Call number
MYST KNO
Collection
Genres
Series
Publication
H. Aschehoug & Co. (2012), 497 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:“With Henning Mankell having written his last Wallander novel and Stieg Larsson no longer with us, I have had to make the decision on whom to confer the title of best current Nordic writer of crime fiction . . . Jo Nesbř wins.” —Marcel Berlins, The Times (U.K.) Two young women are found murdered in Oslo, both drowned in their own blood. Media coverage quickly reaches fever pitch: Could this be the work of a serial killer? The crime scenes offer no coherent clues, the police investigation is stalled, and the one man who might be able to help doesn’t want to be found. Traumatized by his last case, Inspector Harry Hole has lost himself in the squalor of Hong Kong’s opium dens. Yet when he is compelled, at last, to return to Norway—his father is dying—Harry’s buried instincts begin to take over. After a female MP is discovered brutally murdered, nothing can keep him from the investigation. There is little to go on: a piece of rope, a scrap of wool, a bit of gravel, an unexpected connection between the victims. And Harry will soon come to understand that he is dealing with a psychopath for whom “insanity is a vital retreat,” someone who will put him to the test—in both his professional and personal lives—as never before. Ruthlessly intelligent and suspenseful, The Leopard is Jo Nesbř’s most electrifying novel yet—absolutely gripping from first to last.… (more)
Media reviews
Nordic Book Blog
The Leopard, the sixth Harry Hole thriller (in English – but actually the eight in the Harry Hole series) by the internationally acclaimed Norwegian writer Jo Nesbo is outstanding. The plot twists and curls, and Harry Hole, an extraordinarily interesting man, becomes more and more fascinating. It
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is a joy to follow him as he out-foxes bosses and colleagues, alienates people left and right in the police force, and doles out justice Hole-style. The Leopard is a top notch, painfully suspenseful crime fiction, and quite possibly Jo Nesbo’s best. It’s a thick brick of a book, but far too short. I loved it. I am certain The Leopard is one of the best crime fiction books of 2011!
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User reviews
LibraryThing member KatherineGregg
Another great Jo Nesbo thriller - fast paced, full of interesting characters (next time I'll keep a list because there are many), constant twists and turns making it difficult to figure out what is next, and of course maverick Inspector Harry Hole at the helm. Seemingly random murders turn into a
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string of deliberate killings for those present at a mountain cabin in Havass on a certain date. The murders are grisly and Nesbo even invents a torture mechanism called Leopold's apple (a round object placed in the mouth which shoots out spikes when triggered) to kill off some of his characters. Harry Hole is heavy drinking and self destructive, hated but admired by even his enemies. He becomes obsessed with every crime scene he becomes involved with making personal relationships very difficult. His drinking and drugging don't help either. Despite all of his shortcomings, Hole is smart as a whip and likeable. I look forward to reading the next Harry Hole thriller. Show Less
LibraryThing member SamSattler
As Jo Nesbo’s The Leopard opens, Harry Hole is living deep inside the bowels of Hong Kong and trying to avoid the gangland creditors who badly want to catch up with him. In the meantime, Harry is well on his way to committing suicide by alcohol and opium abuse. But, just in the nick of time for
The Leopard is a grim, disturbing book that sometimes goes over the top before Nesbo decides to dial it back to a more believable level, but the picture he paints of a worldwide underground of pure evilness is unforgettable. The uncorrected proof I read was 513 pages long, plenty of time for Nesbo to expose the underbellies of Hong Kong, Norway, and Africa, and he does so with great gusto. As the body count rises, the book’s plot becomes more and more complicated, and the investigation becomes more and more personal for Harry.
Readers unsure as to whether they are ready for the level of violence and brutality of The Leopard should read its first chapter before investing in a copy of their own. This little four-page chapter forewarns the potential reader by perfectly setting the tone for the rest of the book. In addition, the beginning of the second chapter offers insight into the mind of this particular killer when Nesbo allows him to speak in the first person:
“For my part, I believe that the ability to kill is fundamental to any healthy person. Our existence is a fight for gain, and whoever cannot kill his neighbor has no right to an existence. Killing is, after all, only hastening the inevitable. Death allows no exceptions, which is good, because life is pain and suffering. In that sense, every murder is an act of charity.”
