The Son

A Novel

By: Jo Nesbø

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Length: 17 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

The author of the best-selling Harry Hole series now gives us an electrifying stand-alone novel set inside Oslo’s maze of especially venal, high-level corruption.

Sonny Lofthus is a strangely charismatic and complacent young man. Sonny’s been in prison for a dozen years, nearly half his life. The inmates who seek out his uncanny abilities to soothe leave his cell feeling absolved. They don’t know or care that Sonny has a serious heroin habit - or where or how he gets his uninterrupted supply of the drug. Or that he’s serving time for other peoples’ crimes.

Sonny took the first steps toward addiction when his father took his own life rather than face exposure as a corrupt cop. Now Sonny is the seemingly malleable center of a whole infrastructure of corruption: prison staff, police, lawyers, a desperate priest - all of them focused on keeping him high and in jail. And all of them under the thumb of the Twin, Oslo’s crime overlord. As long as Sonny gets his dope, he’s happy to play the criminal and the prison’s in-house savior.

But when he learns a stunning, long-hidden secret concerning his father, he makes a brilliantly executed escape from prison - and from the person he’d let himself become - and begins hunting down those responsible for the crimes against him.... The darkly looming question is: Who will get to him first - the criminals or the cops?

©2014 Jo Nesbø (P)2014 Random House Audio

Much more than I expected!

I am a Harry Hole fan, so I expected a good story. This was so much more.

Built on the same format--police, criminals, an evil plot--but unexpected twists and turns with every page. Then the story became more about the people than the plot. Nesbo doesn't write 3-dimensional characters; he takes them even further.

You will never guess the ending!

I'm glad I did not give up on Jo Nesbo!

Jo Nesbo is best known for his Harry Hole police thrillers. Hole is a cop in Norway who has a great mind for solving crimes. He also has an almost debilitating addiction to alcohol and lots of family issues. In my opinion Nesbo's ceaseless discussion of Hole's issues detracted from the excellent police thrillers.

The Son is a stand alone novel; ie., not part of the Harry Hole series. I do not want to get into the plot because it is inconsiderate of others, so I'll just say that Jo Nesbo has finally written a novel that I can recommend without reservation.

Narration is...adequate.

Nesbo Does It Again

I was sure I was going to miss Harry Hole as the main character, but Nesbo did a wonderful job of providing a fascinating story. There wasn't a single moment during this 17 hour audio book that I thought the story was stuck or too long. This was a very smart story with Nesbo's usual twists and turns at the end. It is on my list to revisit again when I am craving the excellent story-telling of Jo Nesbo. The narrator kept the story moving at the right speed and tone. I think Jackson did a fantastic narration.

My only warning is that you get lots of scary moments and cringe-worthy deaths, but that is what you get with every Nesbo story.

Jo Nesbo never disappoints

If you could sum up The Son: A Novel in three words, what would they be?

It is impossible to summarize any of Jo Nesbo's novels in three words. This is a complex story of police corruption, love, revenge,serial murders....the plot has some contrived twists but it flows. The characters are interesting. I liked "The Snowman" (Harry Hole is already a classic and for good reason) and "Headhunters" better but I certainly enjoyed "The Son".

Who was your favorite character and why?

Nesbo did a good job in developing the key character in this story, who is not necessarily "The Son". The anti-hero here is a middle age, ex-gambler, a brilliant detective who has somehow not fulfilled his promising professional beginnings. I was also fascinated by "The Son"; this is a character that the reader can read into...

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

I consider Jackson's reading adequate, although I did not necessarily liked the way in which he chose to read dialogue for the female characters.

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

I am a fast reader and listener and love to "binge" but I do not find Nesbo's novels amenable to "one sitting" readings. His plots are very detailed and complex and I need time to digest them.

Any additional comments?

I recommend this book. Nesbo writes well thought out, high quality crime fiction.
His books never fail to provoke and entertain. This book, like "Headhunters", give us a break from Harry (which some of us may not necessarily want). This is not an exeptional Nesbo....but is still great crime fiction.

Perfect! I think I ejoy Nesbo's "one offs" better

his Harry Hole series. Nesbo is a tough edgey writer but he is also a truly lyrical romantic. The combination makes excellent novels that can be thoroughly enjoyred by either gender.

Amazing 👏

Amazing story. Amazing narrator. wish I could be a first time listener all over again lol

Good Book

Very entertaining. Good mystery. I would read it again.I recommend this book to any one.

A great book can be destroyed by the narrator

I am a great fan of Nesbo and his books. I loved the Harry hole series and have listened to all of them.
I was very excited to find another police drama from the same author.
Up to now I had not appreciated how the narration can kill a book.
I found the way the book is narrated with the different voices and slow, almost demented style to affect my will to listen to the words.
The voice for the women are particularly bad, but other the way the other voices are performed makes you. Wonder whether anyone edits these things
I would recommend doing what I am planning: buy a printed version of the book and AVOID Gidard Jackson in anything else he narrates

Fast paced and great characters

What about Gildart Jackson’s performance did you like?

I've listened to a few novels narrated by Gildart Jackson now and he never disappoints. He has an excellent range and reads with emotion, giving every character a life of its own.

Any additional comments?

A great story with wonderful, original characters. Fast paced with outstanding narration and an interesting peek into the underbelly of Norway.

WoW! Hole-y Transcends "Flawed Detective Formula"

It took me awhile to realize (get) the thundering challenge Nesbø initially and so deftly hid within the usual 'flawed detective' ("FD") formula. Upon entering the world of this book and for quite a while thereafter, I thought it was worthwhile enough being there to stick around, but had to work through some initial disappointment that Nesbø wasn't yet again leading me into a darkly terrifying realm I could only endure by knowing I could escape then reenter, when renewed courage allowed, by simply closing the book or turning off the sound (i.e. Nesbø's "The Snowman"). Most all of these FD books surround the reader with sinners, saints, guilt, revenge, corruption, murder and/or inane mismanagement from the top, etc.; and I initially thought this book was riding this wave until something jigged and veered from the norm and I suddenly pictured myself at Pipeline in Hawaii grooving along thinking I'd soon be in the blue tunnel only to realize I had mis-"judged" everything and was falling off the lip to the exposed coral so faaaaaar below with that wall of water following to pound down, yikes...fortunately one can rewind an audio book and get a do-over. IMHO, Nesbø subtly challenges the readers mind to step out from just watching like a sheeple hating the evil and corruption to at least consider ...well, just when is unchallenged, ignored, too Big or Powerful to Jail, governmental, Criminal individual or gang, Corporate, Banker/Broker evil-doer harm enough for citizens to say enough is enough! If the appropriate powers ignore and will not implement "justice", when if ever should an individual or rise up and would they be justified in doing so? In the old days I watched for and applauded "Random acts of Kindness" ; now I am starting to applaud the few Random acts of civil disobedience I see reported more and more often...but I digress. You should like this book even if you just want to escape with a good book...no civil disobedience, or citizen revenge required. You will care deeply about many characters you meet, there are intelligent, plausible and surprising twists and shifts of viewpoints. I wish I could bet each reader $5 they will not guess the biggest surprise near the end...Brilliantly crafted...Bravo, Mr. Nesbø !