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Policja

(Harry Hole #10)

Jo Nesbø (Goodreads Author),

Iwona Zimnicka (Translator)

4.22 · Rating details · 37,315 ratings · 2,752 reviews

Czy to zwykły zbieg okoliczności, że oficer policji zostaje znaleziony martwy w miejscu dawno popełnionej zbrodni, którą badał, ale jej nie wyjaśnił? Gdy w następnych miesiącach taki sam los spotyka kolejnych dwóch funkcjonariuszy, schemat postępowania mordercy staje się równie oczywisty, co potworny: brutalnym zabójstwom policjantów odpowiadają nierozwiązane zbrodnie z pr ...more

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Paperback, 472 pages

Published October 23rd 2013 by Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie (first published October 15th 2013)

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Jan 14, 2016 Phrynne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I know I am a sucker for a Harry Hole book but this one has to be the best yet. I simply could not put it down. Nesbo spends most of the book playing mind tricks on the reader and even in the last chapter he gives things a little twist that has you sitting on the edge of your seat. Multiple murders, multiple murderers and the loss of some very unexpected people make it completely enthralling. There are more things I would like to say but at the same time I do not want to give anything away that ...more

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Sep 05, 2019 Yun rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Police is another solidly gripping installment of the Harry Hole series. This time, someone is brutally murdering police officers at the site of old, unsolved homicides where they have investigated and the trail has gone cold. As the body count starts ratcheting up, and it hits closer and closer to home, the police realize they have no leads, and their best investigator is not available to help out.

I feel this series is at its most entertaining and spine-chilling when dealing with serial killers ...more

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Oct 26, 2013 Maine Colonial rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: eurocrime, mystery, police-procedural

Interesting plot line marred by too much gimmickry and manipulation

A killer is targeting police officers; specifically officers who were involved in the investigation of unsolved murders. The killer lures an officer to the scene of the previous crime and kills the cop in a way similar to the original murder. The investigators believe that if they can only figure out the killer's motive, maybe they can find this relentless killer, who has left them few, if any, other clues.

Meanwhile, a man lies i Interesting plot line marred by too much gimmickry and manipulation

A killer is targeting police officers; specifically officers who were involved in the investigation of unsolved murders. The killer lures an officer to the scene of the previous crime and kills the cop in a way similar to the original murder. The investigators believe that if they can only figure out the killer's motive, maybe they can find this relentless killer, who has left them few, if any, other clues.

Meanwhile, a man lies in a coma in a heavily-guarded hospital room. Newly-appointed Oslo police chief Mikael Bellman worries about what the man might reveal if he ever returns to consciousness.

Nesbø sets up three main suspects in the police murders and spends most of the book manipulating the reader into thinking it's X, then Y, then Z. He also tries to generate excitement by putting characters in apparent danger, cutting away to another scene and then returning to the danger scene. Quite often the danger scene turns out to be not at all dangerous, because the mysterious threat is now revealed to be a friend or co-worker. Nesbø also frequently makes a situation seem threatening by not telling the reader who a character is, just referring to him as "he," so that the reader thinks the worst.

These gimmicks to gin up excitement and fear in the reader are so frequent and obvious that it becomes like the fable of the boy who cried wolf. After he's done it a few times, the reader recognizes the gimmick and just wants to get through the scene.

There is a broader repetition in Nesbø's writing. He repeats certain key characters' places in Harry's life and plot developments involving those key characters from earlier books to this book. I can't say more without being spoiler-y, but if you've read the early books in the series, you'll spot it.

In Nesbø's serial killer books, I also feel like the killer's "voice" is virtually identical from book to book. Nesbø's writing in the non-serial killer books (like Phantom, for example) is far stronger and more engaging.

