Thursday, March 11, 2010

THE DEVIL'S STAR: REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY ENDED
THE DEVIL'S STAR

BY JO NESBO

ABOUT THE BOOK:

From one of the most celebrated crime writers in Europe and the award-winning author of The Redbreast comes an epic thriller featuring Police Detective Harry Hole. In the vein of the crime novels of James Patterson and Dennis Lehane, Jo Nesbo’s The Devil’s Star is an intricately plotted and suspenseful thrill-ride from beginning to end.

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.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A musician, songwriter, and economist, Jo Nesbo is the winner of the Glass Key Award, northern Europe's most prestigious crime-fiction prize, for his first novel featuring Police Detective Harry Hole. With his eight internationally acclaimed crime novels featuring Detective Harry Hole, Jo Nesbø has achieved an unparalleled success both in his native country Norway and abroad, winning the hearts of critics, booksellers and readers alike. Translated into thirty languages, awarded a whole range of awards and boasting record-breaking sales, Nesbø has been lavishly praised by international critics for broadening the scope of the contemporary crime novel, and is today regarded as one of Europe’s most important crime writers.He lives in Oslo.


REVIEW:

THE DEVIL’S STAR by Norwegian author Jo Nesbo is a well-written, suspenseful novel about Detective Harry Hole. Harry has been dealing with problems from his last few cases and Nesbo’s novels, and has been self-medicating his grief with alcohol. Harry actually is in danger of being kicked off the squad but for now is needed too much. You see, Harry is the only one who has ever dealt with a serial killer. And it looks like a serial killer who likes to chop off a finger and leave a red star as his calling card is what they have on their hands.

So when the Chief of the Crime Squad first calls Harry to investigate the death of a young woman, he assigns Tom Waller also to the team of investigators. Tom Waller is a co-worker that Harry believes is a “crooked cop” and is involved in criminal activity. They are not friends to say the least and this is a bad sign from the start as readers will see the more they get into the book. Detective Hole is the first to arrive at the girl's apartment. There he finds the woman's disfigured body, and a tiny five-sided diamond hidden in her flesh, so that it looks like she may be a victim of some kind of ceremonial ritualistic murder. When a second body is soon discovered, also missing a finger and has the same red diamond “signature” found at the scene, the chance that this is a serial killer becomes very real. The case picks up speed propelling the reader head long into this fast moving mystery, and Harry must show his best work to solve this one!

Nesbo gives his readers a gripping mystery with compelling, well-developed characters, and he does it with amazing literary expertise and style. His use of dark humor and exaggerated details lend themselves to his very descriptive scenes that border on terror and shock so that the reader is almost prepared for his classic "ah-ha" moment at the end. The book is enjoyable as a stand-alone novel but I think people who have read the first few Harry Hole books will be more in tune to what is going on with many references from past “mysteries”. Nesbo’s works are being translated into English, so many readers may encounter this as his first work and will need time to get used to his style and pace but it is one you will enjoy if you like a really well written mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. Will Harry find this serial killer and what part does his arch enemy Tom Waller play in all this? Hold on for a great ride and enjoy the talent of author Jo Nesbo in THE DEVIL’S STAR!

GIVEAWAY

THANKS TO KYLE AND GOOD PEOPLE
AT HARPER COLLINS PUBLISHING,
I HAVE 3 COPIES OF THIS EXCITING
BOOK TO GIVE AWAY. HERE IS WHAT
YOU NEED TO DO TO WIN A COPY!



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HOW TO ENTER:


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GIVEAWAY ENDS
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