The Redbreast: A Harry Hole Novel (Harry Hole Series, 3)

The Redbreast is a masterful weaving of parallel narrations. One thread is in WWII with the Norwegians fighting for Hitler on the eastern front. A second is in modern day Oslo, Norway, where recovering-alcoholic Detective Henry Hole has been reassigned to the Security Service. A third follows an assassin also in modern Oslo. While tracking neo-Nazis, Hole discovers a mystery with roots in the past and the threads begin to come together. Stubborn and determined, Hole manages to worm his way back into the crime division far enough to use their resources to pursue his investigation. Hole is an appealing protagonist who moves at his own pace as does this thought-provoking and highly recommended thriller. This is the third in the Henry Hole series (2000), the first in English translation (2006) http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/N_Authors/Nesbo_Jo.html

"The Redbreast" is a smart and sophisticated crime novel, an intelligent and cleverly crafted tale of honor, disgrace, and chicanery that will have you scratching your head, unable to pull away from a convoluted mystery spanning nearly six decades while probing an obscure but fascinating niche of WWII history. Written by Jo Nesbo in 2000, this Norwegian award winner was translated to English and released a couple of years ago. It starts in 1999, with Oslo police detective Harry Hole nearly causing an international incident when botched communications disrupt a motorcade transporting the President of the US. In an attempt to keep Hole - and Norway, out of the limelight, Harry is shuffled off to a government agency tasked with keeping an eye on neo-Nazi activity in the capital city. Abruptly turn the clock back some fifty-seven years to the Eastern front, to a team of Norwegian nationals, voluntarily fighting the Bolsheviks for the Wermarcht. From Oslo to Leningrad to Vienna and back, Nesbo takes the reader through contrasting images of frozen foxholes and gilded mansions, from traitors who betrayed Norway and joined the invading Nazis while maintaining a semblance of dignity to stone cold killers on both sides of history. "Redbreast" is one of those rare gems of fiction that illuminate dark corners of history while at the same time maintain the pace and suspense of the best pop thrillers. The characters are well drawn and believable, though a word of warning: there are many, and some effort is required in keeping names, places and times in some order. Nesbo is tediously precise not only in his research, but moreover, in dropping obscure hints and foreshadowing leading to a climax that was as credible as it was unexpected, a series of multiple twists and turns that you'll need your Garmin to track, while leaving enough ambiguity to launch a sequel. Nesbo will remind of the painstaking detail of LeCarre's finest works - "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" or "Smiley's People", and may recall images from Turow's "Ordinary Heroes" or Silva's "The Confessor". It shares the broodingly atmospheric Scandinavian fatalism of Icelander author's Arnaldur Indridason's outstanding crime fiction, especially the eerily similar and highly recommended "Silence of the Grave." This is an ambitious novel - and clearly one of the most engrossing books I've read this year - I'd highly recommend adding Jo Nesbo to that list of "must reads."

"The Redbreast" is, quite simply, the best thriller I've read this year. I first read "The Devil's Star" by Mr. Nesbo and was very impressed with his writing and his protagonist, Detective Harry Hole. Harry is sort of the Norwegian equivalent of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch. A portion of this story takes place during World War II and details the fighting that took place along the Norwegian border with Russia. The Norwegians supported the Nazi's in their efforts to stop the Russian advance into their homeland. Several of the men that fought on the front lines during the early 1940's play an integral role in the modern day tale of Hole's attempt to stave off an assisination attempt on current Norwegian royalty. Harry Hole, a world weary investigator, is shuffled off to a lesser investigative branch of the government after he accidently almost kills a Secret Service Agent who he thought was trying to kill a visting President Clinton in the late 1990's. He becomes embroiled in an investigation into white supremacists, meets a fellow woman agent that he falls for, and delves into the past to uncover the secrets of several men who fought in the war. The book is long but doesn't feel like it and the pace picks up considerably during the last two hundred pages. I would defy anyone to put this novel down while charging through to the end of a story that has one of the most incredible, twisting endings that I have read in years. The plotting of this book was masterful. I was very sorry when this one ended. I'm also sad that it took so long to get this and other novels from the same region translated into English so they can be enjoyed on this side of the Atlantic. Nesbo, Mankell, Erickson, et al. are all great writers and have so much to offer to the genre. Publishers take note: Get them translated and bring them to American readers who may be looking for something different.

Bouncing back and forth between WW2 and 2000, Nesbo develops a story that has more turns than the coast of Norway. He even manages to kill off what had appeared to be a major character without damaging the book or story. When you read a translation, you always wonder about how much the translator cleared up misconceptions and other little mistakes that show up in the original. There is also the danger that you will lose many of the 'quirks' that make up the characters. None of that happens in the hands of Don Bartlett who should be commended for a great job. (A friend of mine read the original in Norwegian and said that he was amazed at how closely the english version had the same 'feel'.) The story is way to complicated to define in just a few sentences and can only be described as constantly moving along. The only sad part of this book is that it is the THIRD installment of the series and the first two have still not been translated. Parts of those stories are mentioned in the narrative and will probably spoil the endings of both. Be warned that this was the second book translated, and the third "Nemesis" is actually the next installment (the fourth book) and that "The Devil's Star" the first book translated, is actually the fifth installment. The publishers should be ashamed of themselves as should Nesbo's agent.

Those who follow mysteries are aware that some of the most intriguing works in that genre have been coming out of Scandinavia in recent years. Not least among these has been the work of Jo Nesbo, who lives in Oslo, Norway. His stories about police detective Harry Hole have garnered high praise. In fact, "The Redbreast" was voted the best Norwegian crime novel ever written by members of Norwegian book clubs.It's easy to see why, literally from the opening moments of the book. The pace is leisurely, but perfectly cadenced. The detail is carefully chosen, the revelations of character and depth drawn in easy strokes. This has to be attributed in part to translator Don Bartlett, but one must assume it was there in the first place.The book is set in the present, but its events cover a good deal of time. They go back to World War II, a time when some young Norwegian men willingly fought for Hitler. The plot includes the story of a war hero as well. So out-of-control and alcoholic Hole is plunged into a mystery whose elements reach far and wide.Hole is a wonderful, rich creation. And so is the villain in this book."The Redbreast" is an ambitious book, a mystery, thriller, and serious work of literature combined. The fact that it is highly successful in each of its modes makes it the best thriller of the year - from any country.