by Jo Nesbø
Part of Harry Hole, book 2
First published 2014
Harry Hole steps off the plane in Bangkok with clear orders from Oslo: keep the Norwegian ambassador's death quiet. The diplomat died in a brothel, and the authorities want the scandal buried. Harry expects a simple cover-up job. Instead, he finds layers of corruption that run far deeper than one dead man. The ambassador's murder connects to networks that spread through Bangkok's underworld like insects through rotting wood. Harry walks the neon-lit streets past temples and tourist bars, chasing leads nobody wants him to follow. The traffic never stops. The heat never breaks. The case grows more dangerous as Harry digs into what really happened that night. He knows he should leave Bangkok and file a clean report. But Harry cannot let go of the truth, even when it threatens to destroy him along with everyone else involved.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, cover-up
Setting: Bangkok, Norway, Oslo
Period: 21st-century
386 pages · Kindle Edition · Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
Content warnings: violence