The Redbreast (2000)

Costatazione di base: il giallo è norvegese, quindi i molti personaggi hanno tutta una serie di nomi impronunciabili e spesso simili e assonanti, si può quindi cadere in confusione.
Il thriller parte lentamente ma poi da metà ingrana: la parte iniziale si divide tra il presente di Harry Hole (poliziotto alcolizzato) e il passato dell'avanzata verso la russia di tedeschi e norvegesi, loro alleati.
Quanto accade negli anni della guerra è la leva che innesca gli eventi successivi, come sia lettore che Hole capiranno.
Nel complesso risulta gradevole, anche se certamente molto drammatico in alcune parti, anche se, come accennato prima, non invoglia da subito alla lettura. ( )

While Harry Hole (seriously, best use of naming privileges ever. Ever!) is still an appealing character to me...my mood is a bit off and I didn't enjoy this one as much as I have enjoyed other books in Nesbo's series. 3.5-stars, if the half star was possible. I did enjoy reading about the beginning of Rakel and Harry's relationship, though! It was a creative tale - don't get me wrong. And Nesbo does get the adrenaline going. But something was a bit off. I blame myself. Not Nesbo. I heart Nesbo. :)

Wow. My new favorite author. ( )

I enjoyed this book immensely. It was a little confusing since I didn't know the main character (this was my first Harry Hole book), but the plot was interesting and engaging, and I eventually was hooked. I fell for Harry. He is unique character but somewhat similar to Columbo with a touch of Dirty Harry. There were moments of heart ache, like the description of what happens to his friend and colleague, Ellen. The love stories within the book were also quite touching and heartfelt. And making the present hook up with a past from WWII certainly added my level of interest. It had a bit of everything that adds up to a really good story. The only critique I had was the difficulty in keeping the characters straight since some of the names were similar, and the story jumped from present to past and back very quickly. Anyone enjoying a good detective story would find this book worth checking out. It has intrigue and action that are equal to the best, and as an added bonus also has an emotional grab. I can't wait to read more about Harry. ( )

A fun book, but a somewhat predictable one. I thought it could been written much tighter, and the constant switching between 1944 and contemporary times got a little irritating.

Still, the lead character (Harry Hole) was interesting and offered up some depth, and in truth, it was Hole's interactions with others that made this interesting, not the mystery itself. ( )