Saturday, February 5, 2022

"Police", by Jo Nesbo


Harry Hole series Book #10

This densely plotted story is one of the most macabre one I read so far. “Police” tells the tale of a serial killer with a darkest and most disturbing taste of observing the anniversary of each of his murders by luring a police detective to a gruesome death at the scene of the very crime the officer failed to solve.

Definitely a nerve racking thriller that brings out several characters from Nesbo’s previous novel “Phantom” where we were left in the dark about the fate of Harry Hole who took a bullet. The previous book is a must read and do not wait too long before getting to “Police” I took a brief hiatus with this series after reading “Phantom” and this was a mistake.

For many chapters the action is centered on the secondary players who were left in the shadow in the previous books. I kept wondering if the maverick Oslo detective would ever show up he did eventually but took his time (many chapters) When he showed up I simply couldn’t put the book down. I was constantly surprised along the way never sure where this convoluted plot was taking me and I never guessed who the perpetrator was. The book is filled with red herrings and misdirection, something that Nesbo has turned into a fine art. The ups and downs in this book are immense ...what a roller-coaster ride..... This riveting tale is brutal, tragic, darkly humorous.

The author has a soft spot of madmen and their grotesque methods of murder this one is bad but not as bad as were the characters in “The Snowman”. Yes there is violence in the book and some of it is upsetting and tragic. Even with all of this, Nesbo manages to create people who grow on you, some you love and some you hate...and knows how to delve deeply into the psyche of his characters.

The only let down is the book first section. We are kept guessing about Harry Hole’s fate for too long but in whole “Police” is a terrific read.

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