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Jo Nesbo
Harry Hole, drunkard, loner and brilliant detective is reassigned to surveillance after a high profile mistake. He s bored by his new job until a report of a rare and unusual gun being fired sparks his interest because of its possible links to Neo Nazi activity. Then a former soldier is found with his throat cut. Next Harry s former partner is murdered. Why had she been trying to reach Harry on the night her head was smashed in? The investigation leads Harry to suspect that the crimes have their roots in the battlefields of Eastern Front during WWII. In a quest that takes him to South Africa and…
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The Redbreast was my first book of Jo Nesbo’s that I read – and it did not stop there! I’ve been wolving down his new books as soon as they come out. If you want a real page-turner, try!
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JO NESBØ is a musician, songwriter, economist and author. His first crime novel featuring Harry Hole was published in Norway in 1997 and was an instant hit, winning the Glass Key Award for best Nordic crime novel (an accolade shared with Peter Høeg, Henning Mankell and Karin Fossum). Another of the series was recently voted best Norwegian crime novel of all time by Norwegian readers. The Devil’s Star is the first of his novels to be translated into English.
topAbout the Book
Harry Hole, drunkard, loner and brilliant detective is reassigned to surveillance after a high profile mistake. He s bored by his new job until a report of a rare and unusual gun being fired sparks his interest because of its possible links to Neo Nazi activity. Then a former soldier is found with his throat cut. Next Harry s former partner is murdered. Why had she been trying to reach Harry on the night her head was smashed in? The investigation leads Harry to suspect that the crimes have their roots in the battlefields of Eastern Front during WWII. In a quest that takes him to South Africa and Vienna, Harry finds himself perpetually one step behind the killer. He will be both winner and loser by the novel’s nail-biting conclusion. The Redbreast. He s your judge, jury and executioner And he must be stopped
topJo Nesbo interview/review
Soho Noir Jo Nesbo Interview
Detective Harry Hole – erratic, alcoholic, shambolic. He takes us a while to warm to, yet when we do we take him to heart in his fight against Tom Waaler.
- Where did the inspiration come from for such a complex yet likeable character?
He is a combination of two and a half friends of mine, one guy who is definitely not a friend, Frank Miller’s Batman and an old, grumpy and famous Norwegian soccer coach. And – I’m afraid – a little bit of myself.
- The relationship between Hole and Waaler isn’t what we’re used to seeing in the current crime scene however we think it works well as it adds another dimension to the novel. Why did you choose two central characters over one?
I wanted Waaler to manifest “the dark side”, not as Harry’s opposite, but as his mirror, his twin. I want to show the thin line that seperates the hero from his antagonist.
- Is Harry coming back for more?
He is. We’ve already released The Saviour in Norway and I’m working on another Harry Hole novel right now.
- Any connection between Crime and cold weather?
As in crime fiction? Maybe. Cold weather, staying alone indoors goes well with reading, I guess. And writing. A friend of mine once said that the most important talent for a writer is the talent for being alone.
- What could get you arrested?
You mean; what got me arrested? Well, dropping my pants and mooning for a passing police car when I was eighteen. A bit drunk and nothing I’m very proud of, but it gave me the chance to do some research. I know what the inside of a cell looks like.
W# e hear you were also in Di Derre, one of Noway’s biggest selling bands. Have you forsaken ‘sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll’ for a life of Crime?
I honestly can’t tell the difference. And I’m still playing.
- What’s your favourite Crime novel?
The Killer Inside Me , Jim Thompson.
- Do you have any rituals/habits or things you need by your side while you are writing? (Coffee, Vodka etc)
Coffee. And music. Loud music, actually.
- Do you know how the novel is going to end when you first sit down to start it?
Oh yes.
- When can we expect your next novel and is there any space for two characters called Joe and Megan?
In English? This year I hope. I’m always looking for names for new characters. And Joe sounds familiar ….
topStarting Points for Discussion
- ‘Every year 60% of all hedge sparrows die’ Birds are a recurrent motif within the novel. What does their inclusion signify? What does the title come to represent?
- ‘Hole combines an intriguing toughness with a psychological brittleness’ (Express) To what extent do you agree with this evaluation of Harry Hole’s character?
- In what ways does the story’s setting contribute to its development? Why do you think every chapter is located and dated?
- How does the novel portrayal Norway’s involvement in the Second World War? For what reasons did the soldiers fight at the Eastern Front?
- What is the ‘great betrayal’ the murderer explains as his motive?
- To what extent does history repeat itself in the novel?
- Examine the characters of Sverre Olsen and Sindre Fauke. Is it possible to draw any comparisons between the Norwegian neo-Nazi’s and the Eastern front soldiers?
- ‘Not all angels are heaven sent. I am one such angel. And I have come to pass judgement on the living and the dead’ To what extent is justice served at the end of the novel?
Other Books by Jo Nesbo
Nemesis
Grainy CCTV footage shows a man walking into a bank and putting a gun to a …
The Devil’s Star
It’s a sweltering summer in Oslo when a young woman is found murdered in her…
The Leopard
The Redbreast
Harry Hole, drunkard, loner and brilliant detective is reassigned to survei…
Suggested Further Reading
BY THE AUTHOR
- The Devil’s Star (Vintage, 2006)
EUROPEAN CRIME
- Fred Vargas
- Have Mercy On Us All
- Seeking Whom He May Devour
- The Three Evangelists
- Arnaldur Indridason
- Voices
- Draining Lake
- Karin Fossum
- Black Seconds
- He Who Fears the Wolf
- Ake Edwardson
- Frozen Tracks
- Never End
- Henning Mankell
- Depths
- Giulio Leoni
- The Third Heaven Conspiracy
- Petros Markaris
- Zone Defence
The Redbreast was my first book of Jo Nesbo’s that I read – and it did not stop there! I’ve been wolving down his new books as soon as they come out. If you want a real page-turner, try!
Posted by Nicole on 2009-04-18