I didn't know The Bat had been tranlated into English until I saw it sitting on the library self. Having read books 2 & 3 in the Harry Hole series, I eagerly snatched it up. While not as smooth as the subsequent novels, The Bat was a very good first effort and did nothing to change my view that Nesbo is one of the finest crime fiction writers in the business today. In The Bat, the Aboriginal symbal for death, Nesbo flies Down Under as Norway's rep to help solve the murder of a young Norwegian girl working in Australia. There are plenty of plot twists though I think Nesbo made the story a little more complicated than necessary. Still a worthy effort.

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While I suppose the writing (or translation, maybe) was well crafted, I couldn't get into either Harry or the investigation. Disappointed that it was set in Australia, although some of the local background was interesting. Gave up about halfway through due to a few too many side incidents that seemed to be padding.

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Dark and intriguing. You meet Harry Hole and all his faults.
Great detective but hard to handle.
Great start to a series.

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Just finished "The Bat" the first of the Harry Hole (who is a police investigator)suspense murder mystery. There was a lot of roller coaster rides for this being the first in a series and I liked that. Lots of "landings" I didn't see coming. Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series is one I'm interested in following. You can tell this author is comfortable with his story lines which makes for a smooth read. I found it entertaining.

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