Genre: Nordic Thriller

Norwegian Title: Sorgenfri

English Translation: Don Bartlett (2008)

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Warm

Violence: A few gruesome scenes

My Grade: A-

Nemesis is the fourth book in Jo Nesbo’s excellent Harry Hole series, but the second available in English translation if you wish to read the books in chronological order. It is confusing as the first two Harry Hole books have not been translated into English and the rest have been translated out of order. For the correct reading order, I’ve provided a list at the end of this review. I strongly recommend reading the series in order if you can. While the mysteries are self-contained and solved by the end of each novel, there is a subplot which forms a continuing story arc over a few books. Note: For people who haven’t yet read The Redbreast, this review is as spoiler-free as I could make it.

Following his unwanted sojourn in the intelligence department, Inspector Harry Hole is back working in the Crime Squad. Over the past few months, Harry and his partner have devoted their time to the continuing investigation into a colleague’s death. When Harry’s boss insists he put the investigation on hold and concentrate on more pressing cases, Harry is less than pleased.

He is assigned to work on a bank robbery case in which a bank assistant was killed. The investigation is a joint venture between the Crime Squad and the Robberies Unit, led by the odious Rune Ivarsson. From the outset, it is clear that Harry and Ivarsson are not destined to play nicely together. Harry persuades his boss to allow him to work on an aspect of the case parallel to Ivarsson’s investigation, but with a degree of autonomy. He requests Beate Lønn, a promising, young video analyst, as his partner.

While Harry is busy following leads for the bank robbery, his personal life takes a complicated turn. While his girlfriend is away in Russia, Harry receives a phone call from an old flame. He agrees to meet her for dinner, promising himself that nothing will happen between them. The next morning, Harry wakes up in his apartment with no memory of the events of the last twelve hours. He assumes he had too much to drink.

Unfortunately for Harry, a hangover is soon the least of his concerns. Harry is called to the scene of a fatal shooting only to discover the victim is the woman with whom he spent the previous evening. Everything appears to point towards suicide, but Harry isn’t convinced. Aware that his situation is precarious, Harry doesn’t inform his boss that he knew the shooting victim and decides to follow a few leads on his own time. When he starts to receive threatening emails, Harry is certain that the shooting wasn’t a suicide, but his only clue is a mysterious photograph found in a shoe.

Harry’s investigations into the bank robbery and the suicide/murder bring him into contact with a notorious bank robber, the gypsy Raksol. Is Raksol trying to help Harry, or is his motivation more sinister? Meanwhile, the subplot involving Harry’s old adversary, Tom Waaler, heats up.

Nemesis is excellent. It’s clever without being too clever; there are twists and turns, but the story never becomes convoluted. While I probably preferred the premise of The Redbreast, I loved the fact that the character of Harry Hole is front and centre in this book. Harry is flawed but amusing. He has his problems, but he’s a good guy at heart, and a talented investigator. The secondary characters are also very well done, particularly Tom Waaler and Beate Lønn.

Don Bartlett has done an excellent job at making the translations of Jo Nesbø’s books read smoothly. I didn’t notice any awkward constructions in either The Redbreast or Nemesis, and I presume the rest of the series is equally well done.

For fans of quality, character-driven thrillers, I can highly recommend the Harry Hole series. I’m itching to read the next book, The Devil’s Star, but I’m trying to space the books in order to make the series last. Let’s see how long I can hold out before I succumb to temptation!

