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Nemesis (Harry Hole #4)

by Jo Nesbø (Goodreads Author), Don Bartlett (Translator)

3.98 · Rating Details · 38,518 Ratings · 1,995 Reviews

How do you catch a killer when you're the number one suspect?

A man is caught on CCTV, shooting dead a cashier at a bank. Detective Harry Hole begins his investigation, but after dinner with an old flame wakes up with no memory of the past 12 hours. Then the girl is found dead in mysterious circumstances and he beings to receive threatening emails: is someone trying to fra ...more

Paperback, 1st US, 480 pages

Published January 1st 2009 by Harper (first published 2002)

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Community Reviews

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Jun 10, 2016 Lyn rated it liked it

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good.

Jo Nesbo’s surly and reclusive Norwegian detective Harry Hole (pronounced Hooleh) is back in 2002’s Nemesis. Nesbo established Hole in The Bat and Cockroaches and then produced a phenomenal novel with his 2000 novel The Redbreast – one the genre’s best, akin to Stieg Larsson in narrative quality. Hole is engaged to investigate a bank robbery that went wrong, resulting in the death of a bank teller. A wider network of evil is uncovered and Hole is heavily ...more

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Aug 04, 2015 Edward Lorn rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: paperbacks, 52-in-52-2015

Upon completing this book, I rated it three stars. After a month's time and much thought, I cannot say that I really liked it all that much. I've decided to drop my rating to two stars, and here's why:

I was nowhere near as impressed with Nemesis as I was Harry Hole's previous outing, The Redbreast. This one was nothing more than your average detective/bank heist story. The emotional impact of the tale did not match the previous installment either. But I think I mostly didn't care for this story ...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Robert rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: robert-s-reads, kindle-deals

Sometimes I feel as though I’m genetically hardwired to be a contrarian. Not because I actually like being different than everyone else or going against popular opinion, nor do I actually want to stand on the mountaintop and scream “All you fuckers are wrong.” Because let’s face it, it’s easy to follow everyone else, to march in line and in step, even if it sometimes means you’re headed for a cliff or the occasional mountain lion. Nor do I get some sort of sick, demented pleasure from bashing ot Sometimes I feel as though I’m genetically hardwired to be a contrarian. Not because I actually like being different than everyone else or going against popular opinion, nor do I actually want to stand on the mountaintop and scream “All you fuckers are wrong.” Because let’s face it, it’s easy to follow everyone else, to march in line and in step, even if it sometimes means you’re headed for a cliff or the occasional mountain lion. Nor do I get some sort of sick, demented pleasure from bashing other authors and other people’s books, because I’m right there in the trenches with you, buddy. Not necessarily holding your hand, but we’re in the same foxhole, staring out at the same battlefield, and trying to make heads or tails of the opposition. Not that writing is a war, but it sometimes feels that way, to get those pesky words down on paper, and then actually have others get behind the words that you have written, until they make them their own.

So what does all of this mean for NEMESIS? Well, if you’re looking at the date I started this novel (by the way, that is not a misprint), and the day I finished it (that’s not a misprint either), there’s a massive gap between the two. Where I know I had plenty of fun, and most of this fun was had while not reading said novel. Does that mean it’s badly written? No, absolutely not. But it felt repetitive and redundant, and I was never fully engaged in the story. To be honest, it wasn’t even really all that close of a call. But I wanted to be engaged, I wanted to be fully invested, and I wanted to like this story, because so many others have called it a great and wondrous read with high ratings and glowing reviews. But I just can’t consider myself one of them. Maybe I was built with a different set of Legos.

You see, the characters resembled emotionless pits; the dialogue felt trite and pedestrian; the plot plunked along like a Corvette ambling down the train tracks on a Sunday afternoon, to the point that I had to reread the back cover copy to figure out what it was I had just finished; and I ended up so lost within the twists and turns of the story that I forgot where the heck I even was.

If I were to sum up this novel, I’d say it made me want to kick Justin Bieber. Which isn’t that much different from how I normally feel. What I really want to find is the novel that makes me want to hug the Biebs. I’m thinking it’s not possible, but I’m going to continue to hold out hope that it’s out there somewhere, and I will continue to expend energy looking for it.

Cross-posted at Robert's Reads ...more

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Jul 14, 2015 Phrynne rated it really liked it

This is a big, thick chunky book but I raced through it. On the cover Jo Nesbø is likened to Stieg Larsson but he is nothing like. Nesbø wastes not a single word in description or lengthy explanation. He just tells a great story with plenty of action and lots of great police work. I really enjoy Harry Hole as a character. He may be flawed but he must be nice because all the best people like him and the bad ones do not. And although he makes plenty of mistakes - he has to otherwise there would no ...more

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Sep 27, 2016 Matthew rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, kindle, library, 2016, suspense

Yet another series I keep pushing through, hoping it will get better because I have heard so many good things. This one fell completely flat. The story was disjointed. I didn't understand the relationships between the characters. Most of the time I had no idea what was going on or why. I understood the resolution, but I don't think I cared anymore. I spent the last 200 pages or so on autopilot feeling like it ended about 20 times but at the same time feeling like it was never going to end.

