Midnight Sun - Jo Nesbø

My review of Jo Nesbø's Midnight Sun first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. I am posting it today with their permission. Hope you enjoy.

First line: "How are we to start this story?"

Jo Nesbø's narrator in this standalone thriller is running from The Fisherman, a powerful drug lord with eyes everywhere. He knows it is only a matter of time until he is found, but figures Kåsund, a small village in the far north of Norway, is as good a place to hide as any.

Introducing himself as Ulf, up from Oslo to hunt grouse, the narrator meets Lea and her precocious son, Knut, when they discover him sleeping in the church. Lea loans Ulf her husband's rifle since he has nothing to hunt with and shows him a small cabin in the woods where he can stay. Time alone in the secluded shack affords Ulf the opportunity to reflect on the past he's trying to escape. But he also spends time with the newly widowed Lea and grows fond of young Knut. Those familiar with a Nesbø novel know serenity can only be short lived, and it isn't long before Kåsund's visiting hunter becomes the hunted.

Midnight Sun is short, swift and thoroughly captivating. The author of the Harry Hole series continues his trend of well-crafted, surprising plots populated by complex, haunted characters. Midnight Sun offers several superb plot twists as well as strong symbolism, like the 24-hour sunlight offering no darkness in which to hide, and well-placed humor. The relationship dynamics of Kåsund's colorful citizens adds to the suspense and illustrates Nesbø's skill for rich, dimensional characters, regardless of their role. Ulf is arguably one of Nesbø's finest; his return would certainly be welcome.

Midnight Sun is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9780385354202) from Knopf and as an unabridged audiobook (ISBN: 9780553545999), narrated by Kim Gordon from Random House Audio.

  

   

Cockroaches - Jo Nesbø

My review of Cockroaches by Jo Nesbø first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. It is appearing here today with their permission. 

First line: "The traffic lights changed to green, and the roar from lorries, cars, motorbikes and tuk-tuks rose higher and higher until Dim could see the glass in Robinson's department store vibrating."

Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole series backs up to book two with the first U.S. publication of Cockroaches. Hole, a notorious drunk, is sent to Thailand to investigate the murder of Norway’s ambassador.

The Norwegian politicians insist his prior success working a case in Australia is their justification for choosing him. But as Hole uncovers evidence in the ambassador’s murder, he discovers their true expectation was that he would fail and all the secrets remain hidden.

Hole is determined to stay away from the bottle, but as his ghosts continue to haunt him and new regrets are added to his toppling pile, the siren’s song plays louder, becoming harder and harder to resist.

Government construction contracts, pedophilia, and gambling make up the complex network of events in Nesbø’s tightly woven, adrenalin-inducing plot. The sights and sounds of Thailand are as convincing as Nesbø’s native Norway and as integral to the story.

Hole’s supporting cast is a colorful array of dynamic characters, none of which is exempt from the cloud of suspicion or the possibility of an untimely death.

While elements of the first Harry Hole novel arise in Cockroaches, they do not impact the reader’s ability to understand the plot. Just enough background is offered so their role in Hole’s character—and thus his motivations--is clear and the momentum of the story remains unimpeded.

Fans of the series will enjoy this early entry loaded with dark humor and explosive plot twists. Rookies can make their introduction to a young Harry Hole and learn why he’s an international sensation.

Cockroaches is available in trade paperback (ISBN: 9780345807151) from Vintage Crime/Black Lizard. There is also an unabridged audio (ISBN: 9780553397673), narrated by John Lee, available from Random House Audio.

Police - Jo Nesbø

My review of the audiobook of Police first appeared in Shelf Awareness for Readers. It is appearing here today with their permission.

First line: "It was asleep in there, behind the door."

John Lee returns as the voice of Harry Hole for Jo Nesbø’s newest installment of his beloved detective’s series. Harry resigned his shield and is no longer a part of the police department, but he’s back in Oslo teaching at the police college. When a demented killer begins targeting police officers—killing them at the scene of a crime the officer failed to solve--the Oslo Police are on high alert, and Harry Hole returns as a “consultant” to help capture the madman.

