Review: The Bat

The Bat by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Alcoholic Norwegian police officer, Harry Hole, is sent to Sydney to observe the investigation into the murder of a young Norwegian girl. He pairs up with an Aborigine detective, Andrew Kensington, a former boxer. From Andrew, Harry Holy, as the Aussie's call him, learns the folk tales of the Indigenous people, including an origin story very similar to the Garden of Eden tale of Christians. He also learns of the treatment of the Native people by the European settlers and their descendents--also similar to the experience of others throughout the world.

As the investigation proceeds Harry becomes very familiar with an area of Sydney that is definitely seedy and the underbelly with its motley assortment of denizens. It also becomes evident that the girl's murderer is a serial killer with a preference for blondes and a wide area of predation. Many red herrings and false leads as well as the revelation that Harry isn't very fond of American cinema, in time, leads to the identification and apprehension, of a sort , of the perp.

In this first of a series, the character of Hole, with all its flaws is fully developed. He's likeable, intelligent, driven and terribly sad--he'd be awfully wearing if anyone spent too long in his presence but Harry is a rolling stone so he probably moves on before that happens. The cast of characters surrounding him are varied and interesting, too. All in all, a good book even if his binges are too long and drag the story out too much.

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