A fascinating read

Cockroaches (Kakerlakkene), translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett, is another in the Harry Hole series – this one set in Bangkok.

The series tells the stories of Inspector Harry Hole, a tough and somewhat plodding detective who unravels crimes, mostly in Oslo, but has also worked in locations like Australia to the Congo.

In this one he is sent to Thailand where the Norwegian Ambassador has been stabbed to death in circumstances which could embarrass the Norwegian government and its leading politicians.

His services are requested by the Norwegian Foreign Service which believes his alcoholism will cause him to muddle through the investigation and conclude the legate’s death was nothing more than a simple tourist murder.

In Bangkok he teams up with the local police force – in particular the shaven-headed Inspector Liz Crumley – to find there is nothing simple about the ambassador’s death, his family or the people he mixes with in the small Norwegian enclave – nor with their connections, or otherwise, to local crime syndicates.

A fascinating read in which, like cockroaches, the characters’ motives scurry out of sight the moment they are exposed to the light.

Nesbo is multi-faceted, he has a degree in economics and business administration, is a freelance journalist, has been a stockbroker, is also the main vocalist and songwriter for the Norwegian rock band Di Derre. He also played top-flight football for Molde FK until he tore the cruciate ligaments in his knee.

He has written 19 books, including four children’s novels.