Maybe I expect too much of this series, now up to 10 books. I started reading it when The Redbreast was first published in the US, and have read every book in the series, except The Cockroaches. After this long with a series, I feel I know Harry, his colleagues, enemies, and very small circle of loved ones, and I welcome reading more about them. I always find the depiction of Oslo and its society and politics fascinating. And I did read every last bit of The Police. I just wish I didn't spend so much of the time feeling manipulated and as if Nesbø had been relying more on tricks and set pieces than heartfelt storytelling.
...more

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Sep 23, 2013 Nicole~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: harry-hole, nesbo, nordic-noir

10 stars
Police
Anyone who doesn't dare to stand up for justice should have a guilty conscience.
Police is a riveting follow up to Phantom, the previous novel in the Harry Hole series and seamlessly picks up where Phantom ended. Excerpt from the end of Phantom - (view spoiler) ...more

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Nov 15, 2014 Barbara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

In this 10th book in the 'Harry Hole' series, a serial killer is targeting police officers. The novel can be read as a standalone.

*****

A serial killer in Oslo has a bizarre agenda. Time after time the murderer lures a cop to the scene of an unsolved crime, then viciously kills him/her in a manner somehow connected to what originally happened there.

Harry Hole is not available to assist the investigation so other members of the crime squad have to pick up the slack as best they can. This includes ...more

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Sep 13, 2016 James Thane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: jo-nesbo, crime-fiction

I'm frank to confess that I have no idea how to review this book, and I will also say that, to my mind, a number of reviewers and even the publishers themselves have given away key elements of the plot that will diminish the enjoyment of the book for anyone unfortunate enough to have read their comments.

Suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was on the edge of my seat for much of the time I spent with it. Readers who have enjoyed Jo Nesbo's series featuring Oslo detective Harry ...more

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Nov 27, 2013 Sandy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Rarely give out 5 stars but this is a no brainer

Every time I read one of Nesbo's books, I am struck again by just how good he is. The previous book ended with Harry being shot by Oleg, the young man he helped raise & son of the woman he loves. This one opens with a comatose patient lying in a hospital bed under police protection. If he could speak, he'd have a few things to say about a couple members of the force, one currently under suspension, the other the new chief.
It's been months since the Rarely give out 5 stars but this is a no brainer

Every time I read one of Nesbo's books, I am struck again by just how good he is. The previous book ended with Harry being shot by Oleg, the young man he helped raise & son of the woman he loves. This one opens with a comatose patient lying in a hospital bed under police protection. If he could speak, he'd have a few things to say about a couple members of the force, one currently under suspension, the other the new chief.
It's been months since the shooting & Harry's old crew have moved on without him. Someone is killing police officers involved in old cases that were never solved.
That's all I'll say about the plot for 2 reasons. First, it's so complex as to be almost impossible to summarize when you could be reading the book instead of this review. Second, I don't want to spoil any surprises. Part of the joy in reading these books is trying to guess what happens next. Suffice to say, just as you think you know what's going on, think again.
Nesbo is a master of misdirection. There are always multiple characters that are candidates for the "bad guy", each with a credible motive. As the story progresses, you keep changing your mind as to the identity of the killer. There are many reoccurring characters & story lines from previous books are continued. There are shifting alliances, many hidden agendas & not all of the old crew will survive the fallout from this case. Unlike many authors, Nesbo doesn't shy away from bumping off a beloved character.
Tension slowly builds as we wait to see who will be the next target & you'll consider homicide yourself if anyone tries to come between you & this book. Once you're in its' grip, it's compulsive reading because you have to know how it all shakes out. Intricate plotting, sharp dialogue, compelling characters...what's not to like? You become completely invested in these people & want to see them get what they deserve, for better or worse.
I wanted to add a note about the translation. Sometimes when a novel is converted to English, it has a slightly awkward flow that reminds you it was originally in another language. Not so here. Don Bartlett has done a fantastic job, maintaining the voice of each character & the wry, dark gallows humour.
This is thriller writing at its' best with an intense pace & jaw dropping twists. If you haven't read this series before, don't start here. Get the first one. Each subsequent book is all the richer as you get to know the histories of each character & their relationships. What a pleasure! ...more

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Jul 14, 2013 Harry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nordic-crime-fiction

Book Review

The rat bit once into the leather shoe. Licked the metal again, the salty metal that protruded between the two of the fingers on the right hand. Scrabbled up the suit jacket that smelled of sweat, blood and food, so many types of food that the linen material must have been in a garbage can. She ran up the arm, across the shoulder, stopped at a bloodstained bandage around the neck. Then she scuttled up the chest. There was still a strong smell coming from the two round holes in the ...more

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Sep 13, 2013 Thomas Edmund rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

After Phantom's amazing twist-hanger I was almost delirious with glee and trepidation when I heard the next Harry Hole book Police was coming out.

