The Redeemer (2005)

The Scandinavian invasion in crime fiction caught me off guard, so much so that I am only now trying my first novel from that phenomenon. I know, I'm years late but at least I finally decided to jump in. I had heard about Jo Nesbo and his hero Harry Hole; I even know how to pronounce Hole's last name, so I wasn't totally behind times. Anyway, I noticed Nesbo's newest volume was available at Amazon Vine so I requested it.

I wonder now if all of these novels would give me the same reaction. Reading The Redeemer is like watching a black and white movie. It's colorless for the most part, the only color being the light turquoise blue of one character's eyes, and of course red blood in the snow. Hole is a complex alcoholic loner detective whose heart is in the right place. He defies authority to do what he knows is right, and he has compassion for victims. I like him even though I find him somewhat depressing. He figures things out with the help of experience and thought rather than being a super-detective who just seems to know things. The killer is exactly his opposite.

Perhaps it's because this novel is set in Oslo in the winter, with a little foray into Serbia, but the predominant impression is of freezing cold, darkness, gloom, isolated characters who are irredeemably sad, and people who suffer through no fault of their own. The Salvation Army as an organization is very much a character as well and some of the characters are members. Despite the overwhelming sadness, I followed the story greedily as I tried to deduce who did what to whom and why. I didn't actually know until near the end.

Thankfully about the time I finished the book the sun came out here and the temperature went up into the 70s. Gosh, it was nice to warm up. I should read the next one in this series during a heat wave. And I will read more of them. The writing, the atmosphere, the characters are all beautifully written.

Recommended reading
Source: Amazon Vine ( )

Another extremely well crafted book by Nesbo. It is not easy to determine the correct sequence in which to read these Harry Hole books are sequenced owning to the release dates of the Norwegian and English/US publication dates. This one appears to be the book to be read after the" Nemesis" and before "The Snowman" The Redeemer appears to be the least gentile of the series thus far, so much so that I must take a long break before I ever read another Nesbo book. It is an intense and highly but extremely well contrived mystery or who did what to who. It certainly is an engrossing yarn in all senses of the word. Has Harry now really retired? Tom Whaler was killed off in the prior saga, and now the truth is out about the gun runners and the police involvement. Perhaps the next book takes into account the closure of a life partner for Harry. As with all Nesbo books the intersection of so many characters keeps one in absolute limbo until all is eventually unraveled and no loose ends remain, I sit in awe of such powerful suspense, intrigue and great language skills. Nesbo is a pot-boiler always. ( )

I'm a bit surprised to admit it's been a couple of years since I read my last book by Jo Nesbo. The Devil's Star: A Harry Hole Novel I can't imagine why. His Norwegian Police Detective, Harry Hole, is a tour de force. Once he is on a case, he hangs on tighter than a guard dog with lockjaw. This time out he is after the killer of a young man in the Salvation Army. The victim was gunned down at a crowded concert a few days before Christmas. Although many statements are taken from witnesses in the crowd, none of them seem to agree on a description of the killer. It's as though he was a phantom who passed through the crowd without being seen. Why can't anyone give a clear description of the killer? Why was the young man murdered? Harry has to find the answers. Jo Nesbo tells a great tale. He likes to throw in a few red herrings here and there. He'll have you going down the garden path before surprising you with a powerful ending. Book provided for review by Amazon Vine and Knopf. ( )

Harry Hole is such a flawed character – a man who battles so many demons, both in and outside of his life. His voice, his character is so compelling that the reader cannot help but worry about him, root for him to finally find peace and happiness.

The series of books that author Jo Nesbo has created around this man is absolutely addicting. While they certainly work as thrillers, they also have greater depth. They allow the reader to truly see inside this man – a man who is so good at finding out the truth about the most complex of mysteries – and so bad about discerning the truths that lie deep inside his own soul.

Harry has seen so much pain in his life – has experienced even more. He’s experienced so much loss…has been surrounded by the darkest of deeds and emotions.

“…he reflected on what his mother had once said when she was in the hospital. There was only one thing emptier than having lived without love, and that was having lived without pain.”

If Harry’s mother is correct, he should have one of the fullest lives on the planet. And yet, he is still constantly searching…searching for something bigger than himself, something that will fill the void inside him that is always threatening to engulf him. That search is what makes him who is he, makes him do what he does.

“Look into the depths of your heart, Harry. You must find some forgiveness there!” “The problem is…” Harry rubbed his chin. “I’m not in the forgiveness business.” “What!” exclaimed Jon, in astonishment. “Redemption, Jon. Redemption. That’s what I go in for. Me, too.”

I realize that this review covers very little of the plot of “The Redeemer”. But for me, these books have been and always will be about Harry Hole. The cases he tackles, the lives he touches are interesting…but not nearly as interesting as he is.

As always, my breath is held as I read about him…wondering if this is the time he will finally come into the light…hoping this is not the story in which the darkness will consume him.

“…imagine you are at the heart of what you think is justice and then suddenly lose all sense of direction and become the very thing you oppose.”

Whether Harry Hole will ever redeem himself – to himself – is what keeps me reading and waiting for the next book. ( )

Jo Nesbo's books mesmerize me so much that the pages fly by and I have hardly any sense of reading. It's beyond reading--it's more accurate to say that I absorb the novel from his mind to mine. ( )