Leopard [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Extra Information: The first two books for this Harry Hole series The Bat Man and The Cockroaches have not been produced for translation at this time. The Redbreast would be the third book in this series; if you were to start this series my recommendation would be from The Redbreast. The series then follows through in order with Nemesis, The Devil's Star: A Harry Hole Novel, The Redeemer followed by The Snowman which then brings us to The Leopard.

Review - The Leopard (Harry Hole, Book Eight)

Hole with his magnetism as a loner is back. The Leopard with its darkest elements to date, sixth book in translation and I can honestly say its fantastic reading. Filled with emotion, love, hate, ambition and greed, its fast paced, suspenseful and this author never lets up by twisting plots keeping the puzzle tight and the mind ticking over until the very end.

The author Jo Nesbø brings us into his opening scene Hong Kong, Kaja Solness has been sent from Oslo to locate Harry Hole in Kowloon. Hole had been on the missing list since the end of his last case The Snowman, his long term plans were too remain lost. Within forty-eight hours Kaja finds Hole and all his troubles which don't come cheap, given permission to bail him out of his gambling debt on the grounds he comes home his needed on a case but still he refuses. Kaja given no choice plays the final card, his father is in hospital his not expected to live. Hole decision is clear, his father is the one and only reason for his return.

Oslo; the file was handed over on route from the airport but not read, the first women Borgny Stem-Myhre, thirty three, single, no children, keen outdoors women loves walking, skiing her cause of death drowning, triggered by blood wounds from the mouth. The second women Charlotte Lolles, twenty-nine, lawyer, lived alone had boyfriends, loves the outdoors, cause of death; drowning, twenty-four wounds in the mouth. This was Gunnar Hagen welcome back present, on Holes first opportunity the file hit the bin and Hole to his words went to visit his father.

By the third Murder, Hole was arrested around the scene by him an unknown someone named Mikael Bellman. Gunnar Hagen gets Hole released, he also explained some things had change since he'd been away. An old argument had flared, cuts and rationalization in the force, crime squad versus kripos was there enough resources for two specialist branches with parallel expertise needed in a small country. Mikael Bellman seemed to be the new wonder-boy who moves upwards and onwards but had been nothing but trouble to others from day one, he employed an ex colleague from interpol, a finnish side kick Jussi Kolkka. Officially this was Mikael Bellman serial murder case but as Hole already disliked the man on looks alone his interest had suddenly turned. Hagen explained the case would have to be undercover with trusted chosen few, and that he could lose his job. Hole's intuition was always up for a challenge.

Longer book than the others but fantastic were constantly moving forward and the plots interwoven with emotional smaller stories throughout bringing back in the older and then new characters along the way keeping everything fresh with the right pace, suspense, tension and interest. Very descriptive he pays attention to detail great visuals which are crystal clear the dialogue is as always marvellous. The author reflects on financial matters; using the older buildings of Oslo that are just as rich as the new modern buildings except they don't have or need swimming pools, jacuzzi and saunas which seems a requirement for the social climbers new homes.

The book is more about Hole as a person, and his personal relationship he shares with his father, I found this really touching at times, you get to understand another side to Hole if anything else. As in every book the author keeps our minds busy. New Mikael Bellman reminds me of a character long gone Tom Waaler but its Harry himself whose still the most compelling character to read. The story well I have to say I was in the thick of it with follow my lead throughout, even with Hole's intuition that borders on the super-natural, I'm not one to give up, stayed right with him and its a wonderful twist to the finish line. Best to just kick back, get in there and enjoy every minute.

Translation would also like to touch on this point much like the UK we have our North, South, East, West and somewhere in the middle five common dialects and I'm sure Norway have the same set up generally. Although it would have taken me forever I would love to have been able to read parts of this book in its original context or maybe had that ear for sounding of original language as I had the feeling the author plays a lot with the Norwegian dialects comically in the originals, some Bergensian intonation for instance. I seemed to have picked up on this very clearly in the last book from translated passages and certainly in this book, originals of course always have the edge but the translator has done a fantastic job to get around wording so we are able to understand, his kept it with its directness and humour, the character Harry Hole although Norwegian could even be from the UK, a northerner its bizarre I know, but the translation and comical side seems to take me that way. So a big thank you to Don Bartlett for another clear translation in the series.