So was my anticipation satisfied?

Yes - however not in the way I expected. Police is a weightier tome than other Hole novel's and thusly the length of the novel evokes tension as a slow-burn rather than a furious action packed feast. While perhaps less immediately exciting Nesbo plies us with a smorgasbord of corruption, deeply disturbing villains, and ...more

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Dec 10, 2014 LeeAnne rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thrills-suspense

I think this will be my last Jo Nesbo novel.

This book starts out great but it becomes purposely confusing and misleading, to the point of utter annoyance. The storyline is all over the place with several plot threads happening simultaneously, jumping back and forth. There are 3 main suspects and the pronoun "he" is often used in place of a name to keep the reader guessing the identity of the killer. "He did this, then he did that". When you combine that with the confusion of so many convoluted, ...more

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Sep 29, 2013 Manuel Antão rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

It's 10 minutes after the hour and I've done it again. I hate missing the first part of my favourite show. Call it obsession, call it silly, but I have to see it from the start or I don't feel it's worth watching at all. Yes, I could figure out what happened, but it's just not the same. Harry Hole also knows what it's like to be on the ground-floor of something important even though he only puts an appearance after one-third of the book... The first one-third without Harry sets the stage for wha
It's 10 minutes after the hour and I've done it again. I hate missing the first part of my favourite show. Call it obsession, call it silly, but I have to see it from the start or I don't feel it's worth watching at all. Yes, I could figure out what happened, but it's just not the same. Harry Hole also knows what it's like to be on the ground-floor of something important even though he only puts an appearance after one-third of the book... The first one-third without Harry sets the stage for what comes afterward... And what a ride it is!

The book goes from here to there, then back to here again. It is horrible twisted, unpredictable, completely gory and twists and turns like a game of scrabble.

That saying this book is not for the faint hearted and is extremely dark and violent, but it's an unputdownable read nonetheless.

I started it mid-morning and the next thing I knew was that it was starting to get dark outside and I had read the whole book in one sitting and was thirsty and hungry! Do not read this book on a train as you will miss your stop! It grabs you straight from the start!

But "Police's" story is not meant for pure entertainment in my view. There's a heightened sense of urgency and force here that makes it sometimes painful to read. It's an experience in itself.

Grisly murders abound. The stakes are higher in the book as its members of the force are being hunted and killed. Not only that, but their deaths are a brutal reenactment of cold cases.

The "Police" allowed me to identify with the investigation, giving me access to the minds and feelings of the frustrated investigators as I shared their experiences, concerns and suspicions. That's the department where the Scandinavian Crime Fiction excels by depicting deeply psychological, highly individualistic portraits of twisted motivation.

On a different level I fondly remember the way Per Wahlöö and Maj Sjöwall depicted Sweden in the 1960s and 1970s and allowing us to follow the investigation in each book without any kind of trimmings.

Scandinavian Crime Fiction allows me to be inside the head of the main characters. There's not a better recommendation for a book in my view.
It's quite clear you're in the hands of a master of the form.
...more

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Apr 18, 2019 Ray rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

The usual roller coaster of emotions as the grizzly, cynical, alcoholic, conflicted, brilliant ex cop Harry Hole cuts a swath through the Oslo underworld, attracting serial killers like blow flies on rotting meat along the way.

Nesbo constructs fiendishly complicated plots that leave you reading just another page, just another page - until before you know it is 2am on a work day (curse you Jo). Sadistically he leads you up blind alleys, only to slalom around to the next dead end or finely observe ...more

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Aug 23, 2013 Tony Nielsen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Jack Reacher versus Harry Hole. That's been a contest during my August reading, but sorry Mr Child, Jo Nesbo has blown you out of the water. I've been lucky enough to receive a preview copy of Police, the new Harry Hole story, and its a five star, no if's or but's. Nesbo is boxing very clever in Police, giving us leads that are really ruses, especially as regards the state of health or otherwise of Harry. In fact we have to wait until Chapter 18 to get a real sense as to Harry's inclusion in the ...more

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May 08, 2018 Sofia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, eagerly-read, crime-mystery-thriller

Full kudos to Nesbo, the magician, trickster per excellance!

