The Bat (Norwegian: Flaggermusmannen, "Bat Man") is a 1997 crime novel by Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø, the first in the Harry Hole series.
The first book in the Harry Role series. There are definitely better ones in the series, but it's also worth reading.
Unsympathetic main character, annoying reveal of murderer, flat ancillary characters, many paragraphs start in medias res - the book seemed messy to me, and I didn't enjoy it very much. Reading this on the heels of the first two Robert Galbraith books probably didn't help. I'm guessing it's going to take a long time before I bother reading Cockroaches, if ever.
This is Jo Nesbø's best novel yet -- the only problem is that it is his first.
Nearly four years ago I read [b:The Redeemer|211169|Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change|Paul David Tripp|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348449476s/211169.jpg|204382] by [a:Jo Nesbø|904719|Jo Nesbø|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1313316680p2/904719.jpg].I thought it was the best Scandiwegian whodunit I'd read till then, and it was the first one I'd read by Nesbø. But the later novels of his that I read were rather disappointing (see reviews here). Perhaps if one reads them backwards, there will be a steady improvement.
In [b:The bat|44335|Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys (Weetzie Bat, #3)|Francesca Lia Block|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1170260282s/44335.jpg|914991] Norwegian detective Harry Hole is sent to Australia to help with the investigation of the murder of a Norwegian citizen in Sydney. The book is therefore quite an interesting guide to Australian geography and culture, which Nesbø explains to his Norwegian …
This is Jo Nesbø's best novel yet -- the only problem is that it is his first.
Nearly four years ago I read [b:The Redeemer|211169|Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change|Paul David Tripp|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348449476s/211169.jpg|204382] by [a:Jo Nesbø|904719|Jo Nesbø|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1313316680p2/904719.jpg].I thought it was the best Scandiwegian whodunit I'd read till then, and it was the first one I'd read by Nesbø. But the later novels of his that I read were rather disappointing (see reviews here). Perhaps if one reads them backwards, there will be a steady improvement.
In [b:The bat|44335|Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys (Weetzie Bat, #3)|Francesca Lia Block|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1170260282s/44335.jpg|914991] Norwegian detective Harry Hole is sent to Australia to help with the investigation of the murder of a Norwegian citizen in Sydney. The book is therefore quite an interesting guide to Australian geography and culture, which Nesbø explains to his Norwegian readers, to whom it would be unfamiliar. Books set in Australia and written by Australians don't generally do this, since the authors no doubt assume that their readers will be Australian, and therefore familiar with the social demographics of Sydney suburbs, and the appearance of the Queensland countryside. I found that Nesbø's explanations of these added to the interest of the book
There are also some Australian folk tales (the title of the book is based on one of them) and more about the different cultures in Australia -- as seen through Norwegian eyes. I found all this far more interesting than the lengthy descriptions of Harry Hole's hangovers, which seem to take up more and more space in the later books, though even in this one they are not entirely absent. One of the plot holes of this one is that one is never told when he stops drinking and is able to function again.