I do have one suggestion for readers unfamiliar with Nordic proper names. The Leopard is a long, complicated novel that makes reference to dozens of character and place names. Many, if not most, North American readers will quickly become confused by the names thrown at them (they simply do not stick) – and, when those names show up later in the book, these readers will find it near impossible to place them in their proper context to what has previously occurred. I have to admit to even being confused as to the gender of some of the names I faced. My suggestion: start a simple little list or chart of character names that can be referred back to as you read the book. I do wish I had followed my own advice. Next time.
Rated at: 3.5
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Harry, Norway has a new serial killer on her hands, one that will rival even Harry’s previous adversary, The Snowman, for creative killing. His old department needs Harry’s talents - and he has to be found and convinced to do battle with Norway’s latest incarnation of pure evilness.The Leopard is a grim, disturbing book that sometimes goes over the top before Nesbo decides to dial it back to a more believable level, but the picture he paints of a worldwide underground of pure evilness is unforgettable. The uncorrected proof I read was 513 pages long, plenty of time for Nesbo to expose the underbellies of Hong Kong, Norway, and Africa, and he does so with great gusto. As the body count rises, the book’s plot becomes more and more complicated, and the investigation becomes more and more personal for Harry.
Readers unsure as to whether they are ready for the level of violence and brutality of The Leopard should read its first chapter before investing in a copy of their own. This little four-page chapter forewarns the potential reader by perfectly setting the tone for the rest of the book. In addition, the beginning of the second chapter offers insight into the mind of this particular killer when Nesbo allows him to speak in the first person:
“For my part, I believe that the ability to kill is fundamental to any healthy person. Our existence is a fight for gain, and whoever cannot kill his neighbor has no right to an existence. Killing is, after all, only hastening the inevitable. Death allows no exceptions, which is good, because life is pain and suffering. In that sense, every murder is an act of charity.”
I do have one suggestion for readers unfamiliar with Nordic proper names. The Leopard is a long, complicated novel that makes reference to dozens of character and place names. Many, if not most, North American readers will quickly become confused by the names thrown at them (they simply do not stick) – and, when those names show up later in the book, these readers will find it near impossible to place them in their proper context to what has previously occurred. I have to admit to even being confused as to the gender of some of the names I faced. My suggestion: start a simple little list or chart of character names that can be referred back to as you read the book. I do wish I had followed my own advice. Next time.
Rated at: 3.5
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LibraryThing member Schatje
This, the sixth Harry Hole mystery to be translated from Norwegian to English, is long and complex with a labyrinthine plot about the maverick cop's hunt for a serial killer.
Harry, dragged away from the opium dens of Hong Kong, returns to Oslo to investigate the deaths of two women who were
Besides trying to solve the case, Harry has other problems as well. He has to struggle with his dependencies, especially with alcohol; he cannot forget Rakel who moved away because of the traumas she experienced during Harry's last case; his father is dying from cancer; he finds himself a pawn in a police turf-war over power and jurisdiction.
Other characters, both heroes and villians, also come with their personal baggage and agendas, Kaja Solness, Harry's new "partner," and Mikael Bellman, the Kripos second-in-command, being two obvious examples.
Harry's magnetic personality dominates. His almost supernatural intuition, his deep sensitivity despite his crusty exterior, and his ability to alienate and outsmart those who consider themselves superior to him make him almost impossible not to like.
There is unflagging suspense. Just as he case seems to be solved, there's another breath-taking twist that makes this 600+-page book feel all too short.