This being my 11th Nesbo, I had as usual prepared myself to his tricks, to not be drawn in, turned around and sidetracked, hoodwinked with a nod and a wink. Oh I was prepared and still grrr, I got pulled in and had to shield myself from all the theories and red herrings slapping me in the face, leaving me grasping at straws.

Bravo, what else can I say. Reading Nesbo is an immersive experience, you become part of the trickery, going o ...more

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Aug 07, 2019 Abbas Fardil rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Loved this book. I think that it’s one of the best works of Jo Nesbo. There were no excessive attempts to make the story longer. He built the whole story plot very nicely. For this reason, It'll be a very tough work for readers to predict the conclusion of the story. ...more

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Apr 09, 2020 John rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: jo-nesbo

Another Harry Hole story. The man has nine lives. In The Phantom we left him shot three times. But like Lazarus he survived. Thanks to bullet proof vests.

This time around a serial killer is murdering police by luring them to the scenes of their unsolved crimes The young unlikeable corrupt Oslo Chief of Police Bellman is under increasing political pressure to solve the case. However, the killer leaves no DNA traces at the scenes of their crimes and is able to lure his victims with ease to their ...more

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Sep 15, 2013 Karen Brooks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is such a hard book to review because even the smallest detail about the content - the way the story unfolds (which can be very persuasive in a review) - runs the risk of spoiling what is an absolute cracker of an addition to the Harry Hole canon. All I can say is that the narrative didn't begin as I anticipated at all, even though it follows on from the events in the last book, The Leopard, and it’s this defying of expectations that sets the standard and pace for the rest of the tale. As P This is such a hard book to review because even the smallest detail about the content - the way the story unfolds (which can be very persuasive in a review) - runs the risk of spoiling what is an absolute cracker of an addition to the Harry Hole canon. All I can say is that the narrative didn't begin as I anticipated at all, even though it follows on from the events in the last book, The Leopard, and it’s this defying of expectations that sets the standard and pace for the rest of the tale. As Police opens, we’re back in Oslo, there are grisly murders a-plenty only, this time, the stakes are even higher as it’s members of the force that are being killed. Not only that, but their deaths are a brutal reenactment of cold cases – cases that the new victims were once assigned to solve. As the body count grows, so does the pressure and the fear – who will be next and why?

Never has the act of reading been so analogous to riding a roller coaster as you are lifted to great heights before being flung into complete, heart-stopping despair; there are twists and turns, false corners and such sharply angled ones, you sustain the equivalent of literary whiplash reading this book.

What is also evident from the moment the story starts, is that you're in the hands of a master. There's a sense in which, as gruesome as this bloody tale of revenge and thwarted intentions is, Nesbo is having fun with the reader... He is playing mind games with us and they damn well work. Persuading us into one way of thinking only to reveal another, Police, perhaps more than any other of the Hole books, allows us to identify with the investigation, gives us access to the minds and feelings of the frustrated investigators as we share their experiences, concerns and suspicions. Nesbo not only leads us up one garden path, that he has cobbled, bordered with plants, lit brightly or plunged into darkness, strewing it with characters we expect to find and those we do not, he then strands us in the middle of what we quickly understand isn’t a path, it’s a labyrinth. A psychological, emotional and physical one that familiar characters and new ones inhabit with varying degrees of comfort and control. There is never a dull moment in this tale, nor is there an opportunity to catch your breath. Not for the faint-hearted, this latest (and I hope not final as has been rumored) addition to the Hole series is simply brilliant.
...more

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Nov 15, 2013 Sarah Darwin rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. What you want, what you crave, what you need. Sometimes it’s hard to tell them apart.

