MysteryPeople Pick of the Month for October: Phantom by Jo Nesbo
~Post by Chris M.
A few years ago Jo Nesbo was marketed as the heir to Steig Larsson’s Nordic crime fiction throne, and while Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy certainly catapulted Nordic crime writers into a new sphere of the public eye, it is my belief that Nesbo will ultimately be remembered as the genre’s seminal figure. A master storyteller, Jo Nesbo’s writing manages to merge nuanced characters, detail driven narratives, and page turning thrills into a potent tonic that satisfies on levels few writers in any genre ever reach.
In Phantom, his 9th novel featuring Detective Harry Hole (the 6th to be made available in the US), Nesbo offers a somber and very sobering look at addiction and self-destruction; two themes that also describe Harry Hole and his past misconduct as an alcoholic. The story begins as Harry Hole returns to Oslo after a self-imposed 3-year exile to Hong Kong. Harry’s return is prompted by the arrest of Oleg, son of his unobtainable true love Rakel, who is accused of murder. Fans of the series will understand the sordid history shared by Harry, Oleg, and Rakel, and new readers should be warned that their relationship is at best complicated, and at worst an ongoing tragedy.
Read the rest of the review over on the MysteryPeople blog, where our booksellers are talking all things crime fiction.
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