Customer Reviews

The redeemer

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

'The Redeemer is the fourth book in translation by Jo Nesbo and he captures our imagination with this book by bringing us readers into the storyline twelve years prior to the main plot. We start with the rape of a fourteen year old girl that takes place at a Salvation Army summer camp in Norway. Although we know there was a rape we are not given clues who committed this act or disclosure of the victim. In a second separate event we are also given the story of a young Croatian boy caught up in history of Croatia and it's political cruelties his known by others as the little redeemer.

Current Day: Oslo, shots ring out at a Christmas Concert, a volunteer dressed as a Salvation Army soldier is executed by a man in the crowd. Less than an hour later Inspector Harry Hole is at the crime scene and with hardly any leads to go on, he hunts for his faceless killer. Harry's luck is about to change, the current snow storm that has hit Oslo has grounded flights. Stranded, the Killer looks for a place to stay while trying to keep a low profile, but as the cold night draws on he also discovers he made a fatal mistake, his shot the wrong man! With his contract job still pending he makes the most of his time in Oslo and decides to finish his work. He takes refuge for a while with the Salvation Army trying to hide behind the seamy side where dope heads sell their clothes even if it could mean life or death in a freezing city. As twisted events unfold Harry suddenly finds himself looking for two types of psychopaths an assassin and a rapist; on the wintry streets of Oslo it suddenly becomes an increasing desperate situation for all.

Fantastic reading! all the ingredients of evil in one book, lies, deceit, revenge, biblical passages, manipulation, bribery, corruptions, violence and more twists and turns than a twisty-turny thing! I will never look at my vacuum cleaner in the same light again!

The Author Jo Nesbo does a wonderful job in this book with his incredible observation, not only of people with their thoughts and feelings making all characters seem so very real, but also about every day life and little things in general. Subjects such as politics, giving us the good/bad sides to his city, level of corruptions in Oslo and of course if you haven't been to Oslo, like me, he gives us those clear visuals, a sense of place for our minds to work towards. You can clearly tell when reading through his interviewed people thoroughly, tapping into different areas also adding parts of history to build the story. He remains very descriptive throughout his writing, which is something I love more than anything and it really adds and helps us readers use our imagination to lose ourselves in the whole dark twisted plot.

I actually refer to this book as Harry new start, his ex girlfriend is very much in the background and he also managed to get himself to AA meetings and stay soberish for this book. But his still having that constant battle since he requires to carry a hip flask with his favorite tipple as a safety precaution. Even though there are three others books before this one; you can start straight from here, but I would always recommend from the beginning. There will be references to other characters in passing but explanations on them are given throughout.

Harry Hole remains a compelling character to read; a romantic with a very cynical side, he also realizes he needs to confront and question his own weaknesses. After reading the first three books The Redbreast: A Novel, Nemesis and The Devil's Star you will learn Harry's Achilles heal is alcohol, his an alcoholic. His job requires him to live between good and evil in his every day life, but between the lines, could his own addictions and rule breaking finally make him face those two sides of good/evil, which one will finally take hold of him first. Other nice touches to Harry's character, he is, his own man, clearly likes women, well read and he has his love of music and films. But something I noticed over all others right from the first book, Norwegian Hole maybe, but my favorite characteristic in him would be directness of conversation spun with an English dry sense of humor.

For all books that I've read so far in this series, the stories are fascinating to read, constantly moving forward and the plots interwoven with smaller stories throughout bringing in the old and new characters along the way keeping everything fresh with the right pace, suspense, tension and interest. The Author holds the excitement from one page to the next and knows how to surprise, twist and shock.

The Redeemer maybe 460 pages but its entertaining all the way especially loving the twists. It engages the mind to the very end which clearly makes this book another winner to add to a great series.

Thank you also to Don Bartlett who gave us all the clear translation of each book in this series. Next in translation The Snowman released March 2010.

Andrea Bowhill

To all those that love the Harry Hole nlovels, have you ever wondered about his name. Harry Hole.

I did.I contacted his publishing company, they told me it was pronounced...

"O"like in "pool" and "e"like in "ethnic"

Harry Hoooley. I like that MUCH better than Harry Hole.
Be sure and read The Redeemer AFTER The Devils Star, the last few pages go back to Devils Star, WOW!

