The Devil's Star

By: Jo Nesbo, Don Bartlett - translator

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE SNOWMAN - OVER 9 MILLION BOOKS SOLD WORLDWIDE

THE MARK OF THE DEVIL, THE SIGN OF A KILLER...

A young woman is murdered in her flat and a tiny red diamond in the shape of a five-pointed star is found behind her eyelid. Detective Harry Hole is assigned to the case, alongside his long-time adversary Tom Waaler and initially wants no part in it.

But Harry is already on his final warning and has little alternative but to drag himself out of his alcoholic stupor when it becomes apparent that Oslo has a serial killer on its hands.

Critic reviews

The next Stieg Larsson

Nesbo sets a cracking pace... A series of spectacular plot twists leads to a thrilling finale. Highly recommended

Compelling... Shocking and surprising...expertly paced

Many authors know how to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Jo Nesbo's one of the few who keeps them there (Lindwood Barclay)

An astonishingly confident debut. The Devil’s Star scores with an intriguing plot and Nesbo’s mastery of pace and tension

well crafted suspense

Not your typical hero but a complex and tormented character. Good narration and suspenseful pace make for a worthwhile read.

Another great Nesbo book

I've read the series totally out of order, but have enjoyed each Harry Hole misadventure.

Another enjoyable Harry Hole novel

I love Jo Nesbo's writing and "The Devil's Star" doesn't disappoint. This installment of the Harry Hole saga wasn't as gripping as others have been, but thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless.

I love every story this man writes!

I'm so happy I can add a writer to my favorites. I am never disappointed by a Jo Nesbo book.

Graphic Thirller

Harry Hole, am I getting sick of that once handsome, now sort of ragged-around-the-edges, often drunken detective on the Norwegian Police force? I am perhaps feeling a bit impatient with Harry but my interest has not flagged. He is so flawed. How can Harry be so brilliant and so self-destructive? Every little setback sends him back to the bottle and that’s where we find him at the beginning of The Devil’s Star by Jo Nesbø.

Harry knows now that fellow police officer Tom Waaler is not the upstanding, stable and well-organized detective he pretends to be. Tom and Harry are at the same level on the police force. Tom has plans to advance. Harry has plans to get through the day. Tom would never experience the strong emotions which tear at Harry. He is no tortured soul. I know Harry believes that Tom Waaler is a crooked cop and that he was involved in the death of Harry’s former partner, Ellen, but I don’t think Harry really realizes how cold-blooded the man who thinks of himself as The Prince is.

Harry has no idea how he will prove what he suspects about Tom and luck is not with him until a series of “ritual” murders leads him to the Prague connection from whence come the red diamond pieces of jewelry shaped like 5-pointed stars (devil’s stars or pentagrams).

Can you guess who the serial killer is before Harry finally figures it out. It is, as usual, a toughie. What connects Tom Waaler with the serial killer? Is there a connection? Is Tom the killer?

This tale is not for the fastidious. Nesbø gives us the most graphic and grisly details found in any of his novels so far. Forensics may be elegant in that it solves murders with science, but the evidence that must be analyzed is frequently made up of the bodily substances we avoid contact with; forensic explorations are often disgusting and not for the squeamish.

Of course, murder is also not for the squeamish. My brain enjoyed this episode in the Harry Hole saga, even if I felt inspired to utter the occasional “gross” or “yuck” about any number of the unpalatable details found in this particular Harry Hole adventure. If The Devil’s Star were made into a movie I would have my eyes covered through a few of the most memorable scenes. When all is said and done and the serial killer is caught and Tom “The Prince” Waaler, who may or may not be the serial killer, is dealt with, the novel ends with an interesting twist and a happy surprise.

Sean Barrett was outstanding with the delivery of the story