Police

This is the 10th outing for Nesbo’s brilliant yet somewhat troubled maverick detective Harry Hole. The plot is interesting, police officers are being murdered at the site of crimes they failed to solve in the distant past and Oslo’s finest are frankly clueless as to how to approach the case, never mind solve it. Harry, banished to the academic world of lecturing, has his own troubles in the form of a fanatical student Silje Gravseng stalking our hero, and fighting his own demons in the form of alcohol. I enjoy the writing style of Jo Nesbo, a true exponent of scandi noir, but the problem I have with this book is our hero does not actually enter the story until 200 pages in. Up to this point a twisted brutal killer is leading the show more local Oslo police on a merry dance! But very soon the good citizens of Oslo can once again rest easy as within a very short time Harry is putting the pieces of the jigsaw together and they know with confidence that the perpetrator of these evil acts will soon be held accountable. The troubled relationship between Harry and Rakel reaches an unexpected but pleasing conclusion. I love Jo Nesbo’s writing and even if our antihero is not present for the first 3rd of the novel “Police” is still an excellent read and a great addition to the series. show less

I am so mad at Jo Nesbø right now. He left us in such limbo after the last book, but I forgave him, because I knew Harry wouldn't die just yet. I didn't even mind the suspense and veiled leads in the beginning of this book, because once again, it was superb writing, character crafting, and plot unveiling. These characters are real, and each of them, with their peculiar quirks, strengths, and flaws, are people, rather than fiction, to me. And because of that, I am so mad at Jo Nesbø from about a little more than midway into this book. I can't say more, for fear of spoilers. Gah. I won't forgive Mr Nesbø until the next book comes out. And then, I'll probably get mad at him for something else. He's becoming a little like the GRRM of show more Nordic Noir.

Interestingly enough, this was the first book I read on the new e-reader husband gave me for Father's Day. It's not as weird as it sounds, as I gave him his father's day gift early-- on Mother's Day, to be exact. We do things a little differently in the Czuk household. show less

This one was not so great. After the journey of Snowman and Leopard, Police was a letdown. It harks back to Nesbo's earlier works such as The Devil's Star.
On the other hand, Beate Lonn's death left me stupefied. For a minute, I thought I'd read it incorrectly. Never before in any of his books has a character's death left me feeling so bereft. True, I liked Ellen and Halvorsen, but Lonn. She seemed too central to Harry's world. And oh, how I love Harry. (Be it Potter or Hole!)

Rarely give out 5 stars but this is a no brainer

Every time I read one of Nesbo's books, I am struck again by just how good he is. The previous book ended with Harry being shot by Oleg, the young man he helped raise & son of the woman he loves. This one opens with a comatose patient lying in a hospital bed under police protection. If he could speak, he'd have a few things to say about a couple members of the force, one currently under suspension, the other the new chief.
It's been months since the shooting & Harry's old crew have moved on without him. Someone is killing police officers involved in old cases that were never solved.
That's all I'll say about the plot for 2 reasons. First, it's so complex as to be almost impossible to show more summarize when you could be reading the book instead of this review. Second, I don't want to spoil any surprises. Part of the joy in reading these books is trying to guess what happens next. Suffice to say, just as you think you know what's going on, think again.
Nesbo is a master of misdirection. There are always multiple characters that are candidates for the "bad guy", each with a credible motive. As the story progresses, you keep changing your mind as to the identity of the killer. There are many reoccurring characters & story lines from previous books are continued. There are shifting alliances, many hidden agendas & not all of the old crew will survive the fallout from this case. Unlike many authors, Nesbo doesn't shy away from bumping off a beloved character.
Tension slowly builds as we wait to see who will be the next target & you'll consider homicide yourself if anyone tries to come between you & this book. Once you're in its' grip, it's compulsive reading because you have to know how it all shakes out. Intricate plotting, sharp dialogue, compelling characters...what's not to like? You become completely invested in these people & want to see them get what they deserve, for better or worse.
I wanted to add a note about the translation. Sometimes when a novel is converted to English, it has a slightly awkward flow that reminds you it was originally in another language. Not so here. Don Bartlett has done a fantastic job, maintaining the voice of each character & the wry, dark gallows humour.
This is thriller writing at its' best with an intense pace & jaw dropping twists. If you haven't read this series before, don't start here. Get the first one. Each subsequent book is all the richer as you get to know the histories of each character & their relationships. What a pleasure! show less

I finally caught up with this fabulous Harry Hole series. It was really questionable whether Harry made it or not at the end of the last book in the series, “Phantom”, and I’ve been putting off reading “Police” since I really couldn’t bear to know! I know that sounds silly but this is the 10th Harry Hole novel and I’ve invested a lot of time in these characters and have grown to care about them. I finally decided that I really had to know what happened and now I know. I promise not to give anything away.

