The Devil's Star

I went through three phases with this Norwegian police procedural. The beginning seemed slow, and overly detailed. I was considering giving up on it, but several bloggers whose taste is like mine loved it, so I kept going.

Then I noticed - a bit wearily - the usual detective story tropes coming on in force: the ritual killing of women; the drunken, disliked, almost-washed-up-but-talented detective who only gets assigned the case because no one else is there when it comes in; the suave, popular, too-good-to-be-true detective; the stolid, reliable forensics female … haven’t I read this before?

And then, boom! The roller coaster ride starts! And wow, what a ride! I was on the edge of my chair for quite a long time with this one! The show more characters become much more richly drawn as well as the book progresses. And how cleverly the various plot strands weave in and out of the story in unexpected ways, so that the ending is in perfect symmetry with the beginning!

Evaluation: Am I in love with this euro-noir writer and his dissolute Detective Harry Hole? Absolutely! Was this a “freezer” book, i.e., so utterly gripping I felt like stashing it away until I could calm down? Totally! Will I be reading the next Jo Nesbo book? I sure hope so! show less

On a roll with mystery/crime novels lately, I was more than happy to take on The Devil's Star when it arrived at my door. I curled up into the back seat of our car on the way home from a trip, and dove in. Let's just say that the two and a half hour trip FLEW by. When we arrived, I was done, completely baffled by the ending (in a good way), and really confused about how we had gotten home so quickly.

The Devil's Star is the brainchild of Jo Nesbo, and is the third Harry Hole novel to make the transition from its Norwegian roots to English. I wasn't aware when I first got the book that it was part of a series, but honestly it doesn't make much of a difference. Nesbo brings his characters to life so vividly that whether I was meeting Harry show more for the first time, or the third time, I still would have known all about his destructive and rather selfish lifestyle. Along with the cast of supporting characters, Harry's background story is woven into the overall murder mystery extremely well.

See Harry is an alcoholic, and Nesbo has no qualms with showing the gritty and realistic side of that lifestyle. Harry's character is like a walking tornado, making choices that seem to benefit him. but often leave others devastated in his wake. It's apparent that Harry is a complete mess, and his whole life suffers because of it. However, you also see the part of him that truly cares about what he does. As Harry navigates the mystery surrounding the murders you see the part of him that genuinely wants to solve these murders and lay things to rest. Sadly it's all too much and it leads him to drink. Harry is the type of character that you want to hug and then slap at the same time.

Well paced, and intriguing without being too bloody or gory, Nesbo weaves a murder mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat. With just enough red herrings thrown in completely baffle you, the ending comes as a huge surprise! The twists and turns are amazing, and I found myself on the wrong track more than once, only to realize that I was being mislead. It was fantastic. I won't lie, I didn't see the ending coming at all. Which is surprising because I generally solve these types of crime novels by half way through! Well played Nesbo, well played.

If you are a fan of novels full of mystery and suspense, or if you just love a good read, pick up a copy of The Devil's Star and dive in! I can guarantee you'll be through it in no time and wondering how to get your hands on the rest. Yes, it's that good. show less

Harry Hole is on a bender, obsessed with truing to solve the murder of his partner. (I don't do alcoholics well). He is pulled into the case of "the courier killer" with nemesis Tom Waaler as it is summer and too many people are in holiday.Four people are murdered in locations that form an upside down pentagram.Intertwined with the murders is Tom's arms smuggling and a diamond smuggling operation. Harry solves the murders despite the killer's misdirection and Tom's interference, bringing Waaler to book by videotaping him in the act of trying to kill Harry and the murder suspect.Great plotting. Intertwined stories of relationships provide the misdirection.The quality of the writing gets me through my aversion to Harry's self destruction.

The Short of It:

A gripping police procedural with one of the best detective personalities I’ve encountered in years.

The Rest of It:

The Devil’s Star is a perfect example of why I adore Scandinavian crime fiction.

Detective Harry Hole is what’d you call, a functioning alcoholic. He’s lost his girlfriend and spends his waking hours stumbling through his cases, drinking in bars and smoking cigarettes like they’re going out of style. He’s incredibly flawed, but good at what he does so his superiors often look to him for input, even though physically he is falling apart. Time is running out for old Harry though because his boss just can’t cover for him anymore and he’s just stepped into a very high-profile case involving a show more serial killer with a penchant for pentagrams and red diamonds in the shape of a star.

This is my first experience with Jo Nesbo and I must say, I have fallen in love. From the moment I opened this book, I was completely pulled into the story and could not put it down. The writing is crisp and the tension between the characters is so flawlessly executed, that you find yourself sitting on the edge of your seat, just waiting for one of them to pick-up on it themselves. The dialogue is smartly written and has that sophisticated, snappy quality that I find in Scandinavian novels. I won’t compare Nesbo’s writing to Larsson, as they each have their own, distinct style, but their books both possess that shrewdness that I’ve come to love.

