Phantom

Starred review from August 27, 2012
In Nesbøâs deeply moving seventh Harry Hole novel to be published in the U.S. (after 2011âs The Leopard), Harry returns to Oslo from Hong Kong to help his estranged 18-year-old son, Oleg, who has fallen in with a group of drug users and is now accused of fatally shooting another teenager, Gusto Hanssen. Both Gusto and Oleg were pushing a new street drug in Oslo, a synthetic heroin known as violin, for a mysterious man known only as Dubai. Operating both under the radar and with the covert help of his remaining friends on the force, Harry delves into the world of drugs in Norway, from corner selling to an importation scheme that involves airline pilots. Harry uncovers a web of corruption that ensnares the very police force he abandoned three years earlier. This is Harryâs most personal case, and yet Nesbø never allows Harryâs paternal feelings for Oleg cloud his need for truth, however costly that pursuit may be. Agent: Salomonsson Agency.

Starred review from September 1, 2012
The internationally popular detective series by the Norwegian author builds to a blockbuster climax. The Nesbo phenomenon has transcended "next Stieg Larrson" status. In practically every comparison except books sold (and, with millions to date, Nesbo's catching up), he's superior to his late Swedish counterpart: more imaginative, better plotting, richer characters, stronger narrative momentum, more psychological and philosophical depth. No, he doesn't have an androgynously attractive tattooed girl, but he does have Harry Hole: long an Oslo detective who specialized in (increasingly gruesome) serial killers, now a recovering alcoholic involved in some shadowy pursuits in Hong Kong while trying to reclaim his soul. Only the most powerful lure could bring Harry back to the dangers and temptations he faces back home, and that lure is love. Readers of earlier books (and some back story is necessary to feel the full impact of this one) will remember his doomed relationship with Rakel and the way he briefly served as a surrogate father to her son, Oleg. That innocent boy has now become a junkie and an accused murderer in a seemingly open-and-shut case, with Harry the only hope of unraveling a conspiracy that extends from a "phantom" drug lord through the police force to the government. The drug is a synthetic opiate called "violin," three times stronger than heroin, controlled by a monopoly consortium. The murder victim (whose dying voice provides narrative counterpoint) was Oleg's best friend and stash buddy, and his stepsister is the love of Oleg's life. As Harry belatedly realizes, "Our brains are always willing to let emotions make decisions. Always ready to find the consoling answers our hearts need." As all sorts of father-son implications manifest themselves, the conclusion to one of the most cleanly plotted novels in the series proves devastating for protagonist and reader alike. Hole will soon achieve an even higher stateside profile through the Martin Scorsese film of Nesbo's novel The Snowman (2011), but those hooked by that novel or earlier ones should make their way here as quickly as they can. Where earlier novels provide a better introduction to Hole, this one best takes the full measure of the man.

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May 1, 2012

Nesbo's books have sold more than 14 million copies worldwide in 47 languages; The Snowman was bought by Working Title Films, with Martin Scorsese attached to direct. In his latest outing, Harry Hole has abandoned Oslo for Hong Kong--until he learns that the son of the woman he loved and left behind has been arrested for murder. Consider multiples.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 15, 2012
In the Booklist review of Nesb's The Leopard (2011), we called Oslo police detective Harry Hole a good man undone by a bad world and a too-sensitive soul. How right we wereexcept, perhaps, that we neglected to say that his undoing also has a lot to do with his inability (and unwillingness) to escape his past. This time Harry, no longer a cop, returns to Oslo from his new home in Hong Kong, once again summoned by trouble in the family. In The Leopard, it was his father; now it's Oleg, the son of Rakel, the love of Harry's life. Ironically, Rakel left Harry to protect her son from the horrors of Harry's world, and now those same horrors have found the boy, even in Harry's absence. First it was drugs, in the form of violin, a new wonder drug that protects the user from a deadly ovedose but is far more addictive than heroin; now Oleg is in jail, accused of killing a fellow addict. The evidence looks rock solid, but Rakel knows that if anyone can prove her boy is not a killer, it's Harry. Nesb begins with this emotionally gripping family drama but surrounds it with an elaborate, beautifully constructed plot involving the new drug and the ruthless man who rules its distribution. The subplots, plot twists (especially the last one), and the fully fleshed supporting charactersmany of whom could drive their own novelsare all testament to Nesb's remarkable talent, but finally, it all comes back to Harry and the pain he endures in trying to carve out a separate peace from a world and a past that won't let him go. Superb on every level. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: All those Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson fans have jumped on the Nesbo bandwagon. A far-reaching publicity campaign and a 150,000 first printing will make sure they stay there.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

January 28, 2013
Harry Hole returns in this ninth Scandinavian mystery from bestselling author Nesbø. After a three-year, self-imposed absence, former police detective Hole is drawn back to Oslo when the son of the woman he loves is arrested for the murder of a low-level drug dealer. Though he may no longer have a badge, Hole is still a formidable investigator, and he’s soon hunting for the truth behind the dealer’s death—a truth that could very easily get him, or someone close to him, killed. Narrator Robin Sachs hits all the right notes in his reading of this stark thriller, but it’s his richly nuanced portrayal of Harry Hole that is most memorable. It would be easy to make Hole a bleak, depressing, one-note character, but Sachs digs deeper into the material and perfectly captures Hole, presenting him as a man who lives every day with a sense of sadness, loss, and regret, but whose belief in justice and loyalty keeps him moving forward. Sachs and Nesbø make a fine match, and listeners are the beneficiaries of their partnership. A Knopf hardcover.

September 1, 2012

Norwegian crime fiction writer Nesbo (The Snowman; The Leopard) is one of the best. His ninth series entry sees Harry Hole, now an ex-police officer, return to Oslo from Hong Kong to investigate drug dealer Gusto's murder. Oleg, a young man to whom Hole was once a father figure, has confessed, but Hole knows it can't be true. In a parallel narration, the dead Gusto tells what led to his murder, a literary device that enhances the novel and fills in details. Oslo's gritty and violent drug world is brought to life through the characters. The fast-paced plots are twisted and riveting, and the two stories collide to reveal a shocking climax. Nesbo is on par with the original Scandinavian duo Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo, authors of the Martin Beck series. VERDICT If you are a series follower, you won't want to miss this! But if you are a newcomer, read the earlier ones first to gain an understanding of Hole. This is not for the squeamish! [See Prepub Alert, 4/16/12.]--Frances Thorsen, Chronicles of Crime Bookshop, Victoria, BC

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.