Phantom left me slightly distraught, certain that Harry Hole was no more. What? No more Harry? But after a few days I got over it, and even started to see it as a brilliant way to finish the series. I’ve been thinking for a while that more authors should have the courage to kill off, or at least retire, their characters when the time is right. And the time was right for Harry. After his miserable spiral into pe ...more

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May 24, 2017 Thomas Strömquist rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It took me a while to get around to this book and I think it was at least partly due to it being of a quite daunting thickness (well over 600 pages in paperback in contrast to the early ones of the series that clocked in at just over half that). It very soon became very clear to me, however, that if Nesbø writes this well, he can use as many pages as he wants to, as far as I'm concerned (or... almost, anyway). The return of Harry Hole is a very effectively told roller-coaster ride of a story and ...more

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Sep 02, 2013 Ed rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Thinking about this book, the series and how it has evolved, I can't help contrasting it with the works of certain American "best seller" mystery/thriller authors whose series characters now lack the imagination, energy and complexity they showed in earlier books. "Police", Jo Nesbo's 10th Harry Hole book, takes the series and the genre itself, to a whole new level of non-formulaic excellence and establishes him on the cutting edge. Without giving away the plot lines, Nesbo has created an exotic ...more

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Oct 09, 2020 Dave Schaafsma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-detective-thriller, nordic-noir

Someone is Killing the Police!

Police is the second mega-volume of what I said I suspected to be Jo Nesbo’s magnum opus, the pinnacle of his literary accomplishments, after the cliffhanger of Phantom, when it appears Harry Hole is shot and killed. But then there’s another volume, so, well, hey, maybe he’s not dead, kids!

And for ⅓ of Police we are supposedly in suspense about this issue, and are left with the rest of the nice and interesting (but not particuarly brilliant) group of Harry’s poice Someone is Killing the Police!

Police is the second mega-volume of what I said I suspected to be Jo Nesbo’s magnum opus, the pinnacle of his literary accomplishments, after the cliffhanger of Phantom, when it appears Harry Hole is shot and killed. But then there’s another volume, so, well, hey, maybe he’s not dead, kids!

And for ⅓ of Police we are supposedly in suspense about this issue, and are left with the rest of the nice and interesting (but not particuarly brilliant) group of Harry’s poice colleagues to try to keep Oslo safe. I mean, we like Beata and Katrina and they desreve their time at center stage, but it's just kicking the can down the road til--hey, presto!--Harry returns to Save the Day. But one of the things I liked about Phantom was that it is not one of his serial killer books, that it focused on Harry’s relationship to Oleg, and Harry's attempt to free Oleg from jail and exonerate him. But alas--for me, not a fan of serial killer books and especially not the increasingly brutal ways Nesbo does it--we discover that a particularly vicious serial killer is killing the police, and/or their families.

So I thought it was all technically well done, as usual, this combination of thriller/mystery Nesbo accomplishes that involves twists and turns and surprises along the way that are carefully planned. And yes, the fact that the first ⅓ has us get to knowHarrry’s friends/colleagues better figures in to the fact that one of them we have come to know and care about actually dies. I get the point of that. And I like the way the concept of a “burner”--an insider in the police force who is corrupted to foil police investigations--works out in the end of Police. And I like it that the book ends with a kind of catharsis, a family moment.

And I am interested in the way Nesbo explores the typical mystery trope of Killer as Madman. Some of Harry’s colleagues are identified with various psychological conditions and neurological disorders--Asperger’s Syndrome, Bi-Polar. Harry himself sees that he is himself psychologically addicted to solving police cases as much as he is to alcohol. And yet he and his friends accomplish much with their disabilities. But then there is the serial killer, a phenomenon Nesbo has researched in depth. I know, this is supposed to be sensational centerpiece of the story, but it is so over-the-top sadistic at times you can't take it seriously. And then there is a student who hits on Harry who says he is probably schizophrenic? Not convincing in any real way, that episode.

The book begins very slowly, and then each killing has to be unique and shocking, but it has a kind of forgettable sameness to it that leaves soon after you are--I admit it--griped in the fever of the moment. And I have to say, I have never been interested in the least in the inter-office or Oslo city politics. Mikael Bellman, the Alpha-male wanna-be Chief of Police, is never real to me, just a cartoon character, such as Goldfinger. And the woman Bellman has a dalliance with from the City Council--also a cartoon character, like Pussy Galore. But it is well done, and I was pretty engaged, the twists are well done. Considered as one of a genre, a thriller, this is superior work, and I listened to it all the way through as quickly as possible. That’s what a thriller should do, I guess. 3.5ish, for my tastes. ...more

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Oct 21, 2013 Nancy Oakes rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: translated-crime-fiction, crime-fiction-scandinavia, crime-fiction

Police is #10 in Nesbø's wonderful Harry Hole series, and by golly, it's a winner. I have read all but The Bat and Cockroaches from this series, but I don't know whether or not my guts have ever been so twisted while reading any Nesbø novel prior to this one. The suspense tempted me so many times to turn to the end, but to my credit, I didn't cheat.