I wil ...more

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Jan 22, 2017 Barbara rated it liked it

Inspector Harry Hole of the Oslo police is an alcoholic who's trying to stay on the wagon. That's hard for the detective, who tends to follow his own rules and infuriate his bosses. In this book Harry gets involved with two investigations: a bank heist that left a woman employee dead; and the alleged suicide of a young woman.

To investigate the bank robbery Harry and his partner Beate Lønn - who can remember every face she's ever seen - study CCTV tapes of the holdup. These provide clues that le
Inspector Harry Hole of the Oslo police is an alcoholic who's trying to stay on the wagon. That's hard for the detective, who tends to follow his own rules and infuriate his bosses. In this book Harry gets involved with two investigations: a bank heist that left a woman employee dead; and the alleged suicide of a young woman.

To investigate the bank robbery Harry and his partner Beate Lønn - who can remember every face she's ever seen - study CCTV tapes of the holdup. These provide clues that lead to a convoluted probe of various suspects. Things become even more confused when the bank robberies continue after the ring leader is identified. Are copy cats at work?

Meanwhile, Harry's girlfriend, Rakel, is in Russia for a custody battle.....so the detective accepts a dinner invitation from an old flame named Anna. Against his better judgement Harry succumbs to various kinds temptation - and wakes up in his bed the next day with no memory of the night before. Worse yet, Anna is found dead in her apartment.

Harry is assigned to Anna's case and - though it's being called a suicide - the detective is sure she was murdered. Harry's in a tricky position though: he has to investigate the killing without admitting he knew Anna....or he risks becoming a suspect himself. Things get even harder when Harry starts to get threatening emails from the real killer.

The book has a complex plot involving foreign travel, bank robbers, gypsies, unfaithful spouses, drug addicts, prison inmates, a rich executive, corrupt cops, and more. The underlying theme of the book is nemesis - getting revenge for perceived wrongs. And some of the characters have long discussions about the military strategies of Sun Tsu, author of the 'The Art of War.' There's a bit too much of this for my taste, and the story slows down in places.

By the time I finished the book my head was spinning with the twists and turns. Good story, recommended to mystery readers - especially fans of Scandinavian suspense novels.

FYI: I listened to the audio version of this book, narrated by Norwegian Thor Knai. To me it sounds like the author's name is pronounced 'Joe Nesba' and the main character's moniker is 'Harry Hula.'

You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/ ...more

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Nov 28, 2014 Anna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: scandinavian-crime

Ο Χάρι Χόλε βρίσκεται μπλεγμένος από εκεί που δεν θα το περίμενε ποτέ, όταν μια πρώην (αλλά πολύ παλιά πρώην) αγαπημένη του βρίσκεται νεκρή και αυτός είναι ανάμεσα στους βασικούς υπόπτους, καθώς ήταν μαζί της το βράδυ πριν πεθάνει. Ο ίδιος, τύφλα στο ποτό που δεν θυμάται πότε ήπιε, δεν θυμάται επίσης τίποτα από όσα έγιναν εκείνο το βράδυ. Προσπαθώντας, λοιπόν, να ξεδιαλύνει το θολό μυστήριο γύρω από τις δικές του κινήσεις και τις συνθήκες θανάτου της νεαρής κοπέλας, εισάγεται στην κουλτούρα των Ο Χάρι Χόλε βρίσκεται μπλεγμένος από εκεί που δεν θα το περίμενε ποτέ, όταν μια πρώην (αλλά πολύ παλιά πρώην) αγαπημένη του βρίσκεται νεκρή και αυτός είναι ανάμεσα στους βασικούς υπόπτους, καθώς ήταν μαζί της το βράδυ πριν πεθάνει. Ο ίδιος, τύφλα στο ποτό που δεν θυμάται πότε ήπιε, δεν θυμάται επίσης τίποτα από όσα έγιναν εκείνο το βράδυ. Προσπαθώντας, λοιπόν, να ξεδιαλύνει το θολό μυστήριο γύρω από τις δικές του κινήσεις και τις συνθήκες θανάτου της νεαρής κοπέλας, εισάγεται στην κουλτούρα των αθίγγανων (ναι, είναι παντού και με χοντρές άκρες σε όλους και σε όλα!)

Επίσης, το εγκληματολογικό τμήμα απασχολεί μια σειρά ληστειών τραπεζών, σε μια από τις οποίες υπήρχε θύμα μια ταμίας. Η κάμερα δείχνει ότι ο ληστής – δολοφόνος κάτι της ψιθύρισε πριν την σκοτώσει, κάτι που ανάβει τα λαμπάκια του Χάρι Χόλε και τον οδηγεί μέχρι τη Λατινική Αμερική προκειμένου να συλλάβει το δράστη.

Παράλληλα, τρέχει η υπόθεση του θανάτου της Έλεν, που είχε ξεκινήσει στο προηγούμενο βιβλίο, όπου οι αναγνώστες ξέρουν περισσότερα από τον αγαπημένο μας επιθεωρητή και λαχταρούν για τη λύση της υπόθεσης.

