The Redbreast: A Novel
by Jo Nesbo
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jo NesboTranslator: Don Bartlett
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-12-23
ISBN: 0061134007
Number of pages: 544
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Reviews of The Redbreast: A Novel
Book Review: "Only the dead escape unscathed...You are looking for a ghost, Inspector Hole."
Summary: 5 Stars
(4.5 stars) Norway's relationship with the Nazis, from World War II to the active neo-Nazi movement of the present day, infuses this thriller with dramatic action scenes as Inspector Harry Hole tries to protect the motorcade of four world leaders who have come to Norway for a conference. President of the United States Bill Clinton, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Yasser Arafat of the PLO, and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak arrive in Oslo for talks in an atmosphere filled with neo-Nazi speeches and the sensational trial of Sverre Olsen, a neo-Nazi leader, who blames every problem Norway has had since 1945 on enemies of National Socialism.
Norway was occupied by Germany in April, 1940, and when the Norwegian royal family fled to England, a puppet government, working with the Nazis, was installed. In the midst of harsh economic conditions, many young men from Norway were recruited by the Germans to fight on the Eastern Front against their enemies, the Bolsheviks. All these men (and some women who had served as nurses) were tried for treason upon their return to Norway after the war, when the legitimate government was reestablished in 1945. Most were sentenced to three years in Norwegian prisons.
The long-term resentments of these now-elderly Norwegian veterans of the Eastern Front who were branded traitors in 1945, combine in 1999 with the ultra-conservative political agendas held by many Norwegian young professionals, and the still-flourishing neo-Nazi party, all of which join to create an explosive political and social environment which award-winning Norwegian author Jo Nesbo develops into a thriller full of hatred, violence, and mayhem. Creating parallel narratives, Nesbo alternates the battles of Norwegian soldiers on the Eastern Front, with the everyday battles of Inspector Harry Hole to preserve order in Oslo against those who sincerely believe that "In His wisdom God so ordained it that an inferior creature is never happier than when serving and obeying a superior creature."
Creating lively characters from the two different chronologies, Nesbo creates an almost infinite series of vibrant, interconnected mysteries. Five repeating characters from the war share their stories and their tragedies, and most are still alive in Norway in 1999, when the novel opens, full of resentments, angry at the direction they see the country taking, and close enough to death that they have little to lose in seeking revenge. Inspector Harry Hole, who is further developed in NEMESIS, is an alcoholic loner who is his own worst enemy. When a rare Marklin rifle is used in several shootings, Hole begins to deal with elements of the international arms markets, which further complicates the mystery. Nesbo creates some of the most intricate, carefully plotted thrillers ever written. Every detail is connected by the end of this book, but the reader gets a non-stop intellectual workout keeping track of the ins and outs of the characters, their problems, and their potential enemies, and the conclusion challenges everything the reader remembers as it ties up the loose ends. n Mary Whipple
Nemesis
The Devil's Star: A Novel
The Redeemer (A Harry Hole Mystery)
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