Jo Nesbo has such a knack for racketing up the suspense level until you’re actually sitting on the edge of your chair. I read his books with one hand over my mouth, saying no, no, no, not that but can’t stop reading. show more Another serial killer is loose, but this time out, the killer is targeting police officers with a reenactment of unsolved crimes. As many of these books as I’ve read, I should know by now all of Nesbo’s tricks and the spinning curveballs that he throws. But he still pulls me in, plays his sleight of hand magic and off I go on another roller coaster ride of emotions.

If you’re new to this series, I would recommend that you start off with the first Harry Hole novel, “The Bat”. That way, you’ll be able to get to know these characters right from the start and understand the impact that “Police” has on its readers. I’m sure this book is still a great thriller even without the emotional investment. But for those who have grown to love Harry, Rakel, Oleg, Katrine, Beate, Stale, etc., this book really packs a punch. Nesbo deeply delves into these characters’ souls, I think even more so in this book than previous ones. While Nesbo can be very violent in his books, his expert character development makes this series much more than simply a novel of violence for violence sake. show less

This Norwegian tale has more twists and turns than Henry had fjords. (Sorry I couldn't resist.) The continuing saga of Harry Hole, former Norwegian police detective. That's right, Harry has quit the force and taken a job lecturing on police procedures at the local academy. He is trying to get his life straightened out. It has been a hard road for Harry. He is an alcoholic. He has a taste for drugs. His girl friend's son, Oleg, while on drugs, shot and nearly killed Harry. He has promised Rakel, his girl friend, that he will not go back to the police force. There are police officers turning up murdered. They are being drawn to the scenes of former crimes which they have failed to help solve. Harry's former colleagues have some theories, show more but no concrete evidence. They are running out of time before another murder occurs. Their solid police work just isn't getting the job done. Harry had his own unique way of investigating murders. Ways not always condoned by the police manual. Harry is in a bind. He can come back to the police and risk losing his girl friend and her son or stand by while police are systematically being murdered. Jo Nesbo isn't afraid to take his characters into the darkness. Sometimes they work their way out, sometimes they are drawn deeper and deeper into the abyss. show less

This is a very difficult book to review without spoilers, but I will endeavor to do so. First of all, it must be mentioned that this book is a follow-up to Phantom and readers would be strongly advised to read it first as Police continues the plot without detailed explanation.

Police officers are being gruesomely murdered at the scenes of unsolved murder cases which they helped investigate. After the shocking ending of Phantom, readers are not surprised that Harry Hole is unable to assist in solving the deaths of former colleagues (though a complete explanation of what happened to Harry is not given for the first third of the novel). A team which had worked with Harry in the past leads the investigation into the police murders, drawing show more on everything they learned from his tactics.

Harry’s absence from the police force allows Nesbo to focus on the other investigators. Although they have appeared in previous Harry Hole mysteries, the ensemble players are more fully developed in this one. The ones that stand out are Beate Lønn, the head of forensics “who had a reputation as a kind of Rain Woman because of her ability to recognize faces” (16); Katrine Bratt, whose specialty is “tracking down people who had apparently vanished from the surface of the earth. Seeing patterns where others only see chance” (73); and Stȧle Aune, the mild-mannered psychologist who misses his former job as a police consultant “profiling sick souls who killed people with such gruesome acts of brutality that he was deprived of sleep at night” (22). Each of these secondary characters emerges as a round character; in fact, even the more minor characters and villains do not remain flat.

To say that the plot is dense would be an understatement. A concise plot summary is impossible not only because of the introduction of spoilers but also because of the complexity of the plot. The book never fails to surprise with its many twists and turns. Time and time again the reader becomes convinced that one thing is happening only to discover his/her assumptions were incorrect. Some reviewers complain about feeling manipulated but I think Nesbo is a master of misdirection who uses the mystery reader’s tendency to be like Silje Gravseng, a student at the police college who thinks she could tell Harry Hole how to solve a case. In the end, when the case is resolved, the reader should not feel cheated: all the clues are there.

Suspense is definitely a strong element in the book. Several suspects have credible motives, so some of the suspense derives from trying to determine the real culprit(s). More than one investigator finds him/herself in a dangerous situation so the tension diminishes for only brief pauses. One scene involving one of the team suspecting that a family member has been killed is brilliant in the way it ratchets up the suspense, especially since the author does not hesitate to have even major characters killed.

The one flaw is the use of coincidence. Most are acceptable, within the realm of plausibility, but the one that made me uncomfortable is the explanation of what happened to Harry at the end of Phantom (180).

Aune describes Harry Hole as “a starved, exhausted, monomaniacal hunter” and “the tall, grumpy alcoholic with the big heart” (23), but agrees that the former investigator “had been impossible not to love” (501). That’s the way it is with this book; it is not perfect, but it is a compelling read. show less