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Frelseren (Harry Hole #6)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 4,791 ratings · 442 reviews

One freezing night in Oslo Christmas shoppers gather to listen to a Salvation Army street concert. An explosion cuts through the music, and a man in uniform falls to the ground, shot in the head at point-blank range.

Harry Hole and his team have little to work with: no immediate suspect, no weapon and no motive. But when the assassin discovers he has shot the wrong man, Har...more

Paperback, 479 pages

Published 2007 by Modtryk (first published 2005)

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May 27, 2012 Allison rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

562 pages of brilliance.

The English-speaking publication industry has destroyed Jo Nesbo's fantastic Harry Hole (pronounced "Hula" like Hula Hoop) series, not only by omitting the first two books in this series by starting it on the third book (The Redbreast), but also by switching the order of a few books in the series. Whatever the case, make sure you are reading these in order: they are brilliant. Did I say that already?

It's understandable then why I had a hard time finding this book. Not on...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Anastasia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biblioteca-civica

Thriller mediamente buono, forse dimenticabile fra la marea di thriller mai scritti.
Non è una lettura che sconsiglio, ma anche se non la fate di certo non mi offendo a morte, vivete bene lo stesso. Diciamo che ha tanti punti vincenti contro due o tre falle che no, lo portano a queste ambigue tre stelline.
Andiamo per ordine:

1 - Harry Hole. Ora, io non ho letto tutta la serie e mi sono ritrovata a sapere che La ragazza senza volto è il settimo (o sesto? whatever) della serie di questo commissario...more Thriller mediamente buono, forse dimenticabile fra la marea di thriller mai scritti.
Non è una lettura che sconsiglio, ma anche se non la fate di certo non mi offendo a morte, vivete bene lo stesso. Diciamo che ha tanti punti vincenti contro due o tre falle che no, lo portano a queste ambigue tre stelline.
Andiamo per ordine:

1 - Harry Hole. Ora, io non ho letto tutta la serie e mi sono ritrovata a sapere che La ragazza senza volto è il settimo (o sesto? whatever) della serie di questo commissario. Magari ha tutto un background fascinoso e questo non è altro che un libro di passaggio, ma io debbo dire la mia nonostante tutto. Tante buone cose, Harry, ma ci sono protagonisti molto più rilevanti di te e insomma, non mi pari tutta questra gran cosa. Chi baratterebbe mai Patrick McKenzie con te, ad esempio? (anche se McKenzie non funziona senza la Gennaro, quindi facciamo un due per uno, situazione ancora più improponibile vista la bilancia dei due valori). Come tutti gli altri commissari di polizia sei disgustato dalla vita, dal crimine, schifi la vita sociale perché ormai sei troppo abituato ad accontentarti di te stesso, ma inevitabilmente ti lasci coinvolgere dalle vicende e (view spoiler). Questo è l'identikit di default di gran parte dei protagonisti di serie thriller. O almeno, fino ad ora non ho mai incontrato un poliziotto o detective allegrone e baldanzoso e la vita l'è bela, l'è bela. Però ogni detective ha le sue peculiarità, tu sei sciapo, ragazzo mio! (ragazzo..'nzomma..) Non sei niente di speciale. Non ti distingui sul serio, peccato. Apprezzo la tua umanità, ma ti voglio più originale, più ...più distinto tra la massa di tuoi simili.
(tagliamo qui o sfocerò nell'assurdo)

2 - A Nesbo piace tanto riempire le pagine, eh? Ecco una qualità di questo libro: di certo non è tutto come sembra (nooooo! veramente?!) e ad ogni pagina c'è un ribaltamento delle carte in tavola, o almeno un colpo di scena. Perché Nesbo ne sembra dipendente, non può vivere se non ti scombina i piani, che poi in realtà escludendo magari le messe a punto finali è tutto già intuibile mezzo secolo prima della sua rivelazione. Ma che ci dobbiamo fare, fingiamo stupore, strabuzziamo gli occhi con le labbra ad O. Eppure funziona comunque, anche perché capita di non poter avere tutto il piano di Nesbo sottomano e di aver come minimo la curiosità di svelarsi i punti ancora oscuri. Cinquecento pagine che dipendono da questo motore del colpo-di-scena-dopo-l'altro-non-stop. Intuibile pure che verso pagina quattrocento (su 500) si comincia ad avvertire una sorta di esasperazione, e la minestra viene veramente allungata. Cutto cutto cutto, Nesbo! Mo' basta!

3 - Ma un sicario.. è normale che si comporti così? Io voglio dire, cazzo, ma sei scemo?! Okay, hai commesso un errore, ma mezza Oslo è alla tua caccia e tu ti ostini a dover riparare? MA TORNATENE A CASA! Non ti fucilano se spieghi la situazione! Naturalmente non esitare a incriminarti per l'ennesimo omicidio e lasciare tracce di te con cui la polizia può gingillarsi. Questa non è testardaggine, è resa un po' grossolana del protagonista per fini narrativi. Non ha motivi personali per stare così esageratamente dietro a questa commissione, allora non ha senso che si metta così a repentaglio solo per una sorta di pignoleria lavorativa. Non per tutte queste cinquecento pagine. Si poteva abbellire meglio queste esigenze narrative.

