Harry Hole Series

This series of detective novels follows Harry Hole, a Norwegian policeman who grapples with personal demons and complex cases. His investigations often reveal the dark sides of human nature and crime. The stories combine tension, psychology, and social commentary. Harry is a character who seeks to find meaning in chaos.

Recommended Reading Order

The Bat
Jo Nesbø
369 pages
13 hours of reading
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.
1
3.5
Cockroaches
Jo Nesbø
The thrilling sequel to Jo Nesbo's debut novel, The Bat, The Cockroaches sees Harry Hole sent to Bangkok to investigate the murder of the Norwegian ambassador. Detective Harry Hole arrives in a steaming hot Bangkok. But it's work, not pleasure. The Norwegian ambassador has been found dead in a seedy motel room, and no witnesses have come forward. The ambassador had close ties to the Norwegian prime minister, and to avoid a scandal Harry is sent there to hush up the case. But he quickly discovers that there is much more going on behind the scenes and very few people willing to talk. When Harry lays hands on some CCTV footage that will help him unravel what happened that night, things only get more complicated. The man who gave him the tape goes missing, and Harry realises that failing to solve a murder case is by no means the only danger in Bangkok
2
3.8
The Redbreast
Jo Nesbø
636 pages
23 hours of reading
"The Redbreast is a fabulous introduction to Nesbø’s tough-as-nails series protagonist, Oslo police detective Harry Hole. A brilliant and epic novel, breathtaking in its scope and design—winner of The Glass Key for best Nordic crime novel and selected as the best Norwegian crime novel ever written by members of Norway’s book clubs—The Redbreast is a chilling tale of murder and betrayal that ranges from the battlefields of World War Two to the streets of modern-day Oslo. Follow Hole as he races to stop a killer and disarm a ticking time-bomb from his nation’s shadowy past."--Goodreads.com.
3
4.3
Nemesis
Jo Nesbø
Oslo Police Detective Harry Hole is assigned to investigate a series of bank robberies of unparalleled savagery while at the same time absolving himself of the murder of his former girlfriend in a criminal investigation led by his longtime adversary Tom Waaler and Waaler's vigilante police force.
4
4.0
The Devil's Star
Jo Nesbø
A young woman is murdered in her Oslo flat. One finger has been severed from her left hand, and behind her eyelid is secreted a tiny red diamond in the shape of a five-pointed star a pentagram, the devils star. Detective Harry Hole is assigned to the case with his long-time adversary Tom Waaler and initially wants no part in it. But Harry is already on notice to quit the force and is left with little alternative but to drag himself out of his alcoholic stupor and get to work. A wave of similar murders is on the horizon. An emerging pattern suggests that Oslo has a serial killer on its hands, and the five-pointed devils star is key to solving the riddle.
5
4.1
The Redeemer
Jo Nesbø
"One freezing night in Oslo Christmas shoppers gather to listen to a Salvation Army street concert. An explosion cuts through the music, and a man in uniform falls to the ground, shot in the head at point-blank range. Harry Hole and his team have little to work with: no immediate suspect, no weapon and no motive. But when the assassin discovers he has shot the wrong man, Harry Hole's troubles have only just begun. After some exceptionally shrewd detective work, the team begins to close in on a suspected hit man, monitoring his credit card, false passport and the line to his employer. With no money, only six bullets and no place to stay in the bitter cold, the hit man becomes increasingly desperate. He will stop at nothing to eliminate his target. Moving at a breathless pace, The Redeemer is Jo Nesb 's most gripping thriller yet. This is the sixth book in the Harry Hole series."
6
4.0
The Snowman
Jo Nesbø
550 pages
20 hours of reading
The first snowfall in Oslo brings a series of gruesome murders, and Harry Hole is pitted against a brutal killer who will drive him to the edge.
7
4.5
The Leopard
Jo Nesbø
In the depths of winter a killer stalks the city streets. Two women are found drowned in their own blood. A third woman is hanged from a diving board. YOU ARE ALLOWING THIS KILLING TO GO ON. The crime scenes offer no clues, the media is reaching fever pitch, and the police are running out of options. IT'S TIME THIS WAS STOPPED...There is only one man who can help them catch the killer. But Inspector Harry Hole doesn't want to be found...BECAUSE I HAVE APPOINTED THE NEXT VICTIM.
8
4.5
Phantom
Jo Nesbø
547 pages
20 hours of reading
Determined to prove the innocence of a young man he helped raise, disgraced former cop Harry Hole embarks on an increasingly dangerous investigation linked to Oslo's most virulent street drug.
9
4.1
Police
Jo Nesbø
628 pages
22 hours of reading
The police urgently need Harry Hole A killer is stalking Oslo's streets. Police officers are being slain at the scenes of crimes they once investigated, but failed to solve. The murders are brutal, the media reaction hysterical. But this time, Harry can't help anyone For years, detective Harry Hole has been at the centre of every major criminal investigation in Oslo. His dedication to his job and his brilliant insights have saved the lives of countless people. But now, with those he loves most facing terrible danger, Harry can't protect anyone. Least of all himself.
10
4.2
Harry Hole Series: The Thirst
A Harry Hole Novel
Jo Nesbø
480 pages
17 hours of reading
Harry Hole returns in the eleventh installment of the author's bestselling, electrifying crime fiction series--published in 48 languages, more than 30 million copies sold worldwide. In Police-- the last novel featuring Jo Nesbo's hard-bitten, maverick Oslo detective--a killer wreaking revenge on the police had Harry Hole fighting for the safety of the people closest to him. Now, in The Thirst, the story continues as Harry is inextricably drawn back into the Oslo police force. A serial murderer has begun targeting Tinder daters--a murderer whose MO reignites Harry's hunt for a nemesis of his past. From the Hardcover edition.
11
4.5
Knife
Jo Nesbø
The brand new Harry Hole thriller from Sunday Times number one bestseller Jo Nesbo. JO NESBO. 40 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE. 'Nesbo is one of the best thriller writers on the planet' Daily Express A man like Harry had better watch his back... Following the dramatic conclusion of number one bestseller THE THIRST, KNIFE sees Harry Hole waking up with a ferocious hangover, his hands and clothes covered in blood. Not only is Harry about to come face to face with an old, deadly foe, but with his darkest personal challenge yet. The twelfth instalment in Jo Nesbo's internationally bestselling crime fiction series.
12
4.2
Killing Moon
Jo Nesbø
'Not just an unbearably tense thriller but another of Nesbo's studies in love and loneliness... there are few greater crime writers' The Times 'Nesb is one of today's most interesting thriller writers, a 100% buy-today-read-tonight delight' Lee Child _________________________________ This killer will get inside your head... and there's nothing you can do to stop it When a body is found in the forest, the police make a horrifying discovery- her scalp has been removed and sewn back on. But they have no idea why. With a second woman reported missing, detectives fear their worst nightmare has come true. A serial killer is stalking the streets of Oslo. With time running out to find the woman, former detective Harry Hole is called in to think like a murderer thinks... and to track down this killer before they strike again. But Harry has ulterior motives for wanting to solve this case and, if he fails, there could be more than one life at risk. ________________________________ 'Nesbo deploys all the key ingredients of a cracking good thriller... effortless' Guardian 'The undisputed king of Scandinavian crime fiction' The Times
13
4.1