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Harry, the foreigner, is teamed with another outsider, a senior aboriginal detective, and together they make inroads into the mystery killing. But it seems his fellow policeman knows rather more than he is willing to reveal. Nesbø is already taking on the clichés, ruthlessly tearing them apart and coming up with new riffs.... Most satisfyingly, we can now see the organic shape that Nesbø always intended his work to take.”
Jo Nesbo – I am glad some publisher somewhere saw the potential in your writing – I did enjoy your other books in this series but think that the publisher did me a favour by not translating this first novel of the series any sooner – if I hadn't read this book at all I would be perfectly happy and not felt as if I had been cheated of a potentially great read. Not really wanted by the local police force in Sydney but one detective befriends him and sees him as the key to snapping open the case.Although I love mysteries and thrillers, and have collected the Harry Hole series, this is the first mystery in the series that I have read. My procrastination meant that I could begin with the first book in Jo Nesbø's acclaimed series -- sometimes procrastination does pay off. The mystery itself is pretty standard fare, a woman is killed, and slowly we discover she was the latest victim of a serial killer. The book throws red herrings at us, and has the lead character Utterly Convinced someone is the killer, only to be proven wrong. Toward the end of the book, the character says he is afraid to voice his suspicions because he is worried he would be thought of as the boy who cried wolf, and in my mind, I said it was far too late for that.
Even with this first book Nesbø’s command of the idiom is completely in place—there is absolutely no sense that the writer was finding his feet and aficionados will be very pleased to slide this on to their bookshelves alongside the other Harry Hole novels.” Everyone comes to see the Sydney Opera House and go on boat trips round the harbor and admire the women on Bondi Beach. Shame you’ve got to work.”His Australian colleagues call him Holy instead of Hoo-leh and Harry makes the decision that Holy isn’t too bad and doesn’t bother to correct their pronunciation. He prefers it to being called something most people associate with an orifice. It cost me a lot to finish it because I didn't feel like catching it. Neither the plot is good. Not even Harry Hole attracts the slightest. He is a low profile cop. An exalcoholic who suddenly starts to drink a lot and spends half a book sober and the other half, drunk and telling us how he falls and vomiting through the streets. Nothing. A horrible fiasco and a big disappointment. Like many it was the adaptation of 'The Snowman' that alerted me to these stories, but that's the 7th book in the series.
OK, Holy, I’ll be honest with you and tell you how the land lies. I’ve been told in no uncertain terms by my governor that councillors in Sydney would like to see this case cleared up as soon as possible. As usual, it’s all about politics and dosh.” Kudos Mr. Nesbø for a great opening novel. I cannot wait to get deeper into the series to see what else you have in store for us. I am a Jo Nesbo fan. I have read all his other books in the Harry Hole series and mostly have been very impressed with the action, the narrative, the character development, the intrigue and the resolution. This book however is an exception to the series. It is banal, its language wooden, stilted and as an Australian reading Hole’s experience of his adventures in Sydney, Australia and of Australians, I generally felt let down and uncomfortable with the stereotypes and colloquialisms - of big waisted, slow witted, “dinkum” white Aussie males and the Indigenous cop’s voice felt stunted and farcical too – continually explaining the world in Dream-time stories and explaining everything very carefully... all the Australians had a dumbed down quality I did not like and I did not appreciate reading this interpretation of Australia and Australian life. (I did however enjoy the Dream-time stories perhaps worthy of a book in their own right but not relevant in this book) The political voice in this book was ...annoying. Harry is already every bit as volcanic as in his later cases. The big difference is Australia, which Nesbø, seeing it through the eyes of both a tourist and a cultural pathologist, makes you wonder how much different it is from Norway after all.” In fact, you should be working with Watkins, but since you specifically asked for Kensington, I see no reason to refuse your request.”This was delivered with a smile, but the message was clear: paws off, he was here as an observer. He might just as well have brought his swimming things and a camera along. What follows is Australia through the eyes of a damaged, t-toal, young Norwegian policeman. There are several long passages explaining the multiculturalism, and the racial relations, in Australia. At times it felt as if the Australian tourist bureau had paid for the translation of this novel.
There is a lot of interesting discussion about Aborigine history, life and beliefs. I enjoyed those portions of the story immensely. And the criminal investigation was engaging and suspenseful, if a bit far-fetched in spots. I liked the way the story ends -- it was perfect. Harry Hole (hoo-leh) is a Norwegian police officer in Australia to participate in the investigation of the murder of a Norwegian woman. The local police are not welcoming, and he is a little confused as to why he is there. Soon, it is apparent, he is a little confused most of the time because he is a raging alcoholic, with a penchant for getting emotionally involved with the first female he meets. Here we are,” Andrew said suddenly. He pulled in to the curb, jumped out and took Harry’s suitcase from the boot. I have an idea for Harry’s life, for what is going to happen to him. Harry’s near future looks bleak. After that it’s getting even worse. And after that everything is going to hell” Another sweltering month in Charlotte, another boatload of mysteries past and present for overworked, overstressed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.
What you’re gonna do is watch carefully while we haul the bastard in, tell the Norwegian press along the way what a wonderful job we’re doing together—making sure we don’t offend anyone at the Norwegian Embassy, or relatives—and otherwise enjoy a break and send a card or two to your dear Chief Constable. How is she by the way?” The basics: Norwegian detective Harry Hole is sent to Sydney, Australia to help investigate the murder of a Norwegian woman, Inger Holter. Australian officials don't really want his help, but he digs into the case anyway. He's paired up with an Aborigine detective, Andrew Kensington. Hole (pronounced Hole-y) finds that there are similar killings of other blonde women, turning the investigation into the search for a serial killer. For too long in the U.K. we were denied the first two books hence my initial delay in committing to a series from the third instalment. Mala novela. Le pongo 2 estrellas (y soy muy generoso) porqué demuestra un gran conocimiento de Australia y de su cultura, sobre todo, aborigen. Le sobran muchísimas páginas. Da la sensación de que el autor no sabe cómo continuar con la novela y la alarga con monólogos de diferentes personajes; con sueños del protagonista en momentos que no toca; con historias de juventud que no vienen a cuento. Además, muchos de los monólogos son muy filosóficos y metafóricos y son narrados por personajes en los que no concuerdan con su nivel intelectual. Es como si el autor pensara:"A ver, estoy atascado. Ya he contado unas tres o cuatro historias de leyendas aborígenes sobre serpientes, canguros y más alimañas, pero como no tengo ni idea de como alargar innecesariamente el libro le voy a meter una más sobre un hombre o una mujer aborigen que tenía que conseguir el amor o algún otro propósito. Así, me hago el interesante y demuestro que sé mucho de Australia".
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