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Overview
In the heat of a sweltering Oslo summer, a young woman is found murdered in her flat—with one of her fingers cut off and a tiny red star-shaped diamond placed under her eyelid. An off-the-rails alcoholic barely holding on to his job, Detective Harry Hole is assigned the case with Tom Waaler, a hated colleague whom Harry believes is responsible for the murder of his partner. When another woman is reported missing five days later, and her severed finger turns up adorned with a red star-shaped diamond ring, Harry fears a serial killer is at work. But Hole's determination to capture a fiend and to expose Waaler's crimes is leading him into shadowy places where both investigations merge in unexpected ways, forcing him to make difficult decisions about a future he may not live to see.
Synopsis
Oslo is sweltering in the summer heat when a young woman is murdered in her flat. One finger has been cut off and a tiny red diamond in the shape of a pentagram—a five-pointed star—is found under her eyelid. Detective Harry Hole is assigned the case with Tom Waaler, a colleague he neither likes nor trusts. He believes Tom is behind a gang of arms smugglers—and the murder of his partner. But Harry, an off-the-rails alcoholic, is barely holding on to his job and has little choice but to play nice.
Five days later, another woman is reported missing. When her severed finger is found adorned with a star-shaped red diamond ring, Harry fears a serial killer is on the loose. Determined to find the killer and expose the crooked Tom Waaler, Harry discovers the two investigations melding in unexpected ways. But pursuing the truth comes at a price, and soon Harry finds himself on the run and forced to make difficult decisions about a future he may not live to see.
One of the brightest stars of Scandinavian crime writing, Jo NesbØ has been compared to Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, and Henning Mankell. His novels are bestsellers throughout Europe, acclaimed by critics and revered by aficionados of thrillers and mysteries. Brilliantly plotted and paced, The Devil's Star shows NesbØ at his absolute best, combining powerful emotional resonance with truly stunning suspense.
The Washington Post - Patrick Anderson
The Devil's Star is a big, ambitious, wildly readable story that pits the protagonist against a serial killer and an enemy within the Oslo police department. The novel has its flaws, but for most of the way it's compelling…a novel worth reading, for its characters, for the quality of its writing and for its wealth of detail.
Editorials
Booklist
"Nesbo returns with another novel that is every bit the multitextured, complexly plotted, psychologically rich thriller that made Redbreast such an unqualified success. . . . No doubt about it: Nesbo belongs on every crime-fiction fan’s A-list."Toronto Star
"In crime fiction terms, the ongoing Harry Hole is epic along the lines of something Count Tolstoy might have dreamed up. . . . Tremendous emotional resonance."The Guardian (London)
“A well-crafted rollercoaster of a book. . . . Nesbo sets a cracking pace, the shambolic Hole is exasperating and endearing by turns, and a series of spectacular plot twists lead to a thrilling finale. Highly recommended.”Daily Telegraph (London)
"Superb."The Times (London)
"Astonishingly confident. . . . The Devil’s Star scores with an intriguing plot and Nesbo’s mastery of pace and tension."Vogue
"Nobody can delve into the dark, twisted mind of a murderer better than a Scandinavian thriller writer."New York Times Book Review
"An elegant and complex thriller . . . Ingenious design. . . . Nesbo’s book eloquently uses its multiple horrors to advance a disturbing argument: suppressing history is an open invitation for history to repeat itself."London Review of Books
"Bucks the trend… Nesbo’s long-range plotting is careful, and the debate about the Norwegian elite’s behaviour during the war cleverly managed."Washington Post Book World
"A fine novel. . . . THE REDBREAST certainly ranks with the best of current American crime fiction."USA Today
"Reading THE REDBREAST is like watching a hit movie. . . . The pacing is swift. The plot is precise and intricate. . . . THE REDBREAST is surprisingly witty at times and often grim. But it’s always smart."The Independent
"Jo Nesbo has a credibly scary line on the power of corruption, and his complex plot culminates in a nail-biting episode with overtones of The Day of the Jackal."Entertainment Weekly
"Nesbø has a knack for Euro noir."Michael Connelly
"Jo Nesbø is my new favorite thriller writer and Harry Hole my new hero."The Guardian(London)
"A well-crafted rollercoaster of a book. . . . Nesbo sets a cracking pace, the shambolic Hole is exasperating and endearing by turns, and a series of spectacular plot twists lead to a thrilling finale. Highly recommended."Entertainment Weekly
“Nesbø has a knack for Euro noir.”The Independent
“Jo Nesbo has a credibly scary line on the power of corruption, and his complex plot culminates in a nail-biting episode with overtones of The Day of the Jackal.”USA Today
“There’s Nordic noir, and then there’s Nesbo noir. Jo Nesbo’s reputation as the reigning bad boy of Norwegian crime fiction has grown steadily in the USA with the critically acclaimed novels The Redbreast and Nemesis and now THE DEVIL’S STAR.”Booklist (starred review)
“Nesbo returns with another novel that is every bit the multitextured, complexly plotted, psychologically rich thriller that made Redbreast such an unqualified success. . . . No doubt about it: Nesbo belongs on every crime-fiction fan’s A-list.”New York Times Book Review
“An elegant and complex thriller . . . Ingenious design. . . . Nesbo’s book eloquently uses its multiple horrors to advance a disturbing argument: suppressing history is an open invitation for history to repeat itself.”London Review of Books
“Bucks the trend… Nesbo’s long-range plotting is careful, and the debate about the Norwegian elite’s behaviour during the war cleverly managed.”The Times (London)
“Astonishingly confident. . . . The Devil’s Star scores with an intriguing plot and Nesbo’s mastery of pace and tension.”Vogue
“Nobody can delve into the dark, twisted mind of a murderer better than a Scandinavian thriller writer.”Washington Post Book World
“A fine novel. . . . THE REDBREAST certainly ranks with the best of current American crime fiction.”The Guardian (London)
“A well-crafted rollercoaster of a book. . . . Nesbo sets a cracking pace, the shambolic Hole is exasperating and endearing by turns, and a series of spectacular plot twists lead to a thrilling finale. Highly recommended.”Toronto Star
“In crime fiction terms, the ongoing Harry Hole is epic along the lines of something Count Tolstoy might have dreamed up. . . . Tremendous emotional resonance.”Daily Telegraph (London)
“Superb.”Patrick Anderson
The Devil's Star is a big, ambitious, wildly readable story that pits the protagonist against a serial killer and an enemy within the Oslo police department. The novel has its flaws, but for most of the way it's compelling…a novel worth reading, for its characters, for the quality of its writing and for its wealth of detail.—The Washington Post