The Bat
THE BAT is Jo Nesbo's first book in the Harry Hole (Holy) series. I started in the middle of the series with the SNOWMAN, in which Harry already has a terrible drug problem, so this first effort explains a lot.
In the ensuing novels Harry often refers to how he got to be the “go-to” guy in Norway when it came to serial killers. It all started in Australian where he was sent to “observe” the investigation of the murder of a Norwegian girl. Apparently a lot of Scandinavians migrated to Australia when jobs were scare in Sweden, Norway, Finland etc.
Harry is assigned a partner named Andrew who just happens to be an Aborigine. We learn quite a bit about Aborigines as the case progresses. Andrew tells Harry, for instance, that Aborigines are about as different as American Indians. They speak 250 languages, for one thing.
Harry and Andrew get a tip about a drug dealer who was seen with the girl shortly before she was murdered, and they go to the town where she worked in a strip joint. They stop to visit a circus and some boxing matches where we meet one of Andrew's boys Toowoomba who belongs to a club that takes on all comers. He breaks a big guy's nose after underestimating him. Toowoomba is so good he's a candidate for the national championship. Andrew used to box for the same club, and taught Toowoomba how to fight.
Andrew seems to be trying to tell Harry something about the murderer, but Harry can't figure out exactly what. There are several suspects, including a transvestite circus clown, and the drug pusher. In the process of investigating the murder, Harry meets Birgitta, a red-headed Swedish girl, whom he falls in love with. He also falls off the wagon; he already has a drinking problem.
There are several holes in the novel. Do you use your lover as bait to trap the murderer? I don't think so. Would you? Nesbo also pulls several twists, concerning the principal suspect, dismissing several on the basis of Harry's intuition. I was able to figure out who done it, because Nesbo practically tells you at one point. He also explains almost immediately why the book is called THE BAT. If you see one in the daytime, it means something in the Aborigine culture.
Harry gets beat up quite a bit in all of his novels, but he keeps coming back for more; I guess that's the appeal of the novel. Action sequences instead of introspection about the meaning of life, which we find in quite a few mystery novels these days. There is some of that here, but it's unique, coming from Andrew and Toowoomba who have a different slant on life.
In the ensuing novels Harry often refers to how he got to be the “go-to” guy in Norway when it came to serial killers. It all started in Australian where he was sent to “observe” the investigation of the murder of a Norwegian girl. Apparently a lot of Scandinavians migrated to Australia when jobs were scare in Sweden, Norway, Finland etc.
Harry is assigned a partner named Andrew who just happens to be an Aborigine. We learn quite a bit about Aborigines as the case progresses. Andrew tells Harry, for instance, that Aborigines are about as different as American Indians. They speak 250 languages, for one thing.
Harry and Andrew get a tip about a drug dealer who was seen with the girl shortly before she was murdered, and they go to the town where she worked in a strip joint. They stop to visit a circus and some boxing matches where we meet one of Andrew's boys Toowoomba who belongs to a club that takes on all comers. He breaks a big guy's nose after underestimating him. Toowoomba is so good he's a candidate for the national championship. Andrew used to box for the same club, and taught Toowoomba how to fight.
Andrew seems to be trying to tell Harry something about the murderer, but Harry can't figure out exactly what. There are several suspects, including a transvestite circus clown, and the drug pusher. In the process of investigating the murder, Harry meets Birgitta, a red-headed Swedish girl, whom he falls in love with. He also falls off the wagon; he already has a drinking problem.
There are several holes in the novel. Do you use your lover as bait to trap the murderer? I don't think so. Would you? Nesbo also pulls several twists, concerning the principal suspect, dismissing several on the basis of Harry's intuition. I was able to figure out who done it, because Nesbo practically tells you at one point. He also explains almost immediately why the book is called THE BAT. If you see one in the daytime, it means something in the Aborigine culture.
Harry gets beat up quite a bit in all of his novels, but he keeps coming back for more; I guess that's the appeal of the novel. Action sequences instead of introspection about the meaning of life, which we find in quite a few mystery novels these days. There is some of that here, but it's unique, coming from Andrew and Toowoomba who have a different slant on life.
No comments have been added yet.
