The Devil's Star

Völlig daneben lag ich als Leserin, wer der Mörder denn sein könnte. Und exakt aus dem gleichen Grund, weshalb Harry Hole anfangs auch nicht die richtige Lösung fand. Doch während er irgendwann feststellte, was schief lief, blieb ich bis kurz vor Schluss auf der falschen Fährte. Doch der Reihe nach.
Nachdem Harrys erneuter Versuch, den Mörder seiner Kollegin Ellen dingfest zu machen, misslang, ertränkt er mal wieder seine Verzweiflung in Alkohol. Und kommt seiner Kündigung zuvor, indem er sie selbst einreicht. Doch kurz bevor diese vom Kriminaldirektor bestätigt wird, geschehen innerhalb kurzer Zeit drei Morde - allen Opfern fehlt ein Finger und es wird ein roter sternförmiger Diamant aufgefunden. Harry ist wieder dabei - und show more ausgerechnet im Team seines Erzfeindes. Doch überraschenderweise zeigt sich dieser Harry gegenüber von seiner besten Seite...
Im Gegensatz zu den vorhergehenden Büchern mit Harry Hole gibt es dieses Mal kein Schwerpunktthema, um das sich die Geschichte rankt. Dafür sind es aber zwei Fälle, die in diesem überaus spannenden Krimi erzählt werden. Zum einen die Suche nach dem Serienmörder, zum andern die persönliche Jagd Harry Holes nach dem Mörder seiner früheren Kollegin Ellen. Wie beide sich immer mehr miteinander verknüpfen, ist schlicht genial und hochspannend. Details, deren ganze Bedeutung sich erst gegen Ende erschließt (wenn man nicht schon früher so begnadet schlussfolgert wie Harry Hole); Spuren deren Bedeutung man gedankenlos folgt, obwohl es ganz anders sein könnte - man muss das Buch wohl zweimal lesen, um es vollständig genießen zu können. Und obgleich der Held strenggenommen ein Antiheld ist (Alkoholiker, Drogenmissbrauch, disziplinlos...),wächst er einem mit jedem Band und jeder Seite mehr ans Herz.
Ich freu' mich schon auf den nächsten Band! show less

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

A hot summer in Oslo and a serial killer is on the loose. The killer is leaving a small star-shaped diamond on each body and is taking a finger for a keepsake. Detective Harry Hole, deep into another tormented drunken stupor, is dragged into the investigation.
Harry also finds himself looking into his corrupt superior nemesis, Tom Waaler (these books really need to be read in order), from the previous novel. Another possible powder-keg.
For me, this book takes it’s time getting started, a bit dragged out, but suddenly I found myself smack in the middle of Harry’s unsteady, volatile world and the story ends with a bloody bang.

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

Still battling grief over the death of his partner, Harry Hole finds himself in the strong relentless grip of alcoholism, costing him a relationship and his job. It takes, a gruesome and puzzling serial killing to bring him back from the edge of the abyss he was about to fall into, even if it means he has to work with his nemesis, a man, he suspects of being an arms dealer and one who murdered his partner.

Nesbo is a genius at keeping us guessing, even as he slowly exposes different facets of human behavior.

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

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