Better Still!

If you have read my review of "The Bat" (Book 1 in this series) then you will know that I opted to listen to this ahead of my planned read because I enjoyed Book 1 and, you might have inferred, that I was engaged by Harry Hole as a character (vomit and all). So, was that the correct decision? Absolutely! This is a better book than Book 1.
The plot here is complex and you need to listen to each part carefully. The threads are all there (as they were in "The Bat"), so there is no slight of hand Shaitana-like revelation of the Agatha Christie type, here. In fact, like "The Bat", the perp' is no surprise when revealed, but the why and what for is worth the wait. (Spoiler alert), not every mystery is put to bed here, so I am expecting the unresolved part to feature in future installments.
The plot here is much more Larsson-like. There are neo-Nazis and corrupt officials scattered generously throughout the Norse public service. However, it has it's own distinctive feel. Perhaps it's because Harry's vice (drink) is so much easier to relate to than Blomkvist's (women he has no bases to aspire to - Australians call this "punching above your weight"). We can all have more drink than we need, but can one ever be fortunate enough to love every woman one might have wanted to, especially when one is me? I like Harry more than I liked Blomkvist. I liked this book a lot. My only regret is that (like Larsson) it seems that Nesbo's women don't get a good run in this Scandavian crime genre. Maybe that will change in Book 4. For now, I have had to deliberately stop myself from reading Book 4.
Again, Sean Barrett is very good; proving he can do German accents, too.
Read it at your peril, because you may be compelled to read the next installment, too!

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Fantastic addition to the series

If you could sum up The Redbreast: A Harry Hole Thriller, Book 3 in three words, what would they be?

Fascinating, intriguing, complex.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Redbreast: A Harry Hole Thriller, Book 3?

Learning about Norway's role in WWII was a great historical bonus.

What does Sean Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His Norwegian accent and pacing bring authenticity to the reading.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Absolutely!

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Where are books #2 and #4?

Just finished Book 3 after my introduction to Jo Nesbo and his star anti-hero Harry Hole in Book 1. This book is situated primarily in Norway with flashbacks to WW2. Am I glad I found Jo Nesbo. It's entertaining, incredibly fast-paced, strong character development and a plot that contains many twists and turns.
Another must read.
And Sean Barrett is a perfect fit for the Harry Hole series.
Please Audible - bring on the other books in this powerful series.

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Good Harry Hole Book

I enjoyed listening to this book although the plot was bit predicable. The way the charaters were intertwined made for interesting listening. Sean Barrett did a fine job narrating.

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A good listen On to the next one

Not as good as the first book but still a good listen.
Sean Barratt as with the first was excellent.

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Too many stories including the world war two

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I loved "The bat" and I love Harry Hole. In this book the second world war takes up too much space. I did not even listen to half of it because I do not wish to think of his other books as bad ones. If you love hearing war stories you will love this one!

What do you think your next listen will be?

I have a few to choose from: John Grisham, the newest Stephen King novel, Penny Marshall's fantastic "My mother was nuts" alongside another Nesbo... Yes, I listen too way too many audiobooks. As you can see, this book did not turn me away from Nesbo, but since I grew up in Norway I know enough about how badly people were being treated during this war of madness. I do not want to be reminded of it when I am trying to have a good time.

What does Sean Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is beyond fantastic. I prefer him over Robin Sachs.

What character would you cut from The Redbreast: A Harry Hole Thriller, Book 3?

The war characters.

Any additional comments?

This is the only book in this series that talks about the war. I am so looking forward to the rest of this books. I love Harry.

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Not a bad yarn

The story is complex, coming together at the end. At times I thought I had missed something and needed to backtrack and listen again. Having listened to The Redeemer first, this story does give the background to 'The Prince, who comes up in the later stories..Some chapters seemed to have missed the final audio edit, to remove small errors in reading. The plots thankfully lack the drum roll and big cash conspiracy, allowing for the individual need to redress perceived. wrongs, to unfold and surface in a very sinister undercurrent. Interesting in regard to WW11. and post war Europe. While Sean Barrett reads Mankell , and Kurt Wallander very well, I am not sure he is right for the Harry Hole. stories.

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Phenomenal book!

I was absolutely absorbed by this book from start to finish. Easily one of the best crime novels I've ever read/listened to. I love that Nesbo creates such an intricate story that (even with all the pieces given) it still only comes together at the end as a surprise. I highly recommend this book to anyone. The flashbacks were a little hard to follow in the audio version, because the dates and places couldn't be scrolled back to. However, the performance was good enough to carry me along even without being able to leaf back pages.

Excellent story and narrater

Excellent plot and narrator was top class
Just 2 little things that we noticed being South African - in the story the south african gets the death penalty in 1999. The death penalty in SA was abolished in June 1995.
The narrator uses a Jamaican accent for the African police officer. The english for the Afrikaans character is spot on

Annoying narrator

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I liked the storry, but the narrator was annoying. I would rather have an american narrator. I know the first book of the storry of Harry Hole takes place in Austalia, but the rest of books I believe takes place in different part of the world and I would rather have a more neutral english speaking narrator to read the books.

Would you be willing to try another book from Jo Nesbo? Why or why not?

Yes, but I rather listen to the original language or find another narrator in english for the rest of the books about Harry Hole.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Sean Barrett?

Anyone!