Πάμε στα τετριμμένα λοιπόν: καταιγιστική δράση, κινηματογραφική πλοκή (παρεπιπτόντος ο Φασμπέντερ με το Χιονάνθρωπο έρχεται σε ένα χρόνο από τώρα!!!), αφήγηση που κόβει την ανάσα και διαβάζεται μονορούφι! Οι δράστες και στις δυο υποθέσεις δεν μπορούν να γίνουν αντιληπτοί παρά μόνο προς το τέλος του βιβλίου και οι λόγοι που οδήγησαν στα παραπάνω εγκλήματα επίσης δεν είναι οι προφανείς. Νέμεσις είναι η ελληνική θεότητα για την εκδίκηση. Η σύνδεση του τίτλου με την υπόθεση γίνεται, πάλι ως συνήθως, στο τέλος του βιβλίου.

Χθες έπεσε στο μάτι ένα άρθρο του VICE για τους 10 λόγους για να παντρευτείτε έναν αστυνομικό (http://www.vice.com/gr/read/10-logoi-..., το λες λίιιιιγο ειρωνικό, εγώ όμως θα σας πω έναν και μόνο: Χάρυ Χόλε!!! Και η Ράκελ συμφωνεί (σε αυτό το βιβλίο!)
...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Melissa rated it liked it

Shelves: yikes

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

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Dec 28, 2011 Paul Curd rated it really liked it · review of another edition

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

There really should be a health warning or spoiler alert printed on the cover of this book. It is the third of Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole series of detective novels to be translated into English. The first was The Devil's Star, but actually The Devil's Star turns out to be the third in the series and very much the sequel to Nemesis. For some reason, the novels have been translated and published in the UK out of sequence (I guess the reason is they published the best one first to test the water . . .) There really should be a health warning or spoiler alert printed on the cover of this book. It is the third of Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole series of detective novels to be translated into English. The first was The Devil's Star, but actually The Devil's Star turns out to be the third in the series and very much the sequel to Nemesis. For some reason, the novels have been translated and published in the UK out of sequence (I guess the reason is they published the best one first to test the water . . .). Unlike most detective series novels, you really do need to read Nesbø's Harry Hole books in the correct order to get the most from them. While each novel stands alone to a certain extent, there is a thread running through them that is best followed chronologically. So if you haven't read the first in the series, The Redbreast, maybe you should do so before you read this book!

Nemesis begins with grainy CCTV footage showing a masked man walking into a bank and putting a gun to a cashier's head. He tells her to count to twenty-five. When he doesn't get his money in time, she is executed. No forensic evidence is recovered, but the Oslo police treat the incident simply as a bank robbery gone wrong and the investigation is assigned to Rune Ivarsson, the arrogant Head of the Robbery Unit. Maverick detective Harry Hole, however, has spent the whole weekend studying the CCTV videotape and believes the case should be treated as a murder, which means it should be investigated by the Crime Squad (of which he is a member). As a result, Harry is temporarily attached to the Robbery Unit in a semi-detached role with a brief to pursue the case in parallel to the main investigation.

Lurking somewhere at the back of all this is an event that took place in Nesbø's earlier novel, The Redbreast. In The Redbreast, Harry's partner and close friend, Ellen Gjelten, is beaten to death with a baseball bat. As a result, Harry had an alcoholic relapse, something he is still recovering from at the start of Nemesis. In Harry's opinion, the case of Ellen's murder had never been cleared up satisfactorily. Harry had found incriminating evidence against a suspect, but before justice could take its course Inspector Tom Waaler had shot the suspect dead in an alleged fire fight. Harry doubted Waaler's story, and felt the dead suspect's motive for killing Ellen was never satisfactorily explained.

But Ellen is dead, and Harry needs a new partner. He is assigned another female detective Beate Lønn, whose father had been an Oslo cop shot on duty during a bank raid a few years earlier. When Harry first meets Beate she reminds him of a corpse Ellen and he had once fished out of Bunnefjord. Is this a foreshadowing of events to come? Will history repeat itself?

Meanwhile, Harry's girlfriend is away in Russia, sorting out a messy divorce. While she is away, and the investigation into the bank robbery/murder is just beginning, Anna an old flame gets in touch with Harry. He meets her for a drink and goes for a coffee back to her house, where he admires a series of paintings Anna is working on. She has called the paintings Nemesis, after the goddess. A few days later, Harry goes back to Anna's for dinner, but the next morning he wakes up at home with a terrible hangover and no memory of the past twelve hours. The same morning Anna is found shot dead in her bed. Harry investigates the case without revealing his association with the dead girl, but then he begins to receive threatening e-mails by someone who seems to know there is more to Anna's death than the police suspect. Is someone trying to frame him for Anna's murder?

This is a very complex (or maybe that should be complicated) novel. There are several plots and sub-plots, clues and red herrings, and many a twist and turn. It is very well written (and the translator should get an honourable mention here) and on the whole an enjoyable read. But it is a very long book at nearly 500 pages. Around about page 300 I was beginning to wilt under the complexity of it all. But just as I was starting to run out of stamina, Nesbø introduced a shocking new element relating to Ellen Gjelten's murder and reinvigorated the story.

The ending is a puzzle, and I scratched my head over it for a while before discovering that all is revealed in the third book in the series, The Devil's Star.
...more

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Sep 27, 2016 Emily rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: personal-reading, nordic-noir, 2016-books

Συνεχίζεται ανοδικά η πορεία του συγγραφέα με κάθε βιβλίο του να είναι καλύτερο από τα προηγούμενα.
Ο ήρωας του είναι απόλυτα ανθρώπινος, με τα δικά του βάσανα και προβλήματα που τον κάνουν απολύτως συμπαθή.

Σε αυτήν την περιπέτεια, ο Χάρι Χόλε έχει βυθιστεί στην κατάθλιψη, απαρηγόρητος για το θάνατο της συνεργάτιδας του και κάνει ακόμα μια συνειδητή προσπάθεια να απέχει από το αλκοόλ. Συγκατοικεί στο γραφείο του με τον Χάλβορσεν, για τον οποίο αποτελεί ένα είδος μέντορα, έχοντας το ρίξει στους πο Συνεχίζεται ανοδικά η πορεία του συγγραφέα με κάθε βιβλίο του να είναι καλύτερο από τα προηγούμενα.
Ο ήρωας του είναι απόλυτα ανθρώπινος, με τα δικά του βάσανα και προβλήματα που τον κάνουν απολύτως συμπαθή.

Σε αυτήν την περιπέτεια, ο Χάρι Χόλε έχει βυθιστεί στην κατάθλιψη, απαρηγόρητος για το θάνατο της συνεργάτιδας του και κάνει ακόμα μια συνειδητή προσπάθεια να απέχει από το αλκοόλ. Συγκατοικεί στο γραφείο του με τον Χάλβορσεν, για τον οποίο αποτελεί ένα είδος μέντορα, έχοντας το ρίξει στους ποιοτικούς καφέδες με την καινούργια τους μηχανή espesso. Σύντομα, στο δίδυμο θα προστεθεί η νεοφερμένη στο τμήμα Μπέτε Λεν, που θα αποτελέσει με τη φωτογραφική της μνήμη μια πολύτιμη βοήθεια. Η τριάδα θα καταφέρει να λύσει πολλά διαπλεκόμενα μυστήρια που βασίζονται τα περισσότερα στην εκδίκηση και την αυτοδικία.

Έχοντας τρομάξει να αποκαταστήσουμε τον ήρωα μας με την Ράκελ και τον μικρό της γιο Όλεγκ, δεν προλαβαίνουμε να χαρούμε και πολύ μια και η παρ' ολίγον οικογένεια του αναγκάζεται να πάει στη Μόσχα για την υπόθεση της κηδεμονίας του Όλεγκ. Η ιστορία αυτή αποτελεί από μόνη της ένα ακόμα μέτωπο για τον Χάρι ο οποίος θα δεχτεί μια απρόσμενη βοήθεια από έναν τρόφιμο φυλακής.
Το πόσα πολλά μπορεί να κάνει ένας τρόφιμος φυλακής ήταν ίσως το μόνο αδύνατο σημείο της πλοκής, που εμένα δεν με έπεισε, αν και ίσως σε real life σενάριο να μην αποτελεί μεγάλη έκπληξη. Ο τρόφιμος μόνο κυβέρνηση δεν ανεβοκατέβασε! Λεπτομέρειες όμως, μπρος σε ένα ωραίο, χορταστικό και απολαυστικό ανάγνωσμα που έχει και συνέχειες! Τι παρηγοριά!

...more

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Jul 07, 2010 James Thane rated it really liked it

Nemesis is a complex psychological thriller that weaves together the strands of two different investigations that prove to be interrelated.

When a teller is shot and killed in a dramatic bank robbery, Oslo homicide detective Harry Hole is assigned to the team investigating the crime. But Harry, a recovering alcoholic with a ton of other issues, does not work well with others and soon finds himself investigating apart from the larger team, assisted only by a young detective and video analyst, Bea ...more

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Jan 21, 2012 James rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, translated, harry-hole

Harry Hole returns in the fourth book in the series by Jo Nesbø (although only the second, translated ably, by Don Bartlett) and follows on from Redbreast . Some time has passed between the two novels, although it's not entirely clear how much - not enough to change the other people around him too much or for him to have ruined his relationship with Rakel (surely only a matter of time) or to have forgotten the murder of his partner, Ellen, but enough for there to be a new girl on the force - Be Harry Hole returns in the fourth book in the series by Jo Nesbø (although only the second, translated ably, by Don Bartlett) and follows on from Redbreast . Some time has passed between the two novels, although it's not entirely clear how much - not enough to change the other people around him too much or for him to have ruined his relationship with Rakel (surely only a matter of time) or to have forgotten the murder of his partner, Ellen, but enough for there to be a new girl on the force - Beate Lønn - an expert in video analysis.

Nemesis is two crimes in one; a bank robbery, where the robber executes one of the bank staff when his request to get the money within a certain amount of time isn't met. The other, an ex-girlfriend of Hole's, Anna, who he meets up with for drinks is found dead in her apartment - apparently suicide - however Hole's memory of the evening is a total blank. So while investigating the bank robbery with Lønn, he's also trying to continue the investigation into the death of Anna without implicating himself to his colleagues, and not forgetting the ongoing investigation into the death of Ellen that he's struggling to keep alive.

