Written by Jo Nesbø

Number 9 in Harry Hole

Publisher: Aschehoug
Pages: 456
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Published: 2011-06-09
Original Language: Norwegian

Harry Hole kommer tilbake fra Hong Kong etter tre år og melder seg på Politihuset. Han vil etterforske et typisk, nedprioritert og til og med allerede oppklart drap i narkomiljøet. I Oslo er antall gjenger og heroinsalget sterkt redusert etter innsatsen til den nye sosialbyråden i samarbeid med den nye sjefen for Orgkrim, Mikael Bellman, Harrys rival fra Panserhjerte. Men det er kommet et nytt dop på gata, kalt fiolin, et opiat som gir færre overdosedødsfall, men også sterkere avhengighet. Harry får møte den antatte drapsmannen. Det er en gutt på atten år, som han ikke har sett på lenge. Det er Oleg, sønnen til Rakel, ekskjæresten til Harry. Han som vokste opp med Harry som sin farsigur. Det er Olegs skjebne som har fått Harry ut fra hans asiatiske eksil. Når Harry bøster opp i det som har skjedd, dukker det opp overraskelser. Store overraskelser, og det som i utgangspunktet ser ut som et typisk dopdrap, får et omfang Harry ikke hadde forutsett. Og de fleste sporene peker én vei. Oppover.

Read from 2020-07-05 to 2020-07-19
Read in
Rating: 4/5
Review: During this journey of completionism I’ve been going on through the Harry Hole books, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how the books have managed to feel quite different, despite being so similar. Gjenferd feels different to the other Harry Hole books, but does that by feeling more like other crime novels.

As we rejoin Harry, he has returned from his extended holiday/escape from himself in Hong Kong. The reason for his return is that someone close to him has been charged with a murder, a charge Harry sets out to disprove. In the process Harry stumbles over a hereto well-hidden part of Oslo’s underground drug network, and starts getting the attention of many people whose attention is something you’d generally want to avoid.

Compared to the other Hole books, Gjenferd is a relatively standard crime novel, without the plethora of red herrings, crossed wires, interesting misdirections, and other things that have, for me, made the other Harry Hole novels stand out. It’s not bad, nor is it boring, but it felt more ordinary than what I was expecting from Jo Nesbø. That said, it did make for a much more relaxing read, as there was just less to think about.

Harry Hole is still a powerhouse of a character, and carries the book through a story that felt relatively standard-in-a-non-standard way for me. That said, of the Nesbø books I’ve read so far, this is the one that painted the most vivid picture of Oslo for me, and having spent quite a bit of time in practically all the places where this book takes place, I rather enjoyed the feeling of following the story through the familiar scenery.

All in all, Gjenferd felt a bit ordinary to me — but, perhaps because I read it during a few days when I really needed some relaxation, I enjoyed it quite a lot.