The Redeemer

A Harry Hole Novel (6)

By: Jo Nesbø, Don Bartlett - translator

Narrated by: John Lee

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • Inspector Harry Hole pursues an assassin bent on revenge in this “fast-and-furious” installment (The New York Times Book Review) of the bestselling series.

Shots ring out at a Salvation Army Christmas concert in Oslo, leaving one of the singers dead in the street. The trail will lead Harry Hole, Oslo’s best investigator and worst civil servant, deep into the darkest corners of the city and, eventually, to Croatia.

An assassin forged in the war-torn region has been brought to Oslo to settle an old debt. As the police circle in, the killer becomes increasingly desperate and the danger mounts for Harry and his colleagues.

Don't miss Jo Nesbo's latest Harry Hole thriller, Killing Moon!

©2013 Jo Nesbo (P)2013 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Fast-and-furious.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“The pace is relentless.... The plot ... [is] complex without becoming overheated.” (San Antonio Express-News)

“Though there’s plenty of twisty plot, it’s Nesbø’s writing—textured, humane, evocative, moody, cinematic—that keeps this thing rolling forward like a toboggan on a steep slope.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

a good one

Sometimes it seems that a book and its author are identified as being good. But due to one reason or another the book isn't the first in the series. Once the series becomes popular, the publishers go back and get the earlier books because there is money to be made and, for we fans, it gives us the complete series. At least that's what I think happened in this book's case. There are several books in the Harry Hole series that comes after this book in the series but the audible versions at least came first. My first book in the series was #7, "The Snowman", which got me intereested in Nesbo's Harry Hole series. This book is a good one in the series, it fits into the overall series and if you've listened to some of the later ones, it fills in some of the story. This was a good book, not a great one, and the series and probably Nesbo's writing really get going after thsi book. Make sense? I hope so, bottom line is, if you are a fan you'll enjoy this one. I read in some of the reviews where there were complaints about the narrator, John Lee. The audio producers tell you at the begining of the book that the original narrator, Robin Sachs, died in 2013. The new narrator is one where I knew I heard him before but couldn't think where so researched it and he's the narrator for the two Ken Follett trilogies, which I really enjoyed. It didn't take long to get used to this new narrator and by the end of the book i wasn't thinking about the narrator, rather just enjoying the story.

Worth the effort

I have always enjoyed Jo Nesbo's work inspite of the effort it takes to rearrange my mind to the geographic descriptors. I am a bit of a dullard when it comes to remembering the streets, parks and landmarks critical to the unwinding story. Nonetheless this is my 6th Nesbo and it does not disappoint.

At least research Croatian pronunciation!

The Devil's Star is the only other Harry Hole book I've read, and I thought it was just so-so, not nearly as good as Karin Fossum. But The Redeemer is something else entirely. I may be biased because I lived in Croatia for several years, but the Croatian connection is not the only reason this book is good. Harry seemed so much more likable and complex in this book: he's not just angry-headstrong-brilliant-detective-guy but also showed more vulnerability (and I don't just mean his alcoholism). Plus, you know how sometimes you read a detective novel and you hope for a different type of ending? Here ya go. Not that the mystery is that difficult--I figured out the culprit really easily, which I don't even try to do, normally--but the resolution was really nice. Nesbo's portrayal of Croatian refugees and war veterans is spot-on.

About the narration: the biggest issue for me was the....occasional...William Shatner....pacing. Egregious. Plus, the narrator's "Croatian" accent was just pseudo-Russian, and several crucial Croatian words are mispronounced. I lived in Osijek--near Vukovar--for years, and "Spasitelj" is pronounced SPASitelj, not spaSEEtelj. Bah.

But the narration rarely impeded my enjoyment of the story...I just have a few minor issues with it. This book is well, well worth a credit.

My Frustration Relieved

What did you love best about The Redeemer?

Finally some resolution, but then left with the further mystery of who else may have been involved. Harry is pulling his life together a bit, so one is not left with the feeling that every time it really matters, he will crumble and turn to alcohol.

Any additional comments?

It had been difficult having so many different narrators, and although Robins Sachs was by far my favorite, I understand now that I may need to be more flexible. John Lee has been a close second, and I hope that he will be the narrator going forward with the books that Robin had yet to do.

Nesbo rarely disappoints.

What did you love best about The Redeemer?

Not all about Hole's addiction struggles and demons.

What did you like best about this story?

Nesbo never goes formula, a la Dan Brown, other than Hole always have a love dilemna.

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

He tries to make listening just like reading, which is perfect. All I want is to be able to listen to the book in the car, not hear some kind of performance of play. Always. Always. Always.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me happy to plug in an audiobook that didn't add sound effects and drama by reading, just the book. Just the book.

I miss Robin Sachs

The plot is fantastic as always. The writing is classic Nesbo...tough, brutal and real. But I can't hear anyone but Robin Sachs as Harry. Just as Eric Conger IS Virgil Flowers to me, so has Robin been Harry. His passing will be mourned. I love John Lee as a narrator of Follett books, but not Nesbo.

great

very engaging story. Excellent narrator as usual. John Lee makes all books worth listening to.

The Salvation Army's Involved

In his sixth novel about Detective Harry Hole, Jo Nesbo, once again kept me guessing, until the very end, who the bad guy was. This time, Harry's involved with the Salvation Army. Now I am caught up with the earlier novels in this series that weren't translated into English until just a few years ago. Next up, number 10 to read and I will have completed the series. All exciting and a bit gruesome.

Love Harry Hole, RIP Robin Sachs :(

What did you love best about The Redeemer?

I love this book-- classic HH, with a thoughtful plot that takes place, as usual, between several countries. I was deeply saddened to hear the short tribute to Robin Sachs at the beginning, who passed away earlier this year. His beautiful narration was my favorite part of the previous audio HH books, but John Lee does an excellent job with the reading. It actually brought a tear to my eye-- when you fall in love with a series and the narrator, losing them is like losing an old friend.

I gave the story four instead of five stars, only because this book seems a bit more expositional and features Harry's friends and family less. One thing I've grown to love about these books is the wonderful supporting cast of characters. It's always fun to hear about Harry's relationships with his colleagues, and this installation in the series didn't have much of that. However, it's still very strong, a bit different than the other books, and minus the presence of Raquel and Oleg (they do make very minor appearances, emphasis on minor). It's also the first book with Gunnar Hagen as Harry's boss, and some of the playful interchanges between Harry and his old boss aren't there simply because his old boss has left Oslo. I missed more of those character moments. They are present in the book, but in much shorter supply than in previous and later HH stories. However, the same attention to multi-faceted characters is still very much alive in the writing of this story-- it's just applied to new characters, the Salvation Army contingent, Harry's new love interest, and the unstoppable hitman.

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

Yes, thought it's a bit more slowly-moving than other HH stories. However, it's always moving forward, and the action is expertly inter-woven between each character's story. It has moments of thrilling suspense, and many unexpected moments as well. As in the other books, Nesbo takes us into the mind of the antagonist, and that is always a treat. He treats his killers, crazies, and psychos as if they are humans, just like the rest of us, which makes them impossible to dismiss outright as just evil. In The Redeemer, we care about the "bad guy" and as with other HH stories too, the main villain is complicated, and has a strong reason for doing what he does. He is deeply layered and has feelings as strong as Harry's, and indeed you come to respect him in a sense, despite the fact that he is clearly on the wrong side of what most of us consider normal morality. I won't say much more than that, only that the person we suspect of most bad behavior in this book isn't the only one who needs to be stopped. There is a powerful subplot that I found simply excellent, that contains both a commentary on hypocrisy and a meditation on modern religion.

Have you listened to any of John Lee’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't heard him before, but I will add him to my list of favorite narrators. As I mentioned, I became so used to listening to Robin Sachs' HH narration, and it took a while to get used to a new voice. John Lee is excellent, however, and I'm now officially a fan.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, but it's a massive spoiler. All I can say is that it involves Harry talking to an old lady in Kosovo, and it brought a tear to my eye as well.

Any additional comments?

This series is neck in neck with James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series for the #1 spot in my heart. I have listened to the audio recordings many times over, and I love love love the characters and the delicious, textured stories. Nesbo, I'm your reader for life!

Brilliant, Exciting Even Though Weakest in Series

While this book does not as deftly and brilliantly cause the reader to stop breathing, lie lower wherever they are to hide from that "heavy force" as they realize they have entered into a realm of bewildering darkness such as Nesbø revealed in The Snowman and The Leopard and his other books, The Redeemer still is brilliantly and intricately crafted and rates better than most of the "Scandinavian Noir" books IMHO. Actually this book was written earlier than both The Snowman and The Leopard so we in America haven't the pleasure of reading in order. If you are new to Jo Nesbø and Harry, and want to read the books in order, most of this series has finally been translated. Here is the actual order of the series:

The Bat
The Cockroaches
The Redbreast
Nemesis
The Devil's Star
The Redeemer
The Snowman
The Leopard
Phantom

However, this is the rare instance when I recommend one read The Snowman first then The Leopard as each are not just brilliantly crafted mysteries, but transcend the usual mind-read state to capture you - the essence of your being and take it elsewhere. Then start the series in order.

The Redeemer addresses more of a complex mix of everyday sicko murderer(s) and everyday corruption on many moral levels. Yet, personally I had to face why I felt less horrified than in his previous novels as murder is murder and corruption is corruption. Harry and others make interesting unlawful rationalizations which are tantalizingly easy to buy into...but should I? The ending in particular even though centered on a small thread of the multiple storylines in this book but add to a previous books conundrums then invites one to question "good/evil/justified/redemption" and reveals how easily one can start with high intentions then be blinded before realizing one has ended corrupt and evil on one level...then be faced with what one should do to atone or not; plus what should their peers do; how should they judge? It makes you think.
Enjoy your pondering!