Review: Cockroaches by Jo Nesbø

A Mysterious Review of Cockroaches by Jo Nesbø. A Harry Hole Mystery.

Review summary: One of the strengths of this crime novel is that a murder investigation takes a number of credible turns, all leading down pathways that may or may not be the right one. And while there is some lack of character definition and development, the primary plot is so strong, the mystery so well devised, that this minor flaw is readily forgiven. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Cockroaches
Jo Nesbø
A Harry Hole Mystery
Vintage Crime (February 2014)

Publisher synopsis: When the Norwegian ambassador to Thailand is found dead in a Bangkok brothel, Inspector Harry Hole is dispatched from Oslo to help hush up the case.

But once he arrives Harry discovers that this case is about much more than one random murder. There is something else, something more pervasive, scrabbling around behind the scenes. Or, put another way, for every cockroach you see in your hotel room, there are hundreds behind the walls. Surrounded by round-the-clock traffic noise, Harry wanders the streets of Bangkok lined with go-go bars, temples, opium dens, and tourist traps, trying to piece together the story of the ambassador's death even though no one asked him to, and no one wants him to — not even Harry himself.