The Bat by Jo Nesbo

from goodreads

2.5 stars

It is always nerve wracking when you are reading the book club selection that you have picked. Especially if you haven't read the book before. It really is a crap shoot. Either people will love it or hate it. It is really nerve wracking if your first choice of the year totally tanked, and your second choice is up. No one wants to be labeled with being the worst book chooser of the year.

The Bat was my choice this month. This is a series I want to read and so I thought, let's start with the first one. I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't have. Oh well. Hopefully my next book choice will be better received, especially by me.

That is what I like about book clubs. You often get to read a variety of books. Books that stretch you as a reader. In my book club, we vary in our reading comfort zones, yet we are willing to embrace others choices and are willing to give them a try. So I encourage you, whether you are in a book club or not, to break out of your reading comfort zone this month and read something you might not regularly do. Let me know how it goes.

Synopsis

When a Norwegian expat is found dead in Sydney, Norway sends Harry Hole to help look into the death. What he finds is more intrigue than what he bargained for.

My Thoughts

I probably should have started with a later book in the series. From what I have read, this wasn't the first book in the series translated into english. When it finally was translated there was some excitement of finally being able to read the first book in the Harry Hole series. Many people were disappointed. I wouldn't say I was disappointed, but I was expecting a bit more. Now that I know seasoned fans of this series also didn't like this book as much, I will probably continue on with the series.

What this book did do is set up the character of Harry Hole. We now know his weakness, alcohol. We know his past life a bit, his mother is dead and an ex-lover committed suicide. And we know that Harry was involved in a deadly cover up which helped him clean up and sober up. I think now that those bookkeeping items are out of the way the rest of the series will be able to unfold without to much trouble. Because of these bookkeeping items the book definitely wasn't as action packed as it could have been and sometimes when he was reminiscing it read a bit disjointedly.

I found the language to be a bit abrupt as well. I am not sure how much of that is due to the translation or how much is the actual author being more crisp and concise. It is definitely not a lyrical masterpiece. It often felt jarring. But then, that is the type of character Harry Hole seems to be, concise and to the point. He does not mince words.

For all that the book did keeping me guessing until the end. I had so many different theories going through my head that it was kind of neat. I felt bad about Birgitta and I found the actual ending to be a bit anti-climatic.

All in all, it was what it was. I neither loved it or hated it. I think I will stick it out with the series. I'm just not sure when I'll get to the next book. My to read pile on my night stand seems to be piling up!