Nemesis

By: Jo Nesbø

Narrated by: Thor Knai

Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Captured on closed-circuit television: A man walks into an Oslo bank, puts a gun to a cashier’s head, and tells her to count to 25. When he doesn’t get his money fast enough, he pulls the trigger. The young woman dies—and two million Norwegian kroner disappear without a trace.

After a drunken evening with his former girlfriend, Anna Bethsen, Police Detective Harry Hole wakes up at home with a headache, no cell phone, and no memory of the past 12 hours. That same day, Anna is found shot dead in her bedroom, making Hole a prime suspect in an investigation led by his hated adversary, Tom Waaler.

Meanwhile, the bank robberies continue with unparalleled savagery, sending rogue detective Hole from the streets of Oslo to steaming Brazil in a race to close two cases and clear his name. But Waaler isn’t finished with his longtime nemesis quite yet.

©2002 Jo Nesbø (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Nesbo manages the unlikely feat of exploring the inner life of his lead character in the thorough and compelling manner one associates with, say, Ruth Rendell, while at the same time juggling multiple, interlocking plot strands as dexterously as David Hewson. No doubt about it: Nesbo belongs on every crime-fiction fan’s A-list." ( Booklist)

Getting to like Harry

Getting to know Harry. Find him complex to the point of confusing. Isn’t helped by y listening out of order. I like him.

This audible book needs a do over.

It is taking me forever to get through this one. The narrator is horrible. Have Robin Sachs record the do over, I bet the rating will go up.

Nesbo Series Great in Any Order

As a Harry Hole fan I have listened to this series sequentially from Book 5 to Book 9. I delayed on this book because a lot of reviewers were complaining about the narrator. Thor Knai does have a hilarious accent for one of Harry's bosses and he does not sound like he is from Jo's country, but for me that did not detract from the story. Ultimately this narrator still hits his marks with the characters professionally handling the tension, emotion and pacing. I took a chance on another book where everyone was complaining about the narrator and like a few reviewers I gave up midway through the book.

It helps when you can read from a superb manuscript and Jo Nesbo delivers a great story. It didn't bother me to know the future of his relationship to Rachel and Oleg and fellow detectives. There were a lot of mysteries to solve and people to figure out. As usual Mr. Nesbo throws out a few delicious crumbs and at one time or other I suspect almost everyone of everything.

But it all makes sense in the end and I am emotionally drained with a poignant story and some great detective work.

You can't go wrong with a Harry Hole book... even if you read them out of order.

Another winning Harry Hole offering

Would you listen to Nemesis again? Why?

Not for quite a while. It is hard for me to listen to this kind of story already knowing who did what.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot kept me guessing all the way. Twists, turns, and reversals along with characters to like, and to dislike enough to feel invested in the story and wanting to listen as long as possible.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Thor Knai?

Yes, he did a good job with a difficult circumstance. It can be very hard to voice a character after someone else has established a following with their own interpretation.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nothing extreme, just enjoyment from a well written and well narrated story.

Great story, poor performance

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Unfortunately, the narrator doesn't live up to Robin Sachs and certainly not to John Lee who in my opinion is BY FAR the best reader to listen to in this series. It would have been great to just have John Lee all the Harry Hole books!

Nesbo Rocks!

If you could sum up Nemesis in three words, what would they be?

Compelling story & performance

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Absolutely. Good characters in an imaginative story with plenty of twists and turns to satisfy even the most critical reader.

Which character – as performed by Thor Knai – was your favorite?

Harry Hole

An Enjoyable Installment

While I don’t think the plot in this was as well done as the Redbreast, I throughly enjoyed the mystery and felt new characters like Beate Lønn to be very compelling. I’ll be picking up the next book soon and can’t wait to continue the series. The main criticism people seem to have is the narrator and while he is certainly different, a few hours in I didn’t mind at all and rather enjoyed his reading. I wouldn’t skip out on this simply because of who was reading it.

Don't believe the other reviews. Great narration!

I've enjoyed very much Jo Nesbø books narrated by others. This one, however, is even better. I see a lot of other listeners don't like him, but I think he brings a unique flavor and irony to this complex, engaging story. I liked Thor Knai so much that as soon as I click post for this review I'm going to see what else he's done.
The story? Complex, detailed, full of Nesbø tricks and twists. If you like his other work, you'll love this.

poor narration

The narration was mediocre, much prefer John Lee
It is still a good story though.

Glad I didn't heed the other reviewers.

Would you consider the audio edition of Nemesis to be better than the print version?

Beats me. Who reads printed books when there's Audible?

Which character ??? as performed by Thor Knai ??? was your favorite?

Harry Hole. Thor evokes a slightly different mental impression of Harry than does Robin Sachs, but it is nonetheless an excellent performance.

Any additional comments?

I almost passed this book by, based on other reviewers' comments about Thor Knai's performance. Then I listened to the sample. That sounded fine to me, so I took a chance and bought the book. Man, I am glad I did. Thor does a great job. I wonder if the critical readers had come to identify Robin Sachs as the voice of Harry Hole, and would have objected to ANY other narrator.


Speaking of different narrators, Robin Sachs pronounces Harry's last name as the word "hole" would be pronounced in English. Thor Knai pronounces it as "hoo-le", two syllables. I sure don't speak Norwegian, but - do they really have silent "e"s? I'm betting Thor's is the more correct rendering. The pronunciation feature of Google Translator supports this notion.


Great story as usual, on a par with Jo Nesb??'s other Harry Hole books.