Helpful Score: 2
I didn't know The Bat had been tranlated into English until I saw it sitting on the library self. Having read books 2 & 3 in the Harry Hole series, I eagerly snatched it up. While not as smooth as the subsequent novels, The Bat was a very good first effort and did nothing to change my view that Nesbo is one of the finest crime fiction writers in the business today. In The Bat, the Aboriginal symbal for death, Nesbo flies Down Under as Norway's rep to help solve the murder of a young Norwegian girl working in Australia. There are plenty of plot twists though I think Nesbo made the story a little more complicated than necessary. Still a worthy effort.
Dark and intriguing. You meet Harry Hole and all his faults.
Great detective but hard to handle.
Great start to a series.
Great detective but hard to handle.
Great start to a series.
While I suppose the writing (or translation, maybe) was well crafted, I couldn't get into either Harry or the investigation. Disappointed that it was set in Australia, although some of the local background was interesting. Gave up about halfway through due to a few too many side incidents that seemed to be padding.
Harry is a superb investigator who happens to be an alcoholic and sometimes his demon gets out of the bottle but Harry is not cowed too long. I waited a while to get this book, as Jo Nesbo's books are hard to come by and this one was so worth it. Harry has been sent down under by his bosses who need to get him out of the way but he is tough to fire as he's a top notch case cracker BUT so difficult when his demon is loose. This case is to tidy up the death of a young Norweigan woman in Australia, but it's VERY complicated. I appreciated the glimpse into the Aboriginal/whte relations, the glimpses at Sydney's bar scene and tourist spots, and most of all watching Harry peel the onion like layers of this case.
Just finished "The Bat" the first of the Harry Hole (who is a police investigator)suspense murder mystery. There was a lot of roller coaster rides for this being the first in a series and I liked that. Lots of "landings" I didn't see coming. Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series is one I'm interested in following. You can tell this author is comfortable with his story lines which makes for a smooth read. I found it entertaining.
When Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole novels were translated into English and gained a following outside of Scandinavia, it was decided to also bring out some of the earliest books in the series and make THEM available to the North American audience, as well.
There's at least a couple of reasons why these books weren't originally selected for translation and sale in this country.
âThe Batâ, first in the series, sends Harry Hole from his comfort zone in Oslo to Sydney, Australia. A young Norwegian has been killed, and the Norwegian government wants a police attaché involved with the local police. In this case, â attachéâ is a loose concept, translated to âlone wolfâ. (In that sense, it reminded me of the Clint Eastwood classic âCoogan's Bluffâ, where a southwestern police detective attempted to chase a felon through New York City â it became the basis of the television series âMcCloudâ.)
It is a strange introduction to the Oslo police department when the action occurs half a world away from the city and country in which the protagonist is based. This is one of the reasons why the first novels â the second is set in Thailand â were originally withheld from the American market. The other reason, in my opinion, is that the writing is not up to Nesbo's later standards. The characters are not as interesting or sympathetic as the ones we deal with in the later novels, and the climax had been telegraphed early in the novel.
Read the book for completion's sake. Read the book for the author's impressions of Australia. Read the book because you want to. Do NOT read the book because you're expecting the quality of work that you've experienced in the author's later works â despite the fact that this book came out much later than other novels in the Harry Hole series, this really IS a first novel. And it shows.
RATING: 3 1/2 stars, rounded down to 3 stars where 1/2 stars are not permitted.
There's at least a couple of reasons why these books weren't originally selected for translation and sale in this country.
âThe Batâ, first in the series, sends Harry Hole from his comfort zone in Oslo to Sydney, Australia. A young Norwegian has been killed, and the Norwegian government wants a police attaché involved with the local police. In this case, â attachéâ is a loose concept, translated to âlone wolfâ. (In that sense, it reminded me of the Clint Eastwood classic âCoogan's Bluffâ, where a southwestern police detective attempted to chase a felon through New York City â it became the basis of the television series âMcCloudâ.)
