s="h3color tiny">This review is from: Police: A Harry Hole thriller (Oslo Sequence 8) (Kindle Edition)

After Phantom's amazing twist-hanger I was almost delirious with glee and trepidation when I heard the next Harry Hole book Police was coming out.So was my anticipation satisfied?Yes - however not in the way I expected. Police is a weightier tome than other Hole novel's and thusly the length of the novel evokes tension as a slow-burn rather than a furious action packed feast. While perhaps less immediately exciting Nesbo plies us with a smorgasbord of corruption, deeply disturbing villains, and tormented decisions from our main characters which had my nerves fraying to the point of madness.Nesbo has a talent for taking crime thriller tropes and twisting them into deranged scenarios than leave most other authors behind as cliche peddlers. While it takes time to warm up to this book it is definitely worth it. The end, perhaps not as shocking as the Phantom, I feel will stick in heads for a while yet.As to a aforementioned twist-hanger...Read more

   Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?) I've read all the Harry Hole novels but not in order since translations did not hit the US in order. The last Harry Hole released in the US was the Bat, which is actually chronologically the first Harry Hole. I also see the sequel to the Bat, The Cockroaches, will hit the US in January. This is somewhat important to this review and actually determined five rather than four stars.Generally, when I read in this genre, especially series, I'm usually influenced by a review of the current novel and if I like it I will go back to the first. Usually, it helps to have read many series in this genre in order but it isn't entirely necessary. Most authors want their latest novels to stand-alone and pick up new readers. My sense is that this is not the case with Jo Nesbo. Nesbo wrote Police for his readers who had read The Phantom. I am not sure how much of Police one can get through without giving up in frustration; however, readers of Phantom might need the occasional memory...Read more

   When the Harry Hole novels started appearing in English a few years ago, I thought they were unbeatable for multi-layered fiendishness in the burgeoning genre of Nordic noir. Among the horde of loner detectives who somehow get their man while digging their own grave, Police Inspector Harry Hole set a new standard for magnetic self-loathing. "Police" follows closely on the heels of"Phantom," in which Nesbo left readers wondering whether Harry's end had finally come. One of the teasers in the new novel is whether the unnamed patient lying in a coma induced by the closing events of "Phantom"is, in fact, Harry. "Police"is stuffed with too many red herrings of this sort, which keeps things interesting a good part of the way, but palls as Harry, who isn't as sharp as usual, zeroes in on the killer. I also got tired of Harry's old nemesis on the force, Mikael Bellman, now chief of police, and his deeply creepy sidekick, Truls Berntsen, who should have been found out at least two books ago...Read more