Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13719 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-06
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 368 pages

The Times
"An astonishingly confident debut. The Devil's Star scores with an intriguing plot and Nesbo's mastery of pace and tension."

The Times
"An astonishingly confident debut. The Devil's Star scores with an intriguing plot and Nesbo's mastery of pace and tension."

Synopsis
A young woman is murdered in her Oslo flat. One finger has been severed from her left hand, and behind her eyelid is secreted a tiny red diamond in the shape of a five-pointed star - a pentagram, the devil's star. Detective Harry Hole is assigned to the case with his long-time adversary Tom Waaler and initially wants no part in it. But Harry is already on notice to quit the force and is left with little alternative but to drag himself out of his alcoholic stupor and get to work. A wave of similar murders is on the horizon. An emerging pattern suggests that Oslo has a serial killer on its hands, and the five-pointed devil's star is key to solving the riddle.

Customer Reviews

Another Hole in One
Another great adventure for Harry Hole who could become quite an addictive hero - just when you thought you'd met enough alcoholic divorcee detectives he's a breath of fresh air. Do read this after Redbreast - for the correct chronological order - it will make more sense of the story. Nesbo's plotting is original, his characters never less than interesting and his dialogue quirky and wry but rarely forced. The hunt for "the serial killer who leaves cryptic clues" scenario threatens at times to become Agatha Christie melodrama but stick with it - the plots twists and jumps with plenty of tension and the procedural and forensic detail, deductive reasoning and narcotic aided inspiration make this a dense and exciting ride. Highly recommended.

Please read Redbreast first
Of the crime novels I have read in the last year this was my favourite and this includes offerings from Hennig Mankell,John Harvey,both books by that Icelandic bloke,Michael Connelly and Minette Walters.I was surprised that I would warm to a character with the name Harry Hole,( is this a strange translation of a Norwegian name?) but as a dysfunctional character he beats the hell out of Wallander or Rebus.
I liked the book so much that I was almost beside myself with excitement when I found what I thought was the sequel in the form of The Redbreast.It was a big disappointment to discover that allthough this book was printed after Devils Star it is in fact the first book. So if you are new to Jo Nesbo please read Redbreast first and you wont be disappointed.

A Seriously Good Thriller
Thriller or crime novel ? It seems to be one then the other. But no matter, either way it is a treat to read. The spare, descriptive style of the early chapters gives way to a richer, more complex and emotionally literate style - perhaps a paradigm of development of the central character: Harry Hole. Harry Hole - where does one begin ? - Hole v Rebus in the Inadequate Human Being Stakes ? Hole is a winner by a distance - but in such a way that we might be tempted to invite him into our front room for a psychotherapy session. Plenty of twists and turns and a gripping climax (kept me up to almost 1am - and that's rare these days!).