Harry, dragged away from the opium dens of Hong Kong, returns to Oslo to investigate the deaths of two women who were
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tortured and killed with a device called Leopold's apple. Other victims follow, each murdered in gruesome ways; the only connection among all the victims is a one-night stay at an isolated mountain cabin. Besides trying to solve the case, Harry has other problems as well. He has to struggle with his dependencies, especially with alcohol; he cannot forget Rakel who moved away because of the traumas she experienced during Harry's last case; his father is dying from cancer; he finds himself a pawn in a police turf-war over power and jurisdiction.
Other characters, both heroes and villians, also come with their personal baggage and agendas, Kaja Solness, Harry's new "partner," and Mikael Bellman, the Kripos second-in-command, being two obvious examples.
Harry's magnetic personality dominates. His almost supernatural intuition, his deep sensitivity despite his crusty exterior, and his ability to alienate and outsmart those who consider themselves superior to him make him almost impossible not to like.
There is unflagging suspense. Just as he case seems to be solved, there's another breath-taking twist that makes this 600+-page book feel all too short.
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LibraryThing member SandyLee
Harry Hole has retreated to Hong Kong after his last case put his love, Rakal, and her son in danger. He’s drowning himself in liquor and drugs when a fellow detective hunts him down to enlist his help in finding the killer of two women who had died in bizarre ways. His return pits him against
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Mikael Bellman of Kripos who plans to move major crimes from the Crime Squad. Since Bellman confiscates the murder cases from Crime Squad, Harry and his team start to investigate the disappearance of another woman, which Harry already suspects is part of the murder cases. One of the bizarre murder weapons is called Leopold’s apple which has twenty-four needles which extract when the victim attempts to pull the apple from her mouth. Harry does a lot of traveling in this book from Hong Kong to Africa where they mine a special alloy called coltan used in the springs and needles of the apple, to the snowy mountains housing cabins which nestle in avalanche territory. Harry’s crew includes Kaja, a new detective who is easing Harry’s loss of Rakal, as well as Bjorn Holm. He is suspicious of Tony Leike, who had stayed at the cabin where Harry surmises each of the victims at one time had also stayed. Tony has latched onto a rich woman whose family has invested heavily in Tony’s business. The writer puts Harry in more danger than a lion tamer without a whip. He is beaten, caught in an avalanche, and tortured. At almost 700 pages, the plot and names get confusing and one can only think a few hundred pages could have been pared. The writing is still top-notch but one wonders if Harry is beyond repair. He is so good at his job that the bosses can’t fire him yet in the end Harry is his own worst enemy. Show Less
LibraryThing member AramisSciant
Another excellent Harry Hole thriller. I love the most how past decisions affect everybody, especially Harry. I want to read the ending in a hopeful way and believe that Harry will learn from his experience and get even better. Already looking forward to the next book.
LibraryThing member polarbear123
Nesbo just gets better ad better. Yes the Snowman was great but I think this is one step further on to perfection. What Nesbo manages to do is to make an immensely readable crime story that isn't preditable but in actual fact very complicated, multi-layered and with characters full of depth.
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Compare this to your average I don't know PD James and you will see the difference. On all of these books it says 'the next Stieg Larsson'. This is unfair as Nesbo is leagues ahead of Larsson. Just why oh why aren't the first two Harry Hole books available in English translation? Whose idea was that? Show Less
LibraryThing member christinelstanley
This follow-up to The Snowman is another compelling, although truely brutal, crime thriller. It's full of twists and turns, betrayals and red herrings. A little over long and far-fetched for my liking, but definitely worth a read.
LibraryThing member smik
I've spent a bit of time worrying about how I can review THE LEOPARD without spoilers, because, although you could read it as your first taste of Nesbo, it is really not a stand-alone. However, if you've got it's fat pages in your hands then don't let me prevent you from reading it. But it will
At the end of THE SNOWMAN, as the blurb says, Harry Hole, deeply traumatised, resigned from the Crime Squad, and took off for Hong Kong where he attempted to lose himself. The only detective in Norway who has any experience in dealing with serial killers is Harry Hole, and that is why Politioverbetjent Gunnar Hagen wants him back. He sends an officer to Hong Kong to find Harry and bring him back. But it is the news that his father is dying that puts Harry on that plane.