Però povero Nesbo. Oh, Jo Nesbo. Jo Nesbo. Se vi dicessi perché ho voluto leggere qualcosa di questo autore mi considerereste ancora più idiota del sicario citato qua sopra.
Ecco, in realtà l'ho fatto perché credo che il suo nome abbia qualcosa di veramente figo. Io mi chiamo Jo Nesbo: oh, wow, uao, ammaliante, figata, figataaah. Bene, dopo questa confessione mi sono fottuta tutte le briciole di serietà che la mia persona poteva ancora far trasparire. Posso essere eletta ufficialmente a donnetta con il coso del parrucchiere in testa e il giornaletto gossip fra le mani.
Dicevo però che povero Nesbo, in realtà non si merita di certo la versione criticona di me. Rimane un thriller, come ho detto all'inizio, che si fa leggere molto volentieri e per quanto mi riguarda non ho avuto mai la tentazione di abbandonarlo o metterlo da parte, per quanto non sia stata la lettura più travolgente del mondo (nonostante sia piuttosto cervellotico e intricato). Le uniche falle sono quelle citate sopra, e la seconda in fondo è la medaglia a due facce: certi colpi di scena sono davvero efficaci, niente da dire.

PS: Il titolo italiano tradotto come sempre non c'entra un ca.. con la storia e mi chiedo perché si impegnino così tanto a fare gli alternativi senza scopo.(less)

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May 07, 2012 Cameling rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: murder-mystery

When a soldier with the Salvation Army is shot and killed, the lack of a motive, suspect and weapon frustrates the Norwegian crime squad. What could have been the perfect crime, however, begins to unravel when the killer realizes that he's made a mistake a killed the wrong person.

With his nemesis gone and his alcoholism under control for the time being, Harry Hole should be dancing on cloud nine. Instead, his boss retires and is replaced with a man who appears to play by the book and want to ins...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Marc Nash rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my 3rd Nesbo book in the Harry Hole detective series. And I've had diminishing returns with each read. Maybe I was unlucky to have started off at the apex with "The Snowman". Perhaps it's unfortunate that having read the most recent two, now I am having to go backwards in the series which may not best serve up his work. Or perhaps it's because I have a problem with character-led series. I've said it in my review of "The Leopard", but what new insight into Hole or any other main character...more This is my 3rd Nesbo book in the Harry Hole detective series. And I've had diminishing returns with each read. Maybe I was unlucky to have started off at the apex with "The Snowman". Perhaps it's unfortunate that having read the most recent two, now I am having to go backwards in the series which may not best serve up his work. Or perhaps it's because I have a problem with character-led series. I've said it in my review of "The Leopard", but what new insight into Hole or any other main character can the author reveal by book ten without me the reader thinking why didn't that trait reveal itself before?

But that wasn't necessarily the problem with this book, although how many more times can Hole face death at the hands of the killer/ save someone from the same, or sleep with someone who turns out to be psychologically damaged beyond good health? Actually, there's considerably less of the first two in this than the others I've read. In fact there's tranches of text where not very much happens at all, apart from characters being en route to somewhere else. The bodycount is low in this book. There's a lot about the Salvation Army's history and internal politics within Norway which was dull and maybe of more significant to Norwegian life than it is to say Britain's. Instead you get these strange energy flows within most chapters, whereby the crescendo end of the chapter has to do the work of picking up the flagging momentum that precedes it; but Nesbo has this recurring device of ending a chapter with someone being given a revelation in a bag or by phone message, but the reader doesn't get to see what it is. It just irritates me as a reader rather than playing with my emotions or interest, because it is so constantly contrived.

As to the third of the incredulous strands, that of Hole getting the girl, well the episode in this novel is rather distasteful to my sensibilities. A woman who was raped at fourteen (which is the start of the book), has kept herself pure out of a mixture of her Salvation Army faith and her own trauma of the original rape. And yet along comes our 'Arry, reformed alcoholic (sort of) and sweeps her off her feet, irrespective of the fact she is tangled up in his current investigation. I don't know, I find it a touch troubling that a woman who has avoided sex after being raped, should finally be prepared to cast off her inhibitions because of Hole. I think that represents a bit of moral blindness by the author, since Hole is so identified with Nesbo and Hole is a man who can apparently 'cure' traumatised rape victims of their fear of sex and perhaps also turn homosexuals straight...

The reason i didn't give this book 1 star, was that actually there's rather a good character portrayal in it. A refugee from the bloody Yugoslavian conflict is drawn in a fully-fledged and sympathetic fashion. Unlike the other bad guys in this who are just bad (in all senses of the word) and homeless junkies who populate the book as the background service users of the Salvation Army who are all thinly drawn. I was genuinely engaged by the story and fate of the Yugoslav refugee and for that reason alone I gave the book its second star. But I don't anticipate reading any more Harry Hole adventures. (less)

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Nov 22, 2009 Andrea Bowhill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Redeemer is the fourth book in translation by Jo Nesbo and he captures our imagination with this book by bringing us readers into the storyline twelve years prior to the main plot. We start with the rape of a fourteen year old girl that takes place at a Salvation Army summer camp in Norway. Although we know there was a rape we are not given clues who committed this act or disclosure of the victim. In a second separate event we are also given the story of a young croatian boy caught up in his...more The Redeemer is the fourth book in translation by Jo Nesbo and he captures our imagination with this book by bringing us readers into the storyline twelve years prior to the main plot. We start with the rape of a fourteen year old girl that takes place at a Salvation Army summer camp in Norway. Although we know there was a rape we are not given clues who committed this act or disclosure of the victim. In a second separate event we are also given the story of a young croatian boy caught up in history of croatia and it's political cruelties his known by others as the little redeemer.

Current Day: Oslo, shots ring out at a Christmas Concert, a volunteer dressed as a Salvation Army soldier is executed by a man in the crowd. Less than an hour later Inspector Harry Hole is at the crime scene and with hardly any leads to go on in the hunt for his faceless killer his luck's about to change, the current snow storm that has hit Oslo has grounded flights. Stranded, the Killer looks for a place to stay and keeps a low profile but as the cold night draws on he also discovers he made a fatal mistake his shot the wrong man. With his contract job still pending he makes the most of his time in Oslo and decides to finish his work. He takes refuge for a while with the Salvation Army trying to hide behind the seamy side, where drug dealers and dope heads sell their clothes for fixes even if it could mean life or death in a freezing city. As twisted events unfold Harry suddenly finds himself looking for two types of psychopaths an assassin and a rapist; on the wintery streets of Oslo it suddenly becomes an increasing desperate situation for all.

Fantastic reading! all the ingredients of evil in one book, lies, deceit, revenge, biblical passages, manipulation, bribery, corruptions, violence and more twists and turns than a twisty-turny thing! I will never look at my vacuum cleaner in the same light again!

The Author Jo Nesbo does a wonderful job in this book with his incredible observation, not only of people with their thoughts and feelings making all characters seem so very real, but also about every day life and little things in general. Subjects such as politics, giving us the good/bad sides to his city, level of corruptions in Oslo and of course if you haven't been to Oslo, like me, he gives us those clear visuals, a sense of place for our minds to work towards. You can clearly tell when reading through his interviewed people throughly, tapping into different areas also adding parts of history to build the story. He remains very descriptive throughout his writing, which is something I love more than anything and it really adds and helps us readers use our imagination to lose ourselves in the whole dark twisted plot.

I actually refer to this book as Harry new start, his ex girlfriend is very much in the background and he also managed to get himself to AA meetings and stay soberish for this book. But his still having that constant battle since he requires to carry a hip flask with his favorite tipple as a safety precaution. Even though there are three others books before this one; you can start straight from here, but I would always recommend from the beginning. There will be references to other characters in passing but explanations on them are given throughout.

Harry Hole remains a compelling character to read; a romantic with a very cynical side, he also realizes he needs to confront and question his own weaknesses. After reading the first three books The Redbreast, Nemesis and The Devil's Star you will learn Harry's achilles heal is alcohol, his an alcoholic. His job requires him to live between good and evil in his every day life, but between the lines, could his own addictions and rule breaking finally make him face those two sides of good/evil, which one will finally take hold of him first. Other nice touches to Harry's character, he is, his own man, clearly likes women, well read and he has his love of music and films. But something I noticed over all others right from the first book, Norwegian Hole maybe, but my favorite characteristic in him would be directness of conversation spun with an english dry sense of humor.

For all books that I've read so far in this series, the stories are fascinating to read, constantly moving forward and the plots interwoven with smaller stories throughout bringing in the old and new characters along the way keeping everything fresh with the right pace, suspense, tension and interest. The Author holds the excitement from one page to the next and knows how to surprise, twist and shock.

The Redeemer maybe 460 pages but it's entertaining all the way especially loving the twists. It engages the mind to the very end which clearly makes this book another winner to add to a great series.

Also adding here a thank you to Don Bartlett who gave us all the clear translation of each book in this series. Next in translation The Snowman released March 2010.

Andrea Bowhill
(less)

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Jul 25, 2012 Toni Osborne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The 6th book in the Harry Hole original series

“The Redeemer” is the 4th book I have read and one of the most captivating so far. Some may shy away from this book because of its size but I personally enjoyed every moment spent reading it. It features Inspector Harry Hole, an alcoholic maverick Oslo detective who has been our compelling protagonist throughout the series so far. This installment is written in a particularly vivid manner with revenge as the major theme.

This brilliantly woven and c...more The 6th book in the Harry Hole original series

“The Redeemer” is the 4th book I have read and one of the most captivating so far. Some may shy away from this book because of its size but I personally enjoyed every moment spent reading it. It features Inspector Harry Hole, an alcoholic maverick Oslo detective who has been our compelling protagonist throughout the series so far. This installment is written in a particularly vivid manner with revenge as the major theme.

