The Thirst
THE THIRST may scare some people away because it's about drinking human blood. Actually it's about a serial killer who drinks the blood of his victims. According to a psychologist named Hallstein Smith, this type of person is called a “vampirist”. But they don't sleep all day and sleep in a coffin.
Harry Hole has retired from the police force. In a previous case a serial killer was hunting policemen and Rakel, with whom he's now living, is afraid for him. He loves her, so he agrees to quit. But then, Mikael Bellman, the police chief, who's being considered for the department of justice, ask specifically for Harry. Harry loves hunting murders almost as much as he loves Rakel. For some reason she doesn't object.
There are lots of twists and turns. Jo Nesbo is pretty good at false leads. At one point a hematologist doctor tells Oleg, Rakel's son from another relationship, his mother has rare blood. She's been in a coma for weeks, then suddenly gets well as if nothing happened. My ears perked up like a German shepherd. I'm the type who's always looking for the least likely suspect. He or she is usually the one who did it. Nesbo has a technique for readers like me. Make the reader feel kind of sorry for the suspect you should be able to figure out right off the bat. He got me.
About half way through the book, Hallstein Smith reveals that a vampirist is too impulsive to plan a murder. So now we're looking for the brains behind the killer. Harry tracks down a stalker who looks like a likely suspect. A waitress from the Jealousy Bar is also missing. One of the previous victims met a Tinder date there and this guy was there. Harry develops a relationship with the owner of the bar; he even buys into the bar to keep it open. If you haven't read a Harry Hole novel before, Harry is an alcoholic. When Rakel gets well he asks her to be his bookkeeper. She says she'll think about it. But the brains behind the vampirist is a lot smarter than that or Jo Nesbo is a lot smarter than that. It ain't that easy.
Eventually the light goes on for Harry as it always does, and it almost gets him killed. A good mystery writer also does the minor characters really well. In the Harry Hole mysteries there's this incompetent cop, Truls Bernsten, who's been selling evidence on the vampirist to a newspaper woman. He's pretty much bullet-proof because he grew up with Mikael Bellman, the police chief. Sadly, he's also is love with Bellman's wife, whom he tries to save during a crucial time in the story. He does something like this in every one of the Hole novels. Just when you think he's a total skunk, he solves the case or whatever.
Some people will hate this book, but since Nesbo faked me out of my jock, I have to give it four stars.
Harry Hole has retired from the police force. In a previous case a serial killer was hunting policemen and Rakel, with whom he's now living, is afraid for him. He loves her, so he agrees to quit. But then, Mikael Bellman, the police chief, who's being considered for the department of justice, ask specifically for Harry. Harry loves hunting murders almost as much as he loves Rakel. For some reason she doesn't object.
There are lots of twists and turns. Jo Nesbo is pretty good at false leads. At one point a hematologist doctor tells Oleg, Rakel's son from another relationship, his mother has rare blood. She's been in a coma for weeks, then suddenly gets well as if nothing happened. My ears perked up like a German shepherd. I'm the type who's always looking for the least likely suspect. He or she is usually the one who did it. Nesbo has a technique for readers like me. Make the reader feel kind of sorry for the suspect you should be able to figure out right off the bat. He got me.
About half way through the book, Hallstein Smith reveals that a vampirist is too impulsive to plan a murder. So now we're looking for the brains behind the killer. Harry tracks down a stalker who looks like a likely suspect. A waitress from the Jealousy Bar is also missing. One of the previous victims met a Tinder date there and this guy was there. Harry develops a relationship with the owner of the bar; he even buys into the bar to keep it open. If you haven't read a Harry Hole novel before, Harry is an alcoholic. When Rakel gets well he asks her to be his bookkeeper. She says she'll think about it. But the brains behind the vampirist is a lot smarter than that or Jo Nesbo is a lot smarter than that. It ain't that easy.
Eventually the light goes on for Harry as it always does, and it almost gets him killed. A good mystery writer also does the minor characters really well. In the Harry Hole mysteries there's this incompetent cop, Truls Bernsten, who's been selling evidence on the vampirist to a newspaper woman. He's pretty much bullet-proof because he grew up with Mikael Bellman, the police chief. Sadly, he's also is love with Bellman's wife, whom he tries to save during a crucial time in the story. He does something like this in every one of the Hole novels. Just when you think he's a total skunk, he solves the case or whatever.
Some people will hate this book, but since Nesbo faked me out of my jock, I have to give it four stars.
No comments have been added yet.
