Follows Harry Hole's efforts to solve the murder of a television celebrity whose demise is linked to a string of serial killings.
Harry HoleSeries
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
- 1
- 2
Harry is on a special mission Detective Harry Hole arrives in a steaming hot Bangkok. The Norwegian ambassador has been found dead in a seedy motel room, and Harry has been sent to investigate. It's clear that the Ambassador's family are hiding some secrets of their own, but few people are willing to talk. He needs to solve a crime and avoid a scandal When Harry lays hands on some incriminating CCTV footage, 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 that faces the unwary. But in an unfamiliar city, who can you trust?
- 3
The Redbreast
- 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.
- 4
Nemesis
- 720 pages
- 26 hours of reading
Grainy CCTV footage shows a man walking into a bank and putting a gun to a cashier's head. He tells her to count to twenty-five. When he doesn't get his money in time, she is executed. Detective Harry Hole is assigned to the case. While Harry's girlfriend is away in Russia, an old flame gets in touch. He goes to dinner at her house and wakes up at home with no memory of the past twelve hours. The same morning the girl is found shot dead in her bed. Harry begins to receive threatening e-mails. Is someone trying to frame him for this unexplained death? Meanwhile the bank robberies continue with unparalleled savagery. Gripping and surprising, Nemesis is the new thriller by one of the biggest stars of Scandinavian crime fiction.
- 5
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.
- 6
The Redeemer
A Harry Hole Mystery #4
When a Salvation Army caroler is shot dead at a concert, Hole and his team have little to work with. But when the assassin discovers he's shot the wrong man, the troubles have only just begun ..
- 7
The Snowman
- 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.
- 8
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.
- 9
Phantom
- 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.
- 10
Police
- 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.
- 11
The Thirst
- 544 pages
- 20 hours of reading
A woman is found murdered after an internet date. The marks left on her body show the police that they are dealing with a particularly vicious killer. Under pressure from the media to find the murderer, the force know there's only one man for the job. But Harry Hole is reluctant to return to the place that almost took everything from him. Until he starts to suspect a connection between this killing and his one failed case. When another victim is found, Harry realises he will need to put everything on the line if he's to finally catch the one who got away.
- 12
"The gripping 12th book in Jo Nesbo's bestselling crime series, featuring the troubled and fascinating Oslo detective Harry Hole. Harry Hole has a lot of experience with waking up hungover. But there's one troubling thing that's different this time: his hands and clothes are covered with blood. It's a sign that not only is Harry about to come to face with an old, deadly foe, but also with his darkest personal challenge yet. A man like Harry better watch his back."--
- 13
'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