Correct Reading Order of Books in the Harry Hole Series:

1. Flaggermusmannen (1997) by Jo Nesbø - Not translated into English
2. Kakerlakkene (1998)by Jo Nesbø - Not translated into English
3. The Redbreast (2006 – translation by Don Bartlett) Original title: Rødstrupe (2000) by Jo Nesbø
4. Nemesis (2008 – translation by Don Bartlett) Original Title: Sorgenfri (2002) by Jo Nesbø
5. The Devil’s Star (2005 – translation by Don Bartlett) Original Title: Marekors (2003) by Jo Nesbø
6. The Redeemer (2009 – translation by Don Bartlett) Original Title: Frelseren (2005) by Jo Nesbø
7. The Snowman (2010 – translation by Don Bartlett) Original Title: Snømannen (2007) by Jo Nesbø
8. The Leopard (2011 – translation by Don Bartlett) Original Title: Panserhjerte (2009) by Jo Nesbø

One of my favourite genres is crime fiction. I prefer my mysteries and thrillers to be character-driven, although a convincing plot elevates a good read to an excellent one.

I have a particular affection for historical mysteries, but I’m quite picky about which ones I read as I like them to be rich in period detail without compromising on characterization and plot.

I’ve compiled a list of some of my favourite mystery and thriller authors. I’d love to hear who your favourites are.

Thrillers

Jo Nesbø

Val McDermid

Chelsea Cain

Karin Slaughter

Mystery

Julia Spencer-Fleming

Historical Mystery

C.J. Sansom

Jacqueline Winspear

Ariana Franklin

C.S. Harris

Deanna Raybourn

Vintage Mystery

Agatha Christie

Josephine Tey

Mary Stewart

Dorothy L. Sayers

Ngaio Marsh

If you’re looking for a good blog devoted to reviews of crime fiction, I highly recommend Material Witness.

Genre: Nordic Thriller

Norwegian Title: Rødstrupe

English Translation: Don Bartlett (2006)

POV: 3rd Person

Sensuality: Subtle

Violence: A few gruesome scenes

My Grade: A

This is the best thriller I’ve read in years. While I enjoy mystery and suspense novels, I’m particularly picky when it comes to thrillers. I’ve read too many which seem deliberately convoluted and overly long. At 618 pages, Jo Nesbø’s The Redbreast is definitely long, but every page adds to the story.

A brief note on the series: The Redbreast was originally published in Norwegian as Rødstrupe in 2000. The English translation by Don Bartlett was released in 2006. The books in Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole series have been translated out of order, and there are currently no plans to translate the first two novels into English. If you can, I strongly urge you to read the books in the order in which they were written so as to avoid plot spoilers for the earlier stories. I’ve provided a list of the books at the end of my review.

The protagonist of The Redbreast is Detective Harry Hole. Harry is a gifted policeman but his career advancement is hampered by his alcoholism, inability to play nicely on a team, and utter lack of interest in office politics. When Harry causes the department a high-profile embarrassment, he finds himself relegated to tedious surveillance work. Working alone is not a problem for Harry. Sticking to his assigned tasks is. It’s not long before he discovers that a rare rifle of a type favoured by professional assassins has been smuggled into the country, possibly by a neo-fascist group with whom Harry is familiar from his time in the crime squad.

When a former Nazi sympathiser is found with his throat slit, Harry doesn’t think it’s a coincidence. As the investigation unfolds and the body count increases, Harry finds himself faced with a killer who seems determined to deliver his own brand of justice. Harry’s only hope of finding the killer is to track down a small group of old men who betrayed their country to fight on the side of the Nazis during WWII.

The Redbreast is a page-turner in the very best sense of the term. For those of you who share my wariness of flashbacks, there are a few in this book, but they add to the story rather than detract from it. There are a few jumping timelines in the first 50 pages or so, but then they are reduced to just two: the present day and WWII. I loved the historical details of Norway’s occupation by the Germans during WWII. Although I’ve read a lot about the war, I didn’t know much about the role played by Norway.

The pace of The Redbreast is very different to that of the average American or British thriller, but it moves along nicely and the story unfolds slowly but surely. It is very much a character-driven tale, with the personalities of the characters lending as much weight – if not more – as the plot itself. Harry is a wonderful protagonist. He’s not the usual grumpy-detective-with-issues. He has a great sense of humour and doesn’t take himself too seriously. He’s more amused by than frustrated at his incompetent superiors. I enjoyed spending 600-plus pages with Harry, and I’m looking forward to reading further books in this series. This is a book which I can highly recommend and I’ve added it to my select list of Grade A reads.

