Knife

A New Harry Hole Novel

By: Neil Smith - translator, Jo Nesbø

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Brilliant, audaciously rogue police officer Harry Hole, from The Snowman and The Thirst, is back and in the throes of a new, unanticipated rage - once again hunting the murderer who has haunted his entire career.

Harry Hole is not in a good place. Rakel - the only woman he's ever loved - has ended it with him, permanently. He's been given a chance for a new start with the Oslo Police, but it's in the cold case office. What he really wants is to be investigating cases he suspects have ties to Svein Finne, the serial rapist and murderer who Harry helped put behind bars. And now, Finne is free after a decade-plus in prison - free and, Harry is certain, unreformed and ready to take up where he left off. But things will get worse. When Harry wakes up the morning after a drunken night with blood that's clearly not his own on his hands, it's only the very beginning of what will be a waking nightmare the likes of which even he could never have imagined.

©2019 Jo Nesbo (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Knife, Mr. Nesbo's 12th Harry Hole book, translated from the Norwegian by Neil Smith, is arguably the best entry yet in the author's outstanding series.... The moral conundrums in Knife are Dostoevskian, the surprises are breathtaking, the one-liners are amusing, and the suspense is unrelenting. This is that rare lengthy book that one wouldn't want shortened by even a single page.” (Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal)

"Knife is indeed a sharp example of its genre. The pages turn, the violence is brutal, and the characters are well-drawn and mysterious.... The book is dense, but brisk.... Nesbo has a great sense of pacing. Each reveal - did he do it? did she? - is meticulously laid out as he takes readers along for the ride.... The final whodunit is powerful and leaves Harry - and readers - wondering what’s next.” (Rob Merrill, Associated Press)

"Knife is a reminder of why people read [Nesbo’s] books.... Thicker and more complex than most of the earliest Nesbo novels - including his often-slender stand-alone books - Knife resembles in its heft and sweep The Redbreast.... The novel ends with a fascinating series of shifts and reframings both dramatically satisfying as fiction and - in the real, Norwegian world of crime-fighting in which the novel is set - ethically queasy.... It also leaves Harry on what can only be called a knife’s edge. The bad, or at least, ambiguous news for the novel’s characters is good news for the rest of us: There will, it seems, be more of these.” (Scott Timberg, Los Angeles Times)

Not the best Hole novel.

Although I enjoyed it and there were plenty of twists, this book didn't hold a candle to the rest of the series. It also messes with the characters so much, so late in the game, you wonder if this is just Nesbo thumbing his nose at overeager publishers trying to squeeze every last dollar from this cash cow. The crime shares a huge similarly to one of the earlier books-- did Nesbo run out of ideas?

Disappointing

Too long. Needlessly verbose. Ready to quit at 5 hours in. Enjoyed most of his other Harry Hole books.

If you’ve never read Jo Nesbo, don’t start with this one!

A convoluted story with too many red herrings, this book was often frustrating because Nesbo took you down long twisting roads that led nowhere. His protagonist solves everything yet I never fully understood why he came to his conclusions. Then, miraculously, he confronts the killer and, voila, everything is wrapped up with a bow. I loved the narrator’s voice and pacing but it wasn’t a fit with this story and the vast array of characters.

Good book until killer is revealed....

without giving anything away, the book was really good, as all of his otger's. However, the person who turns out to be the killer didn't make sense whatsoever. Disappointed.

Disappointing

I think I was disappointed from the very beginning when discovering the murder victim. Still Nesbø is a stellar writer who weaves complicated dark tales, not leaving out Harry of course, in the game of distraction. So I committed to finishing the novel. I then couldn’t buy the ending as much as I was unhappy about the beginning. We readers always enter into a pact with the author that we agree to suspend reality. Couldn’t do it.

Another masterpiece

I anxiously awaited for the release of The Knife, and it was worth the wait. Jo Nesbo NEVER disappoints his fans. Another Harry Hole's suspense, you will never guess who committed the crimes. Keeps you guessing until the end. Love it!! I hope Jo Nesbo already started his next book.

A winner

I’ve been a Jo Nesbo fan since book 1. Some of the recent books haven’t been up to the beginning books. But this book is one of the best. Many twists and turns. The end of the book is great. That said, I am not a fan of the narrator when he gets into a singsong pattern.

This one is going to hurt!

Best Harry Hole story yet. A real roller coaster ride. If you have read the previous books and have gotten to know some of Harry's friends and enemies, be prepared to get injured on this journey.

If this is your first Joe Nesbo book, you are starting at the top and it is downhill from here. You can be comforted to know that the other books in this series are better than most detective books that have a following.

As always, John Lee is a top notch narrator. I'm not Norwegian, but his pronunciation of Norwegian locations and names sounds authentic enough to make me want to visit this interesting country.

Best of the entire series

Maudlin starting out. The plot is full of misdirection. My favorite out of the series!

I Love Harry

The best of a superb series featuring the less than perfect detective Harry Hole. I discovered him in The Leopard and was hooked. Had to binge on earlier books and have been devoted since. oh yes, I must give Jo Nesbo some credit too.