The Bat

A Harry Hole Thriller, Book 1

By: Jo Nesbø

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

The thrilling first book in the best-selling Harry Hole series, never before published in English.

Harry is out of his depth.

Detective Harry Hole is meant to keep out of trouble. A young Norwegian girl taking a gap year in Sydney has been murdered, and Harry has been sent to Australia to assist in any way he can.

He's not supposed to get too involved.

When the team unearths a string of unsolved murders and disappearances, nothing will stop Harry from finding out the truth. The hunt for a serial killer is on, but the murderer will talk only to Harry.

He might just be the next victim.

Appearing in English for the first time, The Bat is the legendary first novel from the worldwide phenomenon Jo Nesbo.

©2012 Jo Nesbo (P)2012 Random House Audiobooks

I was surprised to see The Bat pop up in Audible.

I was anxious to hear the first books of my new favorite character, Harry Hole, regardless how his last name is pronounced. . I can not go wrong making this purchase and after listening, I can confirm it was a good purchase for me. The narrator, Sean Barrett, was not bad, but I do prefer Robin Sachs. Robin Sachs is the voice of Harry Hole in my opinion. This was a great listen.

Brilliant, just brilliant

What made the experience of listening to The Bat the most enjoyable?

As an Australian I was amazed with the depth of knowledge shown of Australian, if not Aboriginal history, dream time stories, Australian history that made this story shine out, especially when written by a Norwegian. Well Done. How the author wove in each chapter title to the story, and kept me listening was great.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Harry of course, a damaged star.

What about Sean Barrett’s performance did you like?

Very good, voices not so bad but still very good.

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

Intrepid, determined, out of his zone and drunk, the killer never had a chance

Any additional comments?

A great story, it has now made me want the rest, in fact number 3 is already purchased. A gripe, why is number 2 not available? But a minor gripe as time will I hope bring it to me. I really want to listen to more, especially with this writer and performer collaboration.

A Worthy Beginning

This title came to me by indirect recommendation. Someone I know, who knows that I'd enjoyed the Millennium Trilogy, suggested I read "The Lepoard". I went to download it only to discover it is Book 8 in the Harry Hole (pronounced Who-Lehr) Series. So I went looking for Book 1. And here it is.
Then, to top things off, it turns out to be set in Sydney, Australia! Go figure? Surreal. Immediate download required.
It starts well, with plenty of detail written in an engaging way. It is not Larsson, so don't come at it with that expectation. However, the research is impressive. Nesbo (pronounced Nes-Bore, or close to that) writes of the indigenous issues that remain a blight on the social and justice systems of my country. He wrote of the Mabo Case that dispelled the legal fiction of terra nullius (that there were no settled people here when the Brit's arrived). These are issues that many Australians don't understand enough. However, like many eastern Europeans, this Scandinavian understands and appreciates the indigenous population of this country better than most Australians. He certainly understands it sufficiently well to write about it with empathy, authority and accuracy. I was impressed by this alone, and I remain impressed.
Then the plot explodes. A little murder and a bit of drugs in the sexually ambiguous 'Cross becomes a full scale hunt for a serial killer. I could say (disingenuously) that I picked it early, but the truth is that I knew (from the blurb) that Harry was looking for a serial killer and I was looking for him or her, too. I thought about the eventual culprit, but I dismissed it (because I was cleverly distracted by the narrative). When the perp' is announced, I wasn't surprised, but that didn't diminish the enjoyment of the book. It just made me want to read the next one! (By the way, the next one, The Cockroaches, has yet to be translated into English and is not available in audio at the time of writing).
Sean Barrett's narrative and characterisation are very good. He gets the Oz accent right, fortunately (because nothing annoys me more in audio than a parody of an Australian accent). I am not sure about the Norse accent, but I get the impression that he has opted for substantially his own tone for Harry (which is sensible, I think). I thought he and Jo (pronounced "You" according to his webpage) Nesbo captured Harry's alcoholism very well. The back story for this was well developed, too.
Overall, I think it is a well above average crime thriller. Larsson, it's not, but it is engaging enough for me to change plans from the book I intended to listen to next and say, "On to Book 3, then!"