But solving this case is more urgent than just stopping a serial killer. A long standing battle has re-surfaced, not just good versus evil. The Minister of Justice is wondering yet again why he is paying for two criminal investigation units.
It’s all about cuts and rationalisation in the force. About jurisdiction. The old fight, Crime Squad versus Kripos. Whether there are enough resources for two specialist branches with parallel expertise in a small country. The discussion flared up when Kripos got a new second in command, one Mikael Bellman.
It's a battle that Gunnar Hagen wants to win, and finding and stopping a serial killer will do it.
THE LEOPARD is seriously noir, not for the faint-hearted. There are descriptions of torture that will take your breath away. Things that Harry does to himself that will nearly make your heart stop. But you'll keep reading because you'll want to know how it all turns out.
I thought I got a better vision of Harry Hole, saw him in a clearer light in THE LEOPARD. He felt a bit more human too.
..... the man who was a living legend not just at Oslo Police HQ but in every police station across Norway, for good or ill. .......He liked Harry Hole, had liked him from the first moment he had clapped eyes on the tall, athletic, but obviously alcoholic Norwegian stepping into Happy Valley to put his last money on the wrong horse. There was something about the aggressive expression, the arrogant bearing, the alert body language that reminded him of himself ..
A driven man. A junkie. A man who does what he must to have what he wants, who walks over dead bodies if need be.
He couldn’t care less about personal prestige, he only wants to catch the bad boys. All the bad boys.
The other thing that seems to emerge more for me in THE LEOPARD was Jo Nesbo, through his characters, considering criminological and philiosophical issues.
What is it, where is it, whatever it is that makes a murderer? Is it innate, is it in a gene, inherited potential that some have and others do not? Or is it shaped by need, developed in a confrontation with the world, a survival strategy, a life-saving sickness, rational insanity? For just as sickness is a fevered bombardment of the body, insanity is a vital retreat to a place where one can entrench oneself anew. For my part, I believe that the ability to kill is fundamental to any healthy person.
and again
That was what life was: a process of destruction, a disintegration from what at the outset was perfect. The only suspense involved was whether we would be destroyed in one sudden act or slowly.
Perhaps it has always been there in previous novels, but I've just missed seeing it.
A great read, if just a bit long. By the end, I really did want it to finish.
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make you want to read earlier novels particularly THE SNOWMAN and REDBREAST.At the end of THE SNOWMAN, as the blurb says, Harry Hole, deeply traumatised, resigned from the Crime Squad, and took off for Hong Kong where he attempted to lose himself. The only detective in Norway who has any experience in dealing with serial killers is Harry Hole, and that is why Politioverbetjent Gunnar Hagen wants him back. He sends an officer to Hong Kong to find Harry and bring him back. But it is the news that his father is dying that puts Harry on that plane.
But solving this case is more urgent than just stopping a serial killer. A long standing battle has re-surfaced, not just good versus evil. The Minister of Justice is wondering yet again why he is paying for two criminal investigation units.
It’s all about cuts and rationalisation in the force. About jurisdiction. The old fight, Crime Squad versus Kripos. Whether there are enough resources for two specialist branches with parallel expertise in a small country. The discussion flared up when Kripos got a new second in command, one Mikael Bellman.
It's a battle that Gunnar Hagen wants to win, and finding and stopping a serial killer will do it.
THE LEOPARD is seriously noir, not for the faint-hearted. There are descriptions of torture that will take your breath away. Things that Harry does to himself that will nearly make your heart stop. But you'll keep reading because you'll want to know how it all turns out.
I thought I got a better vision of Harry Hole, saw him in a clearer light in THE LEOPARD. He felt a bit more human too.