Correct Reading Order of Books in the Harry Hole Series:

1. Flaggermusmannen (1997) by Jo Nesbø - Not translated into English
2. Kakerlakkene (1998)by Jo Nesbø - Not translated into English
3. The Redbreast (2006 – translation by Don Bartlett) Original title: Rødstrupe (2000) by Jo Nesbø
4. Nemesis (2008 – translation by Don Bartlett) Original Title: Sorgenfri (2002) by Jo Nesbø
5. The Devil’s Star (2005 – translation by Don Bartlett) Original Title: Marekors (2003) by Jo Nesbø
6. The Redeemer (2009 – translation by Don Bartlett) Original Title: Frelseren (2005) by Jo Nesbø
7. The Snowman (2010 – translation by Don Bartlett); Original Title: Snømannen (2007) by Jo Nesbø
8. The Leopard (2011 – translation by Don Bartlett); Original Title: Panserhjerte (2009) by Jo Nesbø

Genre: Psychological Suspense/Women’s Fiction

POV: 1st Person (told from the alternating points of view of the two main characters)

Sensuality: Subtle

Violence: There are some disturbing scenes but most of the violence occurs off page

My Grade: A

I’ve been a fan of Dorothy Koomson’s books since I read My Best Friend’s Girl four years ago. Her novels are often labelled as chick lit although I would classify them more as general fiction or women’s fiction.

The Ice Cream Girls is the first of Dorothy Koomson’s books to be released in hardback, and marks an exciting new departure for her as a writer. I’ve been looking forward to it since I read the intriguingly vague blurb on her website. Given how much I’d enjoyed her previous books, I had high expectation of this one, and it more than surpassed them. This is a creepy, cleverly constructed tale of psychological suspense which kept me turning the pages until the very end.

As the story of The Ice Cream Girls contains plenty of twists and turns which I’m loath to spoil, I’m going to be deliberately vague in my description of its premise. Pretty teenagers Serena Gorringe and Poppy Carlisle – one black, one white – become embroiled in the most notorious murder trial in decades. Based on a photograph of the girls posing nonchalantly in bikinis and eating ice cream, the press dub them The Ice Cream girls. The photo becomes synonymous with the trial, presenting a stark contrast between the youth and beauty of the girls and the hideousness of their alleged crime.

One of them is sentenced to life in prison, while the other is acquitted on a technicality, and returns to live in a society which believes her guilty. She struggles to carve a life for herself in spite of her past. She succeeds in marrying a nice man and having two gorgeous children. However, she is aware that her present happiness is built on lies and deceit. Plagued by panic attacks, she struggles to maintain a semblance of normalcy while living in daily expectation of her precarious house of cards coming crashing down around her.

After twenty years in prison, the girl who was convicted is released on parole. Shell-shocked and institutionalized, she’s regarded as a pariah by both her family and the world at large. Determined to prove her innocence, she wants to track down her former co-defendant and force her to set the record straight about what really happened that fateful night.

The Ice Cream Girls is a masterpiece. Dorothy Koomson excels at characterization and this is very much a character-driven story. It is told from the alternating points of view of both Poppy and Serena. As each have their own distinct voice, it’s easy to keep track of who is narrating. The book also contains flashbacks which are deftly woven into the story. I’m not fond of flashbacks in general, but I think this book represents one of the best examples of their clever use that I’ve ever read.

For fans of subtle psychological suspense, I can highly recommend The Ice Cream Girls. It’s only February but I already have a book to include on my Best of 2010 list.

(I believe Dorothy Koomson’s books can be hard to find outside Europe, but they are available at The Book Depository.)