This brilliantly woven and constructed plot opens with a 12 year flashback to the rape of a 14-year-old girl during a Salvation Army summer training camp. It soon brings us back to the present day murder of a Salvation Army officer in which Inspector Harry Hole and his team have been assigned. The first indications have everybody wondering why the officer was targeted, could this be a case of mistaken identity and is the killer still out there determined to fulfill his contract. The chase proves to be long and arduous and an intricate and detailed web of mystery in which Harry uses every trick in the book to flush out the suspected killer. Time is crucial when they discover a Croatian refugee, hired as a professional assassin is still hell bent on completing his mission at any cost.

As the investigation advanced and the plot thickens my interest was continuously stimulated by the unsuspected twists and turns. Renegade Harry and his freewheeling approach prove to be a hand full for his new boss. Their continuous confrontations create a boss/employee from hell scenario that is quite entertaining at times, however, Harry proves once more that he is nothing but a good detective by unearthing facts that his slicker colleagues have overlooked.

This story has a complex narrative packed with intricate psychological features concerning sexual perversion, child abuse, and the desire for revenge. I found the characters with similar personalities and Scandinavian names are a bit of a challenge to keep track of at first a real stimulus for the brain however I soon overcame this hurdle and enjoy the ride from then on. This exciting mystery is a big puzzle and the author feeds us one spicy piece at the time to keep us on our toes and captivated till the end.

The guessing game, the chilly manhunt, the cliff-hangers and the many crime clichés that pepper the chapters are just some of the factors that drive me to pursuit this series.(less)

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Feb 23, 2012 Anna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, bookcrossing

Jo Nesbø books should come with a warning. Addictive. Please have the rest of Harry Hole series easily available when you start to read one.
Also as a recommendation, the series is best enjoyed in chronological order.

The book begins brilliantly. Short chapters, man kills another, man travels in the underground... another man emerges from an underground in another city. So directly to the action and again hooked after the first few pages. What a perfect Harry Hole book to enjoy while it's still co...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Robert Intriago rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-noir

Very Good. A 14 year old girl gets raped at a Salvation Army camp and does not report it. Four years later a Croatian contract killer murders the wrong person. Harry Hole gets a new boss and is assigned to investigate the murder. Harry has given up drinking but no longer is dating Rakel. There are several other romances in the story. The same police characters from the previous books are present. His old boss retires and Harry travels to Zagreb.

The book spends some time explaining the history of...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Susan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries, scandinavia

Not the worst, but far from the best of the current crop of Nordic noirs, THE REDEEMER follows a disturbing series of murders starting with that of a Salvation Army leader in Oslo. Cinematic crosscutting of scenes adds to the suspense, and the plot is sufficiently contorted but not extremely neat. Even when balancing compassion with alcoholism, Harry Hole still is not a very attractive protagonist. Perhaps I've been reading too many of these, because I feel like I've been compulsively stuffing m...more

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Jun 04, 2012 Eva rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scandi-and-nordic-crime

a really great story! I am impressed. Maybe I have found a replacement for Mankell, who is said to have written the last Wallander mystery. Although it seemed this Nesbo's book would be a polit thriller (which is not my cup of tea) it was not and it exceeded my expectations. Liked it even better than The Devil's Star which was my first book by him. Now I have a dilemma - to read the Snowman or to save it :) The Redeemer takes place in winter - so the total opposite of the summer devil's star. I...more

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May 14, 2013 Barbara Mitchell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Scandinavian invasion in crime fiction caught me off guard, so much so that I am only now trying my first novel from that phenomenon. I know, I'm years late but at least I finally decided to jump in. I had heard about Jo Nesbo and his hero Harry Hole; I even know how to pronounce Hole's last name, so I wasn't totally behind times. Anyway, I noticed Nesbo's newest volume was available at Amazon Vine so I requested it.

I wonder now if all of these novels would give me the same reaction. Reading...more

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Apr 21, 2013 J Edward Tremlett rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There’s nothing like a murder to ring in the Christmas spirit in Oslo.

The victim was a Salvation Army bell-ringer — a common sight in a country where the organization wears uniforms and speaks of “holy war.” What wasn’t common was the fact that the killer struck the man in public, and then simply melted into the crowd. The signs point to a professional hit, which would make the assassin a hired gun. But who in the world would want to kill a man engaged in charitable work?

Tasked with solving that...more There’s nothing like a murder to ring in the Christmas spirit in Oslo.

The victim was a Salvation Army bell-ringer — a common sight in a country where the organization wears uniforms and speaks of “holy war.” What wasn’t common was the fact that the killer struck the man in public, and then simply melted into the crowd. The signs point to a professional hit, which would make the assassin a hired gun. But who in the world would want to kill a man engaged in charitable work?

