by Jo Nesbø
Part of Harry Hole, book 4
First published 2010
Harry Hole wakes up with a pounding headache and twelve missing hours after drinking with his former girlfriend Anna Bethsen. That same day, Anna turns up shot dead in her bedroom. The Oslo police detective becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation led by Tom Waaler, his longtime enemy within the force. Meanwhile, a series of savage bank robberies terrorizes the city. Security cameras capture a gunman forcing a cashier to count to twenty-five before shooting her dead and escaping with two million Norwegian kroner. More robberies follow with increasing brutality. Hole must use his unconventional investigative methods to solve both cases while clearing his own name. His pursuit takes him from Oslo's streets to the heat of Brazil as he races against time. Waaler continues to pursue his vendetta against Hole, determined to destroy his career and reputation. The detective faces a deadly game where his freedom and life hang in the balance.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Brazil, Norway, Oslo
Period: 21st-century
474 pages · Paperback · Harper Perennial
Content warnings: violence