Pages

Monday, January 23, 2012

2 For 1: Jo Nesbo ....again!!

So you might have noticed by now that I'm a total fan of Jo Nesbo.  My new year got started off right with not one but two new audiobooks by Jo Nesbo.  First was The Leopard

Two young women are found murdered in Oslo, both drowned in their own blood. Media coverage quickly reaches fever pitch: Could this be the work of a serial killer?

The crime scenes offer no coherent clues, the police investigation is stalled, and the one man who might be able to help doesn’t want to be found. Traumatized by his last case, Inspector Harry Hole has lost himself in the squalor of Hong Kong’s opium dens. Yet when he is compelled, at last, to return to Norway—his father is dying—Harry’s buried instincts begin to take over. After a female MP is discovered brutally murdered, nothing can keep him from the investigation.

There is little to go on: a piece of rope, a scrap of wool, a bit of gravel, an unexpected connection between the victims. And Harry will soon come to understand that he is dealing with a psychopath for whom “insanity is a vital retreat,” someone who will put him to the test—in both his professional and personal lives—as never before.


I was a tad bit disappointed in The Snowman, but The Leopard made up for it.  It starts off with Harry a complete mess in Hong Kong after dealing with The Snowman.  He returns to Norway to deal with yet another person killing a bunch of people in Norway and his dying father. 

The Leopard impressed me because I thought I had this one in the bag.  I thought for sure I knew who the killer was, but I was wrong.  The ending and the killer became this huge reveal and it was like putting the last few pieces together of a big puzzle.  This book was very well written in terms of giving a little away here and there, but not too much.

This book is a follow up of The Snowman, I would say that one has to be read first in order for this one to make sense.  The Snowman does make an appearance in this book.  Rakel does as well...I'm starting to think she's the WORST thing that ever happened to Harry.

Once again Robin Sachs does an awesome job with the audiobook.  I highly recommend these audiobooks.  They are fantastic!

Roger Brown is a corporate headhunter, and he’s a master of his profession. But one career simply can’t support his luxurious lifestyle and his wife’s fledgling art gallery. At an art opening one night he meets Clas Greve, who is not only the perfect candidate for a major CEO job, but also, perhaps, the answer to his financial woes: Greve just so happens to mention that he owns a priceless Peter Paul Rubens painting that’s been lost since World War II—and Roger Brown just so happens to dabble in art theft. But when he breaks into Greve’s apartment, he finds more than just the painting. And Clas Greve may turn out to be the worst thing that’s ever happened to Roger Brown.

Headhunters is a completely different book.  It's a stand alone novel.  I often find that when I'm really into a series by a particular author I don't like their stand alone books, but that was not the case here.  I didn't love it like I love the Harry Hole books, but it was a interesting departure from the norm.

Mr. Nesbo must be a really fascinating person.  He has got to have one of the most twisted minds.  There is one scene in this book that completely and utterly grossed me out.  I was driving down the road talking to the audiobook saying "OMG That is so gross" and "That's just disgusting" and "Seriously, this is getting even worse?"  For those of you that have read this book or will read it I'm referring to the outhouse scene. 

It's not so much about corporate headhunting, it's suspense thriller with all the twist and turns and violence we expect from Jo Nesbo.


No comments: