Headhunters

Nesbø nagyon jó abban, hogy élő karaktereket alkosson. Itt van ez a Roger. A szerző egyetlen fejezetben képes ellenállhatatlan késztetést ébreszteni bennem, hogy odarángassam Rogert a pofonfa alá, és megrázzam. (Őt is, meg a fát is.) Egy arrogáns, amorális kis genya, aki elit céges fejvadászként igazi bullshit munkát végez*, de úgy tekint magára, mintha valami művész lenne, a humán erőforrások Paganinije. Arra persze nem marad agyi kapacitása, hogy a recepciós lány nevét megjegyezze, de mindegy, minek is az, recepciós lányok nevét nem szoktunk megjegyezni. Aztán persze Nesbø finomít a figurán: kiderül róla például, hogy valójában egy kortárs Rastignac, aki a nincstelenségből, egy show more elnyomó apa árnyékából tört fel a nagyok közé, és titokban egyfajta extrém Robin Hood: kirabolja a gazdagokat, a pénzt pedig odaadja... no nem a szegényeknek, hanem csak szegény feleségének, hogy az nyugodtan elszórakoztassa magát a kulturális pénznyelővel, amit Galériának csúfol. Robertünk tehát nagyvad, vagy legalábbis annak képzeli magát – de aztán találkozik egy igazi nagyvaddal, és kiderül, hogy ő csak valami kis termetű menyétszerű ragadozó a nagymacskák között.

Szóval ügyes könyv: jól odatett, izgalmas szereplők, lendület, fordulat, minden, amit a szemünk-szánk kíván. Ugyanakkor nem tudok szabadulni a gondolattól, hogy ha van látványpékség, akkor kell lennie látványhentesnek is, és az kábé úgy néz ki, mint ez a Nesbø-regény: túlságosan véres, túlságosan trükkös, és minden túlságosan meg van magyarázva. A csavarok persze csavarosak, de talán túl is vannak csavarva picinykét, aminek következtében az olvasó ugyan élvezi, amit lát (már ha szereti a vért meg a csavarokat), de közben nem igazán hiszi el, hogy ez tényleg van, hogy ez így tényleg megtörténhet.

* Munkakörének lényege, hogy ha egy cégnél megürül egy felsővezetői állás, akkor a fejvadász keres nekik valakit, aki más cégnél ugyan már megbukott felsővezetőként (ahogy az előző tíz állomáshelyén is), de náluk majd bizonyára nem fog. Közben meg az összes résztvevő a lelke mélyén tisztában van vele, hogy az említett felsővezetői állást egy girhes arapapagáj is kielégítően el tudná látni, elég, ha megtanítják neki a „következő költségvetési évre kirobbanó pénzügyi teljesítményt prognosztizálunk” mondatot, és ezt elég megnyugtatóan ismételgeti a részvénytulajdonosok előtt. show less

I had a lot of issues with this book. The reader (audible) seemed really bored so I had a hard time getting into it. The plot hinges on what I consider a really lame trick. A critical part of the story is told via a cheap trick. But... even with all that, it was a 5 star read for sure. There were several memorable scenes but one in particular that was one of the most vivid scenes I've ever read. I'll never forget it. There was a character - not even a main one - drawn to completely, I'd know him if I ran into him on the street. The story was just wild and the writing delicious.

Norwegian crime fiction writer Jo Nesbo is well known to us for his Harry Hole police procedural series. I have read and reviewed a number of them (see the list below).
HEADHUNTERS is a stand-alone, not a Harry Hole title.

Set in Oslo, the novel's central character is Roger Brown, a highly successful corporate headhunter.

Roger Brown, the headhunter who has never nominated a candidate for a job he did not get, who if necessary manipulates, forces, levers and rams the candidate in, who has clients who trust his judgement implicitly, who without a moment’s hesitation place their company’s fate in his – and only his – hands.

To put it another way, it was not Oslo Port Authority who appointed their new traffic director last year, it show more was not Avis who appointed their Scandinavian director and it was quite definitely not the local authority who appointed the director of the power station in Sirdal. It was me.

Roger's problem is that he leads a lifestyle that demands an income well beyond what he actually earns, but Roger has come up with a ploy by which he supplements his income by stealing from the people he interviews.

In the interviews Roger uses a nine-step model developed by American police investigators designed to lead to confession. In Roger's case he wants the person being interviewed to come to realise how unsuitable he is for the job. The rare interviewee who does not, is the one who is suitable for the job. In the process Roger discovers what assets the person has that might be worth stealing. When a theft takes place the finger of suspicion never points back to Roger because he has other measures in place.

HEADHUNTERS begins at a very sedate pace and in fact had me wondering why I was reading it. I know some readers who give a novel 20 or 50 pages to ramp up. If it hasn't grabbed their interest, or they can't see where it is heading, then they abandon it. They might easily have done so with HEADHUNTERS. But it is not in my nature to abandon ship and my persistence was rewarded when, at 20% into the novel, Roger interviews Clas Greve. Greve appears to be very clever, able to turn the tables on Roger. From that point on the action ramps up and we are reading a fast moving thriller.

This is a very clever novel. Although the cards are all on the table, in fact some of what the reader is told is ambiguous and there are a number of red herrings. I particularly enjoyed a scene towards the end where the police investigator gives an extended television interview in which he explains the events for the benefit of the audience. It reminded me of a Hercule Poirot denouement, except that HP doesn't usually get it wrong.

