love this series, I adore Detective Harry Hole and I cannot wait for more of these books. Show Less
LibraryThing member bhowell
This is the fourth Jo Nesbo book I have burned through in the last couple of months. I am totally hooked and I was glad to read in the New York Times Book review that he is actively working on another. In Redeemer, Inspecter Harry Hole and his colleagues hunt for a suspected hitman who has shot one
"Religion, urban misery and modern European history collide in this grisly thriller."
HIghly recommemnded.
Show More
man in broad daylight in one of Oslo's busiest squares. When the hitman discovers that he has shot the wrong man, he becomes desperate to reach his intended target. But who is the intended target and why does someone want him dead? The answer is complicated and Harry travels to Croatia as part of the investigation. As stated on the back of the book:"Religion, urban misery and modern European history collide in this grisly thriller."
HIghly recommemnded.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lizchris
A crime thriller set in Oslo, I read this in about 3 sittings. It is a real page-turner, though a little confusing at the start when there are little snippets and you can't be sure who's who. It's worth sticking with as the momentum builds up quickly.
The book operates on several levels - around
The book operates on several levels - around
Show More
70% whodunnit, 20% place and character, 10% morality tale. Show Less
LibraryThing member kmmt48
Another great Nesbo installment featuring Harry Hole with all his faults but more of his intelligent heroic investigative capabilities. An excellent read.
LibraryThing member polarbear123
In my opinion the best Nesbo Harry Hole thriller so far - at least with the ones that have been translated into English. Everything seems to be right in this one. There is a fantastic sense of pace and urgency to track and catch the hired killer. There are twists and turns aplenty along the way to
Show More
keep you guessing. There are complex characters with multiple and diverse motives. There is no absolute distinction between the bad guys and the good guys which adds depth and a range of colour to the characters. There are interesting sidleine plots and links to plots of the previous novels. In short this is pretty close to perfect when it comes to crime thriller fiction. I don't think they need to put that notice saying 'the Next Stieg Larsson anymore. Surely Nesbo is a giant of crime fiction in his own right. He has at least one loyal supporter here thats for sure! Show Less
LibraryThing member Elleneer
Jo Nesbo's books mesmerize me so much that the pages fly by and I have hardly any sense of reading. It's beyond reading--it's more accurate to say that I absorb the novel from his mind to mine.
LibraryThing member John
This guy just keeps getting better and better and I think The Redeemer is the best yet in the Inspector Harry Hole series. Nesbo presents a complex plot that interweaves fast paced action with the lives and hopes and fears of a number of well-drawn characters, some good, some bad, some confused and
Show More
this includes some of those supposedly on the side of the good. Nesbo is very good with the complexity of human interactions driven by greed, generosity, desire, fear, love, ambition, trauma, respect, distrust…the whole gamut. The police are there to chase the bad guys and to maintain some sense of order and security in society, but even within those boundaries, there are no moral certainties in Nesbo’s world, not even for Harry. This provides a sense of realism and edge to the story, complemented by the edginess in descriptions of Oslo in winter and the underbelly of lives not lived in the wealthy middle class Norwegian world. I won’t even try to summarize the plot as I don’t want to give anything away; suffice it to say that I did not see the ending coming until Harry laid it all out. And yet, it is logical and it does hang together; Nesbo does not cheat the reader by simply pulling a rabbit out of a hat. I look forward to the next installment, though Nesbo does keep raising his own bar every time he produces a new Harry Hole mystery! Show Less
LibraryThing member Disco_grinch
A little bit of a SPOILER included:
The main story is about a professional killer who kills an important member of the Salvation Army. The story focuses on the killer trying to survive in a foreign country without any resources and Harry Hole trying to figure out the “who-dun-it”, etc. There are
I've read all the Harry Hole books up to this one so far. I have to say, this is probably my least favorite one. I think Nesbo writing improved since the beginning of the series but I just didn't get into this story as much as some of the others. I have been a BIG Harry Hole fan but I am slowly starting to lose interest in the series…this loss of interest stared before but has increased with this book.
The story seemed to stall in some sections but not all of it was slow. It has some really good parts but as I have noticed with past Jo Nesbo books, he makes some “errors” with facts. In one area he is discussing the dog meat found in someone’s vomit and they state that the food must have come from a Chinese restaurant because that is the “only place in the world that eats dog”. NOPE. In fact there are MANY countries that eat dog…Korea being the most well-known. Its little things like this that are starting to annoy me with his books (in previous books he makes completely uneducated “guesses” about firearms and other things…no, revolvers DON’T have magazines/clips Mr. Nesbo.
Overall: 3.5 stars
The main story is about a professional killer who kills an important member of the Salvation Army. The story focuses on the killer trying to survive in a foreign country without any resources and Harry Hole trying to figure out the “who-dun-it”, etc. There are
Show More
a few small twists but nothing that “WOWed” me.I've read all the Harry Hole books up to this one so far. I have to say, this is probably my least favorite one. I think Nesbo writing improved since the beginning of the series but I just didn't get into this story as much as some of the others. I have been a BIG Harry Hole fan but I am slowly starting to lose interest in the series…this loss of interest stared before but has increased with this book.
