This crime mystery by Norwegian author Jo Nesbo has mass international appeal. The story is taut, fast-moving, complex, and captivating. It is as good a crime novel as you will find anywhere. If I have any critism, it is that the book contained too many characters but otherwise it is an outstanding mystery. Looking forward to reading the next installment of Inspector Harry Hole.

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When I start reading a book by a new author, I usually find it hard at first to hear their voice. I had to work at it for about 3 chapters in this book but once I did I was glad. I really liked this book. I loved the history, the new fresh voice this author has, and I liked the character of Harry Hole. He is reminiscent of my other favorite detectives Harry Bosch and John Rebus.

If you like Ian Rankin and Michael Connelly I strongly recommend Jo Nesbo.

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This is the third book in the Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbo. I have read and enjoyed a few of the other books in the series and as usual, I seem to be reading these out of order. This one follows the first two books where Harry was assigned to Australia (THE BAT) and then Bangkok (COCKROACHES). In Redbreast, he is back on his home turf in Oslo, Norway. The book starts out with Harry being assigned as part of the security detail for the visit of the U.S. President. Harry ends up taking action against someone located in a toll booth who turns out to be a Secret Service officer. This embarrasses the police force and Harry is reassigned to routine surveillance of Neo-Nazi activity. But he soon gets drawn into a mystery going back to WWII when he tries to track down who purchased a high-powered sniper rifle on the black market. A neo-Nazi group in Oslo may have been instrumental in the purchase and Harry's pursuit of the clues result in a trail of dead bodies including someone very close to him in the department.

The plot of this novel is somewhat complex with the narrative alternating between present day Oslo and events that happened during WWII when many Norwegians fought for Germany against the Russians on the Eastern front. When the war was over, these soldiers were considered traitors and served prison sentences or were executed. These events are at the heart of this novel with a former WWII soldier on a mission to avenge what happened in the past.

This was a very engaging thriller that also provided some history of WWII as it related to the Norwegians that I was unaware of. It also included some very well-developed characters including Harry and his colleagues both good and bad. (One character is a very bad cop on the take who shows up in some of the subsequent novels I have read.) The plot kept me guessing and included a very unexpected ending. Overall I would give this a high recommendation and I look forward to reading more in this series.

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Intricate well written novel. Brings WW II period into contact with year 2000 in a fascinating way. I would heartily recommend this author.

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Harry is a joy to read, maybe not to know personally but he is very good at his job and that really drives his superiors nuts.
Intense and full out is how he takes on any case.
Clues are there but only he puts them in order.

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