HEADHUNTERS isn't Nesbo's best novel, and I'm not sure I ever want to read about Roger Brown again, but it is still top level crime fiction. show less

Nesbo takes a step away from his Harry Hole mysteries and gets into another equally interesting place, complete with his usual damaged characters living difficult lives, being not quite honest with themselves, wrapped up in what they deem to be their success stories, and overplaying their lives.

Headhunters also figure in more than one capacity. There are the egotistical headhunters who interview and recommend top level applicants for top level positions; there is a nod to the headhunters of the tropical rainforests through the auspices of "curacit," a deadly poison that is administered by a sharp prick by a needle embedded in a small curacit-filled grape-sized ball; there are the "great white hunters" of the corporate world who are show more looking for heads for their walls.

And, not to disappoint, Nesbo still manages to surprise me at the end. That's what I enjoy the most about Nesbo. He can always figure out how to turn the tables in the end and leave me with my jaw dropped, wondering how I missed that twist. show less

I liked this book, but not because I liked a single one of the characters in it. In fact, I was about 50 pages in when I decided that the protagonist is a despicable person who deserves whatever’s coming to him. And yet, I didn’t stop reading. Within the next 50 pages, I became hooked. I still didn’t sympathize with any of the characters, but I was enthralled by the drama that played out, compelled to find out what twisted, messed-up thing was going to happen next. Although some parts are ridiculous and unbelievable, it’s a testament to Nesbo’s writing that I was so powerfully drawn into a story about characters that I abhorred. The surprise ending is perfectly crafted, and I loved putting the pieces of the mystery together. show more Overall, this thriller starts out slow, but once the action starts to build, you won’t be able to put it down. show less

Why did I read it? Because of my (mostly audio) reading habits of late, all of Jo Nesbø's books have appeared on recommendations for me at bookseller, library and reading sites. It was inevitable that I would read, or listen to one of his books.

What's it about? Roger Brown is a corporate headhunter, describing himself as King of the Heap, with a beautiful wife, a height complex and a life others might envy from the outside. To fund his lifestyle, and to appease his wife, after denying her the child she so desperately wanted, he steals art on the side; his job as a headhunter and her art gallery providing the opportunity to learn of said artworks. All is going well, or so it seems, until Roger meets Clas Greve, the perfect candidate show more for the position of CEO of Pathfinder, a firm developing GPS systems. Roger thinks Clas is a perfect fit, and, of course, it helps that Clas has revealed he has an expensive artwork in his possession, one which could set Roger and his wife, Diana, up for life.

What didn't I like? I don't usually start with this section, but in this case I think it's the best place to start.

If I am honest, I was happy to see Roger head down the toilet (literally and figuratively). As the main character, I totally loathed him, for his selfishness, his ill treatment of others, his general outlook and behaviour. He was irredeemable in my opinion. I found myself on the side of Clas Greve as he chased down Roger, even as I disliked him just as much as Roger. Diana, Roger's wife, is only viewed through his eyes and seems very flat as a character, but then I imagine she is a trophy bride. Actually, most of the characters were one-dimensional.

I learned about foreshadowing a long time ago, and this story is laden with it, the result being that nothing really comes as a suprise, not even the resolutions in the epilogue. Twists and turns abound though not unexpectedly, and the story does get a bit outlandish, almost cartoonish. If the story was meant to be darkly humorous, it didn't do it for me, not until things got really sticky for Roger and I could relish in his discomfort.

The audio edition had volume jumps which annoyed me. One minute quiet, so I turned up the volume, only to have it get so loud I was scrambling to turn the volume down - again. And, so it continued, up, down, up, down. It also had editing issues with the track seeming to speed up at times, not so much it distorted the content, but changing the pace of the speech and, in turn, the pace of the story. This is a disaster when attempting to build tension as a thriller.

What did I like? The fact that the end may not be the end, there is a hint that I might get my wish for Roger, which I can't write about here without giving away too much. Not that any future reader will miss much.

The narrator, Steve West, did a good job of voicing the story.

Would I recommend it? Short answer, no. That said, I will read Jo Nesbø's series of Harry Hole books, as they still come recommended from reviewers I trust. show less

What a great cover eh? Take a second look at it....creepy and clever. And so is the author Jo Nesbo. I picked up Headhunters thinking that it would feature Nesbo's recurring series character Detective Harry Hole. I started reading, realized that it wasn't and felt slightly disappointed. But I lost that feeling about 10 pages in. Nesbo has written an ingenious, intricately plotted stand alone thriller that had me hooked from start to finish.

Roger Brown is a professional recruiter, a 'headhunter' if you will. He's not just one of the best, he is the best, as he'll tell you. And Roger likes having the best of everything. Sadly his salary does not quite match the lifestyle he's created for his wife and himself. So Roger dabbles....in art show more theft. Conveniently during his many recruitment interviews, he steers the discussion to art. His latest applicant, Clas Greve, has a piece of art that would leave Roger sitting pretty for the rest of his life. Roger breaks into Greve's home in search of the painting and finds much more than he bargained for......

Nesbo's characterization of Roger is perfect - he comes across as a cocky, superior know-it-all, confident in his abilities to out think and out maneuver anyone and everyone. When Clas Greve begins to challenge Roger's abilities, a delicious game of cat and mouse is the result. The dialogue is quick, witty and darkly humourous. The plotting is very inventive and had me guessing until the very end.

Headhunters has been made into a film in Nesbo's native Norway. The publisher's blurb on the back of the book.." Nesbo has crafted a funny, dark and twisted caper worthy of Quentin Tarantino and the Coen brothers" is spot on. show less