• The Bat

  • The First Inspector Harry Hole Novel
  • By: Jo Nesbø, Don Bartlett
  • Narrated by: Joh Lee
  • Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (2,612 ratings)

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The Bat  By  cover art

The Bat

By: Jo Nesbø,Don Bartlett
Narrated by: Joh Lee
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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)

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What listeners say about The Bat

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • KP
  • 07-10-13

Not as good as the others....

I’ve read several books in the Harry Hole series, and so I was interested in finally reading this, the first in the series. I was always curious as to why it hadn’t yet been translated into English.

Perhaps the reason it took so long to bring this to the English speaking public is because it’s not as good as his other books? I might not have wanted to continue the series if I’d started with this book, BUT since I’d become acquainted with Harry Hole, I wanted to know more about his history and his beginnings. I did get to know a lot more about him and why his personality is as dark as it is.

I didn’t think the plot was as exciting or as good as the other books I’ve read by Nesbo. I also wasn’t very interested in all the philosophical asides that he threw in. A couple of them were interesting, but I started to get tired of them, and they started to seem like filler.

Wow, I just looked and there are quite a few I’d need to read to get to the one I started with, The Snowman. Also, it looks like #2 in the series, The Cockroaches, still hasn’t been translated. I’ll take a break from Harry Hole and see if #2 comes around in English, and then perhaps I’ll try again. Hopefully, Nesbo gets better with each book!

***************

• In The Bat (1997), Hole is sent to Sydney, Australia to investigate the murder of a B-list celebrity.
• In The Cockroaches (1998), Hole is sent to Thailand to investigate the murder of the Norwegian ambassador.
• In The Redbreast (2000), Hole is promoted to inspector in the Oslo Police District and tracks an insane assassin with a vendetta against the Norwegian Royal Family.
• In Nemesis (2002), Hole investigates a fatal bank robbery and becomes implicated in the apparent murder of an ex-girlfriend.
• In The Devil's Star (2003), Hole suspects another detective, Tom Waaler, of being a murderous arms smuggler responsible for the death of Hole's former partner.
• In The Redeemer (2005), Hole is on the trail of a Croat hitman who kills a Salvation Army officer during a Christmas street concert.
• In The Snowman (2007), Hole struggles to identify Norway's first serial killer.
• In The Leopard (2009), Hole returns from a self-imposed exile in Hong Kong and unofficially investigates a serial killer.
• In Phantom (2011), Hole again returns from Hong Kong to look into a murder apparently committed by his would-be son, Oleg. His investigation draws him into Oslo's drug scene.

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64 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

First Harry Hole finally translated into English!!

Although this is the first in the Harry Hole series, it's just now coming to America after many of the later books have made fans of many Americans. Luckily, this is the first book I've read in this series. I love knowing the background of the hero before getting into the later books. Harry Hole was a great character to read about in this book. Alcoholic, rushing into dangerous situations, and unlucky in love, Harry pushes for results regardless of what will happen to him.

In trouble with his Norwegian police force, Harry is sent to Australia with instructions to stay out of trouble while "looking" into the death of an woman celebrity from his homeland. The Australian police force pairs him up with an Aboriginal policeman, who is full of historical information and strange friends. The Australians want to find a simple single murderer, but Harry in convinced that they should be seeking a serial killer. Meanwhile, he quickly finds a love interest that complicates his life.

I'm really glad I started the series here. Really enjoyed the philosophical discussions that developed these characters. The story development was fast passed, and developed beautifully. Looking forward to reading all the rest of this series now that I've had an appetizing taste of this very flawed, but very compelling man named Harry Hole---pronounced Harry Holy.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Glad I read the all the other Nesbo books first

What disappointed you about The Bat?

Nesbo's fixation on Harry Hole's alcoholism just destroys this first novel of the series. And the whores, fights, and poor storyline. You can see the latent writing skills that get progressively better with each sequel. I've sought out and read all the subsequent Harry Hole novels before finding this audiobook (except Cockroaches), and they've been great. (The latest "Police" is a masterpiece".) But, if I had read this one first, I would never have gone further. It's THAT bad.

Would you ever listen to anything by Jo Nesbø again?

I've already read all the others in the series. All are good, some great! This one is just bad.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes, sure.

Any additional comments?

I recommend avoiding this one, and start out with the next in the series, which is "Cockroaches". I haven't found "Cockroaches" in audio yet, the next one after that is "Redbreast", which was very good.

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35 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Rocky Beginnings

Would you listen to The Bat again? Why?

Probably not. Not because it's a bad book, but because there's too many other stories that I'd like to listen to.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

It's a double edged sword, I like the Australian history and fables, but it doesn't really add too much to the story. It pads the length of the book out, but it's not critical for the story telling. Harry Hole is going to be an interesting character in his future stories, as this book give us a good bit of what makes him tick.

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

I really like his Australian accents, he gave a great voice to the setting and characters. I can't compare him to Robin Sachs, but Mr. Lee does a good job bringing the story to life.

Any additional comments?

If you like the Millennium trilogy, this is a great series to get involved with.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

At last, the first book

We are introduced to Harry Hole....making sense of all the references ( in subsequent books) to the events that occur in this first book.

John Lee is one of my favorite narrators. The anticipation I feel when looking for a new book is always peaked when John Lee is the narrator. Wonderful Norwegian accents....

This a a great mystery, complicated, unexpected and you wont see the ending coming.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

didn't care for it

Heard great things about this author, but I found nothing likable about this character and really can't believe he is so attractive to women and so good in a brawl. And don't care for the treatment of other characters. Not a likable or relatable person in this whole book.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow, A Complex, Nordic/Australian Thriller

This is the story of a Norwegian detective sent to Sydney Australia to investigate the murder of a Norwegian television star. I love Jo Nesbo's writing style. The dialog is perfect, tone-on. You get a large exposure to the native culture and a gritty serial killer at work. There are the blind alleys. Harry the protagonist is the flawed detective (alcoholic) but he keeps a sharp eye on detail and inconsistencies. The plot unravels slowly at first, feeling very real and then accelerates. I loved it.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good on 'ya Mr. Nesbo

If you could sum up The Bat in three words, what would they be?

Gripping Crime Drama

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The crimes were never really solved till everything comes together. Then it all made perfect sense

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

Mr. Lee is my favorite narrator. He reads with restrained passion. He also speaks Austrailian superbly

Any additional comments?

I'd just finished "In a Sunburnt Country" by Bill Bryson. His travels thru the land down under. The Bat takes place in Austrailia so I got to stay in character for this book or in country you might say

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Pretty good start to the series

I had already read Books 3 - 10, which were generally better than The Bat. But, this is a good introduction to Harry Hole. Not great, but some of the later books are great, and this is an enjoyable read.

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5 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Can't finish

I am several hours into this book and just cannot finish it. I don't find it interesting

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4 people found this helpful