Police

A Harry Hole Novel

By: Jo Nesbø

Narrated by: Don Bartlett, John Lee

Length: 16 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this “invigorating must-read” installment (Newsweek) of the New York Times bestselling series, Inspector Harry Hole investigates a serial killer targeting Oslo’s police officers.

For years, detective Harry Hole has been at the center of every major criminal investigation in Oslo. His brilliant insights and dedication to his job have saved countless lives over the years. But as the killer grows increasingly bold and the media reaction increasingly hysterical, the detective is nowhere to be found. This time, when those he loves and values most are facing terrible danger, Harry is in no position to protect anyone—least of all himself.

Don't miss Jo Nesbo's latest Harry Hole thriller, Killing Moon!

©2013 Jo Nesbø (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A dizzyingly taut feat of storytelling.” (The Boston Globe)

"An invigorating must-read." (Newsweek)

“The chills are palpable in this nerve-­racking thriller.” (The New York Times Book Review)

Narrator hard to follow

We are devoted Nesbo fans, this one did not disappoint. However that being said,The narrator didn’t have a single Scandinavian sounding voice, the female voices was like listening to audio caricatures. Sometimes the delivery was like an old school soap opera.

Great book

I loved the story. The end is a real twist. I had to get used to the voice of the narrator however.

Meh

The narration by John Lee was excellent. This story didn't captivate me as much as the other Hole novels that I've read. The ending had a twist, but didn't wow me. Just a decent story. Also, there didn't seem to be much here to add to the over all story.

Interesting as always.

Feels funny to not give a perfect review because Nesbo is my favorite writer. I always looked forward to his exciting endings and it was just not there. Just sort of kept you hanging so you would buy the next book. I would have anyway.

Harry at his best

Supposedly the conclusion of the 10 book, Harry Hole series, but the author left a few events hanging, so I hope he continues with this exciting series.

Where is Harry?

Story is entertaining though sometimes hard to follow due to the strange names and not seeing them in print. I have also been missing my Nesbo books since moving to a county with little in the way of audiobooks in the library, forcing me into Audible, a great service but costly as I always find too much to put in my library. ..But Harry resurfaces and the story gets intense. A bit of a trick near the end and Ooohhh the ending. Guess I have to add that next Nesbo book soon.

Thank you Jo!

What a wonderful continuation of the saga. I will leave any description of the story to others... Suffice it to say that Mr. Nesbø does not disappoint and in fact rewards the reader with hours of enjoyment. However being a fan of audio books to bring additional interest to activities like biking, running, laundry, etc. I found myself incredibly disappointed with the book as performed my John Lee. I felt his interpretation of many of the voices to be offputting, especially the females. He just could not capture the essence of the characters that Jo Nesbø has spent 10 books crafting. Using a Welsh brogue for one of the characters was just weird. Sean Barrett also narrates this book. And is far superior and giving you the haunting feel as the plot twists and turns. Please Jo...no more Lee. And I totally understand that the majority of listeners are simply enthralled with Mr. Lee. I am not one of them. If only Robin Sachs were still with us...both he and Sean were far better equipped to handle the special needs required to really bring Jo Nesbø books to life. Let Mr. Lee stick with period piece novels like the Century Trilogy at which he is exceedingly good.

One too many

I assume, if you are reading this review, that you are familiar with the Harry Hole detective series.

If not, go back and get started with "The Bat". There is no noir like Nordic noir, and Jo Nesbo writes great Nordic noir. In my opinion, he is the best of the surprisingly large and productive group of modern, Scandinavian mystery writers,

But if you are familiar with the Harry Hole series, proceed at you own risk. From an aesthetic perspective, the series should end with "The Phantom". By the end of that novel, Nesbo has wrought a Grecian tragedy and brought it to a perfect denouement. Unfortunately Nesbo, like Harry Hole, cannot stop, even when he knows he should; the result is a bit of a hangover.

Hmmmm

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I'd do the impossible and bring back Robin Sachs!

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Stop killing off characters around Harry. It serves no purpose, makes the book much less interesting. Harry Hole is a detective not an avenger.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of John Lee?

Not sure but will skip next HH if John Lee is narrator. Not sure if it is his narration or the book or both but many times I caught myself thinking "This is to hokie!

Was Police worth the listening time?

No...But, this may sound stupid...should I listen again to see if it was as bad as I thought.

Fabulous, great, best Harry Hole in the series!

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

Complex, Gripping, Surprising.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Police?

When the villain(s) murder one particularly memorable officer.

Which character – as performed by John Lee – was your favorite?

Harry

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Someone is brutally killing police officers previously linked to unsolved and unrelated murders - but, why?"

Any additional comments?

I thought I had beat Harry in figuring out who was the murderer, but not why. Turns out I was right ... but there's more to the story. Kudos to Jo Nesbo for such a thriller and such a puzzler, ... even up to the second-last chapter I was still questioning whether I had it right. And, it was only in the last chapter that Nesbo makes all the pieces fall into place.

What a great story!