Susie emails to ask why I haven’t reviewed any books recently! Well, in truth I review travel books and travel literature and I haven’t been reading those genres recently. But Susie got me thinking. When we’re out on the trail, or an a walking or camping holiday we read all kinds of stuff. So, this is a review of books that would be good to read on our travels rather than books about travels themselves. Clear? Good.
I thought I’d start with crime. To be honest I’m not a mad, avid, crime reader as many of you are. But I do like a good story and in these books, well, you get a great story.
There’s a TGO Challenge connection here. During this year’s event I sat somewhere or another with my mate Humphrey Weightman discussing our recent reading. Humph and I do this a lot, swapping book recommendation in — to be honest — most other genres. I mentioned that I’d started reading Stieg Larsson’s Girl Triology, The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, etc.
Larsson’s books are a global phenomena. They’ve sold in bucket loads all over the world. I can see why. There is something a little unusual about the hero who is not a detective but an investigative, financial, journalist. His sidekick, Lizbeth Salander is something of a true and original creation.
Humphrey had also begun to read Larsson’s triology but had given up. There was something about these books he didn’t like, and I know what he means. Larsson’s plots might be brilliant but the characters are a bit one dimensional. The main character, Blomquist, is clearly based on Larsson himself and gets more than a little annoying as the series goes on. These books might be very dramatic but I’m not sure I’d have wanted to have spent too much time around Larsson.
Humphrey told me that the Jo Nesbo books were far better. “Treat yourself, buy the lot and you can read them all in a few days”. Humph had come across Nesbo in a recent review in the Guardian, a review that I’d remembered. So, when I got home I went out and bought the first novel in this series and very quickly had finished the first three.
Nesbo’s hero is a more traditional crime fighter. Harry Hole (pronounced Humph tells me as Holey — and I always defer to Humph in linguistic matters) is a Norwegian detective based in Oslo. He is the classic anti hero, a bit of a bum, a man with lots of past demons and an alcohol problem. He has difficulty holding down relationships and is a nightmare for his bosses to manage. Hole’s Oslo is not the classic, Scandinavian design icon that you often see, but a city of diverse communities, crooked Policeman, dodgy bars and even more dodgy neighbourhoods.
While Harry stumbles around hidden Oslo he cuts a remarkably convincing and complex figure. This might be because Nesbo himself is something of a remarkable character. Not only is Nesbo a crime writer he is an economist. He’s also the bass player in one of Norway’s better, long-lived, punk bands! Oh, and he’s also writes children’s novels and has been likened to Roald Dhal!
If I simply gave you a clue about the stories you might think that they’re a bit conventional. But Nesbo’s wide range of interests really adds something different. The novels explore many of the darker issues of Norway’s recent history. He writes knowledgeably and convincingly about the facist right, those who fought alongside Hitler and those young who cling to the far right today. There’s a lot of psychology and criminology here. Nesbo’s novels feature as series support characters a wonderful forensic scientist and old and experienced criminal psychologist. You learn a lot from these novels, especially about the mindset of criminals and their behaviour patterns. In case your worried about being lectured to all of this comes out in a relaxed and natural way.
Nesbo’s characters are far deeper than Larssons’s and far more interesting. Yes, there is a strong first division case but the supporting characters are just as rounded and just as fascinating. And, in case your wondering, the plots are great, keeping you guessing until the end. These plots may not have the pyrotechnics of La villain rrson but they’re more convincing. Ultimately they are a more rewarding read. Harry  Hole is a great character and in the corrupt Policeman Nesbo has created a great, modern — yet complex — villain.
If you like a good crime story then these are for you. If you just like a good read that keeps you gripped, then look no further. Scandinavia and Northern Europe is turning out some great writers at the moment. Look on Amazon and you’ll see Nesbo talked about in the same breath as Henning Mankell’s Wallender. I prefer Nesbo.
The first three Harry Hole novels published in the UK hang together as a trilogy. Each has a distinct plot but as we move through them we get to know all of the main and supporting characters well. And common threads and challenges run through the series and are only resolved at the end of the third novel.
You need to be careful with the order you read them in though. For some weird reason the books were not published here in the order they were written. So, don’t try and establish the order by the first published date. Also, be aware that you can jump a book without knowing it. I started reading book three as book two. They seemed to flow well but Humphrey but me straight and I realised that I had missed a lot.
So, the order of these UK published books is: The Redbreast; Nemesis; and the Devil’s Star.
Two more books follow these in the series, The Redeemer and The Snowman (which has just been published in hardback). These take Harry Hole further but move on from the distinct nature of the first three I feel.
These are great page turners. They’d sit well in a rucksack or a daypack or cabin luggage. They’d read well in mountains, on beaches and, oif course, on fjords!
I’d happily back Humphrey’s advice. Buy the the lot on Amazon and read in one go — or at least the first three keeping the Snowman until it comes out in paperback!
Wonderful stuff.