The Devil'sStar
Authors:
Jo Nesbo
Translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett
Retail Price (Softback): 6.99
Retail Price (Ebook):
ISBN: 9780099546764
First Published: 2004
Description:
On the cover
Oslo is sweltering in the summer heat when a young woman is murdered in her flat. One finger has been cut off and a tiny red diamond in the shape of a pentagrama five-pointed staris found under her eyelid. Detective Harry Hole is assigned the case with Tom Waaler, a colleague he neither likes nor trusts. He believes Tom is behind a gang of arms smugglersand the murder of his partner. But Harry, an off-the-rails alcoholic, is barely holding on to his job and has little choice but to play nice.
Five days later, another woman is reported missing. When her severed finger is found adorned with a star-shaped red diamond ring, Harry fears a serial killer is on the loose. Determined to find the killer and expose the crooked Tom Waaler, Harry discovers the two investigations melding in unexpected ways. But pursuing the truth comes at a price, and soon Harry finds himself on the run and forced to make difficult decisions about a future he may not live to see.
Vintage Books
Your Opinions and Comments
When I finished reading it I was able to admire the authors hand in a very well structured and crafted story, presented in such an entertaining way. It filled my spare time and encroached frequently on times when I should have been working!
Jo Nesbo is one of the best crime authors around and I am delighted that he and so many of the Scandiavian authors have made it into english translations. I am beginning to wonder if the incidence of murders in Norway, Sweden and Iceland is exceeding that of the village of Midsommer in rural England!
I am also impressed by the odd snippets of information included. One such solves a problem I have puzzled about over the years, but have never bothered to follow up. Why is it that blood clots so quickly in the mouth? A question that has been satisfied, as a character in the story observes blood clotting as it dripped from the ceiling above...
Well worth a read for the story, and occasional items of knowledge!