This Author writing goes from strength to strength each and every novel, highly recommended, great reading.

Andrea Bowhill

I've read all of the books in the Harry Hole series that have been translated into English and I'm not crazy about the direction Nesbø is taking in the most recent titles.

First, the good things. I admire Nesbø's ability to depict broken people. He strips Harry down his soul, it seems, and makes us see the pain there. He's so good at showing the quiet, tender feelings Harry has for Rakel, Oleg, his father and some of the other people in his life. In this book, Nesbø gets into the complexities of Harry's relationship with his father, and this is very affecting. Nesbø has given us a lot of terrific female characters for Harry to work with over the course of this series, too: Ellyn, Beate, Katrine and now Kaja.

When I started reading the Harry Hole series, one thing that struck me was how well Nesbø got into the mind of the killer and made his actions comprehensible and sometimes even made him almost sympathetic. The murders were always very human murders.

Increasingly, I feel like Nesbø is getting away from the humanness in his killers and even, in a way, in Harry. Presenting us in recent books with serial killers and bizarre and elaborate murder methods is distancing. I feel like the books are becoming more sensationalistic and less real.

Every book requires the reader to have a certain suspension of disbelief. You enter the world the author has created, knowing it is fiction, but willing to go along with the story and identify with its people, time and place. Nesbø made that suspension of disbelief difficult for me with this book.

The long scenes of gruesome torture and murder seem like something out of an exploitation movie and are alienating to me. It feels manipulative, as if Nesbø is just trying to press the shock/horror button.

The physical danger Harry gets in, and his superhuman endurance and ability to take punishment are almost cartoonish. Or like an old James Bond movie. Nobody could survive all the situations Harry gets into in this book. As Harry's situations become more extreme, and his methods of escape more elaborate, he becomes less believable as a character. Nesbø also depicts Harry as so wrecked by drink, drugs and smoking that it's not believable that he continues to be so attractive to women.

I also got the feeling that Nesbø is starting to recycle material. Mikael Bellman is nothing but a new Tom Waaler. Finally, I thought the book was too long and the plot too convoluted.

I still think Nesbø is a tremendously talented writer who can create unforgettable characters and stories. I just hope he can drop the outlandish stuff and get back to basics and humanity, the way he did in the earlier books.

The latest Harry Hole novel presents the reader with a formidable challenge: On the one hand, the temptation is to try to read this tautly written, tightly plotted murder mystery in a single sitting. On the other hand, its 611 pages is undoubtedly a very large hurdle. Whatever the method, it's well worth the effort to read it no matter how long it takes.

After the travails he suffered at the conclusion of "The Snowman,", Harry was so down that he resigned from the police force and traveled to the Far East, where he loses himself in alcohol, opium and gambling. There, a female detective from Norway finds him, pays off his gambling debts, tells him his father is in the hospital dying and he, as the only officer with experience solving serial murders, is wanted back in Oslo to help in what appears to be another multiple homicide case. At first he is reluctant, but finally accedes to the request to return because of his dad.

Still refusing to rejoin the crime squad, Harry finally gives in when a third victim, a member of parliament, is killed. There are no clues and no common links between the victims until Harry discovers all three spent a night in an isolated mountain cabin together, and it becomes apparent that the "guests" are being picked off one by one.

From that point, the case slowly unfolds somewhat murkily to keep the reader in the dark as to the ultimate denouement. Sometimes, Harry's insights are prophetic, others off base. But he always has his eye on the main purpose: to catch the bad guy. At the same time, he is fighting his personal demons, his separation from the great love of his life, his relationship with his dying father, the politics of the competition between elements of the department as to responsibility for murder investigations, and his disillusionment with his role as a cop. More than enough, one must say, for one man.

Highly recommended.