Marjorie's World of Books

I finally caught up with this fabulous Harry Hole series.  It was really questionable whether Harry made it or not at the end of the last book in the series, “Phantom”, and I’ve been putting off reading “Police” since I really couldn’t bear to know!  I know that sounds silly but this is the 10th Harry Hole novel and I’ve invested a lot of time in these characters and have grown to care about them.  I finally decided that I really had to know what happened and now I know.  I promise not to give anything away.

Jo Nesbo has such a knack for racketing up the suspense level until you’re actually sitting on the edge of your chair.  I read his books with one hand over my mouth, saying no, no, no, not that but can’t stop reading.  Another serial killer is loose, but this time out, the killer is targeting police officers with a reenactment of unsolved crimes.  As many of these books as I’ve read, I should know by now all of Nesbo’s tricks and the spinning curveballs that he throws.  But he still pulls me in, plays his sleight of hand magic and off I go on another roller coaster ride of emotions. 

If you’re new to this series, I would recommend that you start off with the first Harry Hole novel, “The Bat”.  That way, you’ll be able to get to know these characters right from the start and understand the impact that “Police” has on its readers.  I’m sure this book is still a great thriller even without the emotional investment.  But for those who have grown to love Harry, Rakel, Oleg, Katrine, Beate, Stale, etc., this book really packs a punch.  Nesbo deeply delves into these characters’ souls, I think even more so in this book than previous ones.  While Nesbo can be very violent in his books, his expert character development makes this series much more than simply a novel of violence for violence sake.