Books: The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo

Books: The Redeemer by Jo Nesbo

Inspector Harry Hole returns for another complex case in Jo Nesbo's fifth novel. Trying his best to stay sober and with his sympathetic boss retiring, making way for a more hardline Chief, Harry finds himself investigating the professional killing of Robert Karlsen, an officer in the Norwegian Salvation Army. Who would want to hire a hitman to kill him? Things take an even more bizarre turn when the victim's brother, Jon, is then targeted.Was Robert's killing a mistake and his brother the actual target? As Harry delves deeper into the case, the bodies start to stack up. What does all this all to do with a brutal attack carried out years before? What connection do a Croatian family have to the case? How is a wealthy property developer and his wife involved? Finally, is Harry's potential new love interest Martine hiding something from the Inspector? Can Harry work out what is going on and stop the Redeemer?

I'm a massive fan of Harry Hole and his writer, the multi-talented Jo Nesbo, but while The Redeemer is as clever as ever, the pace is more languid than some of Harry's other cases and the whole feels a little more low key than before - more Morse and Wallander than the more visceral thrills we've come to expect from this series. That's not to say that there aren't a number of deaths, including one of the good guys and a woman who has her eyes plucked out. The problem is that the central mystery, involving the two brothers and the Salvation Army just isn't as engaging as some of Nesbo's other plots.

Jo Nesbo

The Redeemer's backstory adds another dimension, with Nesbo charting his development from a boy soldier during the Balkan conflict to his current day job as an ethical hitman. A lot of the story is told from his point of view and he comes across as a killer with a certain nobility, one that Harry can almost emphasise with. The detail that he has an especially elastic like face, and can use his facial muscles to subtly change his appearance, while probably based on fact, comes across as just plain silly, however.

While not classic Nesbo, The Redeemer is still a good read and Harry once again leaps from the page as a fully formed and believable lead. like Wallander before him, spending time with the detective is as much fun as the mystery itself and The Redeemer is still worth a read and packs an especially unexpected twist that is remarkably poignant as well.

GK Rating: *** The Blog of Delights

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