(2013) Harry is drawn into the inner workings of the Salvation Army when one of its officers is murdered. Turns out that the killing was a hit paid for by his brother to cover up his own rapes and crimes. Very good.KIRKUS REVIEWRarely does a mystery novel succeed on so many levels, as the intricate plotting explores psychological and theological dimensions that go deeper than standard notions of good and evil.As a literary stylist as well as a master of mystery, Nesb¨ (Phantom, 2012, etc.) has established himself as the king of Scandinavian crime fiction, a genre that became an international sensation in the wake of the posthumous success of Stieg Larrson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (and its sequels and film adaptations). Yet, tracing the publishing trail of Nesb¨ and his series featuring the intuitive alcoholic Harry Hole requires some detective work of its own. This is actually the novel that precedes The Snowman (2011), the work that launched Nesb¨ internationally as a best-selling author, and the sixth Harry Hole novel overall (the first two have yet to be published in the United States). It may also be the best, or at least the richest, in its evocation of a sinister plot involving the Salvation Army during the Oslo Christmas season. The rape of one Salvation Army teen by another sows the seeds for all the complications that follow, yet it takes most of the novel for the reader to be certain of the identities of the rapist and victim, as the very notion of identity defies easy resolution throughout. With its themes of forgiveness and redemption, and the difference between the two, the novel presents every one of its characters as a flawed human being, unable to separate into categories of good guys and bad guys. In fact, the title character is a shadowy contract murderer, and redemption also serves as a euphemism for a junkie's fix. As one initially peripheral character who proves crucial tells Hole, ?You've discovered that guilt is not as black-and-white as you thought when you decided to become a policeman and redeem humankind from evil. As a rule there's little evil but a lot of human frailty. Many sad stories you can recognize in yourself.? Ultimately, a story with a lot of pieces to its puzzle hurtles toward a climax that is not merely sad, but tragic.Perhaps not the best novel for a Nesb¨ initiate, but those with an affinity for the darkest and most literary crime fiction will want to get here as soon as they can.Pub Date: May 10th, 2013ISBN: 978-0-307-59585-0Page count: 416ppPublisher: KnopfReview Posted Online: March 3rd, 2013Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15th, 2013

I've heard lots of good things about Scandinavian author Jo Nesbø and finally decided to check out one of his novels. I must say I'm really glad I did ! The Redeemer starts off a bit slow but eventually becomes extremely absorbing. The detective Harry Bole is a fascinating character but the assassin he pursues is just as fascinating. I actually found myself cheering him on and even Harry sees his a moral and worthy adversary. One of the most interesting things about this novel is that Harry's boss has to order him to carry a weapon. Can you imagine an American detective going about his duties unarmed? I can't. Just goes to show just how obsessed the United States with guns. In Scandinavia most of the cops don't even carry weapons ! ( )

This series gets progressively better. ( )

This got confusing. Everyone became the bad guy at some point in the novel. ( )

Það sem einkennir þessa sögu er sterk persónusköpun Nesbös og Harry Hole eitursnjall, fúll og breyskur höfðaði til mín. Skemmtileg flétta og kom reglulega á óvart en það fór í taugarnar á mér þegar Hole var látinn fatta glæpinn löngu áður en sagan kláraðist en lesandinn var ekki upplýstur um hvernig í pottinn var búið fyrr en seint og síðar meir. ( )