The Bat Jo Nesbo Book Review

Jo Nesbo is one of those select few author's who can claim to be a household name, and as such I was aware of him and his creation Harry Hole (pronounced Hoola or Holy as  in this book) without having ever read a word.

Until now, that is and this book came as a surprise to me. I was expecting a slice of brooding Nordic Noir but instead I got a straight forward adventure novel that seems to owe more to American crime fiction than it does to the likes of Stieg Larsson. That's not to say I was disappointed, quite the opposite in fact and I found myself sucked into the story and by the mid-way point I had fallen for Nesbo's  truly dysfunctional detective and will certainly be seeking out more in the bestselling series. I'm told that the later books are far more in the Nordic Noir style, but as an introduction to the character, The Bat is pretty damn good.

The novel is set in Australia where Harry has been sent to investigate the murder of a Norwegian woman, and soon our troubled detective finds himself on the trail of a serial killer. It's hardly an original premise but thankfully Nesbo handles the timeworn fish out of water theme with panache and makes the old chestnut both fresh and surprising.

I enjoyed the book - even if it wasn't what I was expecting.