Reviews

The Bat by Jo Nesbø

lilyj138's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

dsesana's review against another edition

4.0

One of the most popular series in the thriller/detective world is the one of Inspector Harry Hole. Harry Hole is a complex character. You hope he gets his life together, but at the same time, he is his own biggest issue. The case in Australia is an interesting one, and I enjoyed too that Harry’s trip to Australia is not only about the case, but you het to hear about life there. The books gets a bit messy, if not a lot, when Harry does what Harry does best and goes off the rails, putting himself and the investigation in danger. As a stand-alone book, it might not hit the mark. But having read further in the series, I can guarantee that this is a book that introduces Harry Hole the best way Harry Hole can be introduced, chaotic and with a disregard of his own safety.

_vlt_edn_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

danitza's review against another edition

Just not very interesting

outi's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

johnthebiker300's review against another edition

4.0

Having read a few Harry Hole novels it was interesting to see the first one being set in Australia.
It was a clever story, although it did have too much Aboriginal mythology for my liking.

salgalruns's review against another edition

3.0

This is the first Jo Nesbo book I have read, and I am now intrigued to read more in the Harry Hole series. I enjoyed this crime novel, which focuses on the Norwegian cop, Hole, as he travels to Sydney to investigate a murder of a young woman.

We get to know the background of Harry, which seems to be the purpose for this debut novel. He is definitely an intense character with some baggage that hasn't really been dealt with effectively. Gotta love it. Looking forward to more!

basha's review against another edition

2.0

I don’t know who recommended this book but I thought I’d enjoy a genre change and a light read. My first impression: wrong decision! A book about a norwegian man with no compelling personality, who makes weird comments about race and sexual identity throughout the book. His local australian sidekick starts the book off with cat calls and unnecessary biphobic comments, and later goes on to say he made a habit of having sex with young virgins as an aging hippie as a point of pride. predatory for sure! The plot picks up slowly, , and without much character development to keep me going through the constant micro aggressions of this fairly boring book… I don’t even know how I pushed through the first few chapters. I think my least favorite line of the book was “Harry didn’t think he could face any more fat women today,” regarding a literal fat corpse. even in death, the presence of a fat woman is too much for a man to bear. Give me a fucking break.

emm10's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

martz1389's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 star rating

I picked this book up over a year ago but then I got busy with life and had to put it down. I am definitely glad I returned to it. I must admit it was a bit slow for me in the beginning but once I got to the second half of the book I couldn’t put it down. That’s when things started to get really interesting and made me appreciate the first half of the book so much more.

I am new to reading anything that falls under the crime, thriller or mystery genres but I can already tell I’m going to become obsessed. I can’t wait to read more books in this series and see what my thoughts will be on Mr. Hole as I make my way through. He is definitely not perfect and has his flaws just like anyone. Even unlikably at times but when it comes down to it his detective skills shone through and even had me laughing a couple of times at his clever use of tongue.

Hoping to get my hands on Cockroaches some time this summer and continue my journey alongside Harry!