Patrick Anderson
The Devil's Star is a big, ambitious, wildly readable story that pits the protagonist against a serial killer and an enemy within the Oslo police department. The novel has its flaws, but for most of the way it's compelling…a novel worth reading, for its characters, for the quality of its writing and for its wealth of detail.
—The Washington Post
Kirkus Reviews
As a serial killer terrorizes Oslo, Inspector Harry Hole (Nemesis, 2009, etc.) is battling even more fearsome demons. When copywriter Camilla Loen is shot to death, her index finger removed and a star-shaped red diamond tucked beneath her eyelid, Chief Inspector Bjarne Moller has the bright idea of pairing his heir-apparent, Inspector Tom Waaler, with barely functional alcoholic Harry, who's spent most of the previous month on unofficial leave drowning his grief over his late colleague, Officer Ellen Gjeltsen. But Harry doesn't just dislike and distrust Waaler; he's convinced that Waaler is Prince, the mob's inside man who murdered Ellen. So the salt-and-pepper rapport between Harry and Waaler is more like arsenic-and-cyanide. Even pulling Harry off the case so that he can investigate the disappearance of producer Wilhelm Barli's wife turns sour because a parcel containing her severed middle finger swiftly makes it clear that singer/actress Lisbeth Barli has become another victim of the Courier Killer. The exhaustingly wide-ranging case poses three crucial questions. What pattern underlies the Courier Killer's choice of victims and modus operandi? When the police arrest an innocent suspect, can Harry protect him long enough to get the goods on the real killer? And how can he possibly neutralize the hydra-headed Waaler, who grows more dangerous the more he's thwarted?Not all the answers are equally interesting, but even readers new to this white-hot series will be impressed by Nesbo's generous plotting and his insight into dark places in the human soul. Author tour to New York, Portland, Ore., San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C.
From the Publisher
There’s Nordic noir, and then there’s Nesbo noir. Jo Nesbo’s reputation as the reigning bad boy of Norwegian crime fiction has grown steadily in the USA with the critically acclaimed novels The Redbreast and Nemesis and now THE DEVIL’S STAR.” — USA Today
“Readers new to this whitehot series will be impressed by Nesbø’s generous plotting and his insight into dark places in the human soul.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Astonishingly confident. . . . The Devil’s Star scores with an intriguing plot and Nesbo’s mastery of pace and tension.” — The Times (London)
“Jo Nesbø is my new favorite thriller writer and Harry Hole my new hero.” — Michael Connelly
“Superb.” — Daily Telegraph (London)
“Nesbø has a knack for Euro noir.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Nobody can delve into the dark, twisted mind of a murderer better than a Scandinavian thriller writer.” — Vogue
“The dense plot is supremely detailed. . . . A crisp, clean translation. . . . Satisfying.” — New York Times Book Review
“Readers now can savor NEMESIS. . . . Nesbo’s storytelling abilities are incomparable. NEMESIS is crime novel as art form and great entertainment.” — USA Today
“A well-crafted rollercoaster of a book. . . . Nesbo sets a cracking pace, the shambolic Hole is exasperating and endearing by turns, and a series of spectacular plot twists lead to a thrilling finale. Highly recommended.” — The Guardian (London)
“In crime fiction terms, the ongoing Harry Hole is epic along the lines of something Count Tolstoy might have dreamed up. . . . Tremendous emotional resonance.” — Toronto Star
“[A] beautifully executed heist drama. . . . Expertly weaving plot lines from Hole’s last outing to feature the inspector, The Redbreast (2007), Nesbo delivers a lush crime saga that will leave U.S. readers clamoring for the next installment.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[A] bold, ambitious thriller. . . . It’s well worth sticking with the story; both the hero and the villain are as compelling as the portrayal of Norwegians doing whatever it takes to survive the war and then paying the price. Nesbo bids fair to turn Norway into serious competition for Sweden as Scandinavia’s crime center.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Nesbo offers up another top-notch mystery thriller, thickly layered, perfectly plotted, and briskly paced to keep readers hooked. With ties to events in The Redbreast, this is an excellent sequel. . . . Recommended for all fiction collections and essential for Scandinavian crime lovers.” — Library Journal
“An elegant and complex thriller . . . Ingenious design. . . . Nesbo’s book eloquently uses its multiple horrors to advance a disturbing argument: suppressing history is an open invitation for history to repeat itself.” — New York Times Book Review