In sub zero temperatures on a busy Oslo pedestrian street the Salvation Army sing to the Christmas shoppers as a shot rings out and one of their group falls to the ground with a single shot to the forehead. The professional who fired the shot disappears into the crowd, heading for the airport and his flight home to Zagreb but the weather isn't on his side and all flights are cancelled. Being forced to stay a further night in Oslo, he is still there when the newspapers report the death and name the man - a man who was not his target.

From the first couple of chapters, I could not put this book down as I was drawn into an intricate, well plotted storyline that kept me guessing right to the end. Having never been to Oslo or indeed any of the Scandinavian countries, the authors depiction made it easy to imagine the location. The characters are incredibly well written; Inspector Harry Hole, a cop with a history and demons (as they always seem to be in crime novels) is so much more than that and is a terrific character with depth and someone you want to know more about. The hitman is also brilliantly portrayed and the author takes you with him into the seedier side of Oslo as he seeks refuge as the net tightens. All of the characters have detail and depth, even the lesser ones.

This is the first book I've read by Jo Nesbų and I can't recommend it highly enough, I didn't realise when I bought it that it was the fourth in the Harry Hole series to be translated into English and I had no problem reading it without having read the previous ones, but I'll certainly be going back and reading them now.

For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth;

And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God,

--Job 19:25-26 (NKJV)

For most people the attraction of this book will be to the challenges of being an unconventional, alcoholic police detective experienced by Harry Hole. If you haven't read any of the books in the series before, Harry isn't a poster child for the good influences of serving in the police. He's more akin to Harry Bosch, someone who serves despite his demons.

The Redeemer is that rare work of detective fiction that causes you to reconsider what you know from other perspectives. In this case, Jo Nesbo portrays virtually every kind of potential redeemer you can imagine in the course of this thought-provoking police procedural.

The book also has gritty roots that will remind some series fans of the unforgettable war scenes in The Redbreast.

There are also many story lines carried over from the earlier three books that have been translated into English (The Redbreast, Nemesis, and The Devil's Star). Although I certainly feel you can read this book as a standalone novel, I believe you will gain about a half-star's worth of benefit by having read the other three books first.

To me, one of the most interesting aspects of the book was having it contain so many characters who are involved in the Salvation Army. You get looks into day-to-day life and ambitions that resonated well with what I've read in nonfiction accounts of serving in the Salvation Army.

I was also drawn to the many moral choices that Harry Hole had to make during his investigation.

I hope that more of these novels will become available in English. What a blessing that will be!

(4.5 stars) Man's compulsion to do what he considers good and right, even though it requires him to act in ways that society and the law consider morally and legally wrong, permeates this book on all levels, with several characters assuming this role of "Redeemer" in their actions throughout the novel. Norwegian author Jo Nesbo, in this fourth novel of the Harry Hole series to become available in English, introduces three seemingly disparate plot lines in this thriller set in Oslo--a hired assassin from Croatia is fulfilling contract killings in Europe and has just arrived in Oslo for his last job; the Salvation Army, its officers and soldiers, are trying to fulfill their mission by providing food, clothing, and shelter to those most in need of their help, no questions asked, and they are seeking some new leadership; and Harry Hole, an alcoholic police inspector, who is sometimes off-the-wagon, is still trying to find the Big Boss behind the gun-running and related crimes which brought down one of his fellow police inspectors in The Devil's Star, the previous novel in this series.

Murders link the three plot lines, which quickly begin to overlap. To add to the complexity (and sometimes confusion) of this very complex mystery, there are a number of characters who are similar. In the Salvation Army subplot, two brothers look almost identical, and both are in love with the same woman, though one of them may be a dangerous sadist. The woman, Thea, is also a member of the Salvation Army, and her brother Rikard is a major player. Another attractive young woman, the daughter of the Salvation Army Commander, is also involved in the romantic angles, and it is easy to mix up these characters, especially when their roles overlap.