Tasked with solving that puzzle is Harry Hole*, who has the distinction of being an excellent and demanding detective, and the curse of being all too flawed of a human being. Harry’s a recovering alcoholic who’s just one or two bad pieces of news away from tipping back into a bottle. He’s still trying to get over the end of his last relationship, the murder of his last partner, and a few other crosses he’s bearing at any given time.

Chief amongst the new crosses is his new boss, who is either a well-meaning stickler for rules or a jerk looking to fire him — maybe both. And then there’s the lady in AA who gets off on both him and his horror stories, and the police telling him he needs to carry a gun, now, and worrying about the blasted lump of sorrow his former boss has become.

A lesser person might just slip into a bottle, drink himself sober, and narrowly avoid freezing to death on the streets. But Harry’s made of sterner stuff — he’ll at least make some headway on his current case before allowing himself such a selfish luxury.

The mystery deepens as the assassin strikes again, right when Harry’s in the apartment with the new target. This unnerving occurrence sheds a little more light on the case, but also deepens the mystery even more. Why is a rubber-faced Croatian gunning for Salvation Army members? Is the answer somewhere in the overlapping and complex relationships between the major players in this case? Or has something from that other nation’s past finally stirred itself to life, and come to seek blood for blood?

Can Harry crack this case before he cracks up, or the assassin strikes true? Will there be any redemption for anyone, here, this Christmas?

Reading one of Jo Nesbø’s Hole novels is like trying to solve a complicated puzzle while being stomped in the face by the cold and heavy boots of an evil, laughing clown. The mystery is dense and the atmosphere is crushing, but the pace is swift and the characters unpredictable, which makes it less of a nihilistic slog through old world treacle and more of a measured stroll along the enlightened wreckage of a society that doesn’t understand how broken it actually is.

It’s a testament to Nesbø’s writing that he doesn’t telegraph his moves in advance (you can never tell who’s going to live or die, for example) and that the grim has just enough dark humor in it to keep it from being a total downward spiral. But there’s always the sense that, even if Hole triumphs this time, there’s still some worse, larger conundrum to solve, and we might not like the answers we find, or fully understand or agree with how Hole resolves things.

Will you understand or agree? That’s for you to discover. But whether you’re a fan of Jo Nesbø’s other Harry Hole novels, or someone who enjoys the current vogue of post-Dragon Tattoo, European Dark, You should investigate The Redeemer when it arrives.

* Pronounced “HEU-lay,” apparently(less)

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Apr 10, 2013 Gloria Feit rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This latest Harry Hole novel to be published in the US [termed “Oslo Sequence #4” in the series] may be an allegory, but it certainly is a high-powered crime story. It begins in Oslo in the days before Christmas when a Salvation Army soldier is shot on a street where he stood by the familiar kettle. Complicating Harry’s investigation efforts is the fact that there are no witnesses despite the crowds attending a nearby street concert, and no suspect, weapon or motive. And to make matters worse, t...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Jordan Gregory rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It took me a long time to get into this book. This is partially the book's fault, and partially due to pre-finals crunch time at school. On the book's end, my attention is split between a prologue and three seemingly unconnected story lines. Nesbø switches between perspectives abruptly and without warning, and for me it took a while to track all these hilariously Scandinavian names and places. BUT, once I got them down, things more or less fell into place, and it was well worth it.

At a roadside...more It took me a long time to get into this book. This is partially the book's fault, and partially due to pre-finals crunch time at school. On the book's end, my attention is split between a prologue and three seemingly unconnected story lines. Nesbø switches between perspectives abruptly and without warning, and for me it took a while to track all these hilariously Scandinavian names and places. BUT, once I got them down, things more or less fell into place, and it was well worth it.

At a roadside concert hosted by the Salvation Army, one of the performers/soldiers, Robert Karlsen, is gunned down by a contract killer. But Robert's death is completely accidental: he was only at the concert filling in for his brother and actual target, Jon Karlsen.

So, we have Jon fleeing for his life, and Detective Harry Hole tracing a killer, money and violence across Norway and into Croatia, and shit getting real in the Salvation Army. Oh, and there is rape. Several rapes, and related freaky non-consensual sex shit.
Typical Nesbø: FUCKED. UP.

While I was totally enthralled by the last 2/3 of the book, a couple things seemed less than stellar.

I could predict a few details right off the bat; namely, the killer's identity, the rape victim's identity, and the arc of Harry's new relationship-ish-thingy with Martine (though admittedly, this is given away by my previous reading of The Snowman, Nesbø's significantly scarier book that comes immediately after this one in the series).

Speaking of The Snowman, I think my having read it BEFORE The Redeemer stunted my enjoyment of this book. The latter hasn't been released in English yet (mine is an advance copy), and is coming out in May, well after its successor in the series, The Snowman, has had a chance to thoroughly unsettle all those Americans still mourning Stieg Larsson. I think this bizarre publishing flip-flop might hurt its reception in English-speaking audiences; it's good, don't get me wrong, but it's not as CRAZY as its sequel.

I don't know. Read it, and judge for yourselves. I think I will continue to read Nesbø, and expect total WTFery with every page. And also try to be accommodating of their out-of-order publishing in my expectations.

