I have never read a book by Jo Nesbo that hasn't totally enthralled me. He has a way of writing - whether it's in his Harry Hole collection or his equally successful other crime novels - that is so complex and intelligent that his books are almost impossible to put down. I've had a lot of long train journeys over the last four or so days, meaning this book has been an absolute blessing (although it did struggle to block out the overly affectionate couple sat beside me on my way home on Sunday night).

Knowing I'm a Nesbo fan, my mum bought me this book as part of my birthday presents just under two weeks ago. I started reading it more or less straight away and was gripped instantly. In The Son, Nesbo alludes to corruption nestling away in Norway's police and judicial system, following the vengeance of Sonny Lofthus, a drug-addicted prisoner, who believes his father was wrongly labelled a mole several years earlier. Taking on the role where he absolves others of their sins, Sonny uses his fellow inmates' confessions to fuel his escape and begin his exacting of judgement. 

Of course the novel is not that simple;  there's a surprisingly earnest love story which develops, a few gruesome murders and of course the big reveal as to who the mole really was. It's so interesting to follow the mind of Lofthus, a killer who isn't as cold-hearted as most. All the characters were intriguing though; we have young Markus who is as much an audience of Sonny as we, the readers, are; there's Johannes, the cancer-stricken inmate who becomes embroiled in Sonny's plan; Kari Adel, a hard working, straight-edged officer all the way through to Anders, Martha's sometimes uncontrollable fiancé. No matter the sizeof their involvement, Nesbo excels in creating layers for every character he introduces, weaving their lives ever so slightly together so that each action is never without its consequences. 

The Son is one the beset books I've read recently and I revelled racing through the chapters. It's definitely a book I would recommend and only serves to ensure that Nesbo remains one of my favourite contemporary authors.

Jade x

I popped into Sainsbury's on Monday for no other reason than to kill time before meeting my dad after work, yet ended up coming out the shop with a new Jo Nesbo book and a three for a pound bags of kids sweets. Peter Pan syndrome at its sweetest. As you can see, I've gathered quite a collection of Nesbo's translated work, yet I have still managed to read half of them in the wrong order. I also quickly became aware when I starting reading Police that I'd missed out another book in the process. A quick scan of the internet tells me that The Phantom is what, ideally, should have preceeded Police but what can I say? I'm off the chains, reading serial books out of sequence. Rock and bloody roll.

 

 Police was still a brilliant read though. Despite that fact I had missed some major Oleg-based drama, there were enough other recurring characters such as Stale Aune and Beate Lonne that kept me feeling integrated in the series. As with all of Nesbo's books, Police is very plot heavy and we are woven into the lives of what feels like hundreds of different characters. There are also, as is often the case with Nesbo, a lot of red herrings involved. Every time I thought I had the outcome pegged, it was quickly established that my intellect was not serving me well in the slightest.

 

For me, the book could have been a few chapters shorter. By the close of the book, I wanted resolution more than I wanted to carry on reading; I had reached past the point of finding mirth in being misled. That's not to say I didn't like the ending - it was actually very fitting and I do, weirdly, look forward to a second reading knowing how the book now ends. In fear of ruining the plot, I have little comment on the content, other than some of the deceased characters will be surely missed. Another clever creation by Nesbo that I'm happy to add to my bookshelf. Nebso is always able to produce captivating reads and I love that itch that forces you to cram in one more chapter before bed and sneak a few more sentences during dinner. Another great Harry Hole novel, which I would definitely recommend.

 

I had two stand out quotes to add to my ever-growing quotes collection so I'm going to break my own rule and post both of them, because I simply couldn't pick. The first I just found interesting because the workings of the brain both fascinate and make me fearful.

 

 

The second quote has to do with what I guess can most easily be broken down into the way we compartmentalise ourselves: our public and our privates selves.

 

 

So after bandying around those heavy, philosophical quotes on a Sunday morning, I wish you a happy rest of the weekend!