Like most crime readers, I had heard of Jo Nesbo and the high reputation his books have. I had never read anything by him before, but this book has convinced me to read many more. Very high quality writing with a superb plot and interesting characters.

I've read several other books by Jo Nesbo, so was keen to read this one - and it didn't disappoint! Nesbo has a gift for building tension alongside the story, and I was completely hooked from the start. Detective Harry Hole has enough flaws to make him believable, but also has a compassionate side which makes him more likeable than some fictional detectives. The supporting characters are well-painted, and I like the way Nesbo reveals their back-stories piece by piece. The more unpleasant scenes are not glossed over, but neither are they gratuitous. I hope to read more by this author.

Loved this book about Harry Hole who is a Norwegian detective sent to Australia to help with a investigation into a murder of Inger Holter, a young Norwegian girl. Full of twists and turns and great the Aboriginal Dreamtime stories with Harry, which I found absolutely fascinating.
Looking forward to more stories featuring Harry Hole.
Thoroughly good book would highly recommend.

Such a great start to a new series. Addictive from the first chapter to the end.
This story was published years ago, and it really shows why the author is so loved and why his novels are a must read ones.

I enjoyed The Bat and the police procedural plot-line was really interesting to see developing. More so, the multicultural crush was a great addition. The twists came at the right points at all times. The characters have grown throughout the book and I really enjoyed seeing Inspector Harry Hole in his element.

I’m looking forward to read more in this series as there are quite a few books out now.

🆓📖Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

Having only read the Snowman before, I was intrigued to go back and read the first Harry Hole and had high expectations. The Bat met them, but totally not in the way I expected - I had no idea this iconic Norwegian series would start set in Australia! This was a complete surprise, and a welcome one as it juxtaposed the 2 cultures in an interesting way and presented the Australian culture (which I am familiar with) in a fresh, outsider's view. The use of Australian folklore and historical politics woven throughout was interesting and relevant, and the classic noir detective vibe Harry Hole creates through his spiralling into self-destruction felt contemporary in this setting. The pacing of the book was unusual - it felt like a fairly standard procedural until about halfway through the book, when it seems strangely like you are about to reach the resolution - and then it all explodes and becomes full of twists and turns. Harry's compelling persona and the real, heartfelt relationships he develops with other characters managed to carry the story (there is even a Casino Royale type love story to start off the series with!) I struggled slightly to keep all of the different characters in my head throughout this narrative, and the ending / villain capture was borderline ridiculous. That said, overall, an energetic, page-turning and gripping debut for this iconic series - glad I read it. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for the opportunity.