Killing Moon

tags: crime, Harry Hole, mystery, Norway

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From Goodreads

Brilliant rogue police investigator Harry Hole is back, this time as an outsider assembling his own team to help find a serial killer who is murdering young women in Oslo in the next novel in the New York Times best-selling series.

THE HUNT IS ON AND THE POLICE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME. Two young women are missing, their only connection a party they both attended, hosted by a notorious real-estate magnate. When one of the women is found murdered, the police discover an unusual signature left by the killer, giving them reason to suspect he will strike again.

THEY’RE FACING A KILLER UNLIKE ANY OTHER. And exposing him calls for a detective like no other. But the legendary Harry Hole is gone—fired from the force, drinking himself to oblivion in Los Angeles. It seems that nothing can entice him back to Oslo. Until the woman who saved Harry’s life is put in grave danger, and he has no choice but to return to the city that haunts him and track down the murderer.

CATCHING HIM WILL PUSH HARRY TO THE LIMIT. He’ll need to bring together a misfit team of former operatives to accomplish what he can’t do alone: stop an unstoppable killer. But as the evidence mounts, it becomes clear that there is more to this case than meets the eye…

Harry Hole is in a bad bad shape and is in Los Angeles trying hard to drink himself to death. No one can blame him after his wife was murdered then getting fired from his job.

The opening chapter finds Harry drinking in a not too classy bar. It reminds me a little of Philip Marlowe specially Harry's opinion of Los Angeles, the reality of the movie industry, the homeless people occupying sidewalks. Overall a disgusting place in his eyes.

His credit card maxed out and his tab was paid by an aging former actress whom he had to rescue from bill collectors. He postponed his death wish by alcohol poisoning to help this lady by going back to Oslo to find a serial killer. He asked, as a free lance investigator, for a certain amount from the person police suspects as the killer to cover the lady's debt.

This is a very dark kinda twisty tale with hard to guess demented evil villain. One negative is too much red herrings and one story line was not necessary to the novel. The revenge of the Jeffrey Dahmer wannabe may be too much for some readers but I'm used to Jo Nesbø's bloody stories and his sense of humor makes the novel worthy of my time. I specially liked the parts when Harry and his odd group argue about musicians. (Jo Nesbø is a professional musician BTW)

advice to Harry regarding drinking and moderation

All you have to do is is decide beforehand where to draw the line, how many units, But, it goes without saying, you have to work at it.

You're smirking Harry, but I'm serous. It's about a sense of achievement. I can offer the world's best substance abuser as living proof.

Hm, I presume you are talking about that overrated guitarist you like so much.

Hey, have some respect for Keith Richards! Read his biography. He gives you the formula. Survival is about two things. Only the purest, best dope. It's the stuff mixed in that kills you. And moderation...

babysitting his 3 year-old son

Harry doesn't know any lullaby so he sang The Rolling Stone's Wild Horses and Hank William's Your Cheating Heart, and a blues song about cocaine...

after the murderer (wrong one) was caught they didn't have any reason to get together anymore

We can argue about other things, like who is the most underrated drummer in the world...that's Ringo Starr; the most overrated - Keith Moon; and the best - John Bonham of Led Zeppelin...

Highly recommended for Harry Hole and Jo Nesbø fans.