John Lee’s approach to Harry Hole expresses the intensity and urgency of the plot while still maintaining the cool, detached persona of the weathered detective. Lee also manages to exude the depth of Hole’s emotions, whether they be the love for his family or the distain for his suspects, without betraying the protective mask Hole displays to the world.

Police, like most installments in this series, employs multiple key plot twists. Lee’s narration works to augment the suspense without inadvertently providing signals that clue the reader. This is especially vital because of Nesbø’s unpredictability. He’s never been one to shy away from killing a main character, so with a plot that involves a serial cop killer, maintaining that mystery is key.

The combination of Nesbø’s writing and Lee’s reading paints a dark, chilling atmosphere, and Police is at equal measures haunting and hopeful.

Because Police reveals spoilers from Phantom, book 9 in the series, those wishing to read earlier books would be advised to do so before Police.

Police is available on unabridged audio (ISBN: 9780804163880) from Random House Audio. It's a longer audiobook at 14 discs (about 17 hours). It is also available in hardcover (ISBN: 9780307960498) from Knopf.

The Redeemer - Jo Nesbø

I'm on a little bit of an audiobook role here as I play catch-up with reviews. My review of The Redeemer was part of last week's audiobook-focused Shelf Awareness issue. It is appearing here now with their permission.

First line: "She was fourteen years old and sure that if she shut her eyes tight and concentrated she could see the stars through the roof."

In the United States, several narrators have read Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole series. The Redeemer, book six in the series, is the first time John Lee gives voice to the damaged Oslo police detective. His narration, however, sounds as though he’s known the series intimately from the start.

While Lee’s style may sound abrupt at first, the rhythm quickly blends into the story and becomes an afterthought as listeners find themselves caught up in the action of the investigation.

Detective Hole is after the killer of a Salvation Army worker. Despite the murder happening in a crowded street, no one can identify the shooter; even worse, he’s not finished. Harry must find him and prevent him from killing again.

Hole’s role is a challenge in the various layers Nesbø created throughout the series, but Lee has a firm grip on the strata. Hole’s paradoxical characteristics of compassion and apathy blend seamlessly in Lee’s calm, laid back approach to the detective. And while the action of the plot is fast and intense, Lee keeps the pace in line with Hole’s character.

Nesbø works a very dark sense of humor into this series, which is not lost on Lee. His depiction of Hole with an unloaded weapon in a standoff with the murderer is both suspenseful and humorous.

Nesbø fans accustomed to Robin Sachs’ previous narrations may find the change a bit jolting, but John Lee has given voice to an exceptional interpretation of The Redeemer.

The Redeemer is available as an unabridged audio (ISBN: 9780307917546) from Random House Audio. It is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9780307595850) from Knopf (translated by Don Bartlett).

A Man of Many Talents - Jo Nesbø

Thanks to the kind folks at Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont, PA, I had the opportunity last Thursday to meet Scandinavian sensation, Jo Nesbø. What an amazing opportunity. So, today I'm going to share a little of that experience with you.

In the United States, Jo now has three novels out featuring his detective Harry Hole: THE REDBREAST, which I reviewed here last year, NEMESIS, and most recently THE DEVIL'S STAR. These however, are numbers three, four and five in the total series. Jo's Harry Hole bibliography actually includes nine novels total.

When Jo was introduced he said he had been writing for twelve years and that book signings are "sometimes an exercise in humiliation." I thought maybe he was having a little trouble with his English and meant to say humility, but no, he actually meant humiliation. As he went on he told us some stories about his travels. When he was in the Philippines, he was buying books in a bookstore and saw his own book, THE REDBREAST, behind the counter. He informed the cashier that he was the author and she wanted to go get her manager. Jo didn't want to hold up the line, but the cashier insisted. The manager came back and asked Jo if he could prove he was Jo Nesbø. Unfortunately he had left his ID back at the hotel, so no, he couldn't prove his identity. The manager apologized and said she couldn't give him the author discount on the books he was buying. Jo said quickly that he wasn't looking for a discount, but would she like him to sign his book? She said, "if you come back tomorrow with ID, you can sign one copy."