It is a strange introduction to the Oslo police department when the action occurs half a world away from the city and country in which the protagonist is based. This is one of the reasons why the first novels â the second is set in Thailand â were originally withheld from the American market. The other reason, in my opinion, is that the writing is not up to Nesbo's later standards. The characters are not as interesting or sympathetic as the ones we deal with in the later novels, and the climax had been telegraphed early in the novel.
Read the book for completion's sake. Read the book for the author's impressions of Australia. Read the book because you want to. Do NOT read the book because you're expecting the quality of work that you've experienced in the author's later works â despite the fact that this book came out much later than other novels in the Harry Hole series, this really IS a first novel. And it shows.
RATING: 3 1/2 stars, rounded down to 3 stars where 1/2 stars are not permitted.
Okay, finally read the first Harry Hole novel after starting out in the middle of the series with The Snowman and then reading the fourth book, Nemesis. In this one, Harry is sent from Norway to Australia to look into the murder of a young woman from Norway who was working in a bar in Australia. Harry is teamed up with an aboriginal police detective who teaches him a lot about aboriginal culture and beliefs while guiding Harry through the underlife of Sydney which happens to have one of the largest gay communities on the planet. Harry soon finds that a probable serial killer is on the loose targeting young women with blonde or light colored hair. Along the way Harry falls for a coworker of the murdered girl who is ultimately also put at risk. And when some grisly events ensue, Harry, a recovering alcoholic, falls very hard off the wagon.
This novel gave some insights into Harry's back story and included some very well conceived characters to make the story flow. There were several false leads along the way and an unforseen twist as to the identity of the killer. I remember this novel was referred to in The Snowman as one of Harry's most brutal cases. In any event, I will be looking forward to reading more of this series, hopefully in chronological order.
This novel gave some insights into Harry's back story and included some very well conceived characters to make the story flow. There were several false leads along the way and an unforseen twist as to the identity of the killer. I remember this novel was referred to in The Snowman as one of Harry's most brutal cases. In any event, I will be looking forward to reading more of this series, hopefully in chronological order.
I enjoyed this the first "Harry Hole" book. Not quite up to others writers of the idiom IMHO of course, but an enjoyable enough book that I will go on to another Harryy Hole book and see what's there.
"The Bat", Harry Hole is with the Oslo Crime Squad and is sent to Sydney to assist in an investigation of a young Norwegian girl who is found strangled. He befriends a lead detective and together they expose this case as one of many, possibly a serial killer with little to no leads. Both of them soon follow a few tips that take them across the country as time is running out for Harry's investigation.As persistence begins to pay off it soon becomes apparent to Harry that no one is safe including those investigating the crime. A tightly written story with twists and turns that sends you in one direction only to take another twist and turn. A great lead off book to a fantastic series - Gery
Note: Jo Nesbo with the O slant is pronounced as
'Nesburr' as Hole is pronounced 'Hoo - Leey' as it is in Norwegian
Note: Jo Nesbo with the O slant is pronounced as
'Nesburr' as Hole is pronounced 'Hoo - Leey' as it is in Norwegian
This is the first book in the Harry Hole series but not the first book that I have read by Jo Nesbo since this one was not available in the USA when I first started reading the Harry Hole series. I did enjoy this book very much as the character development and plot was very good. It also had a lot of twists and turns which kept me interested until the end of the book. I will be continuing with the series as I do like the character Harry Hole very much.
This book was good. More emotionally deep than typical thrillers. I have read other books by the author and they are always great reads. I left this particular book in a hostel in London, exchanged for another thriller.
I enjoyed it quite a bit. There were a few places where the translation was a limitless rough, but it did not stop me from wanting to read his next book.
Harry Hole of the Oslo Crime Squad is dispatched to Sydney to observe a murder case. Harry is free to offer assistance, but he has firm instructions to stay out of trouble. The victim is a twenty-three year old Norwegian woman who is a minor celebrity back home. Never one to sit on the sidelines, Harry befriends one of the lead detectives, and one of the witnesses, as he is drawn deeper into the case. Together, they discover that this is only the latest in a string of unsolved murders, and the pattern points toward a psychopath working his way across the country. As they circle closer and closer to the killer, Harry begins to fear that no one is safe, least of all those investigating the case.
