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)

A great (if somewhat confusing) listen.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Jo Nesbo's first Harry Hole novel is great example of modern detective fiction. While it doesn't really break the mold of alcoholic damaged detective goes through the seedy underbelly of (insert city here), it still grips the listener and makes you actually feel for the characters. I won't say that you'll fall in love with them, but Harry's interactions with them seems organic and keeps the suspension of disbelief alive throughout the book. Some of the plot points seem to have poor explanation, like one didn't get the whole story behind them before Nesbo put them to page, but that might just be me. Overall, a good start to a series and I look forward to more adventures and mysteries with this series.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Bat?

(SPOILER WARNING) The description of Baurguetta's (sp?) murder inspired true dread, and the thoughts in Harry's mind as they drag the waters was beautifully done. A true verbal still life picture into a scene a dread, misery, and loss of something that felt like it was never truly there.

What about John Lee’s performance did you like?

John Lee did an exceptional job. His Australian accent seemed quite authentic to me. I will say however that two characters did sound almost exactly alike, but this issue rarely rears his head in the reading.

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

No, unfortunately. However, that just may be my personality. Always moving, always listening.

Very good story

Learner more about Australia and it's racial struggles and was my first talking Harry book good narration

outstanding

Fantastic story, well told, avoids many of the old formulas. John Lee's narration is spot-on, as always.

Not Nesbo's best

Struggled to finish, most of the book felt unattached to the story. this is definitely not Nesbo's best book or Harry Hole's most exciting outing but gives insight into Harry for the later books that he is featured in.

Enjoyable

But how could you not like a book featuring Harry Hole? Narrator was good, but creeped me out in his Swedish woman voice.

This is my first Jo Nesbo book

So happy to find a prolific author who who writes intelligently and with wonderful prose. Great characters and story all the way to the end.

A Thrilling Ride-- Right up to the very last word.

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

After listening to several books in the Harry Hole series, out of sequence (this book was only recently made avaialble), it was enjoyable to learn some of the back stories alluded to in later books. Anyone just "discovering" Jo Nesbo and Harry Hole will do themselves a great service by starting with book 1.

I've never been to Australia; but have several good friends who leve there; and John Lee "nailed" the accents as far as I can tell. Most enjoyable was the final chapter. Some may say "predictable"; but it's a helluva finish.

Who was your favorite character and why?

We get to meet Harry almost on holiday at first; but he soon demonstrates why he was sent to OZ to solve the case.. We also get to see a rather unflattering, yet understandable side of Harry that needed to be told.

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

To dedicate the narration to Robin Sachs was a thoughtful gesture. He adds (IMHO) authentic Aussie accents and allows you to get into the story very fast.

I’m a Jo Nesbø reader now

Really good story and characters I will never forget. Great narration by John Lee. Looking forward to listening to the next book in this series.

Fantastic!

Jo Nesbo has created an amazing character in Harry Hole (pronounced Holy), an old fashioned detective with a heart of gold and a mean right. He is both humorous and cynical, poignant and sharp. John Lee's narration is endlessly engaging. If you haven't been introduced to Harry Hole, The Bat, Nesbo's first Hole story, is a great place to start. However, old fans who have already enjoyed some of Harry's other exploits, will find this introduction sure to please. You won't regret buying The Bat.

Disappointing

I had high hopes for this book having liked the Harry Hole movie, The Snowman. While the narration was quite good, the rest wasn’t. It dragged on quite a bit and never really demanded my attention. I won’t continue with this series.