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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
Just sort of “meh” for me. I found the plot convoluted at the same time predictable. While I wanted to like the main character and root for him I was left cold by his personality and back story. The writing seemed uneven and I wonder if this was due to the translation? Or did they get better in later books?
I read The Bat about 10 years ago and was pretty indifferent. Now here I am in Cockroaches, feeling the same. Maybe I’ll like The Redbreast better in about a decade.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Rating 3* out of 5. It's a well-crafted crime novel and I can't put a finger on why I didn't like it. Certainly it did not portray my country of birth, Thailand, in the best of light, but it felt realistic. I think my main problem is with the main protagonist, Harry Hole. He is such an asshole! I didn't like him at the end of the series (except in the last book) and he's certainly not presenting a better figure here.
Harry Hole - he prefers the pronounciation "Holy" in English - had a succesful case in Sydney and is now sent to Bangkok to help solving the murder of the Norwegian ambassador. Harry's drinking problem has the better of him for a while, but finally he begins to emergy from the vapors and untangle real clues. The atmosphere and setting is really authentic, I truly felt as if I was in Bangkok again. I didn't find a single inaccurate detail to get annoyed over. I wish I could say the same about Harry.
It also seems as if I had read the main plot here before, as if Nesbø recirculates ideas, but to avoid spoilers I won't be more speficif here. I'll just say "Phantom" (book 7). I read book 6 to 10 before starting from the beginning.
It's not a terrible book, but I am not extatic over the fact that I've already got the next book on my mp3 player. I'd rather listen to something else, I just don't know what.
Harry Hole - he prefers the pronounciation "Holy" in English - had a succesful case in Sydney and is now sent to Bangkok to help solving the murder of the Norwegian ambassador. Harry's drinking problem has the better of him for a while, but finally he begins to emergy from the vapors and untangle real clues. The atmosphere and setting is really authentic, I truly felt as if I was in Bangkok again. I didn't find a single inaccurate detail to get annoyed over. I wish I could say the same about Harry.
It also seems as if I had read the main plot here before, as if Nesbø recirculates ideas, but to avoid spoilers I won't be more speficif here. I'll just say "Phantom" (book 7). I read book 6 to 10 before starting from the beginning.
It's not a terrible book, but I am not extatic over the fact that I've already got the next book on my mp3 player. I'd rather listen to something else, I just don't know what.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicide, Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault
For a second time, Harry is sent off to an exotic locale (Bangkok) to investigate the brutal murder of a Norwegian citizen (the ambassador) in cooperation with the local police. He will again cycle through multiple theories until he gets it right, Instead of the racist mistreatment of Aboriginal Australians by European colonizers, we see the sexual exploitation of young Thais of both genders by European tourists and expats. The details have changed, but much of this strikes me in hindsight as formulaic. And yet...I enjoyed it. Harry is a deeply flawed, yet sympathetic protagonist with his own moral standards.
It looks like Nesbø changed things up for [b:The Redbreast|465226|The Redbreast (Harry Hole, #3)|Jo Nesbø|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320540474l/465226._SY75_.jpg|1487876], which is the book that really got the literary world's attention, so I look forward to reading that one after a short break.
Spoiler
a young woman connected to Harry will be kidnapped and then murdered, an older, troubled mentor will also be brutally murdered, and Harry will kill the murderer.It looks like Nesbø changed things up for [b:The Redbreast|465226|The Redbreast (Harry Hole, #3)|Jo Nesbø|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320540474l/465226._SY75_.jpg|1487876], which is the book that really got the literary world's attention, so I look forward to reading that one after a short break.
Jo Nesbø has a fascinating way of elevating your usual crime novel into a complex and engaging discussion about morality and the way we as human beings relate to and judge each other. This book was a solid 3.5 (similar in plot but technically superior to Book 1, The Bat) but I think it’s real success was making me a big fan of the author’s writing style. Here’s to Scandinoir as a subgenre.
Harry Hole in Thailand. Tough subject matter and gruesome in parts
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated