The Redbreast

First off, there would never be a main character in an American mystery novel called Harry Hole, unless it was a crime-solving porn star, but it seems to work just fine, for this Norway based police officer. Harry is a tough, complex, hard-drinking cop, who may have discovered a possible assassination attempt.
I am not going to reveal very much here, because one of the joys of reading this terrific Scandinavian thriller, was never knowing where this baby was going. It’s a very ambitious novel, spanning 60 years, focusing on several characters, past and present. This is an impressive introduction to a highly talented author and I am looking forward to seeing what Harry Hole gets into next.

Hach, Harry Hole endlich mal im Glück. Ok, das ist jetzt vielleicht etwas übertrieben, aber für Harry Holes Verhältnisse geht es ihm in diesem Band streckenweise RICHTIG gut. Im Dezernat für Gewaltverbrechen hat er eine Kollegin, die ihm zugleich eine sehr gute Freundin ist und er trifft eine Frau, in die er sich Hals über Kopf verliebt. Und sie sich in ihn. Doch natürlich ist dies alles zu schön um lange gut zu gehen.
Nachdem Hole im Dienst einen Secret-Service-Agenten angeschossen hat (ohne sein Verschulden), wird er umgehend zum Kommisionsleiter im Polizeilichen Überwachungsdienst (PÜD) befördert, um die Vorkommnisse zu vertuschen. Dort erhält er Informationen über den Schmuggel einer Waffe, die für Attentate vorgesehen show more ist. Die Spuren führen ins Nazimilieu - und dann wird Holes Kollegin ermordet.
Während Holes Geschichte zu Beginn im Rückblick der letzten vier Wochen erzählt wird, beginnt der zweite Erzählstrang mitten im II. Weltkrieg. Da anfänglich keinerlei Zusammenhänge erkennbar sind, wirkt dies zuerst recht verwirrend, doch das legt sich schnell. Zwar ist man Harry Hole wissensmäßig immer etwas voraus, doch um das Rätsel vollends zu klären, legt der Autor jede Menge mögliche Spuren, die einen immer wieder im Nebel stochern lassen. Auch Harrys Privatleben wird geschickt mit der Story verwoben und man beginnt schnell zu ahnen, dass sein Liebesleben nicht allzu einfach werden wird.
Ein fesselnder Krimi mit einer, nein, eigentlich zwei kleinen Liebesgeschichten am Rande sowie einem interessanten und spannenden Einblick in die noch nicht allzu lange vergangene Zeit der norwegischen Frontkämpfer während des II. Weltkrieges. show less

Detectives are most interesting when they are flawed and Harry Hole is certainly flawed. Flawed but likable. This is the third Hole book and based on recommendations I skipped #2 after reading #1, The Bat, and finding it just ok. This one spans 6 decades, and is a mix of historical fiction, crime, with a little romance thrown in. The plot is so complex that it can be confusing at first, with a lot of characters and twists and turns, but it comes together beautifully and is quite the page turner. At over 500 pages, I give it a 3.5 for being too long-winded, but liked it well enough to continue with series.

**I listened to both Harry Hole books. In The Bat we’re told Harry’s last name is pronounced “Hoo-lay” (apparently a common show more Norwegian name) but the narrator in this one pronounced it phonetically as “Hole”, which I found distracting (as well as unfortunate). show less

This story couldn’t be more timely, given the tragic events in Norway on July 22nd of 2011, and the recrudescence generally of white supremacism.

Although I have become a huge fan of Jo Nesbo, I had never read The Redbreast, which is the first of the Inspector Harry Hole novels to be translated. I was so surprised (given last week's horrible news) to find that the subject matter involved deadly repercussions of the white supremacist movement in Norway.

Harry Hole, now 35, is a sensitive, damaged, good-hearted but relatively thin-skinned inspector with the Oslo Crime Unit. After a political contretemps in which he shoots a secret service agent because of a communications snafu, Harry is temporarily transferred to the Security Service. In show more that capacity, he gets involved in a series of murders involving Norway’s neo-Nazis that has roots in Norway’s Quisling past during World War II.

[Note: Vidkun Quisling was a Norwegian politician who seized power in 1940 in a Nazi-backed coup d'etat. The collaborationist government participated in Germany's Final Solution. After the war, Quisling was found guilty of high treason and executed at Akershus Fortress in Oslo. The word “quisling” has come to mean “traitor.” ]

In alternating chapters, we learn the story of the Nazi collaborationists who now are implicated in some way with the murders currently taking place in Oslo.

We also find out the background of the characters who will become pivotal in later books, such as fellow Inspector Tom Waaler, and love interest Rakel (33 when they meet) and her six-year-old son Oleg. Additionally, we learn what happened to Harry’s partner, the endearing Ellen Gjelten.

