The Redbreast

The Redbreast, by Jo Nesbo

For avid mystery readers, it is always a true joy to find a new author who has created a great detective character as well as using a foreign setting to tell a wonderfully complex and compelling story. Jo Nesbo is such an author for he has created the Norwegian detective Henry Hole, who is based in Oslo. The bonus of this book is that the reader gets insight into the dark days of Norwegian history after that country was invaded by the Nazis during World War II. There were many Norwegians who enlisted in the German army and fought for their country's conquerors on the eastern front of the German campaign against Russia. While that is one line of The Redbreast, the other is concerned with a series of grisly killings that might be related to smoldering resentments of war veterans who did indeed serve on the eastern front and are considered traitors to Norway. Detective Hole becomes involved with members of the neo-Nazi movement and other finely-drawn characters as he chases leads in his quest to solve these killings. Nesbo won great acclaim in Norway for his first crime book and it is easy to see why as The Redbreast, his second book, is a terrific reading experience.
-Roy