The Thirst by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I waited more than 3 months to borrow this ebook from my local library. There is only one reason I wait so long for a book with so much violence, and that reason is I like the craftsmanship of the author.
I really like these books but I have difficulty recommending them to others who would only stop reading due to the violent content.


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Police: A Harry Hole Novel by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I eagerly anticipated the release of the English translation of Police because I read the other Harry Hole books.

I kept reading because Nesbo is a skilled craftsman who holds his reader in suspense. Sometimes the suspense caused too much anxiety for this reader and the violent tortures were too graphic for this to be an enjoyable and entertaining read, and that is why I dropped my rating to three stars.

I recommend it to fans of the series who want to know what happened next. I don't recommend new readers start with this one.

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Phantom by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the last book in my project to read all the translated Harry Hole mysteries, and the author did not disappoint me. I read slowly at first to savor the craftsmanship of this novel and ended up with a 4 A.M. reading session because I urgently had to know if the author was taking this book to where I suspected he was going.
One savory part of the author’s craft I enjoy is the social commentary he includes, even in the thoughts of supporting characters. Here are two examples that I think extend beyond Norwegian culture to American culture.

What a country of lazy shits, with fucking hypocritical politicians claiming that people actually wanted to work if they could. Norwegians voted for the Socialist Party because it made it a human right to shirk their jobs, and who the hell wouldn't vote for a party that gave you three days off without a doctor's note, gave you carte blanche to sit at home and jerk off or go skiing or recover from a hangover? The Socialist Party knew, of course, what a perk this was, but still tried to appear responsible, preened themselves with their "trust in most people" and declared the right to malinger as some kind of social reform. The Progress Party was even more fucking infuriating, buying itself votes with tax cuts and hardly bothering to conceal the fact.

Everyone knew that fat had become the new cancer, yet they bellyached about the dieting hysteria and applauded the "real" women's body. As though doing no exercise and being overfed was some kind of sensible mold.

I recommend new readers start with The Redbreast and read the entire series.


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The Leopard: A Harry Hole Novel by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I do not recommend this book as a place for a new-to-the-series reader to start as the details are more violent and gross than in past books. It is only for fans of the series.

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The Snowman: A Harry Hole Novel by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A 2013 project for me is to read all of Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole mysteries. I'm 2/3 done with this project, and I am not yet bored with Nesbo's mystery content or writing style. I'm still rooting for Harry to be happy. Yet, the topic that losers make a more interesting story was discussed between Harry and his former girlfriend's new boyfriend.

I like the layers of symbols that Nesbo adds to the mystery so that there is more of a literary quality to this detective novel: the childhood icon of snowmen become sinister and menacing; taking your children for medical checkups puts a target on your back; and the difference between Oslo and Bergen.

I recommend this book to mystery readers, and I suggest they start the series with The Redbreast.

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The Devil's Star: A Novel by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A reading project for 2013 is to read all of the Harry Hole mysteries. I started with The Redbreast and Nemesis, and I just finished The Devil's Star in a rush because surprises kept coming!
Nesbo may use a mystery or police procedural plot line as a starting point; but he adds riffs above and below to make statements about the characters, the setting of Oslo, the press coverage of crimes, how we feel about the people with whom we must work, and about how we feel about the people who must save themselves.
This recommendation is more of an invitation for readers to join me.

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Nemesis by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked the character of Harry Hole from The Redbreast, and I decided to read other books in this series.
I like the many layers of meaning that Nesbo works into his crime novels so this becomes a literary novel which can explore themes of revenge, power, expectations of others,and a quest for the truth. There are so many twists and revelations that I was feeling the frustation of Hole's superiors; was there ever going to be an end to these cases?
A favorite quote from this book is, "Should a person be punished for showing no consideration towards an idiot behaving like an idiot?"
I recommend this book and this series.

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