Other Reviews of The Ice Cream Girls:

Chick Lit Reviews – 5 out of 5

Michael Connelly’s latest thriller reintroduces us to Jack McEvoy, the young crime reporter from his first stand alone thriller, The Poet (1996). While it’s not essential to have read The Poet before starting The Scarecrow, I would recommend it. There are no spoilers from the first book in this review, but half the pleasure in reading The Scarecrow is becoming reacquainted with familiar characters.

It’s been twelve years since the end of The Poet, and Jack McEvoy is now in his early forties. He’s just been laid off from his job at the Los Angeles Times. Lured away from the Rocky Mountain News in the wake of the success of his bestselling true crime book based on his personal experiences with the serial killer called The Poet, Jack and his inflated salary are victims of the recession. He’s working his final two weeks on the job and training his successor, rookie reporter Angela Cook.

When Jack receives an anonymous phone call from a woman berating him for printing lies about her son, who is now in prison for murder, his curiosity is piqued. He’s on the lookout for a story to end his tenure at The Times with a bang. As a result, he follows up the lead a little more diligently than he normally might have, and realizes he might be on to something major. Forced to work with the ruthlessly ambitious Angela, Jack finds himself drawn into something far more sinister than he could ever have anticipated.

In the course of his investigation, Jack is reunited with FBI agent Rachel Walling. Rachel’s affair with Jack during The Poet case caused her to be sidelined, and she’s eager to get her career back on track. Despite her best intentions, Rachel soon finds herself putting her job – and her life – on the line for Jack once again.

As the body count rises, what is the connection with a mysterious data storage facility and an employee known as The Scarecrow?

This book is a mixed bag. On the plus side, I’ve always liked Jack McEvoy. He manages to cut both a pathetic and a heroic figure, a combination which is not always easy to pull off convincingly. The parts set at the newspaper were excellent. Connelly is himself a former police reporter, and the details have an authentic flavour. The book looks at the fate of print journalists in an increasingly digital age, an aspect which I found particularly interesting.

On a more negative note, I’m not wild about Rachel Walling. Actually, I’m not too fond of Connelly’s female characters in general. They often come across as cold and brittle. I also felt this about Lorna, Mickey Haller’s ex in The Lincoln Lawyer and The Brass Verdict. Rachel had several Too Stupid To Live moments. For an FBI agent, she seemed to require a lot of rescuing, and I found this tedious.

Another problem I had with the book is that the identity of the villain is revealed on page one. The reader knows who he is from the very start, and watches Jack and Rachel flounder about trying to solve the mystery. I found this detracted from the build up of dramatic tension. Thrillers usually have at least one melodramatic confrontation towards the end. I can overlook this as it usually involves revelation and resolution. Without the sense of mystery surrounding the villain’s identity, this was something of an anticlimax.

Despite my criticisms, The Scarecrow is streets ahead of most other thrillers which make the New York Times bestseller list. Connelly’s style is engaging and unpretentious. His characters feel real and he excels at giving his readers an authentic sense of place. While this is not my favourite of Connelly’s books, The Scarecrow is a decent read and has much to recommend it.  Grade: B-

Once again, Chelsea Cain has written a compelling thriller with characters you care about. Sweetheart is the sequel to her excellent first thriller, Heartsick. It doesn’t stand alone, so I’d suggest reading Heartsick first.

Investigative journalist Susan Ward – having swopped her Pepto-Bismol Pink hair for Atomic Turquoise – is finally about to print the story of her career. But the day before her expose on Senator Castle is due to appear, he’s killed in a car crash. Is it a coincidence, or foul play?

Meanwhile, Detective Archie Sheridan is trying to rebuild a life with his family. He’s still struggling with both his addiction to prescription medication and his unhealthy obsession with the beautiful serial killer Gretchen Lowell. The discovery of three dead bodies in Forest Park proves a welcome distraction, and the subsequent investigation reconnects him with Susan Ward.

Then Gretchen escapes from prison and comes looking for Archie, putting everyone’s life at risk…

Although the book is violent and at times depressing, Cain has a knack for inserting humour into just the right places, thus adding some much-needed light relief. I loved the scenes with Susan’s hippy mother, Bliss. I hope she shows up in future books. Other secondary characters are also excellent, particularly Archie’s partner, Henry, and his ex-wife, Debbie.