A personal plea to Jo Nesbø: if you ever decide to create another iconic Norwegian detective-y type, please choose a name more thoughtful than "Harry Hole." :|(less)

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Dec 28, 2011 Paul Curd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-edition, uncorrected-proof, crime-and-mystery, fiction

The Redeemer is the latest thriller from the Norwegian Jo Nesbø and once again features his alcoholic maverick cop, Inspector Harry Hole. It begins with a rape at a Salvation Army summer school, then leaps forward twelve years and two seasons, to freezing cold Oslo at Christmas. The Salvation Army is doing good works among the lowlife junkies of the Norwegian capital. One of them has slipped through the safety net, and Harry Hole is investigating his apparent suicide when one of the Sally Army o...more The Redeemer is the latest thriller from the Norwegian Jo Nesbø and once again features his alcoholic maverick cop, Inspector Harry Hole. It begins with a rape at a Salvation Army summer school, then leaps forward twelve years and two seasons, to freezing cold Oslo at Christmas. The Salvation Army is doing good works among the lowlife junkies of the Norwegian capital. One of them has slipped through the safety net, and Harry Hole is investigating his apparent suicide when one of the Sally Army officers is executed by a professional hit man. The assassin, a product of the war in the former Yugoslavia, realises he has murdered the wrong man but by now the indomitable Harry Hole is on the case . . .

In the past, I have found Nesbø's Harry Hole novels gripping and highly entertaining. The Redeemer has attracted equally high praise elsewhere, but I found it a slightly odd book. Nesbø spends a lot of time examining the formative years of the assassin, to such an extent that the reader becomes increasingly sympathetic to him as a character, especially after his mission goes awry and his situation becomes increasingly dire with the police closing in. The same approach of examining in some detail the nature and nurture of many of the other characters, while interesting to a point, seems a little out of place in a book purporting to be a fast-paced thriller. The effect, on this particular reader at least, was to promote a kind of universal empathy, to the extent that I wasn't particularly rooting for one side over another. To take a football analogy, reading a thriller should be like watching your team playing a much better team in an important cup tie – and eventually winning. But by the end of The Redeemer I had the feeling I was watching an International friendly. Technically, it was all very good, but although I was entertained I had no interest in the eventual outcome.

With too many themes and too many sub-plots it felt to me that Nesbø was trying too hard. In places, too, the book read like a film script, with an over-abundance of 'cut-to' scenes (the whole of chapter two, for example), and while the sudden jumping from scene to scene might work in a movie, on the page it had the counter-effect of diluting the tension. On the positive side, there were a number of well-worked set-piece scenes (a vacuum cleaner used as an instrument of torture, for instance) and Harry Hole's fluctuating relationships with alcohol and the opposite sex is always interesting.
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Dec 29, 2010 Nancy Oakes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very briefly: Harry Hole, Nesbo's awesome yet angst-ridden Norwegian detective, is back -- and this time he's investigating a cold-blooded murder of Salvation Army officer Robert Karlsen in Oslo. The man was killed at point-blank range and the killer left behind no evidence. The police are stymied -- but on his way home, the killer realizes that he's killed the wrong man and botched the hit he was paid to make -- and must stay until the job is completed correctly. Nesbo's done it again (he's und...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Ronald Roseborough rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure-thriller, crime, murder, mystery, mystery-adventure-thriller, harry-hole

I'm a bit surprised to admit it's been a couple of years since I read my last book by Jo Nesbo. (The Devil's Star: A Harry Hole Novel) I can't imagine why. His Norwegian Police Detective, Harry Hole, is a tour de force. Once he is on a case, he hangs on tighter than a guard dog with lockjaw. This time out he is after the killer of a young man in the Salvation Army. The victim was gunned down at a crowded concert a few days before Christmas. Although many statements are taken from witnesses in th...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Ubik 2.0 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ma i nordici riempiono troppe pagine…?

Una delle principali caratteristiche dei thriller di Jo Nesbo è che le radici delle storie affondano sempre in eventi del passato remoto le cui ripercussioni si manifestano nel presente: può trattarsi di fatti storici come la Seconda Guerra Mondiale in "Il pettirosso" che resta il migliore dei romanzi dell'autore norvegese oppure eventi più personali vissuti da uno o più spesso alcuni dei protagonisti in età infantile o adolescenziale.

Tanto per non farci ma...more Ma i nordici riempiono troppe pagine…?

Una delle principali caratteristiche dei thriller di Jo Nesbo è che le radici delle storie affondano sempre in eventi del passato remoto le cui ripercussioni si manifestano nel presente: può trattarsi di fatti storici come la Seconda Guerra Mondiale in "Il pettirosso" che resta il migliore dei romanzi dell'autore norvegese oppure eventi più personali vissuti da uno o più spesso alcuni dei protagonisti in età infantile o adolescenziale.