The assassin who has come to Oslo has a characteristic called "hyperelasticity," which enables him to mimic with his facial structure, a number of different facial types, and descriptions of this person vary significantly when he commits a murder, raising questions about his true identity. In the third plot, Harry himself is still not exactly stable. Though he seems to be reconciled with the fact that his long-time love, Rakel, has written him off as an unacceptable suitor, Rakel's young son clearly still loves Harry, and Harry seems to be still pining for Rakel. Professionally, he must deal with an attack on one of his men.

Nesbo is a compelling writer, one who has completely mastered the art of creating suspense and propelling the action along. In this novel he does something new, however, creating short action scenes in which he does not always identify the main character, presenting information for the reader to process and hold in the back of his/her mind till another piece of the puzzle is revealed to connect with it. Harry Hole might ring a doorbell, for example, and in the immediate next scene, another person entirely will be about to answer the door. This is a clever technique for involving the reader, but it does sometimes create confusion by forcing the reader to backtrack to keep all the characters and their immediate stories straight. Eventually, the loose ends get tied up, but the extent to which the resolutions are realistic is an open question, and some readers may lose track of all the issues before the conclusion. Nesbo does reflect much of the atmosphere of Oslo and the attitudes of the police, as he has in the past, but overall he has a less broad sociological focus here. Another exciting and atmospheric novel from Nesbo, though its scope seems narrower than in the previous novels. Mary Whipple

The Redbreast: A Novel
Nemesis
The Devil's Star: A Harry Hole Novel

Harry Hole, the wonderfully flawed Norwegian police detective of Jo Nesbo's crime series, faces his most compelling challenge when a mysterious hit man arrives in Oslo. A shadowy, faceless figure known only as "the little redeemer," this antagonist is a relentless killing machine with only one goal in mind--finish the job. Harry and his team of colleagues in the Oslo police force race against time to identify him, find him, and stop him. But it's not going to be easy, because the "redeemer" has nothing to lose....

This is the 4th entry in my absolute favorite Scandinavian series (and yes, I'm counting Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson's GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO series), and it is terrifically exciting. The point-of-view switches between Harry and the Redeemer remind me of THE DAY OF THE JACKAL, and Nesbo's writing style is particularly vivid. You can start with this one, or you can do yourself a favor and read all 4 adventures in order. If you love the best in mystery and suspense, you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended.

If you are a fan of Jo Nesbo, this one will not disappoint. In the same style as RedBreast and Nemesis, this story is another outstanding one in the Det. Harry Hole series.

love harry hole and this series is tops. Love harry hole If you lke stig larsson you will love these books

This is my fourth 'Harry Hole' mystery and I'd like to say that the character is growing with each book, but I can't. I'd like to think that part of the problem that I have with this book is the translation. I (at least) find that at some parts of the story, there seems to be a disconnection as to what's going on and the grammar and sentence structure become 'choppy'. Maybe that's just me, but I haven't found this with other Norwegian writers (Karin Fossum or Anne Holt) of mysteries.

One major complaint about this book is that there are two referrals to the first two books in the series that have never been translated (Batman and Cockroaches). At the minimum, there should be a note in the back explaining the references. OK, rant over.

The story is a character study of how religion and religious strictures can both be bad and good. There are too many comparisons between the characters to mention but in the religious context there are the two brothers who work at the 'Salvation Army' (in itself an interesting choice), in society between the different police personnel, and between the 'hitman' and society.

Nesbo does a great job in creating people and minor characters (not in the dickensian style) who always seems three dimensional. They appear as regular people with all the flaws that that entails. What is interesting is the way that Nesbo is able to relate the characters to each other in an everyday way.

Why not a five? Sometimes the actions of the characters seems forced and they do something that is out of character. The other (and maybe just my own failing) but, there is an homosexual rape scene that doesn't add anything to the story or move in any useful direction. It just happens and that's it. OK, so let's blame that on the translation, or my New England sensibilities. But like I said, sometimes the characters motivations don't seem to make sense. So four.

Well worth the read and I am looking forward to the next volume "Snowman".

Zeb Kantrowitz

The RedeemerThis is the second book that I have read by Mr. Nesbo and I am not disappointed. It's a fast, intelligent, exciting read. Love the protagonist, Harry Hole. There aren't any wasted words here as there are with so many other authors. It's a guaranteed well written page turner. I highly recommend it to those who love a good mystery and can sympathize with a less than perfect(as are we all) Harry Hole.