The story seemed to stall in some sections but not all of it was slow. It has some really good parts but as I have noticed with past Jo Nesbo books, he makes some “errors” with facts. In one area he is discussing the dog meat found in someone’s vomit and they state that the food must have come from a Chinese restaurant because that is the “only place in the world that eats dog”. NOPE. In fact there are MANY countries that eat dog…Korea being the most well-known. Its little things like this that are starting to annoy me with his books (in previous books he makes completely uneducated “guesses” about firearms and other things…no, revolvers DON’T have magazines/clips Mr. Nesbo.
Overall: 3.5 stars
Show Less
LibraryThing member karieh
Harry Hole is such a flawed character – a man who battles so many demons, both in and outside of his life. His voice, his character is so compelling that the reader cannot help but worry about him, root for him to finally find peace and happiness.
The series of books that author Jo Nesbo has
Harry has seen so much pain in his life – has experienced even more. He’s experienced so much loss…has been surrounded by the darkest of deeds and emotions.
“…he reflected on what his mother had once said when she was in the hospital. There was only one thing emptier than having lived without love, and that was having lived without pain.”
If Harry’s mother is correct, he should have one of the fullest lives on the planet. And yet, he is still constantly searching…searching for something bigger than himself, something that will fill the void inside him that is always threatening to engulf him. That search is what makes him who is he, makes him do what he does.
“Look into the depths of your heart, Harry. You must find some forgiveness there!” “The problem is…” Harry rubbed his chin. “I’m not in the forgiveness business.” “What!” exclaimed Jon, in astonishment. “Redemption, Jon. Redemption. That’s what I go in for. Me, too.”
I realize that this review covers very little of the plot of “The Redeemer”. But for me, these books have been and always will be about Harry Hole. The cases he tackles, the lives he touches are interesting…but not nearly as interesting as he is.
As always, my breath is held as I read about him…wondering if this is the time he will finally come into the light…hoping this is not the story in which the darkness will consume him.
“…imagine you are at the heart of what you think is justice and then suddenly lose all sense of direction and become the very thing you oppose.”
Whether Harry Hole will ever redeem himself – to himself – is what keeps me reading and waiting for the next book.
The series of books that author Jo Nesbo has
Show More
created around this man is absolutely addicting. While they certainly work as thrillers, they also have greater depth. They allow the reader to truly see inside this man – a man who is so good at finding out the truth about the most complex of mysteries – and so bad about discerning the truths that lie deep inside his own soul.Harry has seen so much pain in his life – has experienced even more. He’s experienced so much loss…has been surrounded by the darkest of deeds and emotions.
“…he reflected on what his mother had once said when she was in the hospital. There was only one thing emptier than having lived without love, and that was having lived without pain.”
If Harry’s mother is correct, he should have one of the fullest lives on the planet. And yet, he is still constantly searching…searching for something bigger than himself, something that will fill the void inside him that is always threatening to engulf him. That search is what makes him who is he, makes him do what he does.
“Look into the depths of your heart, Harry. You must find some forgiveness there!” “The problem is…” Harry rubbed his chin. “I’m not in the forgiveness business.” “What!” exclaimed Jon, in astonishment. “Redemption, Jon. Redemption. That’s what I go in for. Me, too.”
I realize that this review covers very little of the plot of “The Redeemer”. But for me, these books have been and always will be about Harry Hole. The cases he tackles, the lives he touches are interesting…but not nearly as interesting as he is.
As always, my breath is held as I read about him…wondering if this is the time he will finally come into the light…hoping this is not the story in which the darkness will consume him.
“…imagine you are at the heart of what you think is justice and then suddenly lose all sense of direction and become the very thing you oppose.”
Whether Harry Hole will ever redeem himself – to himself – is what keeps me reading and waiting for the next book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Ronrose1
I'm a bit surprised to admit it's been a couple of years since I read my last book by Jo Nesbo. The Devil's Star: A Harry Hole Novel I can't imagine why. His Norwegian Police Detective, Harry Hole, is a tour de force. Once he is on a case, he hangs on tighter than a guard dog with lockjaw. This
Show More
time out he is after the killer of a young man in the Salvation Army. The victim was gunned down at a crowded concert a few days before Christmas. Although many statements are taken from witnesses in the crowd, none of them seem to agree on a description of the killer. It's as though he was a phantom who passed through the crowd without being seen. Why can't anyone give a clear description of the killer? Why was the young man murdered? Harry has to find the answers. Jo Nesbo tells a great tale. He likes to throw in a few red herrings here and there. He'll have you going down the garden path before surprising you with a powerful ending. Book provided for review by Amazon Vine and Knopf. Show Less
LibraryThing member bjmitch
The Scandinavian invasion in crime fiction caught me off guard, so much so that I am only now trying my first novel from that phenomenon. I know, I'm years late but at least I finally decided to jump in. I had heard about Jo Nesbo and his hero Harry Hole; I even know how to pronounce Hole's last
I wonder now if all of these novels would give me the same reaction. Reading The Redeemer is like watching a black and white movie. It's colorless for the most part, the only color being the light turquoise blue of one character's eyes, and of course red blood in the snow. Hole is a complex alcoholic loner detective whose heart is in the right place. He defies authority to do what he knows is right, and he has compassion for victims. I like him even though I find him somewhat depressing. He figures things out with the help of experience and thought rather than being a super-detective who just seems to know things. The killer is exactly his opposite.