Discussion: Nesbo and his detective Harry are clearly in the growing stages in this book. Harry is not yet the hardened, disillusioned, personally dysfunctional but professionally adept mess he becomes later in the series. Here he even evinces moments of charming naivety and awkwardness.

It was interesting to read this right after the shooting tragedy in Norway. The neo-Nazis express many of the same sentiments as those set out by Breivik in his “manifesto.” As one of the neo-Nazis annouces, "It is no more than our duty as Norwegians to protect our race and to eliminate those who fail us.”

Frightening.

Evaluation: If you follow my reviews, you may have noticed I thoroughly love the books of Jo Nesbo about his detective Harry Hole. I have yet to be disappointed. Also, I had no problem going backwards to read this book, except that I then wanted to start the whole series over again, armed with my new knowledge of Harry from The Redbreast! show less

Ive heard Nesbo mentioned many, usually in comparison with Steig Larsson which seems to be unavoidable if you write crime fiction and are from a Scandinavian country. That comparison is enough to put me off, not because I dislike Larsson, in fact I loved the Millennium Trilogy. I find it to be lazy on the part of book publishers but I guess publicity is the name of the game and Larsson is the hottest of the last few years.

After a little bit of digging I found that Nesbo has a lot a favourable reviews and so decided to give him a go. Problem number 1. The first two books in the Harry Hole series have not been translated into English. That put me off a little as I like to read books in the order in which they are written. Many reviews show more said that in their opinion it didn't matter so I bit the bullet and dived in.

Firstly, I regret reading the blurb on the back of the book, it has a HUGE spoiler in it that I felt really annoyed at. For the first 100 pages or so I felt it was just plodding along nicely. Nothing huge seemed to be happening but the writing was engaging enough and it felt like it was setting the platform for what was to come. Initially the story flicks back and forth between 1944 during war time and 1999 in Oslo. It is an effect that Nesbo puts to good use although it did feel a little over used after a while.

After about 200 pages I was hooked, the characters of Harry and Ellen are instantly likeable and I felt myself urging them on more and more throughout the book. Once I had reached the first big plot moment (the one spoilt by the blurb) I just had to finish it and so read it over the space of the next day and a half. The story moves along fast and feels about the right length instead of needlessly long or missing important details.

I only have 2 slight down points on the book which made it a 4 star (4.5 really) and not 5 star book for me. The first is that a lot of characters come along in quick succession which made me flick back once of twice to check who was who. It doesn't get over the top but it's not normally something I have a problem with. The second is that Harry Hole is a brilliant but down on his luck detective who is a big drinker, frequents dive bars who develops a love interest who should be out of his league. To me this feels quite over-used in the crime genre but somehow I still really liked the character.

In the inevitable comparison I can't say if I prefer Larsson or Nesbo but Nesbo's writing is feels of a better standard to me but none of the characters quite hit the heights of Lisbeth Salander. Hole's detective work feels a whole lot more natural though when compared to Blomkvist.

I really enjoyed this books and have already decided I need to find out what happens next so I need to go book shopping again. Ive got a feeling I am really going to enjoy the series. show less

This third installment in the Harry Hole-series is when Nesbø hits his stride with the character. The format, weaving together one story from World War II with a story in the current time of the novel, is made virtually flawless by the Nazi/neo-Nazi connection. Such a great story with fantastic characters and it's as close to unputdownable as you can get. I especially appreciate how Nesbø isn't afraid to kill off characters that have endeared themselves to the reader - not because I want them to die, but because I'm constantly kept on my toes. Looking forward to see how The Prince messes up Hole's life in Nemesis/Smärtans hus.

Detective Harry Hole has been reassigned as a 'promotion' and is meant to be monitoring Neo-Nazi activity in Norway, however a rare gun smuggled into the country catches Harry's attention and sends him off in pursuit of a potential assassin. As bodies start turning up, including Harry's partner Ellen, it appears there is a link to World War II and Nazi sympathisers.

I loved the flashbacks to World War II, and while initially I was unsure of the relevance, they provided interesting reading regarding Norways part in the war which I was unaware of. It did take quite awhile for Nesbo to start connecting some dots, but once he did this became an intricate story with many layers - including a war time love story.

I enjoyed the banter between show more Harry and Ellen, and was disappointed when that came to an abrupt halt. But Harry is an interesting protagonist, he goes his own way, is very intuitive and is working on his drinking problem.

We see the investigation not only from Harry's perspective, but also from the assassins which creates a great dynamic. Even as elements of the story keep being revealed the ending still provided a big twist.

This is a complex police procedural/mystery with a historical fiction bent and its an absorbing read. Even though this is the third in the series, I didn't feel like I was missing anything having not read the first two (they haven't yet been translated). I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series. show less