Susan remains true to form. She’s still vulnerable but she has learned from past mistakes, particularly those involving men. In other ways, however, she’s regressed. This is exemplified by her decision to move back in with her mother, dooming herself to sleep in a hammock surrounded by incense sticks and Buddha statues.

Archie is a complex character. I spent the first half of the book frustrated by the way he treats his family and wondered how Cain would redeem him. Although he’s back living in the same house with his family, he’s distanced himself from them, and doesn’t seem to have any real emotional connection with his children anymore. It’s as if he’s going through the motions but has already left them, at least in his mind.

It wasn’t until well into the second half of the story that I realized I’d been missing something crucial about Archie. It’s not about who he became as a result of his torture by Gretchen, but the man he was before that ever happened. And that wasn’t necessarily a nice guy. Once I realized this, I was able to piece together some of the clues which I’d missed in Heartsick.

As for Gretchen: she is as compellingly repulsive as she was in the first book. I’m delighted we’ll see more of her in Chelsea Cain’s third thriller, Evil at Heart!

My only quibble is a minor one: there is a plot thread towards the end involving a cell phone which I found unconvincing. There’s also the identity of the mysterious child left to resolve, but I’m assuming this will carry over into the next book.

Chelsea Cain is definitely an author to watch. If you like character-driven thrillers which don’t stint on action, I would recommend this book unreservedly.   Grade: A-

This is a serial-killer thriller with a twist.

Portland detective Archie Sheridan is a tortured soul, in every sense of the word. He spent years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful and prolific serial killer. In the end, she was the one who caught him. She tortured him, then inexplicably spared his life and turned herself in.

Fast-forward two years and Archie is still recovering from his ordeal. His marriage has broken up, he’s addicted to prescription medication, and he’s totally obsessed with Gretchen Lowell. He visits her in prison every week, ostensibly to locate the bodies of her many victims who are still unaccounted for.

Meanwhile, Archie is involved in an investigation into the brutal rape and murder of several teenage girls. As it’s his first case since returning to work, the press are hounding him. They want the inside story on his captivity with Gretchen. In an attempt at damage limitation – and with a dubious motive of his own – Archie agrees to an exclusive deal with the Oregon Herald.

The journalist assigned to the case is Susan Ward. Susan is a rebel with a cause. She has a lead on a senator who allegedly had an affair with his underage babysitter. She’s convinced this will be her big break, but finds herself stonewalled at every turn. In the meantime, she accepts the four-part exclusive on Archie Sheridan and his investigation.

It soon becomes clear that Archie and Susan are caught up in something a lot more sinister than they had anticipated – and that something involves Gretchen Lowell.

Susan & Archie are satisfyingly complex characters. Susan plays it tough but is in reality incredibly vulnerable. She hides her insecurities through her whacky appearance and ill-advised affairs. As the investigation progresses, she’s forced to look to her own past and finally face up to some of her demons.

Archie is addicted to medication and to Gretchen. The narrative is interspersed with flashbacks to his time in captivity and this gives us some insight into what exactly was done to him. Certain aspects of his torture are left to the reader’s imagination, but I had the impression that it went far beyond the infliction of physical pain. Given Gretchen’s manipulative prowess, she most likely psychologically tormented him, and possibly sexually abused him.

The real star of the story, though, is Gretchen herself. She’s evil and twisted, no doubt. She’s a cold-blooded serial killer and utterly without remorse. Yet she let Archie go free and turned herself in to the police. Why? Does she have a secret agenda? She has a strange sort of affection for Archie and I’m not sure if she isn’t as obsessed with him as he is with her. Perhaps more will be revealed in the sequel.

Heartsick is definitely not for the squeamish.  But if you can stomach a bit – or a lot – of gratuitous violence, I can highly recommend it.     Grade B+