..... the man who was a living legend not just at Oslo Police HQ but in every police station across Norway, for good or ill. .......He liked Harry Hole, had liked him from the first moment he had clapped eyes on the tall, athletic, but obviously alcoholic Norwegian stepping into Happy Valley to put his last money on the wrong horse. There was something about the aggressive expression, the arrogant bearing, the alert body language that reminded him of himself ..
A driven man. A junkie. A man who does what he must to have what he wants, who walks over dead bodies if need be.
He couldn’t care less about personal prestige, he only wants to catch the bad boys. All the bad boys.
The other thing that seems to emerge more for me in THE LEOPARD was Jo Nesbo, through his characters, considering criminological and philiosophical issues.
What is it, where is it, whatever it is that makes a murderer? Is it innate, is it in a gene, inherited potential that some have and others do not? Or is it shaped by need, developed in a confrontation with the world, a survival strategy, a life-saving sickness, rational insanity? For just as sickness is a fevered bombardment of the body, insanity is a vital retreat to a place where one can entrench oneself anew. For my part, I believe that the ability to kill is fundamental to any healthy person.
and again
That was what life was: a process of destruction, a disintegration from what at the outset was perfect. The only suspense involved was whether we would be destroyed in one sudden act or slowly.
Perhaps it has always been there in previous novels, but I've just missed seeing it.
A great read, if just a bit long. By the end, I really did want it to finish.
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LibraryThing member adpaton
Why are so many Scandinavian writers compelled to base their heroes on Hamlet, that flawed and depressingly complex prince? Mankell’s Wallander is hardly a barrel of laughs, and don’t get me started on Larsson’s Blomqvist and Salander. Despite a promising start in earlier books, Jo Nesbo’s
In a story reaching from the Congo to Norway, and from East Germany to Hong Kong, Harry reluctantly becomes embroiled in investigating a serial killer who murders at least seven seemingly unrelated victims in a variety of sadistic ways.
What connects the victims? Who is the missing link and why is he being protected? What happened in the isolated mountains fastness and how can Harry’s past nemesis assist him? Long and overly complicated, turgid prose and emotional indulgence obscure what is an excellent plot.
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Harry Hole [pronounced WHO-leh] has proved true to type and spreads doom and gloom through this book. In a story reaching from the Congo to Norway, and from East Germany to Hong Kong, Harry reluctantly becomes embroiled in investigating a serial killer who murders at least seven seemingly unrelated victims in a variety of sadistic ways.
What connects the victims? Who is the missing link and why is he being protected? What happened in the isolated mountains fastness and how can Harry’s past nemesis assist him? Long and overly complicated, turgid prose and emotional indulgence obscure what is an excellent plot.
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LibraryThing member pierthinker
This is my first book by Nesbo and I have to say he does write an excellent murder-thriller. Several times I was convinced I knew the killer's identity only for Nesbo to reveal his misdirection and point me somewhere else. This is an above average book of its type and a clear leader in the
The portrayal of Norway as a hotbed of political calculations is new to me and adds some spice to the mix. The Norwegian settings are natural but entirely novel to someone not familiar with that society. As with other Scandinavian authors Nesbo reveals a very dark underbelly to the liberal paradise.
This is a very dark story with every character depressed, distraught, depraved, a failure, an alcoholic or in some other way on the bottom rungs of social achievement. It is an interesting PhD project for someone to analyse why the only people I an aware of as smokers these days are characters in books and films...
I absolutely recommend this as a top notch thriller, just don't expect to fal for, or even like, any of the characters.
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Scandinavian sub-genre of serial killer stories.The portrayal of Norway as a hotbed of political calculations is new to me and adds some spice to the mix. The Norwegian settings are natural but entirely novel to someone not familiar with that society. As with other Scandinavian authors Nesbo reveals a very dark underbelly to the liberal paradise.
This is a very dark story with every character depressed, distraught, depraved, a failure, an alcoholic or in some other way on the bottom rungs of social achievement. It is an interesting PhD project for someone to analyse why the only people I an aware of as smokers these days are characters in books and films...
