This is book number 2 in the series which I'm enjoying immensely. Some of the translation by Don Bartlett is a bit awkward at times in its colloquialisms and expressions but otherwise an easy read. I plan on finishing the entire Harry Hole series in the coming months.

Harry Hole is a sufficiently pained protagonist, and clever on top of that, I just don't know if after the first two books in the series I care enough about him.
The plot was twisting enough without be completely over the top contrived. Overall an entertaining mystery, but I don't think I've been entertained enough to continue with the series, I need more connection to my characters.

I enjoyed the mystery of the story, but didn’t care for the topic. The writing was good. I’m looking forward to continuing the series.

Not nearly as good as the first Harry Hole book. In this one, the Norwegian police detective is sent abroad again, even though he's been drinking too much and really shouldn't be sent anywhere. It turns out there are more Norwegians in Thailand than I would have imagined, and one of them -- the ambassador to Thailand -- has been murdered. The case is really convoluted, and in the end, I felt there were too many holes in the story (no spoilers). It just didn't come together well.

The amusing or clever parts that made [b:The Bat|17345209|The Bat (Harry Hole, #1)|Jo Nesbø|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1364767794s/17345209.jpg|1994708] fun to read were few and far between in this book. There were a few good moments, especially when the Thai police detectives were involved. A scene when one of them is picking a lock really hit the mark perfectly.

Overall, there was too much gritty, ugly stuff (pedophiles, child porn, the drunken wife of the dead ambassador, and more murders) with unnecessarily graphic description. The seamy underbelly of Bangkok comes across -- especially those pathetic bars where extremely young women are working very hard to pick up fat old Western men -- but the balance is off. The heat, the traffic, the feel of the city before the elevated train was completed -- all good, very realistic, but not enough to make up for all the flaws.

This is the second thriller in the Harry Hole series. It was another great whodunit, but I didn't like the narrator's voice as much this time. I don't know if this was intentional or not, but Hole was portrayed as much more slimey....

I recommend it but I think to read instead.

Another exciting, engaging read! Intriguing characters, great storyline, unexpected twists- this story has it all. Plus a touch of Thailand.

This is the third book I have read in the Harry Hole series and it's the first one to break out of 3 star territory, especially in the first part of the book. The resolution took longer than it needed to but overall this was a fun read. I kinda hate how most mystery/crime books are in a series, it makes me feel obligated to read them all if they're even halfway decent.