You don’t have to be a lover of crime fiction to enjoy The Devil’s Star so if you aren’t, I encourage you to try it anyway. It has a great story, well-developed characters and writing that will force you to read it in one sitting. Apparently, Nesbo has written other books featuring Detective Harry Hole. One of which (The Snowman) makes its US debut in May 2011. I can’t wait! show less

Over the course of The Devil’s Star both Harry Hole and the readers finally get a resolution to his on-going investigation into the affairs of dirty cop, Tom Waaler. Harry’s obsession is heading into very dangerous areas and his drinking is out of control. Harry grudgingly agrees to join the task force looking for a serial killer and as luck would have it, Tom Waaler is heading up the force. Working closely together may just give Harry the edge he needs to bring him to justice. Meanwhile a serial killer is at work in Oslo, carrying out very stylized murders where he leaves identical five-pointed red diamonds at each crime scene. At first the killings appear random but Hole eventually discovers that there is a pattern to these show more killings.

Harry Hole is one of the most angst-drive detectives in today’s literature. Hopefully the worst is now behind him as I was beginning to find these books a little too dark and depressing. This police procedural has plenty of twists and turns as the police race to stop this serial killer. Forensic investigator, Beate Lonn, makes a return appearance in this book and her help proves invaluable and I hope to see her in future books. By far the interplay between Harry Hole and Tom Waaler was the star attraction. Harry is vulnerable, overly emotional, and self destructive while Waaler is cold, smooth, cynical and over confident.

The Devil’s Star was an excellent read and anyone who is interested in Nordic Noir should add this series to their reading list. I am curious as to where this author is going to take Harry now that his immediate demon has been put to rest. show less

Summary: Detective Harry Hole, still in turmoil over the unsolved death of his partner, is spiraling downward to termination, until asked to work on the case of a serial killer.

Detective Harry Hole’s life is a mess. His former detective partner, Ellen Gjelten was killed and the murder is unsolved. It has estranged him from his partner, Rakel, and eventually his offenses, fueled by his drinking, have mounted to such a point that even his boss, Bjarne Moller, can’t shield him from dismissal.

But there is one more case, or rather a string of them. The murder of Camille Loen, which he walked out on because of being paired with his nemesis Tom Waaler, has turned into a series of murders following a pattern–a finger severed, a red show more diamond star left somewhere on the victim with another carved in the vicinity, and a shot to the head. Five days later, Lisbeth Barli, a singer living with a theatre impresario goes missing until her finger arrives at the police department. Then in another five days later, a receptionist found dead in a fifth floor restroom.

Hole, the only detective to solve another serial killer case, is asked to assist Waaler, despite his suspicions that Waaler is corrupt. Waaler in turn plays on the imminent dismissal to Hole to try to lure him into his corruption. Meanwhile, it is Hole who figures out the pattern. The five-pointed stars are pentagrams, a demonic symbol. There is a pattern of fives–five days, fifth floors, different digits for each murder. The pattern leads to a suspect and future murder locations. But something bother Hole. It seems a bit too perfect.

This one has a page-turner climax that I will not spoil by discussing it. This was my first Jo Nesbø. I’d heard others recommend his work. Hole is a gritty and flawed character, but like other great detectives, he thinks and muses and keeps thinking. He spots patterns and thinks beyond them. I realized that he has a history that I may have missed by not reading the earlier books (this was a deal on Kindle). Will he self-destruct or find an equilibrium that allows him to survive.

Nesbø sets this in Oslo during the summer, amid the warp and woof of urban life–students, theatre, business. The mounting heat wave provides an atmospheric backdrop as we await the storm to break. A longsuffering boss, a savvy cab driver, and a longsuffering girlfriend and her adoring son all seem to see something beneath the troubled life of this detective. I found myself turning the pages to see how this would all turn out, and find myself wanting to hang in there with this Harry Hole guy as well. show less

On a roll with mystery/crime novels lately, I was more than happy to take on The Devil's Star when it arrived at my door. I curled up into the back seat of our car on the way home from a trip, and dove in. Let's just say that the two and a half hour trip FLEW by. When we arrived, I was done, completely baffled by the ending (in a good way), and really confused about how we had gotten home so quickly.

The Devil's Star is the brainchild of Jo Nesbo, and is the third Harry Hole novel to make the transition from its Norwegian roots to English. I wasn't aware when I first got the book that it was part of a series, but honestly it doesn't make much of a difference. Nesbo brings his characters to life so vividly that whether I was meeting show more Harry for the first time, or the third time, I still would have known all about his destructive and rather selfish lifestyle. Along with the cast of supporting characters, Harry's background story is woven into the overall murder mystery extremely well.

See Harry is an alcoholic, and Nesbo has no qualms with showing the gritty and realistic side of that lifestyle. Harry's character is like a walking tornado, making choices that seem to benefit him. but often leave others devastated in his wake. It's apparent that Harry is a complete mess, and his whole life suffers because of it. However, you also see the part of him that truly cares about what he does. As Harry navigates the mystery surrounding the murders you see the part of him that genuinely wants to solve these murders and lay things to rest. Sadly it's all too much and it leads him to drink. Harry is the type of character that you want to hug and then slap at the same time.

Well paced, and intriguing without being too bloody or gory, Nesbo weaves a murder mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat. With just enough red herrings thrown in completely baffle you, the ending comes as a huge surprise! The twists and turns are amazing, and I found myself on the wrong track more than once, only to realize that I was being mislead. It was fantastic. I won't lie, I didn't see the ending coming at all. Which is surprising because I generally solve these types of crime novels by half way through! Well played Nesbo, well played.

If you are a fan of novels full of mystery and suspense, or if you just love a good read, pick up a copy of The Devil's Star and dive in! I can guarantee you'll be through it in no time and wondering how to get your hands on the rest. Yes, it's that good. show less