“A fine novel. . . . THE REDBREAST certainly ranks with the best of current American crime fiction.” — Washington Post Book World
“Nesbo returns with another novel that is every bit the multitextured, complexly plotted, psychologically rich thriller that made Redbreast such an unqualified success. . . . No doubt about it: Nesbo belongs on every crime-fiction fan’s A-list.” — Booklist (starred review)
“A gripping tale of political intrigue and sprawling global corruption. . . . With plenty of shootouts and intensely described chase sequences, The Redbreast certainly delivers.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A complex tale of murder, revenge and betrayal . . . perfectly paced and painfully suspenseful. . . . Readers will delight in Hole, a laconic hero as doggedly stubborn as Connelly’s Harry Bosch, and yet with a prickly appeal all his own.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Bucks the trend… Nesbo’s long-range plotting is careful, and the debate about the Norwegian elite’s behaviour during the war cleverly managed.” — London Review of Books
“Jo Nesbo has a credibly scary line on the power of corruption, and his complex plot culminates in a nail-biting episode with overtones of The Day of the Jackal.” — The Independent
“Reading THE REDBREAST is like watching a hit movie. . . . The pacing is swift. The plot is precise and intricate. . . . THE REDBREAST is surprisingly witty at times and often grim. But it’s always smart.” — USA Today
“Searing. . . . Nesbo brilliantly incorporates threads from earlier novels, including Hole’s often tumultuous relationship with his lover, Rakel, without ever losing the current story’s rhythm. . . . Hole is arguably one of today’s most fascinating fictional detectives.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
USA Today
There’s Nordic noir, and then there’s Nesbo noir. Jo Nesbo’s reputation as the reigning bad boy of Norwegian crime fiction has grown steadily in the USA with the critically acclaimed novels The Redbreast and Nemesis and now THE DEVIL’S STAR.
Vogue
Nobody can delve into the dark, twisted mind of a murderer better than a Scandinavian thriller writer.
Michael Connelly
Jo Nesbø is my new favorite thriller writer and Harry Hole my new hero.
New York Times Book Review
The dense plot is supremely detailed. . . . A crisp, clean translation. . . . Satisfying.
The Guardian (London)
A well-crafted rollercoaster of a book. . . . Nesbo sets a cracking pace, the shambolic Hole is exasperating and endearing by turns, and a series of spectacular plot twists lead to a thrilling finale. Highly recommended.
Daily Telegraph (London)
Superb.
The Times (London)
Astonishingly confident. . . . The Devil’s Star scores with an intriguing plot and Nesbo’s mastery of pace and tension.
Entertainment Weekly
Nesbø has a knack for Euro noir.
USA Today
There’s Nordic noir, and then there’s Nesbo noir. Jo Nesbo’s reputation as the reigning bad boy of Norwegian crime fiction has grown steadily in the USA with the critically acclaimed novels The Redbreast and Nemesis and now THE DEVIL’S STAR.
Washington Post Book World
A fine novel. . . . THE REDBREAST certainly ranks with the best of current American crime fiction.
London Review of Books
Bucks the trend… Nesbo’s long-range plotting is careful, and the debate about the Norwegian elite’s behaviour during the war cleverly managed.
Booklist (starred review)
Nesbo returns with another novel that is every bit the multitextured, complexly plotted, psychologically rich thriller that made Redbreast such an unqualified success. . . . No doubt about it: Nesbo belongs on every crime-fiction fan’s A-list.
The Independent
Jo Nesbo has a credibly scary line on the power of corruption, and his complex plot culminates in a nail-biting episode with overtones of The Day of the Jackal.
Toronto Star
In crime fiction terms, the ongoing Harry Hole is epic along the lines of something Count Tolstoy might have dreamed up. . . . Tremendous emotional resonance.
Booklist (starred review)
Nesbo returns with another novel that is every bit the multitextured, complexly plotted, psychologically rich thriller that made Redbreast such an unqualified success. . . . No doubt about it: Nesbo belongs on every crime-fiction fan’s A-list.
Stephanie Garber
Readers new to this whitehot series will be impressed by Nesbø’s generous plotting and his insight into dark places in the human soul.
The Guardian(London)
"A well-crafted rollercoaster of a book. . . . Nesbo sets a cracking pace, the shambolic Hole is exasperating and endearing by turns, and a series of spectacular plot twists lead to a thrilling finale. Highly recommended."
Booklist
"Nesbo returns with another novel that is every bit the multitextured, complexly plotted, psychologically rich thriller that made Redbreast such an unqualified success. . . . No doubt about it: Nesbo belongs on every crime-fiction fan’s A-list."
