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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Didn't interest me enough to want to know who dun it.
From a crime novel perspective, this book was amazing. Very well written with characters that were fleshed out just perfectly, the right amount of edge of your seat drama, and a mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. My only qualm is that the author felt the need to add so much R rated material that had nothing to do with the storyline. I guess some people like that, but I'm a bit old fashioned and it almost ruined the book for me. I ended up giving it four stars because, ignoring the many elicit parts, this is still an excellent crime novel.
This was my first Jo Nesbo novel and, sadly, I think it might be the last.
I found the premise of the book intriguing and felt it had some real potential, but unfortunately I found that it lacked any real pace or originality. The development of the plot was clunky - it also seemed far too convenient at times and oddly far-fetched at others. Additionally, Nesbo's approach to female characters seems somewhat sexist (for example, the only female detective in the story blames a momentary loss of temper on her period, and then appears to flirt with the male character who didn't tell their colleagues about this 'loss of control' as a means of thanking him for keeping it quiet. There are several other examples throughout the book involving different characters as well, but this is perhaps the worst one.) There were also examples of racist language being used completely unnecessarily in the book.
Overall I found the story predictable and full of old 'antihero' cop tropes (including that the main character/detective is a chain-smoking alcoholic, married to the job, little regard for the rules, is stubborn, a lone wolf etc.). Harry Hole seems to be disliked by his colleagues and superiors, but allowed to get away with poor behaviour time and again on account of his brilliance. The difficulty with this premise is that Harry doesn't actually seem to be that good a detective after all. He blindly follows lead after lead, focussing on suspect after suspect, before there is no-one left but the actual killer to accuse. This seemingly unintended process of elimination takes up a huge portion of the book, making it far longer than it needed to be and destroying the hope of an unforeseen 'twist' for the reader.
Nesbo is quite a prolific writer within the genre, so it's a shame I didn't like this book. That being said, it's clear a lot of other people do and so perhaps I ought to give another of his books a chance. I definitely won't be prioritising one in my TBR list though!
I found the premise of the book intriguing and felt it had some real potential, but unfortunately I found that it lacked any real pace or originality. The development of the plot was clunky - it also seemed far too convenient at times and oddly far-fetched at others. Additionally, Nesbo's approach to female characters seems somewhat sexist (for example, the only female detective in the story blames a momentary loss of temper on her period, and then appears to flirt with the male character who didn't tell their colleagues about this 'loss of control' as a means of thanking him for keeping it quiet. There are several other examples throughout the book involving different characters as well, but this is perhaps the worst one.) There were also examples of racist language being used completely unnecessarily in the book.
Overall I found the story predictable and full of old 'antihero' cop tropes (including that the main character/detective is a chain-smoking alcoholic, married to the job, little regard for the rules, is stubborn, a lone wolf etc.). Harry Hole seems to be disliked by his colleagues and superiors, but allowed to get away with poor behaviour time and again on account of his brilliance. The difficulty with this premise is that Harry doesn't actually seem to be that good a detective after all. He blindly follows lead after lead, focussing on suspect after suspect, before there is no-one left but the actual killer to accuse. This seemingly unintended process of elimination takes up a huge portion of the book, making it far longer than it needed to be and destroying the hope of an unforeseen 'twist' for the reader.
Nesbo is quite a prolific writer within the genre, so it's a shame I didn't like this book. That being said, it's clear a lot of other people do and so perhaps I ought to give another of his books a chance. I definitely won't be prioritising one in my TBR list though!
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
That was my first time with Harry Hole. The Book was a page turner, the plot was interesting but i understood who the killer was before it was actually revealed... Also, the depiction of women was really stereotypical. Everytime a woman was present a guy imagined himself having sex with her (!). It was OK to spend some time with it but i didn't love it.
Okay... Foi uma leitura bem intrigante e rápida, mas os um milhão de plot-twists me impediram de mergulhar completamente na história. Apesar disso vou pesquisar mais livros dele pra ler sim!
Okay, first off, this thriller is insanely hard to put down. I had a few guesses about who the real culprit was and I guessed right when I got to 20% of the book. The first thought that occurred to me was, "Really?"
***SPOILERS***
I was disappointed when I had correctly guessed who The Snowman was. And to be honest, it made me think that the author was trying too hard to make the real culprit someone the reader wasn't expecting at all. And the writer kinda put him in the background for so long, hardly appearing throughout the book at all, it kind of made me think that the author's even trying to make the reader forget about him, so the reveal would be extremely jarring.
The thing that I liked most about the author is how cleverly he described the murder scenes, without putting in a lot of disgusting, gruesome detail - he leaves just enough to allow the readers' imaginations to roam, which makes the murders even more horrifying.
***SPOILERS***
I was disappointed when I had correctly guessed who The Snowman was. And to be honest, it made me think that the author was trying too hard to make the real culprit someone the reader wasn't expecting at all. And the writer kinda put him in the background for so long, hardly appearing throughout the book at all, it kind of made me think that the author's even trying to make the reader forget about him, so the reveal would be extremely jarring.
The thing that I liked most about the author is how cleverly he described the murder scenes, without putting in a lot of disgusting, gruesome detail - he leaves just enough to allow the readers' imaginations to roam, which makes the murders even more horrifying.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OM Flippin G!!!
Still feeling a bit stressed by the end of this one.
Still feeling a bit stressed by the end of this one.
So good and so suspenseful. If I didn't have to do all the mom things, I would've camped out in my chair and read until I finished the book.