by Jo Nesbø
Part of Harry Hole, book 10
First published 2013
Detective Harry Hole faces his most chilling case yet when fellow officers start turning up dead. The first victim is discovered at the site of an old unsolved murder he once investigated. Within months, two more officers meet the same fate, each killed at locations tied to their own cold cases. The murders are savage and methodical. The department has no suspects and no leads. They also lack their most skilled detective, who remains absent when they need him most. Meanwhile, an unidentified patient lies unconscious in an Oslo hospital, his room under constant police guard. His identity stays classified as he clings to life. The killer clearly knows intimate details about past investigations and the officers who worked them. Each death follows a deliberate pattern that suggests careful planning and deep knowledge of police procedures. As the body count rises, the remaining officers realize they may all be targets. The murderer seems to be settling old scores, but the motive behind these calculated executions remains unclear. Harry must uncover the connection between these dormant cases before the killer strikes again.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Oslo, Norway
436 pages · Hardcover · Knopf
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder