A Good Read

Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo
Norwegian Inspector Harry Hole has recently gained some notoriety for solving a difficult case involving the death of a Norwegian citizen in Australia, so when his country’s ambassador is found dead in a Bangkok brothel Hole seems the ideal choice to investigate the murder. At the moment, however, Harry can most often be found battling his demons in an alcoholic fog. The expectation is that he will go to Thailand for a few days, drink himself into a stupor, and allow the locals to sweep the whole embarrassing incident under the rug.
But Harry soon discovers that the case is about much more than one random murder, the ambassador’s death turns out to be a murky and complex case. There is something else, something more pervasive, scrabbling around behind the scenes, or, to put it another way, for every cockroach you see in your hotel room, there are hundreds more behind the walls.
Surrounded by round-the-clock traffic noise, Harry wanders the streets of Bangkok lined with go-go bars, temples, opium dens, and tourist traps, trying to piece together the story of the ambassador’s death even though no one asked him to, and no one wants him to—not even Harry himself. His investigations take him into the dark world of pederasty, pedophilia and the sex industry.

This is a brilliant story with a cast of intriguing and well-crafted characters. Hole is a great protagonist, and there are a lot of unexpected twists and turns. There are also a lot of interesting insights into the people, culture and geography of Thailand.

Two personal opinions:
I like Harry Hole
Scandinavians write darn good crime thrillers

~Happy Reading ~

Polly x