So far, so confusing. One cop, three cases, but, Nesbø didn't think that was confusing enough. The three cases are intertwined, common threads and characters appear and disappear from one case to another and so on. Hole's own blackouts further confuse the second case, and finally, every time Hole decides he's solved a case, you soon realise he hasn't. The two main cases both have twists, even their twists have further twists. Until you're thoroughly confused. The robbery is solved half-way through the book. I assumed this was to free up the rest of the book to concentrate on the Anna and Ellen cases, but nope, Hole's got the wrong man (and not for the last time). If you can keep up, both the main cases have very clever resolutions, although the Ellen case really never gets much further than in Redbreast - there are hints and clues provided to us the reader, but Harry never really gets anywhere. Fingers crossed that Waaler, the Prince, gets his comeuppance in the next book.

Gripping and well paced, even as confusing as it was. You're never quite sure how closely the cases are connected, or who is guilty, is getting framed, or is just lying to us, right until the end. (view spoiler) ...more

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Jul 08, 2011 Slávek Rydval rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: non-english-authors, read-2011

Světový zájem o severskou kriminálku zřejmě rozpoutal Stieg Larsson svým Miléniem. Bohužel to má i ten důsledek, že se k nám ze Skandinávie tahají romány, které lze bez okolků označit za silně podprůměrné čtivo pro masy (a tedy intelektuálně člověka sotva obohacující). Jedním takovým zastupitelem, který je (naprosto špatně) kriminálním románem označován, je Nemesis od Joa Nesboa.

Povězme si, co vlastně nutí vydavatele knihu zařadit do kategorie kriminální žánr:
1) Je z prostředí (kmininální) polic Světový zájem o severskou kriminálku zřejmě rozpoutal Stieg Larsson svým Miléniem. Bohužel to má i ten důsledek, že se k nám ze Skandinávie tahají romány, které lze bez okolků označit za silně podprůměrné čtivo pro masy (a tedy intelektuálně člověka sotva obohacující). Jedním takovým zastupitelem, který je (naprosto špatně) kriminálním románem označován, je Nemesis od Joa Nesboa.

Povězme si, co vlastně nutí vydavatele knihu zařadit do kategorie kriminální žánr:
1) Je z prostředí (kmininální) policie.
2) Vyšetřuje se tam zločin.
3) Obsahuje všechna možná klišé:
a. Hlavní vyšetřovatel je problémový (zde alkoholik).
b. Nevraživost na pracovišti mezi některými kriminalisty.
c. Hlavní postava s sebou vláčí svou nevyřešenou minulost.
d. Vyšetřování nakonec vedou dva týmy. Ba co víc, a to je jedno z nejtrapnějších klišé, spolupracovník hlavní postavy připraví na ni léčku.
e. Hlavní postava jde proti předpisům a nakonec uspěje.
f. Doplňte si další, kniha to splňovat vesměs bude.

Co však knize naopak markantně chybí, je bod, který dělá kriminálku kriminálkou a co určuje i to, zda jde o kvalitní knihu: čtenář má mít neustále možnost přemýšlet o tom, kdo zločin spáchal a neměl by se to pokud možno dozvědět dříve než na posledních pár stránkách. Na to je ale zřejmě Nesbo hodně špatným spisovatelem, neboť Nemesis je prachsprostý deníkový záznam jakéhosi loupežného přepadení. Pokud vypluje na povrch nějaká skutečnost, hned je rozebrána a čtenář je někam nasměrován, aniž by třeba chtěl, aniž by dostal možnost pochybovat, přemýšlet. Pro čtení na deku na pláž možná dobré, resp. lepší než bulvární deník, ale jinak?

Kniha má na 500 stran, a ačkoliv někteří o ní tvrdí, že ji nemohli odložit z ruky, mně to neudělalo problém nikdy. Ano, čtivá sice je, ale napínavá? Nikoliv. Dozví se člověk něco ze života ze severu? Nikoliv. Vadilo by, kdybych přestal v třetině, půlce, ke konci číst a pak už nedočetl? Ó nikoliv. Má cenu se těšit na další ze série úchvatného vyšetřovatele Harryho? Pche, na světě je tolik lepšího čtení… ...more

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Feb 09, 2009 Tony rated it really liked it

Nesbo, Jo. NEMESIS. (2002; U.S. 2008). ****. Nesbo is an international best-selling author from Norway. His earlier book, “The Redbreast,” was his initial claim to fame. Although not well-known to American readers, he has picked up a solid cadre of fans who will swell his audience through word of mouth. This novel takes his detective hero, Hole, of the murder squad, into the world of the gypsies. It all starts out with a bank robbery, where the robber, later termed the Expediter, holds a gun to ...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Wordsmith rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Nordic Thriller Aficionados

Shelves: part-of-series, bestsellers, award-winning-book-or-author, thriller-intrigue, police-procedural, star-four, death-violent, ebooks-kindle, favorite, have-reviewed, lit-scandinavian, ranking-2012-reads-processing, norway

One of The Sites Harry Is Sure To Visit At Least Once Per Novel:

 Vigeland Park Oslo, Norway

This is actually the second in the series and I have to say I found it better overall than a couple of his later ones. It is interesting going backwards and read of the events alluded to in Harry's future. Witnessing the beginning of his relationship with Rakel, probing the roots of the animosity between him and certain co-workers, indeed, the department in general. Yes, Harry gets his man. But at what One of The Sites Harry Is Sure To Visit At Least Once Per Novel:

  Vigeland Park Oslo, Norway

This is actually the second in the series and I have to say I found it better overall than a couple of his later ones. It is interesting going backwards and read of the events alluded to in Harry's future. Witnessing the beginning of his relationship with Rakel, probing the roots of the animosity between him and certain co-workers, indeed, the department in general. Yes, Harry gets his man. But at what cost? Prices can be so high and let's not forget about inflation.