From the very outset, the author delights in playing with your head. In a guarded hospital room, a man is laying in a coma. While he's hovering betwe Police is #10 in Nesbø's wonderful Harry Hole series, and by golly, it's a winner. I have read all but The Bat and Cockroaches from this series, but I don't know whether or not my guts have ever been so twisted while reading any Nesbø novel prior to this one. The suspense tempted me so many times to turn to the end, but to my credit, I didn't cheat.

From the very outset, the author delights in playing with your head. In a guarded hospital room, a man is laying in a coma. While he's hovering between life and death, someone is luring members of the Oslo police force to their deaths. The victims seem to be connected to old, unsolved cases, and they die in extremely terrible ways on or near the anniversaries of the crimes. Harry's old friends on the Oslo police force are stymied ... there is very little in the way of clues or forensics left behind, and the police are under a great deal of pressure to do something about these murders before any more policemen get killed. They're also under pressure from Harry's nemesis Mikael Bellman, the current police chief, to get the cases solved because he has ambitions, and taking credit for solving these murders will help him move up the political ladder. The team goes behind Bellman's back to try to stop the killer from striking again, but things get really ugly when when a particularly brutal murder hits very close to home.

Around this central plot, which ultimately focuses on the search for justice, there's much more going on. A particularly nasty suspect gives the police a run for its money; police burner Truls Berntsen and his crony Mikael Bellman are up to their old dirty tricks once more and through it all, things get really twisty as the book comes to a startling conclusion. I swear -- for once it was me, rather than the characters, who became angst ridden over how this was all going to play out -- my insides were churning waiting to see a) who the killer was and why he/she did what he/she did and b) how much nastier Bellman and Berntsen could possibly get while continuing to manipulate things behind the scenes. And through it all, you will be kept wondering and guessing.

I don't care what anyone says, I LOVED this book! I know I say this a lot about Nesbø's books, but this just might be my favorite of the entire series. It is twisty and turny, frightening and unrelenting in the tension it managed to produce in my insides, and it is truly Nesbø at his writing best. If you're new to the most excellent work of Jo Nesbø you may wish to start at the very beginning and make your way forward through the series, as each book builds on what comes before; if you don't want to take that much time, at least read the novel prior to this one, Phantom. Highly, highly recommended! ...more

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Dec 16, 2014 Matt rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Nesbø brings the Harry Hole series to a close with a thriller that keeps readers focussed until the final sentence. After the vague, yet horrible, end to the previous novel, the complete cast of characters remains in shock about how the Oslo Crime Squad will continue. When a number of police officers are murdered after returned to crime scenes of previously unsolved cases, there's a struggle between the Squad and Kripos (the national police organisation) as to who will handle things. Newly-appoi Nesbø brings the Harry Hole series to a close with a thriller that keeps readers focussed until the final sentence. After the vague, yet horrible, end to the previous novel, the complete cast of characters remains in shock about how the Oslo Crime Squad will continue. When a number of police officers are murdered after returned to crime scenes of previously unsolved cases, there's a struggle between the Squad and Kripos (the national police organisation) as to who will handle things. Newly-appointed Chief of Police, Mikael Bellman, defers to the national authorities, though does permit a loose collection of Squad members to run a covert investigation. Leaderless now, with Hole's seat empty, the team tries to piece things together, with little success. Lingering over them is the Gusto Hanssen case, crux of the previous novel, which remains unsolved, though many feel Hole knew how it all came together. Some key players in the scheme, from criminals through to Bellman and his lackey, remain on high alert, as their futures could hang in the balance if such news were shared. As the Squad limps along, trying to solve the police murder, they face a devastating reality, and are hit with tragedy. At this point, they can no longer work alone. Harry Hole, now a full-time instructor at the Police Academy, is called upon to help as a consultant. Hole is tepid in his acceptance, but needs a distraction as he is badgered by an overly flirtatious student who cries wolf when things do not go her way. Hole works as best he can and traces down a few leads, with a focus on the killer from the original crimes, most of whom have a strong sexual component to them. Alibis preclude an easy arrest and the Squad is forced to return to the drawing board, with little to show for their work. As Hole is wont to do, he finds a thread and pulls, which causes everything to unravel to its bare basics and offers new insights that the Squad had not seen beforehand. With a Cop Killer on the loose, other storylines also ramp up, leaving the reader to split their interest along a few developing narratives. With nothing to lose, will Hole end his time as Nesbø's protagonist on a winning note, or will the Crime Squad disappear onto the literary horizon with more unanswered questions and force readers to extrapolate on their own? Brilliant work, told in such a way that no Nesbø fan could complain.