Jo's road to publishing was an exciting one. When he was 17 he was pretty certain that he would have a career as a professional soccer player. But when he tore ligaments in both of his knees, he was forced to come up with Plan B for his career path. Plan B turned out to be studying economics and business administration. According to Jo, when you don't know what you want to do with your life in Norway, that's what you study. In college Jo found an opportunity to join a band, playing guitar - when he knew all of two chords. After college, he moved back to Oslo and formed a different band with his brother and three professional musicians. Jo claims that the band didn't sound very good because he could still only play three chords. But they started playing at a small club where one of the musicians worked. They were hired every week because they "were so cheap." Jo told us they were so awful that they would change the name of the band every week, so the patrons would think someone else was coming in to perform. But after a year and a half of this, the band improved and some people starting asking for them to perform. But since they continually changed their name, people didn't have a way to ask for them specifically so they asked for "those guys." And that's what the band's name became - Those Guys.

Those Guys were fortunate enough to be heard by a record producer who happened by the club one night and offered them a record deal. They sold 5,000 copies, which Jo thought was incredible. The record company, not so much. But with album number 2, Those Guys found themselves a hit single and overnight success. They were suddenly being invited to play all over Norway. At the same time, Jo was working as a stock broker because he had promised his mother he wouldn't quit his day job - no matter what. So, he'd work his day job, fly out to the gigs at night, then fly back to return to work the next day. After the band's third year, when he played 180 dates, he needed a break.

Jo went to his boss at the brokerage firm and took a 6-month leave of absence; he informed the band that he would need to have an indefinite leave from touring. Then he took off to Australia with a laptop and an idea for a crime novel. Thus Harry Hole was born. While Jo was fairly certain that his first novel wouldn't be published, he was certain that writing was now something he HAD to do. His hope was that he would send the first novel off and at least get interest from a publisher who might see potential in his writing. So, he sent the manuscript off and forgot about it.

But he didn't forget about his love, his need, of writing. On the day he returned to the brokerage firm, he went into his office, turned on the computer, and before his screen finished loading with the stock indexes he walked into his boss's office and resigned. Then he went off in search of some freelance work with newspapers. He was working on this freelance work when the call came in from the publishing house; they were interested in his manuscript and wanted to meet with Jo.

However, they didn't know they were meeting with Jo because he originally submitted his manuscript under a pen name. If he was published, he wanted to be published on the merit of his work, not his star status as a musician. His fear was if they knew he was a celebrity, they would publish anything he wrote, even if it was crap. But when he walked into the meeting with five older men and they asked him why he submitted the manuscript under a pen name, he said, "because I'm Jo Nesbø." And they looked at each other and then said, "who's Jo Nesbø?" No one knew who Jo was and only one of the men had ever even heard the name of the band.

Jo read a section of his book in both English and Norwegian. Then a guest asked him if he was able to do that in all 40 languages his books had been translated in. Sadly, no he cannot. But, I am going to try to share that reading with you here. This is my first attempt at sharing an audio file; hopefully it will work correctly for you all:

Nesbo Sound Clip

Another member of the audience asked about the women in Harry's life and how they don't fair too well. Did Jo have any thoughts about that. Jo said when he looks back he notices that they tend to die and he tries not to analyze it.

Jo was asked if Henning Mankell influenced him because they have similarities in their writing styles. Jo actually didn't read his first Mankell novel until after he started writing, but attributes their similarities more to possibly sharing the same influences: the Scandinavian crime writers of the seventies, very likely.

Jo's mother was a librarian and his father a book lover. One of the first books that Jo's father read to him was LORD OF THE FLIES. Jo picked it out for two reasons: he could read enough to tell that the book was about kids on a deserted island and the cover had a pig head's on stake. Visual effect is important to the young writers of today, he believes, so television and movies have influenced him tremendously.

Jo is presently working on the third book in his children's series. The first was just released this year in the United States: DR. PROCTOR'S FART POWDER. I am so getting that for my nephew!

