The Bat by Jo Nesbo is a mystery set in Australia, specifically Sydney and its
environs. In the book we follow Harry
Hole (pronounced Holy) a detective from Norway who is in Sydney to help the
local police solve the murder of a Norwegian woman. As the story progresses we learn that she was only the latest in
a string of murders & more people are killed.
I found this book fascinating at the beginning because it
has a Norwegian author holding a lens up to the culture of Australia. Then the book took a decided turn toward the
bleak (dare I say typically Scandinavian) in the middle and I lost interest in
it.