Nesbø is a master at picking up where he leaves off, not always letting the reader breathe before pushing the drama that ended the previous novel into the forefront. His insinuations, at multiple points in the book, leave the reader to wonder what if rather than knowing how things will play out. Nesbø's use of a sizeable character base allows multiple plots to develop without straining realistic expectations of those he uses as vessels to guide the narrative. Harry Hole may be central, but Nesbø shows how the story can progress without him, at least for a period, while installing fear and loathing in the reader. That the series had to come to an end is inevitable, though Harry Hole had an excellent run. With new and disturbing addictions or dark pathways, Hole remains a man with a number of struggles for which he has not found an answer. This ever-evolving character exemplifies how Nesbø is able to hold onto his 'Master of the Art' title without much opposition by readers.

When I began this Harry Hole journey, I was not sure what to expect. On the one hand, I love a good police procedural, particularly one that takes place outside of the normal 'North American' or 'British-centric' locales that many of the novels I have read find themselves developing. On the other, there is always a gamble to be taken when reading a collection of novels that were written in a language other than English. The translator must be stellar, as they represent the author's ideas. As my Norwegian is as rusty as it could ever be, I relied on a translation and the hype Harry Hole had received to see if things could develop into an addictive for me. Like Harry Hole and bottle of Jim Beam, they did and I was ensconced in the series from the early stages. While it took three books to pull the story into Norway, once things got moving, there was no end to the wonders Nesbø placed before the reader. That Hole is an effective detective is even more surprising, based on the addictions and dark side he undertakes throughout the series. As I have mentioned at numerous points in past reviews, the alcoholism and drug abuse seem only to heighten Hole's abilities, while pulling the reader into the dark world of drugs on Oslo's streets. With a successful trilogy built into the larger series, Nesbø keeps the reader hooked and wanting more. Hole's ongoing love interests seem to flit across the page, though Rakel's emergence with her son Oleg remain a storyline that Nesbø does not end and Hole relies upon, no matter what he is doing. I cannot say enough about this series, this author, or the fact that Scandinavian crime novels seem better than much of the genre that is written in English at the outset.

Kudos Mr. Nesbø for a powerful piece to end the series. I have found a new favourite author and will recommend this series to anyone who will listen.

Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/ ...more

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Sep 28, 2014 Steven Belanger rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Very, very, very disappointing follow-up to Nesbo's Phantom, a far superior book, even with the ridiculous passages from the rat's POV. In equal parts boring and frustrating--but mostly frustrating--Police is a book that could've been, and should've been, much better.

It fails because it's all over the place with its plot and story, and because it doesn't focus enough on its characters. Nesbo said in an interview that he essentially wrote Phantom and Police as one book, and it shows. At over 1,0 ...more

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Jul 11, 2013 donna_ehm rated it liked it · review of another edition

I hemmed and hawed over a 2 or 3 star rating, then eventually decided the excellent (view spoiler) deserved the third star.

