Nemesis by Jo Nesbo

Nemesis by Jo Nesbo
First published in Norwegian in Norway as Sorgenfri by Aschehoug And Co in 2002. English language translation by Don Bartlett published by Harvill Secker in 2008.

I registered my copy of this book at Bookcrossing

One of my WorldReads from Norway

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How I got this book:
Received a review copy from the publisher

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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 begins to receive threatening emails: is someone trying to frame him for her death? As Harry fights to clear his name, the bank robberies continue with unparalleled savagery.

I am sure I have never read any Jo Nesbo books before, but this Scandinavian crime novel felt very familiar throughout. It has an alcoholic lead detective emotionally tortured by actions in his past, an inexperienced but brilliant sidekick, a bizarre serial crime for them to solve, a trip to the other side of the world for no great reason and, of course, our detective has a close personal attachment to the crime. Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. Nesbo is certainly a competent crime writer and I liked his evocation of Oslo life, especially in respect to the city's frequently miserable climate, but for me this novel felt too formulaic. I thought most of the characters didn't have the believability of, say, the Martin Beck creations, and the plot line seemed to become more outlandish by the minute! As an escapist read, Nemesis did keep me occupied for a couple of afternoons, but my high expectations were ultimately disappointed.

Stephanie Jane

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Books by Jo Nesbo / Crime fiction / Books from Norway