Two characters triggered my transition from reading children's books to serious reads: the infamous Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. The genres of these books have influenced my reading until now. After Sherlock, Lars Kepler, Kindaichi, Detective Kaga and Galileo have shaped my reading experience to another level in the investigative thriller genre. The character Harry Hole created by Jo Nesbo falls into the same set. The other book I have read in the series is Cockroaches; I wanted to explore his series more, starting with this book.
Harry Hole is a famed detective who suffers from a bad case of alcohol addiction. His wife Rakel left him days back. At the same time, Svein Finne is getting released. Svein Finne was a notorious serial rapist and killer who was one of the first criminals that Harry Hole had sent to prison. One day, Harry wakes up from his alcohol-wasted sleep to find blood on his hands. Soon after Rakel is found murdered. While Harry points his fingers towards Sven, there are pieces of evidence that points out to Harry. Did Harry really commit the crime under the influence of alcohol? Why is he so obsessed with Sven and strives to capture him? forms the story.
I like it when the protagonist is not the perfect man. Every man has their own grey sides and for Harry Hole, it is alcohol. Given the vice and how it affects his skills to a little extent, I like how he manages to solve things. The book is around 500 - 520 pages and this may be tedious to some. There is an ample amount of drag in the story. Initially, it did not bother me. Rather, I found it interesting that the story was taking its own time. But halfway through, I was kind of rushing myself to finish the book. There was a certain amount of boredom that was creeping in during the read. This is a part of the Harry Hole series. But this can be read as a standalone. A couple of characters appear in the novel and they are interesting enough. The characterisation of these characters was interesting enough. The length of the book does not maintain consistency throughout. There are scenes which are described in detail where whereas there are scenes that just pass by real quick. Also, we get a feeling that the investigation is stuffed with unwanted details. But nonetheless, I liked how the story progressed. Recently in most of the novels I read, the chapters transitioned between the present day and the past day. I was kind of getting bored of this and luckily here I don't get to see much of that. The language was simple enough and the parts that were made interesting by the detailing were enjoyable. You cannot expect an edge-of-the-seat read here due to the length. The story progresses like an AC wave with ups and downs. For me, this was a damper as I was expecting a pacy read. As in any investigative thriller, you can expect red herrings at places. Some work and some do not.
In short, the reading can be interesting but slow. This is a decent one-time read for people who have time on their hands.
No comments:
Post a Comment