Overall, this book showcases Nesbo's ability to manipulate multiple storylines and characters such that you're always kept guessing as to how it's all going to turn out. This time, though, I felt that the plot was wobbly around the edges, like he didn't quite have as firm a hold on those threads as he usually does. Some things I just didn ...more

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May 07, 2019 Alex Cantone rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2019, thriller, noir

Anton looked up. He hadn’t heard the two of them coming, although they emerged from the dense thickets. He had seen it before, how forensic officers moved at crime scenes, like somewhat ungainly dancers bending and twisting, positioning their feet, as though they were astronauts on the moon. Or perhaps it was the white overalls drawing the association.

Police revolves around a series of grisly (perhaps the French macabre is a better choice) murders of Oslo police detectives, each lured to the sit ...more

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Jun 24, 2013 Tanja Berg rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: murder-mystery, thriller

4* out of 5. Reviewing a book I read in Swedish by a Norwegian author in English feels silly, but I'm doing it anyway. It will be translated before long. I can't remember the last time I have been so impressed by a crime novel. *draws a blank* I am particularly surprised at how impressed I am because I wasn't really a Jo Nesbø fan. He just wrote mildly entertaining novels one notch above mediocre and is the most famous author in the country I live in, so of course I have to read him. But this, t ...more

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Dec 13, 2013 Mal Warwick rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries-thrillers

What is it about Scandinavian thriller writers? Is it just that they’ve got nothing better to do on all those cold nights than dream up more and more diabolical means to mislead readers? It’s tempting to think so.

Among the many other things he’s done in his still-young life, Jo Nesbo has written ten novels featuring the exasperating Oslo police detective Harry Hole. Inspector Hole is, not to put too fine an edge on it, a piece of work. An alcoholic, deeply anti-authoritarian, and an obsessive in ...more

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Feb 18, 2018 Nrupal Das rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved this fast pace dark thriller. As Sonny Mehta said he might become a phenomenon if he is not one already.

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Oct 15, 2013 Luanne Ollivier rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Jo Nesbo left us wondering at the end of the ninth book (Phantom) in his Detective Harry Hole series if there would be a tenth book. There is indeed - Police. I think it's the best one yet.

Quite frankly, it's one of the best detective stories I've read in a long time. Nesbo's plotting is spectacular. I really had no idea where the book was going to go. Suspects abound and deceit, lies and corruption are the order of the day from everyone - criminals and cops.

A mysterious unnamed man in a coma Jo Nesbo left us wondering at the end of the ninth book (Phantom) in his Detective Harry Hole series if there would be a tenth book. There is indeed - Police. I think it's the best one yet.

Quite frankly, it's one of the best detective stories I've read in a long time. Nesbo's plotting is spectacular. I really had no idea where the book was going to go. Suspects abound and deceit, lies and corruption are the order of the day from everyone - criminals and cops.

A mysterious unnamed man in a coma being guarded around the clock in the hospital. Who is he? Why is he so important? Police officers are being killed on the scenes of old unsolved crimes - ones that they were involved in. necessarily solved. How is someone getting the drop on a police officer? And Harry's old unit?Disbanded. Where is Harry?

Oh, Nesbo is so clever with his storytelling! I was hooked from the first page to the very last (and very happy that there were 500 delicious pages to enjoy!) The plot is serpentine with another and then another twist slowly added, entangling the reader. Police is dark

Harry Hole is one of the most tortured, conflicted, complicated protagonists in crime fiction. Police finds him in a different place, both physically and mentally. But is it a better place? Hole continues to fight demons both within and without, walking a fine line between chasing criminals and becoming one.

Police is a brilliantly dark read. And just when the story is winding down and you thought you could take a deep breath - Nesbo snatches it away again in the final pages with another gut wrenching ending that will have fans counting down the days 'til the next entry in this fantastic series.

I have Jo Nesbo and Harry Hole on my must read list. Nesbo combines fantastic characters, great plotting, lots of action and suspense and yes, social commentary into addictive reads. Although you could pick up Police and dive into the series, I think new readers of this series need to start with an earlier book to fully appreciate Harry. ...more

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Goodreads Librari...: Add book: Jo Nesbo "Policija"	4	12	Feb 14, 2021 08:43AM
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English Translati...: October 2013 read-along	53	119	Nov 05, 2013 05:27PM
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About Jo Nesbø

Jo Nesbø

16,947 followers

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