Review: The Redbreast
Editorial Review - Kirkus ReviewsA pair of assassination attempts bookend 50 years of postwar history in this bold, ambitious thriller. Oslo Detective Harry Hole's last case left him with a toxic reputation (The Devil's Star, 2006). Now he has to make a snap judgment about an unauthorized man waiting with an Uzi in the path of the visiting American president. The man he shoots turns out to be a Secret Service agent, but the Norwegian government, with no stomach for creating an international incident that might embarrass a fervent ally, promotes Harry to Inspector and boots him over to the National Security Service to keep him out of trouble. Thanks to his new posting, Harry, without at first knowing it, becomes the man most likely to foil a second assassination—this one terribly real and steeped in a series of betrayals that go back to World War II. Some of the intrigue in the dizzying series of cuts between past and present is ham-handed, and the shadowy figure variously known as Uriah (in 1944) and the Prince (in 1999) may tax some readers' patience. But it's well worth sticking with the story; both the hero and the villain are as compelling as the portrayal of Norwegians doing whatever it takes to survive the war and then paying the price. Nesbø bids fair to turn Norway into serious competition for Sweden as Scandinavia's crime center.
Review: The Redbreast (Harry Hole #3)
User Review - Alex - GoodreadsDetective Harry Hole is a recovering alcoholic, reassigned after a rather serious mishap involving the US Secret Service. In his new role, he is asked to investigate neo-Nazis, but what really piques ... Read full review
Review: The Redbreast (Harry Hole #3)
User Review - Annie Harrison - GoodreadsMaybe the good writing got lost in the translation, but I found this book's style frustratingly stilted. I like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but this was like drinking Blue Nun - and lots of it. It ... Read full review
Review: The Redbreast (Harry Hole #3)
User Review - Jennie Morton - GoodreadsHonestly, it didn't meet my expectations. To be fair, the first Harry Hole book I read was "The Snowman" and I was eager to get into antoher gritty detective novel. This I found to be slow, lacking in ... Read full review
Review: The Redbreast (Harry Hole #3)
User Review - Ivy Glennon - GoodreadsNesbo is one of my top five favorite Mystery Writers. His Harry Hole cop character has the generic detective flaws and the generic detective adventures (he is alcoholic and gets beaten up at least ... Read full review
Review: The Redbreast (Harry Hole #3)
User Review - Valerie - GoodreadsI have mixed emotions about this book. I was drawn to the main character, Harry Hole, and I really liked the author's writing style. It's very descriptive, and it often reads like a movie plot. For ... Read full review
Review: The Redbreast (Harry Hole #3)
User Review - Keirstan - Goodreads'The Redbreast' is the third book in Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series but the first for me. Nesbo virgins need not worry should they start here as the novel subtly references its predecessors, but stands ... Read full review
Review: The Redbreast (Harry Hole #3)
User Review - Ebony - GoodreadsOdd to read the series out of order; killed some of the suspense, but nifty to see Harry with little Oleg. Read full review
Review: The Redbreast (Harry Hole #3)
User Review - Amos - GoodreadsNever a good sign when the last 5o pages of a book explain how the first 450 could possibly have happened...but ok. Willing to give this cat another shot based on the strength of the book before this one.. Read full review
Review: The Redbreast (Harry Hole #3)
User Review - Anne - GoodreadsThe dark yet "fair" Norwegian detective is back in this complicated thriller from Jo Nesbo, who is Norway's answer to Stieg Larsson and is likely a much stronger and more elegant writer and ... Read full review