Tanto per non farci mancare niente, in "La ragazza senza volto", titolo discutibile per il molto più appropriato originale "Il Redentore", abbiamo ambedue i casi: per alcuni personaggi un episodio storico (la guerra fra i paesi dell'ex Jugoslavia) per altri un fatto "privato" risalente all'adolescenza allorchè già militavano nei campi giovanili dell'Esercito della Salvezza (che è l'inedito ambito narrativo in cui si svolge buona parte del romanzo).

Un altro stereotipo dell'autore è il montaggio alternato in capitoli spesso molto brevi [non si tratta dei capitoli numerati, ma di scene interrotte solo dal "salto-riga"], talora inferiori alla dimensione di una pagina, incentrati sull'uno o l'altro dei personaggi: non di rado queste "pagine" si snodano senza citare nomi propri, il chè richiede sempre, nella lettura di Nesbo, un certo sforzo di ricostruzione dei fatti narrati.

In "La ragazza senza volto", con questi elementi di stile e con lo sfondo della solita dose di ambientazioni nordiche, si procede abbastanza bene per un certo tratto del libro, poi la lunghezza dello stesso (oltre 500 pagine) fa sì che Nesbo esageri nell'accumulare episodi/capitoli alternati con vittima-killer-detective-vittima-killer-detective e raggiunga la saturazione. Anche perchè molti di tali episodi non rivestono un peso particolare nell'economia della trama se non forse quello di sottolineare la determinazione del killer (o presunto tale). Abbiamo quindi il protagonista di tutti i romanzi di Nesbo, il detective Harry Hole costantemente impegnato ad intuire le mosse prima dei colleghi ma sempre con un attimo di ritardo per cui spesso incrocia (o quasi) il killer senza riuscire a riconoscerlo o a fermarlo prima che sia troppo tardi.

E' un metodo che crea suspence e che talvolta ha utilizzato anche Deaver nella serie Rhyme, ma qui si ha l'impressione che sia troppo reiteratamente sfruttato e, aggiunto alla tecnica ormai dilagante dei "dieci" finali che si avvicendano nelle ultime pagine, rende questo romanzo meno riuscito di quanto avrebbe potuto essere se adeguatamente sfrondato; ma questa sembra stia diventando una caratteristica costante degli autori nordici!(less)

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Apr 13, 2013 russell barnes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, scandi, 21st-century, thriller

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 17, 2012 Mor rated it 4 of 5 stars

Во время совещаний часто бывает так: возникает проблема, никто не знает, что с ней делать, и по ходу действия все переключаются, находят другие важные вещи и другие решения, время идет, реальность бурно катится вперед, о прошлом все забывают. А потом в конце кто-нибудь встает и говорит: "А как на счет первой проблемы?". И все чувствуют себя неловко, обрушивая на человека с хорошей памятью ярость и недоумение. Харри Холе - это как раз такой человек. Там, где другие обо всем давно забыли и закрыли...more Во время совещаний часто бывает так: возникает проблема, никто не знает, что с ней делать, и по ходу действия все переключаются, находят другие важные вещи и другие решения, время идет, реальность бурно катится вперед, о прошлом все забывают. А потом в конце кто-нибудь встает и говорит: "А как на счет первой проблемы?". И все чувствуют себя неловко, обрушивая на человека с хорошей памятью ярость и недоумение. Харри Холе - это как раз такой человек. Там, где другие обо всем давно забыли и закрыли дело, он прекрасно помнит о лаже. И вернется к ней спустя некоторое время, будь уверен. Он найдет, кто коррупционер из происшествия три тома назад. Он пойдет ночью в сверхурочные и проверит контейнер, где нашли наркомана-самоубийцу. Все сходится, но у Харри Холе засвербило. Он обнаружит даже того, кто изнасиловал влюбленную в него девушку больше десяти лет назад. И нельзя сказать, чтобы люди от этого были в восторге, но Харри это не волнует. И за эту внимательность, упертость, его уважаешь.

Что касается самого романа, то здесь смешалась Армия Спасения, сербско-хорватская война, упоротый киллер из Вуковара - и приход нового начальника! Несмотря на сомнительность нескольких ходов, погружение в мир Харри Холе очень прет. Он ведь и загадку, кто был королем в продажах оружия из предыдущего тома разрешает, хотя не останется никакого отчета. Все пропитано тоской от расставания с Ракелью. Она все время присутствует в мире Харри, но на деле ее там нет. Так бывает - ты или тебя бросили, а человек все еще в голове. Я фэн серии, это мой палп.(less)

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Nov 09, 2011 Lou Robinson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the best Harry Hole so far. As I suspected, the books are getting better and better as the series progresses. I'm not saying they are literary classics necessarily - just really engaging reads with lots of dead bodies and interesting storylines.

Learnt a bit about the Salvation Army (although how true to life it is, I wouldn't know). And I'll certainly never look at rubbish chutes in the same light again...

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Aug 23, 2012 Peggy Harvey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I started reading Jo Nesbo after running out of Stieg Larsson books. These are great thrillers with complicated plots, surprising outcomes, and a very human main character, Harry Hole, who "remains a com pelling character to read; a romantic with a very cynical side, he also realizes he needs to confront and question his own weaknesses." I can't say it better than that quote did.

