The Bat

The First Inspector Harry Hole Novel

By: Jo Nesbø, Don Bartlett

Narrated by: Joh Lee

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • In the electrifying first installment of the New York Times bestselling series, Harry Hole of the Oslo Crime Squad is dispatched to Sydney to observe a murder case. As he circles closer to the killer, Harry begins to fear that no one is safe, least of all those investigating the murder.

The victim is a twenty-three year old Norwegian woman who is a minor celebrity back home. Harry is free to offer assistance, but he has firm instructions to stay out of trouble. Never one to sit on the sidelines, Harry befriends one of the lead detectives, and one of the witnesses, as he is drawn deeper into the case. Together, they discover that this is only the latest in a string of unsolved murders, and the pattern points toward a psychopath working his way across the country.

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

©2013 Jo Nesbø (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Even with this first book Nesbø’s command of the idiom is completely in place—there is absolutely no sense that the writer was finding his feet and aficionados will be very pleased to slide this on to their bookshelves alongside the other Harry Hole novels.” (The Daily Express)

"This debut effort shows Nesbø as an already confident genre craftsman, striking sparks from the familiar genre material of Harry’s fish-out-of-water experience in a foreign land and odd-couple pairing with a mismatched partner." (Publishers Weekly)

“It is fantastic to see a younger Harry, a more loquacious Harry. . . . [Nesbø is] a terrific writer who knows how to build a story, taking you slowly to the top of a rollercoaster before sending you hurtling towards a solution that you never see coming.” (Scottish Express)

Not as good as the others....

I’ve read several books in the Harry Hole series, and so I was interested in finally reading this, the first in the series. I was always curious as to why it hadn’t yet been translated into English.

Perhaps the reason it took so long to bring this to the English speaking public is because it’s not as good as his other books? I might not have wanted to continue the series if I’d started with this book, BUT since I’d become acquainted with Harry Hole, I wanted to know more about his history and his beginnings. I did get to know a lot more about him and why his personality is as dark as it is.

I didn’t think the plot was as exciting or as good as the other books I’ve read by Nesbo. I also wasn’t very interested in all the philosophical asides that he threw in. A couple of them were interesting, but I started to get tired of them, and they started to seem like filler.

Wow, I just looked and there are quite a few I’d need to read to get to the one I started with, The Snowman. Also, it looks like #2 in the series, The Cockroaches, still hasn’t been translated. I’ll take a break from Harry Hole and see if #2 comes around in English, and then perhaps I’ll try again. Hopefully, Nesbo gets better with each book!

***************

• In The Bat (1997), Hole is sent to Sydney, Australia to investigate the murder of a B-list celebrity.
• In The Cockroaches (1998), Hole is sent to Thailand to investigate the murder of the Norwegian ambassador.
• In The Redbreast (2000), Hole is promoted to inspector in the Oslo Police District and tracks an insane assassin with a vendetta against the Norwegian Royal Family.
• In Nemesis (2002), Hole investigates a fatal bank robbery and becomes implicated in the apparent murder of an ex-girlfriend.
• In The Devil's Star (2003), Hole suspects another detective, Tom Waaler, of being a murderous arms smuggler responsible for the death of Hole's former partner.
• In The Redeemer (2005), Hole is on the trail of a Croat hitman who kills a Salvation Army officer during a Christmas street concert.
• In The Snowman (2007), Hole struggles to identify Norway's first serial killer.
• In The Leopard (2009), Hole returns from a self-imposed exile in Hong Kong and unofficially investigates a serial killer.
• In Phantom (2011), Hole again returns from Hong Kong to look into a murder apparently committed by his would-be son, Oleg. His investigation draws him into Oslo's drug scene.

Don't listen to this if you're australian.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Whilst I liked aspects of the story and the characters I did feel that it was like the author had visited Australia and was padding the novel out with a travelogue of Australian history information.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

As an Australian I found the narrator dreadful. The accent was completely wrong, if anything it had more similarities to a New Zealand accent. It was so immensely irritating I only just managed to listen to it.

Jo Nesbo

He really has a knack for bringing you into the story. I have a new favorite author !!!!😃

A Great Listen - Echoes of Stieg Larssen

Any additional comments?

John Lee is a personal favorite and his narration led me to Harry Hole. The Scandanavian main character will naturally put one in mind of Stieg Larssen and I thoroughly enjoyed this book as I did those. I found The Bat less dark though and refreshingly non-formulaic as many police procedurals can be. Harry is another flawed detective that is very easy to like. The characters and plot are well-developed. I am writing this when I am nearly done book 2, Redbreast, and I very pleased to have found the series. Great job Mr. Nesbo!

almost great

This was my first Jo Nesbo. Harry Hole was a relatable detective. I had some problems with the villain. He wasn't quite believable to me as a psychopath. The narration was very good. And I expect I'll be back for some more Jo Nesbo.

Great Start!

Where does The Bat rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I loved the narration for this book. I had been looking fo a series for a while now and I think I have found it with Mr. Hole.

What did you like best about this story?

I like that it is grounded but still just far enough there that it isn't generic.

Which scene was your favorite?

The stake in the last 1/4 of the book has you gripped.

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

Yes!

So Swedish is a Slavic language, is it???

It bothers me no end that this unprepared narrator decides to give the Swedish character a Russian accent. It’s about as accurate as giving Queen Elizabeth a Mississippi redneck accent.

A Prequel to the SnoMeh

A good character drama that pretends it's a crime fiction/mystery. The ending felt like it was a last minute decision that was hastily written in at the very last moment.

Good intro to Harry

I have read these books out of order and learning about the early Harry is great.

Hometown

Coming from Australia I really enjoyed listening to the Aussie accents, they took me home! Planning to work my way through all the Nesbo books, I'm imagining they will just get better and better.