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

A Break From The Harry Hole Series Is a Hit

Jo Nesbo has said there are advantages and disadvantages when writing about the same universe. The author and reader sharing a knowledge of the back-story might make things a little easier in some cases, but there is a significant challenge in keeping the characters fresh and interesting.

I am a big fan of the Harry Hole series and this book represented a 17 hour investment of my time in a different Nesbo universe - would it be up to the standard set in 12 Harry Hole books?

It was. I've always loved the insights Jo Nesbo gives us into his characters and their motivations. This book had more of the same. It was actually a little refreshing to be immersed in this authors style of writing and not revisiting the same old battles that Harry Hole contends with. We get introduced to different detectives with different flaws and a hero who is viewed by many as a villain.

While listening to this book there never was a moment where i looked at the time remaining and felt like there was work. It was more like - ten hours left ... I don't want this to end.

Being familiar with this authors style at the 16 hour mark I remember having an aha moment. The current was pushing me in one direction and this was fine, but having been tricked so many times before I actually anticipated a twist in the plot. This was one of the few times I've twigged to a Nesbo formula. That did not detract in any way from the book and there were still plenty of Nesbo zigs when I was ready to zag.

In short, this is an excellent book and this review has not imparted any of the story line. Sometimes that is the best way to start a book. So download this gem and start listening.

Revenge fantasy

This really is a fantasy, since so many points in the story are just unbelievable (I won't give it away). The writing, especially the dialogs, is very stilted, perhaps the fault of a weak translation. Yet, despite the manifest problems, there are enough twists in the plot to make it very listenable.

Amazing Read

loved this book. Nesbo weaves a web of intrigue and mystery. he is one of the best sorrytellers of my time. Bravo,!

Engrossing story and characters.

When the book was over I felt the loss of friends; that is how well he characters were developed.

This book is wonderful

Although there are elements that are over written and unduly long, overall this is a really good subversive book. A bit melodramatic. But definitely worth the time to listen.

One of the Best

Loved it...one of the Best from this author in my opinion. A must read/listen....Brilliant story!

Solid, but distracting narrator...

The story was solid, but Jackson really detracted from it all. His cadence was so clunky. And he was a bit wooden.

One of the all-time best!!!

I would LOVE to see this as a movie! Kept me enthralled right to the end! A thrilling ride with unexpected twists! Enjoyable writing, finely woven character development, GREAT narration... A RARE, SOLID 5 STARS! I am only sad it has ended and it will be a long time before I find a book of this caliber! I will definately look for more from this author!

Very good story.

The plot was intriguing and the ending wasn't one I expected. Author also ties things up and relationships become clearer in the end.

Glad I gave it a second chance

I bailed out on this book about two hours in, but came back later and started over, and I was glad I did. This was the first Nesbø novel I have read and I was interested enough is his dark, psychological plot that I want to read more of his work.