The Redbreast

By: Jo Nesbø

Narrated by: Robin Sachs

Length: 16 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

1944: Daniel, a soldier, legendary among the Norwegians fighting the advance of Bolshevism on the Russian front, is killed. Two years later, a wounded soldier wakes up in a Vienna hospital. He becomes involved with a young nurse, the consequences of which will ripple forward to the turn of the next century.

1999: Harry Hole, alone again after having caused an embarrassment in the line of duty, has been promoted to inspector and is lumbered with surveillance duties. He is assigned the task of monitoring neo-Nazi activities; fairly mundane until a report of a rare and unusual gun being fired sparks his interest. Ellen Gjelten, his partner, makes a startling discovery. Then a former soldier is found with his throat cut. In a quest that takes him to South Africa and Vienna, Harry finds himself perpetually one step behind the killer. He will be both winner and loser by the novel’s nail-biting conclusion.

The Redbreast won the Glass Key prize for the best Nordic crime novel when it was first published, and was subsequently voted Norway’s best crime novel. The Devil’s Star, Nesbø’s first novel featuring Harry Hole to be translated into English, marked Nesbø as a writer to watch in the ever more fashionable world of Nordic crime.

©2007 Jo Nesbo (P)2011 Random House Audio

redbeast

Redbreast was an intricate story with multiple plot lines. tge story was very different from Nesbi's previous two books. It left me waiting for the next book

Jo Nesbo is a very talented writer.

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

It was beautifully written. This is the first Jo Nesbo book I've listened to so far, but not my last.

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

Very good.

Any additional comments?

I look forward to the rest of the series.

A unique find

This is the third book in the Harry Hole series and so far, it is my favorite. The characters are realistic, the plot has depth and the author has a generally unique writing perspective. I just can't get enough of this series. I especially loved the way this particular book went back and forth between the two time periods.

Second listen twice as good!

I love having an online library.
Every so often, I rifle through the titles and latch on to one for a relisten. This was the case with The Redbreast, which was even better than my memory of it. Whether a Nesbo, Nordic Noir or detective fare lover, there should be no hesitation about choosing this one. Intricately woven plot that ultimately plays out to a believable conclusion. The story, though written at the end of the '90s into 2000, could have been penned today, the themes are so current. There is an unsolved element which is probably addressed in the next title of the Harry Hole series. Robin Sachs is an excellent interpreter of Nesbo's words; descriptive narrative and characterizations. My next choice will be another Nesbo title.

Masterfully written

Beautifully written story about past and present. Hole and Bosch are my favorite murder detectives

Read this before Snowman

Most people start with Snowman because it’s the most popular, and you can get away with reading it as a stand-alone. I did exactly that. Then listened to two other Nesbø/Hole books before listening to Redbreast. Not only is Redbreast better than Snowman, it is my favorite of all the Hole series I’ve read thus far. Plus it will give background info that I believe would’ve made me enjoy the three I’ve finished already even more so. Do not skip this one. Start here. And for those saying the WWII stuff is boring, I couldn’t disagree more. It adds so many extra layers of mystery and intrigue. Not to mention a pretty interesting history lesson for those of us unaware of Norway’s plight during the Great Wars.

The narration drags in spots

The novel is ok. And how it combines two narratives across time is done well enough. Parts of the book, (when Harry is experiencing grief), are long and somewhat maudlin, and the reader emphasizes this, dragging these sections out further. I found these sections tedious and sped through at 1.8 x.

The book is essential to if reading the entire Inspection Hole series. Ultimately, I recommend this, but it wasn’t the best listen.

Names Difficult

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

I rank this 4 out of 5. I intend to read the whole series (no pun intended). This was a good story although it was hard to follow because to the American ear (at least to mine), the last names all sounded the same. I found I had to write them down and refer to a spreadsheet until I understood who was who.

The Redbreast

This was a very interesting story. Overall I completely enjoyed this book. But, that said, it was a little confusing. Going back and forth in time, and all the names to keep up with. I had to get onto Wiki to figure out who was who at one point, as I has lost the characters names. I don't often get lost in books in that way, I have been busy in my real life and maybe it was only hard because of life... but, again, it was a little confusing to listen to. I think I may have enjoyed reading it, as it's easier to follow names if you're reading them.
All this said, I love Harry Hole, he is a great character and Jo Nesbo's writing style is wonderful. This is the first Jo Nesbo book I have read and I am onto the rest. A really great story and a great storyteller.

enjoyed immensely.

Jo Nesbø I said this was one of his favorites to write, and while there were some plot threads I would have preferred tied up, it feels a lot more like real life than many fictions.