Jo wrapped up the event with a signing of course. I found it a little more difficult to connect with Jo because he was as shy if not moreso than me. I can follow, but I can't lead when it comes to starting conversations. I did however ask him about the first two books of the Harry Hole series and if they would be translated. It sounds like there's a good chance they will be translated at least in the U.K. And I managed to get this picture. The kind woman I sat with at the event took this for me, and I thank her kindly!

Jo is intelligent, talented and very funny. It was truly a treat to have this great opportunity. And again, thanks to Mystery Lovers. They do a fabulous job of booking wonderful crime fiction writers. Happy Reading, all!

Sunday Odds and Ends

Well, despite the fact that I abhor snow, and we've been getting plenty of it, January is off to a great start for me. I hope that's true for you, too.

Today I thought I'd do a little round-up of various things I've seen on the web this week. But first I wanted to remind you that time is running out to enter my blogiversary contest to win one of two signed books from Steve Hockensmith's Holmes on the Range series. You can enter here.

Speaking of blogiversary, it will be two years ago on Tuesday that I started Jen's Book Thoughts. Do you know what else is Tuesday? Yep! The release of THE FIRST RULE. Coincidence? I don't think so! Thanks R.C. and Putnam for helping to celebrate my blog's birthday. And R.C.'s visit to Ohio is closing in. Two weeks from today! Can't wait!! If you're going to be in Dayton to see R.C., make sure you drop me a note and let me know so we can make a point of meeting and saying "hi."

I was over the moon to see some authors scheduled at Mystery Lovers Book Shop. You can see their entire line-up here. I've already got my spot for Jo Nesbø's and Alafair Burke's events in March. And I'm also planning to attend the Festival in May. I have it from a good source that Brad Parks is scheduled to be at the festival this year.

Speaking of Brad Parks. The scoundrel put my reputation through a blender this week in his interview with Pop Culture Nerd.

I went back and forth this week with Tom Schreck about the need for sidekicks to have sex. You can weigh in on the topic here.

The folks over at the Criminal Minds blog are growing in number. Have you been there lately? Stop over and wish the new contributors a warm welcome. And some changes are going on over at The Outfit.

And today, Lesa Holstine has posted her first video production to her blog. She's highlighting some cozy mysteries from Penguin, and she did a fantastic job.

I still have three reviews from books I read in 2009 that I need to finish to have last year totally wrapped up. I'd love to get those done this week. Then I have four others that I've finished reading so far this year. Geez, already starting off the year behind! I'm also doing a lot of behind the scenes prep work for some things to come, so if I'm a little sparse, that's what I'm doing.

Hope you have a wonderful (warm) week filled with great reading!

January Round-up

O.k., in January I managed to finish eight books (five of the authors were new to me), which is pretty good considering I was also reading a manuscript for a friend. I thought I was slow at just READING a book, but when I'm making comments as well - OH LORD! I felt so bad because it took me so long to return the manuscript, but alas I was consoled when he told me the comments were helpful. That's all I need to hear, and I'm happy as a lark. I simply want to be helpful. Anyway, back to the January roundup.

It feels kind of funny to do this post because you can see all eight books over under my 2009 reads. There's only January at this point, but here goes:

I started out with Linda Fairstein's Lethal Legacy this year. What a joy to be back with Alex, Mike and Mercer. Mike Chapman is one of my favorite supporting characters in crime fiction. He's funny, has a macho exterior and a soft cushy interior! This book was especially fun because I learned about the New York Public library, and I can't imagine a better crime setting for a bibliophile. And by the way, it will be released this Tuesday.

Next I read A Dangerous Affair. That was a historical crime fiction novel that I received through Harper's early reader program. It was fun to transport back to Victorian England for that caper.

Time and Again was my book club's read for January. Not especially impressed with that one, but overall, I'm not a fantasy fan, so it was really at a disadvantage to begin with. If you're in to the time travel-type books, you may enjoy this one.

The Redbreast was another Harper publication and it is the first book to go on the list for contention in my top reads of 2009. Nesbø does an amazing job creating a complex plot and breaking the loner, alcoholic stereotype.

Finally I read Barry Eisler's Fault Line. Not especially impressed with this one. I just couldn't make a connection with the characters, and I'm a character reader.

