It’s not much of a secret around Beechivew that Jo Nesbø is my favorite author. This Norwegian crime writer has some of the best thrillers I’ve ever come across, and I’m always ready to recommend them to anyone looking for a compelling story. There are twists, turns and suspense in every book, and even as a veteran reader of Nesbø, he can still shock and surprise me.
His most well-known series focuses on Harry Hole, an alcoholic, doesn’t-play-well-with-others detective in the Oslo police force with a few black marks on his record, but a strong conscious that can’t let a crime go unsolved. This series takes readers through the criminal underbelly of Oslo while tiptoeing through suspected corruption within the force. Start now and get ready for the upcoming film The Snowman in 2017; starring Michael Fassbender and directed by Tomas Alfredson!
If you’re looking for something shorter or a stand-alone novel, Nesbø has something for everyone. He can take you through the dangerous world of corporate headhunting and art theft in Headhunters, the search for the truth and vengeance beneath lies and corruption in The Son, or the trials and challenges of reluctant assassins-for-hire in Blood on Snow and Midnight Sun. He even has a funny, adventure series for kids!
The first novel in the series featuring Oslo detective Harry Hole. A minor Norwegian celebrity is found murdered in Sydney, Australia, and the Oslo Crime Squad sends Harry Hole to lend his assistance. As the investigation gets underway, they discover that this is just the latest in a string of unsolved murders. As they circle closer and closer to the killer, Harry begins to fear that no one is safe, least of all those investigating the case.
Winner of the Glass Key Award for the best Nordic crime novel, The Redbreast is a chilling tale of murder and betrayal that ranges from the battlefields of World War II to the streets of modern-day Oslo. Harry Hole has been assigned the task of monitoring neo-Nazi activities; fairly mundane until a report of a rare and unusual gun being fired sparks his interest. As the story unfolds, Harry keeps finding himself one step behind the killer. He will be both winner and loser by the novel’s nail-biting conclusion.
On the night of the first snowfall, a woman disappears from her home in Oslo; her son awakes to find her scarf wrapped around a snowman that has inexplicably appeared in their yard. As the investigation gets underway, Harry Hole suspects a link between a menacing letter he’s received and this recent disappearance—and perhaps a dozen other women, all of whom went missing on the day of a first snowfall.
The unthinkable has happened for Harry Hole: the son of the woman he has loved, lost, and still loves is arrested for murder. Harry sets out on a solitary, increasingly dangerous investigation that takes him deep into the world of the most virulent drug to ever hit the streets of Oslo in order to prove that Oleg is not a killer.
The police urgently need Harry Hole . . . A killer is stalking Oslo’s streets. Police officers are being slain at the scenes of crimes they once investigated but failed to solve. The murders are brutal, the media reaction hysterical. But now, with those he loves most facing terrible danger, Harry is not in a position to protect anyone– least of all himself.