In answer to the pronunciation of Hole

I am addicted to Nesbo's books. Just downloaded Batman and have listened to all Nesbo's audiobooks except Ghost which I read. I am a fan of Sean Barret as a narrator.
I wanted to check how Hole should be pronounced and found an interview with Jo Nesbo in the UK where he is asked the question. The link gives his response. An interesting guy!

Don't Read This First

Had this been my first Jo Nesbo/Harry Hole book, it would probably have been the last. Harry isn't the same character he is in The Leopard, or The Snowman. He's much more tentative here, less forceful as a character. When he falls off the wagon, it's hard to keep going because he's not just a sloppy drunk, he allows himself to be physically damaged, with a foolish grin on his face. Hard to imagine the Harry of The Leopard behaving in such a manner, even when drunk. He's less self-aware, and less willing to challenge the authority of the police department.

The plot of the book is fairly simple, and the actual killer is easy to suspect very early on. Without giving it away, the manner in which the killer "gets his" is a surprise, but I had a feeling it was also a facile ending, one designed to appeal to a mass market.

The narrator, not Robin Sachs of the later books, saves this book. We hear the correct pronunciation of the both the author's and the characters names. Jo isn't Joe, but more like Yo. Nesbo is more like NesBuh. Hole isn't pronounced at all as spelled, but more like HullUh. His tone and pacing are excellent throughout. He differentiates the characters nicely.

Several times I was tempted to pull this out of my ear. I'm glad I didn't because it's the first book in the series, but it wasn't easy.

Australian adventure

Harry Hole is sent to Australia to help solve the mystery of a Norwegian girl. The mystery was there to the end, and Hole's ongoing struggle with alcoholism made his efforts all the more heroic. I enjoyed how the Aborigine legends were woven into the story to guide Hole in solving the crimes. I really liked this book--and the narration, as always with Sean Barrett, was outstanding.

beginning

I listened to this book after listening to some of the later Harry Hole books. I found this book satisfying, but it also gave me insight into how much Nesbo has tightened and intensified his novels over the course of the series.

Early Nesbo. Good story. Wrong narrator.

Okay, this is Nesbo's first Harry Hole book and the story is okay. It definitely gives us a glimpse in to what makes Harry like he is. Sadly, Sean Barrett does NOT do this justice. No, he's not as bad as the guy who does Nemesis, Thor Knai, but he's close. He sounds like he is 95 years old - like Robin Williams playing a very old man. That great, masculine gruff sound that Robin Sachs bring to all the other books is sadly missing. If you can get past that, the book is good.

Worth the Wait

Let's be fair, the Harry Hole books are some of the best detective fiction of the last twenty years. This book, the Bat, is no exception. In fact, I was mezmerized by its speed, it's brutality and its beauty. It is the first of the series, but only the most recent translated to English, so I've had to listen to the other books and wait to see how the whole mess got started. Harry Hole, a lonely and sad man, arrives in Australia to help the local police in their investigation. He soon uncovers a terrible history of violence.

Like all of Nesbo's books, it's sad, fast and emotionally powerful. The plot twists in ways you'd never suspect, even if you're a seasoned crime reader like I am. Unlike most detective stories though, the author truely cares about his characters and opens them up to you in wonderful and imaginative ways. You care so much about Harry, the suspects and other detectives he meets and you dread the horrors that will inevitably befall them.

Once you start, you'll be hooked and you'll read the rest. But as of this writing, the second book still hasn't been translated, so you'll be waiting on anxious feet (just like me.)

NOT Robin Sachs, unfortunately!

I have enjoyed all Nesbo's other Harry Hole books. This book is as good, but I miss Robin Sachs. He had become Harry's voice for me. I am disappointed that he did so few audiobook performances, and sad that he is no longer with us.