The Bat: Read the first thrilling Harry Hole novel from the No.1 Sunday Times bestseller (Harry Hole, 1)

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You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. I knew I wasn’t part of Nesbø’s target audience when he took the time to explain where the phrase “Pavlov’s dogs” comes from. Otto, a large masculine man, whom I would love to see in drag, knew Inger well, and quickly comes under suspicion of Harry Hole. Lots of trying to get to a certain place in time that I think was supposed to feel tense and exciting but instead was pure nonsense.

Within minutes of seeing her behind the bar, Hole can’t resist asking out a Swedish woman who worked with the dead Norwegian, having admired her long red hair, willowy back (?

I have absolutely no desire to read this now, but I’m wondering what other Australian readers will make of this. Harry, in a ridiculous drunken mess, attempts to do more detective work, meeting up with a hooker who knew Andrew and Otto well. Had trouble getting into it at first but the book lends so much to understanding Harry and how he transforms through the years. An earlier reviewer complained it was UK English not US so he didnt understand some of the colloquial phrases. It didn’t ­really matter; Harry wasn’t particularly accustomed to foreign travel or snobbish—all he wanted was a hotel room and a bed as quickly as possible.

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. I read a criticism of the novel online that mentioned the fact that some of the characters tend to speak in monologues, but I felt that this was realistic enough given the criminal investigation. However, that’s also what makes the character of Harry Hole so appealing: he’s talented because of his flaws. We’ve got the Olympic Games just round the corner, in 2000, and tourism from Scandinavia’s on the up.The passport official looked up from the special visa and studied him, but the pursed mouth was gone. A tall, broad man with a stomach designed to impress was standing by the window, behind an oak desk. As it turns out Evans White is a small time drug pusher who lives in a different part of Australia, which takes Andrew and Harry a considerable amount of time to travel to.

Instead it reads like an inner dialogue he’s having with himself where Toowoomba takes the role of Nesbø the Curious and Hole plays Nesbø the Ignorant. I was more amused than astounded by the way Hole develops deep friendships with people within a few days of being in Australia working on a murder case in a second language. During this time Harry and Andrew have spent increasing time at the bar Inger worked out, meeting all sorts of characters.

Nope, it was poorly written, equally poorly translated and lacked an editor to ensure that the translation made sense in English. Whether a hardened Hole addict or a first-time imbiber, The Bat is sure to snare your interest with its tale of this booze-fuelled policeman ― Sunday Sun --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Harry goes into the hospital to see Andrew, knowing the he and Otto are good friends, and brings up these points. As a real follower of Scandinavian crime fiction I have collected Jo Nesbo's books; they remain unread on my bookshelves as I had waited for this first Harry Hole novel to be translated into English. I seriously wonder if it had been the first book translated into English would the series be so popular.

She lived with her boyfriend in Newtown for a while before they split up and she moved to a little one-­room flat in Glebe. The mystery itself is pretty standard fare, a woman is killed, and slowly we discover she was the latest victim of a serial killer. Some strange things happen, Harry in an attempt to gather more information on Evans questions some drug dealers, who beat the hell out of him, only to be saved by Andrew Kensington stepping in.Harry goes to the circus again, this time not to see the show, but to arrest Otto, or to question him. Here I am sitting in a bar, Harry thought, listening to a transvestite lecturing on Australian politics. This is the first of the Harry Hole novels, introducing the character, but it was very late in being translated to English. Now this was a good book until the last few chapters when he started going into his convoluted pros. With a stiff back and jet lag beginning to announce its presence, Harry and his suitcase were now alone on a pavement in a town boasting a population roughly equivalent to the whole of Norway, outside the splendid Crescent Hotel.