Phantom

By: Jo Nesbø

Narrated by: Robin Sachs

Length: 16 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

Following from Jo Nesbø's electrifying international best sellers The Snowman and The Leopard, now comes Phantom, which plunges the brilliant, deeply troubled, now former police officer Harry Hole into a full-tilt investigation on which his own tenuous future will come to depend.

When Harry left Oslo again for Hong Kong - fleeing the traumas of life as a cop - he thought he was there for good. But then the unthinkable happened. The son of the woman he loved, lost, and still loves is arrested for murder: Oleg, the boy Harry helped raise but couldn't help deserting when he fled. Harry has come back to prove that Oleg is not a killer. Barred from rejoining the police force, he sets out on a solitary, increasingly dangerous investigation that takes him deep into the world of the most virulent drug to ever hit the streets of Oslo (and the careers of some of the city's highest officials), and into the maze of his own past, where he will find the wrenching truth that finally matters to Oleg, and to himself.

©2012 Jo Nesbø (P)2012 Random House Audio

a little disappointed

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

maybe, I found this book a little less enjoyable than the previous Harry Hole stories. This book takes you to very dark place. Watching a loved one become lost in drug addiction is not for the faint of heart. I think Nesbo hits the nail on the head depicting what the addiction does to an addict's mind and soul. But having seen this happen to friends ("back in the day") and to kids of friends and family, I just don't enjoy it being used for entertainment.

What other book might you compare Phantom to and why?

This is still a Harry Hole story. All the wonderful characters with all their strengths and weaknesses. And the plot twists and turns and keeps you guessing right up to the end.

Have you listened to any of Robin Sachs’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Robin Sachs is amazing. He has a way of whispering in your ear. I love his voices and the pace of his reading. He is one of my favorite readers.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Well, if I did not have a life outside of listening to great books, I would have.

Amazing story and great narrator. Jo Nesbo rocks.

Great narration wonderful story by Jo Nesbo. He still has the high art. Appreciate the twists and turns in the plot.

Not My Favorite

I have enjoyed Jo Nesbos books in the past and I love the character of Harry Hole. But this story was not that interesting, about Russian gangsters. The best parts were the graphic details of the tortures while the complex trail of the multiple characters was actually a little hard to follow. The personal life of Harry was given some precidence but a thriller has to have better villains and a more engaging plot.

Phantomismal for me - is that a word?

I don't know why I just could not get into this as much as the other Harry Hole books by Jo Nesbo. I love his style of writing, love the characters, love the narration for all the others, but this one for some reason I just stopped about 3/4 of the way through and could not pick it back up. Same narrator, same characters, same writing style - so why I couldn't hold onto the story I just can't say. I ALWAYS recommend Jo Nesbo and the Harry Hole series though. I'll try again after listening to another book, maybe it was just my mood when I started?

Gritty, Graphic, and Gripping!

If you like raw graphic violence, look to Scandinavia. There are several authors who will deliver. Jo Nesbo is one of the best. His characters are real. The good guys are as flawed as the bad guys. In this one, the plot kept me guessing, and when I heard the voice say, "Audible hopes you have enjoyed this..." I looked over at my MP3 player and said, "What?!" Make sure you are sitting down for the final moments.

Harry Hole is back, and when you thought he couldn't get any more scarred up, well, you were wrong. Half-way through this book, I could smell him.

Enjoy another visit from Harry Hole.

Hard to mess this book up

First Nesbo book I've gotten on Audible even though I've read them all. I'm always hesitant with audio books because I've already got a fixed idea of a character's voice and don't want to be disappointed. This was great! He was able to capture each character in both gender and age without sounding too fake or silly. Amazing, really. Fabulous book, fabulous writer and fabulous reading.

If you love the series….

Then you will hang on tight for each plot twist. This novel zeroes in on the relationship between Harry and Oleg, the son of his former lover Rakel. The once innocent boy is now 18, troubled by drugs and some poor decisions that have landed him in prison, awaiting trial. Harry is trying to save Oleg and solve murders surrounding a drug smuggling operation. If you aren’t super invested in the relationship between the former detective and troubled youth then you may struggle to hang with this.

Confusing

Any additional comments?

I am by no means a critic. I listen to audible books every day on the way to work and on the way home to keep myself distracted from the idiots on the road. I get 1.5 hours listen each way and I am careful of what books I pick so that they keep my mind occupied.

Most of the Jo Nesbo books have kept me firmly focused on the book as I sit at a standstill for the 1.5 hours it takes to drive 20 miles. But I don't know what is wrong on this one. The book just couldn't keep my focus and I found my mind wandering to other things. I had to rewind and listen to chapters 2 or 3 times to keep with the story. I think it interleaved 3 different narratives together hopping between the three on each chapter that I just couldn't find the overall goal. It wasn't till after chapter 30 that I realized what Harry's whole goal was that I should have picked up in the start.

This was in no way the same kind of book as The Snowman. I think The Snowman was the best in the series. And I don't like that this one tried to end the book on a cliff hanger. that is just not the style of the other books and disappointing.

Harry Hole is a beast!

What made the experience of listening to Phantom the most enjoyable?

The narrator is phenomenal. I listened to "The Leopard" on audio as well so looked forward to the performance.

What other book might you compare Phantom to and why?

Harry is the Norwegian version of Michael Connolly's Harry Bosch. Although I think Hole could take Bosch!

Which character – as performed by Robin Sachs – was your favorite?

Harry Hole by far was my favorite. Robin Sachs voice is forever linked to Hole for me.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Harry's recurring dream came to fruition.

stranded in the plot<br />

author chose a frustrating ending. lacks imagination. hole us a strange eigmatic character who survives.