A decent series, actually better than most.

Another Oslo Site I Feel I've Come To Know Very Well:

  Frogner Park Oslo, Norway

Harry does get around....

  Oslo, In The Evening:

...more

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Oct 21, 2014 Cathy DuPont rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Cathy by: Harry Roolart

I'm dedicating the reading of this book to my friend Harry Roolart

Harry, when he was a bit more active, pestered me until I read the first couple of books in the HH series. After that I was hooked by Harry Hole.

He is in my top three characters who I really love and enjoy reading. (This is a character from authors who are still alive and writing i.e. Michael Connelley.)

So thanks, Harry!

And remember that Harry is my "go to" person for all things Scandinavian. He can tell you how to pronounce Hole ...more

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Jun 21, 2016 Reckoner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: dial-m-for-murder, jo-nesbo

Damnitt Jo, every fucking time

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Dec 29, 2012 Janice rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, ylto-chunksters, z-read-in-2014, ebooks

Jo Nesbo keeps getting better and better!

This book is the fourth in the Harry Hole series and the second in what is called The Oslo Trilogy. The story is complex and multi-layered. It's almost breathtaking when all the pieces fall into place at the end.

It's hard to write too much without giving away spoilers. Let me just say that I think all hell is going to break loose in the next book in the series.

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Apr 18, 2017 Amiad rated it really liked it · review of another edition

שודד בנקים מתוחכם שודד וגם רוצח והארי הולה צריך כמובן לעצור אותו. במקביל הוא צריך לחקור פרשייה שיותר קרובה אליו אישית ולהתמודד עם יצר ההרס העצמי הרגיל שלו.

העלילה מותחת, הפתרון יחסית מפתיע (למרות שקצת ניחשתי) והארי הוא דמות בלתי נשכחת. חלקים מהספר קשורים לאדום החזה שלא ממש זכרתי.

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Oct 21, 2012 Radka rated it liked it · review of another edition

Pár poznámek k Nesbømu (jednou se třeba naučím i ty recenze)

Když jsem četla svou první nesbøovku (Nemesis), nemohla jsem se zbavit pocitu, že i když mě kniha baví, k dokonalosti jí cosi chybí nebo možná spíš přebývá. Při četbě Pentagramu jsem pak dospěla k závěru, že se nejspíš jedná o promyšlený autorský záměr: psát knihy dost dobré na to, aby je lidé četli, ale zároveň všelijak nedokonalé a tedy i vzbuzující naději, že v příští knize se zadaří lépe.

Sama jsem právě takhle uvažovala, když jsem s ...more

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Mar 13, 2017 Girish rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: immediate-read-challenge

There are mysteries, there are thrillers and then there is the best of both worlds called Jo Nesbo books. I am officially a fan after Nemesis!

Harry Hole is part of a joint investigation with Robbery department of a bank robbery gone wrong. When the escalations in robberies happen with more daring savagery, Hole starts a parallel investigation with Boete (wonderkid) and an extremely well connected gypsy ex-robber doing time playing mind games.

That is just the beginning. He gets a call from a ex- ...more

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Jul 04, 2013 Mal Warwick rated it really liked it

Shelves: mysteries-thrillers

Gypsies, bank robbers, and the Norwegian police: a gloriously suspenseful mashup

If you saw Harry Hole walking up to you on the sidewalk, you’d probably cross to the other side of the street. He’s close to six-and-a-half feet tall, looks tough (and is), and rarely smiles. This much-conflicted detective on the Oslo police force isn’t the kind of guy who makes friends easily or has a lot of fans either on or off the force. He’s an alcoholic who spends more time off the wagon than on, and he seems t Gypsies, bank robbers, and the Norwegian police: a gloriously suspenseful mashup

If you saw Harry Hole walking up to you on the sidewalk, you’d probably cross to the other side of the street. He’s close to six-and-a-half feet tall, looks tough (and is), and rarely smiles. This much-conflicted detective on the Oslo police force isn’t the kind of guy who makes friends easily or has a lot of fans either on or off the force. He’s an alcoholic who spends more time off the wagon than on, and he seems to devote more effort to pursuing his own investigations than those he’s assigned. However, Harry Hole is a brilliant detective who deploys both intuition and deductive reasoning to solve some of Norway’s most devilishly complex crimes.

In Nemesis, the fourth novel in Jo Nesbo’s celebrated Harry Hole series, a murder committed in the course of a bank robbery engages more and more of the Oslo police as other, similar robberies take place and city officials demand results. Eventually, Harry is assigned to the robbery detail that’s run by one of several of his arch-enemies. Trouble ensues (of course!) when Harry insists on viewing the initial robbery — the focus of the investigation — not as a bank job but as a homicide. Meanwhile, one of the several girlfriends in Harry’s past turns up dead, not incidentally the same evening Harry has dinner with her in her apartment. To make matters worse, Harry can’t remember a thing about the evening. Now, he’s not only at loggerheads with his superior in the robbery detail but a potential suspect in a murder case as well. (Naturally, Harry refrains from telling anyone about his presence at the murder scene.)