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Dec 05, 2008 Reinhold rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, the-very-best

Nesbøs bester Hole – bislang

Mit diesem Buch setzt sich Nesbø einen neuen Maßstab. Waren seine Romane bisher mal sehr gut, mal eher mäßig, so hat er sich nun eindeutig übertroffen und ein Meisterwerk vorgelegt.

In Oslo wird ein junger Mann erschossen. Sehr schnell bemerkt der Auftragsmörder, dass er den Falschen erwischt hat und bricht nicht zu seinem Rückflug auf. Schnell kommt Harry Hole dem Täter auf die Spur und ein Wettrennen beginnt.

Extrem spannend beschreibt Nesbø den nunmehr fünften Roman...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Skip rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-detective, foreign-authors

Best alternative to Stieg Larsson. Having spent three books ridding the Oslo police of a corrupt cop, Harry is tapped to lead the investigation of the murder of a Salvation Army soldier by a Croatian assassin. However, it appears that he murdered the wrong brother as Harry again defies orders to solve the crime and deliver justice (in his own style.)

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Jun 25, 2012 Timothy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As usual for Jo Nesbø, this is a fantastic story. Instead of the usual storyline focused around figuring out just who the killer is, most of the story revolves around one particularly unlucky killer getting chased after. There are plenty of mysteries to be unraveled though, there's no mistake about that, and they are just as surprising as the twists in the previous novels in the series. The hunt for the killer, and the different mysteries surrounding the Salvation Army that make up the bulk of t...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Lucia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, crime

Kniha Spasiteľ je rozdelená do štyroch častí, plus prológ a epilóg. Keď som čítala prvú časť, nemohla som sa zorientovať vo veľkom počte osôb a v preskakovaní medzi rozprávačmi, preto mi prišla táto časť trošku nudná z zdĺhavá.

V prvej časti knihy nám spisovateľ len predstaví hlavných "hrdinov a ich útrapy", k rozhodujúcej vražde sa dostane až na konci.No keď sa čitateľ prehryzie cez túto časť, čaká ho veľmi napínavá kniha plná zvratov a neočakávaných prekvapení.

Na knihe sa mi veľmi páčilo, že...more

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May 08, 2011 Carlos rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Harry Hole has again to look at the past to find out who is killing people in Oslo. Nesbo's obssesion with the past is what makes me think this is the best writer of the genre working today, way above of Connelly and others.
This is not his best book, but It is not, by far, a bad book, only that having read Nemesis (my favorite) and The Devil's Star the bar is real high.
So, I like to dwell into the psiquis of criminals, to know exactly what make them tick and no one like Hole to do just that.
I re...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Harry rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective-mystery, favorites

Here's the thing about the recent popularity of Scandinavian writers and if you're a Nordic Thriller aficionado you couldn't care less about the distinction: the novels are depressed, somber, filled with ennui, a lack of humor, with flawed characters if not suffused with a strong tendency towards determinism; in short, whether you're reading Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell, or Jo Nesbo you are likely reading Literary Naturalism. If you live in Scandinavia you might consider this par for the cours...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Marta rated it 5 of 5 stars

Really, really good. This one is in close competition for my favorite Jo Nesbo book. Red Breast just eeks out the win. This entry in the Harry Hole series provided us with a distinctly more sober Harry. At this point in the series this was a nice relief and provided good insight into how Harry works and operates. It also made him more human and even more vulnerable.
The storyline is a fantastic puzzle of "Why?" which was a nice change-up from the ususal "Who?" This element of motive and the need...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Petty Witter rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

To say I had a love-hate relationship with this book is a huge understatement.

With a plot that relentlessly jumped from one aspect/character to another, I became increasingly frustrated at how difficult I found this to follow.

Not only overly long and rambling I also found this a difficult and disturbing read due to certain elements that though thankfully not too protracted I personally found way too violent and unnecessarily graphic.

Main character Harry Hole I however found fascinating and intri...more

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About Jo Nesbø

Jo Nesbø is a bestselling Norwegian author and musician. He was born in Oslo and grew up in Molde. Nesbø graduated from the Norwegian School of Economics with a degree in economics. Nesbø is primarily famous for his crime novels about Detective Harry Hole, but he is also the main vocals and songwriter for the Norwegian rock band Di Derre. In 2007 Nesbø also released his first children's book, Dokt...more

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Quotes from Frelseren

“Bjarne Møller, my former boss, says people like me always choose the line of most resistance. It's in what he calls our 'accursed nature'. That's why we always end up on our own. I don't know. I like being alone. Perhaps I have grown to like my self-image of being a loner, too....I think you have to find something about yourself that you like in order to survive. Some people say being alone is unsociable and selfish. But you're independent and you don't drag others down with you, if that's the way you're heading. Many people are afraid of being alone. But it made me feel strong, free and invulnerable.” — 25 people liked it

“Doubt is faith's shadow.” — 9 people liked it

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Frelseren (Harry Hole #6)

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