My audio books for January included Blood Trail and Free Fire by C.J. Box. I enjoyed them, especially their settings, and I'll read other books in the series. But there also wasn't anything that really distinguished either of these two books as outstanding for me.

And I also listened to Last Car to Elysian Fields in January. Amazing. It's just that simple. Mark Hammer was a phenomenal reader and James Lee Burke is a phenomenal writer. The combination is perfect. As I've said before, I would consider Burke to be one of the greatest living American writers, and I have yet to find a reader who more perfectly embodied the essence of a novel than Hammer embodied the Dave Robicheaux series. The person who made that connection happen is a sheer genius.

I didn't link any of my titles to their reviews because I'm lazy tonight. I just finished a review that will be posted tomorrow - make sure you check back - and I figured since I have them linked over in the sidebar, you can link from there if you want to see the review. Plus, I'm really antsy to get back to a book my friend loaned me to read; it's called ADAM by Ted Dekker. So, I'll toddle off to my reading and leave you to yours.

Happy Reading - hope your February discoveries are wonderful!

The Redbreast - Jo Nesbø

When Norway's crime squad wants to quietly remove Harry Hole from the public's - and especially the press's eye - they promote him to investigator with the POT (Security Service) to essentially push paper around. In the process of pushing this paper around, Harry finds himself assigned to watch a neo-Nazi who escaped prison on a legal technicality and that assignment leads Harry into a serial murder case that has ties to World War II Nazis.

Jo Nesbø's The Redbreast is a complex novel involving two plots - one present-day Oslo, Norway, one World War II Eastern Front - that creatively swerve around, over and under each other for about 400 pages and then collide to create a spectacular conclusion. Each time the plots come close to each other, the reader moves a little closer to understanding the outcome, to solving the case. And THEN the plots twist. Right up to the end Nesbø is throwing twist after twist into the fold, which keeps the pace quick and the action sharp. This is a long book in page numbers, but those pages almost turn themselves. And don't get lazy reading this one; there are no lulls or unimportant parts.

The characters who inhabit this novel are rich and multi-dimensional. I've heard many people complaining about the cliché alcoholic cop. Harry Hole is a recovering alcoholic, but he doesn't fit any of the clichés. His relationships with others is probably what builds his character the most. When he leaves the crime squad, he is also leaving his partner and confidant, Ellen. Harry's relationship with his sister also helps to define him. He isn't a rebel or a maverick, and while he, at times, is on the outside looking in, he actually wants to belong. He desperately wants that light on his answerphone to be lit up when he comes home.

One of the elements I found most stunning about this novel were the various parallels of man to nature. The body of the novel presents various elements of nature, but the bookends are references to birds. Ellen presents the dilemma of the redbreast early in the novel:

'It's a rare bird, the redbreast...Ninety per cent of them migrate south. A few take the risk, as it were, and stay here...the ones that stay do so in the hope that it will be a mild winter, right? That may be OK, but if they're wrong, they die. So why not head south, just in case, you might be wondering. Are they just lazy, the birds that stay?...if it's a mild winter, they can choose the best nesting places before the others return...It's a calculated risk, you see. You're either laughing all over your face or you're in deep, deep shit. Whether to take the risk or not. If you take the gamble, you may fall off the twig frozen stiff one night and not thaw out till spring. Bottle it and you might not have anywhere to nest when you return. These are, as it were, the eternal dilemmas you're confronted with.'

And the book ends with a look at the wagtail:

A bird strutted in front of them, wagged its tail, pecked at the grass and kept a watchful eye open.

'Wagtail,' Harry said. 'Motacilla alba. Cautious chap...Our Small Birds...I read in the bird book I mentioned that no one knows why wagtails wag their tails when they stand still. It's a mystery. The only thing we know is that they can't stop...'

The imagery these two analogies present is stunning, and their purposes multi-faceted. They obviously are presenting themes in the novel but they also work to create foreshadowing. The novel ends on bit of a mysterious note, one that makes the reader suspect that we haven't heard the last of Harry Hole. And that's a good thing in my opinion.