As the story unfolds, Harry becomes enmeshed in a series of seemingly unlikely and disconnected subcultures, from the Romany (gypsy) diaspora to the world of bank robbers to the ways of the corporate elite. Nesbo’s research is extensive, and the details that emerge naturally in the telling of the tale are fascinating.

It’s hard to imagine that more than a handful of crime writers anywhere in the world could spin out this tale, seamlessly interweave several complex subplots, populate them all with thoroughly believable characters, and build suspense to a shattering conclusion with the skill that Jo Nesbo brings to his craft.

At his best, as he was in The Leopard, Jo Nesbo is the equal of any mystery writer alive today. Even when his work falls a little short of perfection, the result is still outstanding. Both The Redbreast and Nemesis fall into that category. I can’t wait to read the other seven Harry Hole novels I haven’t yet opened. ...more

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Dec 14, 2016 Teresa rated it it was amazing

Espectacular!! Cada día me impresiona más como este autor es capaz de mantener la tensión a lo largo de toda la novela y cuando crees que ya se ha resuelto le da un nuevo giro.

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Jul 03, 2015 Genchev rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Имам си афинитет към Норвегия, не само защото доста от любимите ми групи са от там.
Ако Норвегия обаче наистина е такава, каквато я описва Несбьо, искам да поживея в тази страна.
Днес довърших "Немезида" и съм очарован, въпреки болезнената ми претенциозност към този жанр.Доколкото разбрах
книгата е под номер три от поредицата за Хари Хуле но спокойно се чете като самостоятелна.
Направи ми впечатление неговия стил на писане - интересна композиция и смесване на отделни действия.
В хронологичното повес Имам си афинитет към Норвегия, не само защото доста от любимите ми групи са от там.
Ако Норвегия обаче наистина е такава, каквато я описва Несбьо, искам да поживея в тази страна.
Днес довърших "Немезида" и съм очарован, въпреки болезнената ми претенциозност към този жанр.Доколкото разбрах
книгата е под номер три от поредицата за Хари Хуле но спокойно се чете като самостоятелна.
Направи ми впечатление неговия стил на писане - интересна композиция и смесване на отделни действия.
В хронологичното повествование прониква без предупреждение някаква ретроспекция, появява се нещо като страничен сюжет и
накрая всичко се заплита съвсем.Това винаги е бил сполучлив подход за мен, оценявам го високо.
Несбьо умело поддържа и доволно количество напрежение във всяка глава на книгата, майсторски пускайки "трохички"
на читателите със склонност да се опитват да разгадават нещата предварително, "забърсва" ги съвсем неочаквано със замах и пуска нови.
Диалозите са пълни с препратки към други езици, места, изкуство, има скрити философски "закачки", което ме убеди че държа в ръцете си книга от наистина ерудиран автор.Експозиция - чисто скандинавска, времето е мрачно, описанията сиво-подобни, студената атмосфера си е фактор за тръпка винаги.
Спокойно мога да го квалифицирам (поне за себе си) като истински detective-noir роман, точно за моя вкус.
Своеобразният анализ на мотиви като отмъщение, вина, престъление и наказание дава доста дълбочина на романа, което
в синхрон със заплитащите се нишки, вървящи успоредно и натрупване на събития и загадки, буквално могат да те накарат да затаиш дъх.
Образите са много добре изпипани, човешки, откровени със своите недостатъци, особено този на Хари Хуле.
Несбьо успешно си играе със сенките в човешката природа, които буквално те "докосват" (как не обичам това клише, но не се сещам за по-точно) и правят персонажите някак много близки.
Ясните визуализации оставят в същото време достатъчно свобода на въображението на читателя и това е един много ценен плюс,
за съжаление рядко срещан при други автори.
Хари Хуле, който е асоциален, циничен бивш пънкар и има проблеми с алкохола е така убедително изпипан, че моментално му станах фен, но съм сигурен че въпреки болезнения ми афинитет към дефектни главни герои ще се хареса и на по-нормални читатели. :)
Много съм доволен, защото ми се четеше нещо от скандинавски автор и то се оказа наистина добро.
Не съм очаквал че за пореден път, нещо от Север ще ме "стопли" така.

...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Keith rated it it was amazing

Here is another mystery by a Scandinavian Author. Wow. It doesn't have the color of the "Girl with the Dragon Tatoo" because the main character isn't as memorable as the woman in that book. But the story and mystery in this book is far better written, in my humble opinion. The main character, inspector Hole, will become another famous detective. He has issues, but then everything around him becomes part of the story. Not only do we have the mystery, but we have the murder of his partner, Ellen, ...more

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Aug 09, 2016 Esma Tezgi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016

Nemesis genel olarak güzel bir polisiyeydi, iç içe olay örgüsüyle ve yazarın kendine özgü yazım tarzıyla okuması oldukça keyifliydi. Norveç sokaklarında olmak da ayrı bir güzel oluyor bence.

Ayrıntılı yorum için; http://yorumatolyesi.blogspot.com/201...