I absolutely recommend this as a top notch thriller, just don't expect to fal for, or even like, any of the characters.
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LibraryThing member PAPatrick
If your only toe into the waters of Scandanavian mystery writing is Stieg Larsson, take a look at the Jo Nesbo collection. Harry Hole, Nesbo's detective, was once a well-respected cop but his erratic love life, his alcoholism, the corruption around him (a superior was the undiscovered villain in
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two successive novels) and the frequency with which he or one of his colleagues is in a near death/death situation make these novels at least as interesting as what Larsson's 'girl' is up to. Show Less
LibraryThing member jet1
Certainly a bit different and well worth readying, although I did get lost sometimes. This was the first of Jo Nesbo's books I've read and I'm certainly consider reading some of the earlier ones.
LibraryThing member enetikovt
Excellent murder mystery thriller, long and gripping with lots of plot surprises. Well done. Trans. from Norwiegan
LibraryThing member norinrad10
Let me start by saying that Jo Nesbo is every bit as good as Stieg Larrsson. I would actually argue that he's better because every book in this series is an improvement over the last. Nesbo has created a truly memorable character in Harry Hole. In the beginning of this one, Hole has escaped to Hong
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Kong to lick his wounds and create new ones. Brought back to Oslo to deal with an ailing father he also get wrapped up in a series murders that appear to be the work of a serial killer. This one will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat while exposing you to the culture of Norway. Show Less
LibraryThing member karieh
Since I started reading magazine reviews about Jo Nesbo’s books…starting with “The Snowman”…I have been hooked. True – I know a part of it is my Stieg Larsson withdrawal…but the character of Harry Hole is absolutely fascinating to me.
Nesbo’s books are a great example of a
“…Harry could see her slim neck, see the white down on her skin, and he mused about how vulnerable she was, how quickly things changed, how much could be destroyed in a matter of seconds. That was what life was: a process of destruction, disintegration from what at the outset was perfect. The only suspense involved was whether we would be destroyed in one sudden act or slowly.”
And, “Soon the spectators would be pouring in: those with hope, those without, the lucky and the unlucky. Those who went to have their dreams fulfilled and those who went purely to dream. The losers who took uncalculated risks and those who took calculated risks, but lost anyway. They had been here before, and they all came back, even the ghosts from the cemeteries down there, the several hundred who dies in the great fire at Happy Valley Racecourse in 1918. For tonight it was definitely their turn to beat the odds, to conquer chance, to stuff their pockets full of crisp Hong King dollars, to get away with murder. A couple of hours from now they would have entered the gates, read the racing program, filled the coupons with the day’s doubles, quinelas, exactas, triples, superfectas – whatever their gambling god was called. They would have lined up by the bookies, holding their stakes at the ready. Most of them would have died a little every time the tape was crossed, but redemption was only fifteen minutes away, when the starting gates opened for the next race.”
The description in the novel is such that one feels very much a part of every scene…without being beaten over the head with details. (Although sometimes…I did find myself sliding over the details of the crime scenes. Not much is left to the imagination there. But that’s just me.)
“The low afternoon sun flashed on the jagged glass of smashed windows high on the brick walls. It was a desolate place, typical of disused factories, where everything you see has been constructed for hectic, efficient activity, yet there is no one around. Where the echo of iron on iron, of workers shouting, cursing and laughing over the drone of the machines still reverberates silently between the walls…”
I am perfectly fine with, and if fact enjoy, anti-heroes such as Hole…but at this point in the series…I am REALLY hoping something positive happens in his life. In each successive book, the image I have of him becomes more scarred, more run down, and more and more internally fragile. (Externally, the man just doesn’t stop.)
I enjoy the mysteries and am constantly surprised by the events that take place, but at heart, I’m in it for the character. Every time I put a Harry Hole book down? I’m hoping the next one will be it. In the next one, Harry will find what he is looking for and he can lay some of his fight down.
I guess I’ll just have to wait for the next book. And I will. Eagerly.
Nesbo’s books are a great example of a
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traditional thriller…with a much greater depth of character and story. It’s not very often that I read a thriller/crime novel and find myself rereading a paragraph because it grabs my imagination.“…Harry could see her slim neck, see the white down on her skin, and he mused about how vulnerable she was, how quickly things changed, how much could be destroyed in a matter of seconds. That was what life was: a process of destruction, disintegration from what at the outset was perfect. The only suspense involved was whether we would be destroyed in one sudden act or slowly.”
And, “Soon the spectators would be pouring in: those with hope, those without, the lucky and the unlucky. Those who went to have their dreams fulfilled and those who went purely to dream. The losers who took uncalculated risks and those who took calculated risks, but lost anyway. They had been here before, and they all came back, even the ghosts from the cemeteries down there, the several hundred who dies in the great fire at Happy Valley Racecourse in 1918. For tonight it was definitely their turn to beat the odds, to conquer chance, to stuff their pockets full of crisp Hong King dollars, to get away with murder. A couple of hours from now they would have entered the gates, read the racing program, filled the coupons with the day’s doubles, quinelas, exactas, triples, superfectas – whatever their gambling god was called. They would have lined up by the bookies, holding their stakes at the ready. Most of them would have died a little every time the tape was crossed, but redemption was only fifteen minutes away, when the starting gates opened for the next race.”
The description in the novel is such that one feels very much a part of every scene…without being beaten over the head with details. (Although sometimes…I did find myself sliding over the details of the crime scenes. Not much is left to the imagination there. But that’s just me.)
“The low afternoon sun flashed on the jagged glass of smashed windows high on the brick walls. It was a desolate place, typical of disused factories, where everything you see has been constructed for hectic, efficient activity, yet there is no one around. Where the echo of iron on iron, of workers shouting, cursing and laughing over the drone of the machines still reverberates silently between the walls…”
I am perfectly fine with, and if fact enjoy, anti-heroes such as Hole…but at this point in the series…I am REALLY hoping something positive happens in his life. In each successive book, the image I have of him becomes more scarred, more run down, and more and more internally fragile. (Externally, the man just doesn’t stop.)
I enjoy the mysteries and am constantly surprised by the events that take place, but at heart, I’m in it for the character. Every time I put a Harry Hole book down? I’m hoping the next one will be it. In the next one, Harry will find what he is looking for and he can lay some of his fight down.
I guess I’ll just have to wait for the next book. And I will. Eagerly.
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LibraryThing member jerhogan
I like the Harry Hole series and this doesn't disappoint. The violence is brutal but it makes a great page turner all the way through quite a long book.
LibraryThing member MsGumby
This is one of those books where you have to put your life aside because you can't stop reading. Full of plot turns and twists and Scandinavian atmosphere, including lots of coffee drinking!
LibraryThing member kakadoo202
mh, i read an earlier one from the same author and i liked that one better. this one was too confusing and the end was so contructed that you think it is the end but then it keeps going and going just to fill pages. also the first book i read was in german and it was a smooth read. the leopard lost
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a lot in a clumsy translation. it is a ok book but could have been much better executed. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookczuk
Look up at the star rating I gave this book. It's pretty high. But despite the high rating, I just didn't like this particular iteration of Harry. The characters continued to evolve, their depiction brilliant. The writing was fantastic. The twists and turns enough to make anyone lose their
This was a marvelous book. It just hurt me to read it. I think I need a break from wounded male detectives of the Scandinavian sort.
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direction. But I still didn't like it. The fault is within my own psyche, I think. The damaged souls that kill others prey on my mind. I'm a healer, and I ache for all the illness, physical and mental, that esbø weaves into his stories. I care about his characters, perhaps too much. And he is perhaps too good a writer for me at times. This was a marvelous book. It just hurt me to read it. I think I need a break from wounded male detectives of the Scandinavian sort.
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LibraryThing member tvordj
There's a serial killer on the loose and the disgraced detective is Harry Hole, an addict, who has successfully found at least one serial killer in the past, The Snowman. (I didn't read that one first, I'll have to go back and read it now as it was referred to a lot through this book). Harry is a
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total screw up but he's very good at what he does. He doesn't always go down the right roads and pick up the right clues. I'm usually not that good at figuring out the killer. In this case, there are definitely a few twists and red herrings. Nesbo is a good writer, and i did enjoy this book. Good characters, good descriptions and action. Show Less
LibraryThing member bohemiangirl35
Although I liked the book, I had a difficult time with the accent. I think I was better prepared to listen because I had listened to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series. The names confused me.
Harry Hole is a disgraced Norwegian detective who is now living in Hong Kong and addicted to opium and
This is part of a series and it follows Harry as he hunts for the killer, navigates painful memories of his dissolved marriage, including his estrangement from his young son, works through his relationship with his father, deals with his bad reputation as he tries to work with other detectives and the Krippo.
There are some twists and turns in the book. I saw some of them coming and was caught off guard by a few. I got a little tired, by the end, of Harry being the only one who could solve the case. I would have liked it better if other people were smart, too. And his love interest got on my nerves a little. Their relationship reminded me of Law and Order: Criminal Intent. The guy is always figuring everything out, even though the woman has been working cases with him for years. She can find the clues but then stares at him, waiting for him to tell her what it means.
I liked it enough that I will probably check out another one. Maybe by then my ears will be more attuned to the language and I won't have to concentrate so hard to understand.
Harry Hole is a disgraced Norwegian detective who is now living in Hong Kong and addicted to opium and
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alcohol. His former boss sends another detective to find him and bring him back to Norway to help them catch a serial killer. Harry doesn't want to, but goes home when he finds out that his father is dying.This is part of a series and it follows Harry as he hunts for the killer, navigates painful memories of his dissolved marriage, including his estrangement from his young son, works through his relationship with his father, deals with his bad reputation as he tries to work with other detectives and the Krippo.
There are some twists and turns in the book. I saw some of them coming and was caught off guard by a few. I got a little tired, by the end, of Harry being the only one who could solve the case. I would have liked it better if other people were smart, too. And his love interest got on my nerves a little. Their relationship reminded me of Law and Order: Criminal Intent. The guy is always figuring everything out, even though the woman has been working cases with him for years. She can find the clues but then stares at him, waiting for him to tell her what it means.
I liked it enough that I will probably check out another one. Maybe by then my ears will be more attuned to the language and I won't have to concentrate so hard to understand.
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LibraryThing member WeeziesBooks
I really did not like this book. It has too much drugs, alcohol and violence for me. Others might really enjoy this bad bay hero but it wasn't my cup of tea. It seemed everyone was bad from the police to the supporting characters, all of their flaws were a bit too cruel or twisted so I can't give a
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fair impression of the story. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kingray
Brutal, but very well written
LibraryThing member neddludd
Some have enthroned him as the best in Scandinavia in terms of thrillers or mysteries. I found his plotting to be confusing, and the language in the book opaque: characters converse as if readers don't exist--and they know what they are talking about. He seems to excel in describing torture, and
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human cruelty. Maybe Harry Hole has OCD and that's what keeps his eyes on the prize. To get there, he and the many people who die pay a fearsome price. Some passages crackle with suspense and dread. Too many others are quasi-philosophical passages that are perplexing and impenetrable. There's no denying Newbo's power to convey the vilest human qualities. And Harry seems to be a good detective. But the book is exhausting and exasperating. Even the Epilogue is not told in a straightforward manner, but almost as in an Altman film with overlapping voices coming from the multiple characters speaking. And the cynicism is corrosive. Show Less
LibraryThing member Elleneer
Brilliant! But the brutality is spiritually exhausting to read. What could the effect be on the writer himself?
Awards
British Book Award (Shortlist — 2011)
Pages
497
ISBN
0307595870 / 9780307595874