Perhaps it's because this novel is set in Oslo in the winter, with a little foray into Serbia, but the predominant impression is of freezing cold, darkness, gloom, isolated characters who are irredeemably sad, and people who suffer through no fault of their own. The Salvation Army as an organization is very much a character as well and some of the characters are members. Despite the overwhelming sadness, I followed the story greedily as I tried to deduce who did what to whom and why. I didn't actually know until near the end.
Thankfully about the time I finished the book the sun came out here and the temperature went up into the 70s. Gosh, it was nice to warm up. I should read the next one in this series during a heat wave. And I will read more of them. The writing, the atmosphere, the characters are all beautifully written.
Recommended reading
Source: Amazon Vine
Show More
name, so I wasn't totally behind times. Anyway, I noticed Nesbo's newest volume was available at Amazon Vine so I requested it.I wonder now if all of these novels would give me the same reaction. Reading The Redeemer is like watching a black and white movie. It's colorless for the most part, the only color being the light turquoise blue of one character's eyes, and of course red blood in the snow. Hole is a complex alcoholic loner detective whose heart is in the right place. He defies authority to do what he knows is right, and he has compassion for victims. I like him even though I find him somewhat depressing. He figures things out with the help of experience and thought rather than being a super-detective who just seems to know things. The killer is exactly his opposite.
Perhaps it's because this novel is set in Oslo in the winter, with a little foray into Serbia, but the predominant impression is of freezing cold, darkness, gloom, isolated characters who are irredeemably sad, and people who suffer through no fault of their own. The Salvation Army as an organization is very much a character as well and some of the characters are members. Despite the overwhelming sadness, I followed the story greedily as I tried to deduce who did what to whom and why. I didn't actually know until near the end.
Thankfully about the time I finished the book the sun came out here and the temperature went up into the 70s. Gosh, it was nice to warm up. I should read the next one in this series during a heat wave. And I will read more of them. The writing, the atmosphere, the characters are all beautifully written.
Recommended reading
Source: Amazon Vine
Show Less
LibraryThing member EllenEbook
Complicated and messy as Harry Hole himself vs. internal machinations of the Norwegian Salvation Army
LibraryThing member MichaelHodges
Another extremely well crafted book by Nesbo. It is not easy to determine the correct sequence in which to read these Harry Hole books are sequenced owning to the release dates of the Norwegian and English/US publication dates. This one appears to be the book to be read after the" Nemesis" and
Show More
before "The Snowman" The Redeemer appears to be the least gentile of the series thus far, so much so that I must take a long break before I ever read another Nesbo book. It is an intense and highly but extremely well contrived mystery or who did what to who. It certainly is an engrossing yarn in all senses of the word. Has Harry now really retired? Tom Whaler was killed off in the prior saga, and now the truth is out about the gun runners and the police involvement. Perhaps the next book takes into account the closure of a life partner for Harry. As with all Nesbo books the intersection of so many characters keeps one in absolute limbo until all is eventually unraveled and no loose ends remain, I sit in awe of such powerful suspense, intrigue and great language skills. Nesbo is a pot-boiler always. Show Less
LibraryThing member michigantrumpet
Cutting like a dream sequence, we encounter a 14 year old girl who is raped while attending summer camp, a Croatian contract killer taking down a target in Paris, a Salvation Army officer meeting his girlfriend, and Oslo detective Harry Hole informing an elderly couple of the death of their heroin
Show More
addict son. Author Jo Nesbo skillfully weaves these disparate threads into a compelling tale, thrilling to follow with plenty of twists and turns to keep one guessing. I have been reading this series out of order as the books become available at the local library. I did not have any trouble following along -- these Harry Hole books can be read as individual stand alone stories. Show Less
LibraryThing member cathymoore
I enjoyed this, it was gripping without being too graphic. The plot finished up being a little convoluted and dare I say contrived. So much so that all the twists and turns were explained by one character to another in the last chapters. If that kind of plot device is necessary then it makes me
Show More
think the story has become overly complicated. Show Less
LibraryThing member Laura400
This is the earliest Harry Hole I've read, though it's actually mid-series. It's also in my view better than the ones that have come out more recently. An excellent and gripping story.
Awards
Crime Writers' Association Awards (Shortlist — 2009)
Language
Original language
Norwegian
Original publication date
2005 (original Norwegian)
2009 (English: Bartlett)
ISBN
0099505967 / 9780099505969
UPC
000099505967
Other editions
The Redeemer: Harry Hole 6 by Jo Nesbo (Paperback)