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Feb 22, 2013 Harry rated it it was amazing

Shelves: detective-mystery, favorites, nordic-crime-fiction

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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Dec 16, 2014 Matt rated it really liked it

Nesbø continues to dazzle with his wonderful Harry Hole series, in this fourth novel. When a single individual enters a bank and takes the female teller hostage, demands are made to empty an ATM full of money. Using the hostage to disguise their voice, the robber offer an ultimatum that cannot be completed in the specified time, and the teller is killed. With the Robbery Division unable to make any progress on the case, it is sent to Harry Hole and video evidence expert, Beate Lønn as a murder i Nesbø continues to dazzle with his wonderful Harry Hole series, in this fourth novel. When a single individual enters a bank and takes the female teller hostage, demands are made to empty an ATM full of money. Using the hostage to disguise their voice, the robber offer an ultimatum that cannot be completed in the specified time, and the teller is killed. With the Robbery Division unable to make any progress on the case, it is sent to Harry Hole and video evidence expert, Beate Lønn as a murder investigation. With Hole's girlfriend, Rakel, in Russia fighting for custody of her son, Harry agrees to have dinner with a former lover, Anna, who reappears out of the blue and wants a platonic chat. Waking up at home the next morning with all the signs of a massive hangover, Hole is shocked to learn that Anna apparently committed suicide the night before. However, some of the evidence points at a potential murder, covering up to confuse everyone. Keeping this under wraps, Harry engages in an off-the-books investigation and reaches out to a member of Anna's family, who is in prison for previous bank robberies, promising to solve her murder if insight on the bank robberies can be provided. As Lønn discovers the intimate closeness of the robber and teller through analysis of the video surveillance, she surmises that they must have known one another. When further heists are completed and no teller is harmed, Hole and Lønn agree that this first robbery held a special component; the teller. After heading around the world to follow a lead in South America, Hole and Lønn appear to close the case when they find a confession in a suicide note from the teller's brother-in-law. Returning to Norway, Hole is contacted through anonymous email servers by someone calling themselves S2MN. All traces point back to Hole, who cannot remember what happened with Anna, though he is fairly certain that he is innocent. However, fellow police officer Tom Waaler trips on some evidence that could implicate Hole and a warrant is issued for our protagonist's arrest. Hole dodges his colleagues to clear his name and trips on a key piece of evidence staring him in the face. All the while, someone by the name of the Prince has Hole in his crosshairs, killing those who might be able to uncover the truth behind Hole's former partner's murder. Nesbø offers the reader a wonderful omniscient view into this and all other storylines in this jam-packed novel with a final chapter that may bring Hole and the Prince into a massive stand-off. A sensation second book of an imbedded trilogy within the larger Harry Hole series.

There is no question that Nesbø is a sensational writer. That his books can be so addictive in a language other than the original adds to their greatness. The Harry Hole character is highly complex on many levels, from his alcoholism through to his past lovers and struggles with work. Nesbø offers ongoing insights into the dark world of Hole's life and his attention to detail to solve the most complicated of cases. Building on this and other periphery characters within Hole's sphere, Nesbø offers detailed character development that will only draw the reader closer to the protagonist. The reader finds themselves fully involved in the plot and the multiple storylines on offer. The reader must pay close attention in order to sift through the busy narrative and Hole's varied activities. I find myself wanting to reach for the next novel to discover how the Prince storyline ends, or if it will continue for the rest of the series.

Kudos Mr. Nesbø for another wonderful novel. You are a master, no matter what language in which you are read.

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

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Mar 28, 2012 Sonia Cristina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017

03-06-2017
Acabadinho de reler; sinceramente, é quase como se estivesse a ler pela primeira vez, não me lembrava nadinha dos casos dos assaltos aos bancos e da Anna, que se chega a suspeitar ter sido Harry a matar. Tanto num caso como no outro, sinceramente, que gente mais marada. (view spoiler) ...more

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Jan 01, 2015 Mary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: used-bookstore-find, the-fjords-are-alive

Many mystery series become stale after just a few books. The authors tend to re-use story lines and not allow the characters any real growth. So far, Jo Nesbo has avoided that with the Harry Hole series.

In Nemesis, Harry is assigned to investigate a bank robbery gone wrong. At the same time, a former lover is in town and he is drawn into a twisted scenario that places him as the prime suspect in a murder.

For me, the gold standard crime writer today is Tana French. Right or wrong, I compare all ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Check Sverre Olsen's hands	1	6	Sep 26, 2016 10:29AM
Who committed the other robberies then?	13	193	Jul 21, 2016 07:36AM
What gun did Alf Gunnerud have?	1	12	Aug 27, 2015 07:13AM
Elmer and Vigdis spoiler alert	1	25	Sep 18, 2014 05:15PM
spoiler question: how did Harry's partner kill Stines husband with her sedestal twitch?	1	59	Dec 06, 2013 01:56PM

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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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“With regard to power, women don’t have the vanity men have. They don’t need to make power visible, they only want the power to give them the other things they want. Security. Food. Enjoyment. Revenge. Peace. They are rational, power-seeking planners, who think beyond the battle, beyond the victory celebrations. And because they have an inborn capacity to see weakness in their victims, they know instinctively when and how to strike. And when to stop. You can’t learn that...” — 41 likes

“Losing your ife is not the worst think that can happen. The worst thing is to lose your reason for living.” — 20 likes

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