Review: Nemesis

Nemesis by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nemesis is the fourth of Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole series. I wasn’t crazy about the first book, but I’d heard many good things about the series and decided to continue. I enjoyed the second book much more, and I could see why the series was so popular. I wasn’t crazy about the third book, but it opened up the potential for a continuing storyline. Wanting more of the continuing storyline, I was more than willing to dive into book four.

I will be honest and say I wasn’t crazy about book four either. I can appreciate the story that is developing throughout this series, but I can honestly say I doubt Harry Hole will ever be one of my favourite detectives to read. I can see why he is the favourite of many people, but in the same way I can appreciate Rebus, it does not mean I will find myself deep in the obsession realm of fandom.

I feel as though my issue with this series is that I’m not as sucked into it as I would like to be. I enjoy watching how things unfold, I appreciate the story, but I never find myself sucked into it. These books are quite lengthy for mystery novels, and a lot does happen – yet it never feels as though it is. In retrospect I can point out all the different elements, but when I’m in the thick of the story I constantly feel as though I’m waiting for the next big thing to happen.

A part of me is questioning whether it is a case of the translation I’m reading. There is always an interesting story to unfold, yet I constantly feel as though I’m on the outside. I never feel the emotion that should go with such a story, and that is what leaves me feeling as though I’m sitting on the outside. The saying of something being lost in translation has me questioning whether the ‘something’ in question here is the emotion.

Although I’m not as sucked into this series as I would like to be, I am curious to see where things go from here. The lingering questions from the prior book are still in my mind, and the little glimpses we were given in this one have left me more intrigued about how things come together. I read somewhere that the next book ends an unofficial trilogy following this arc, and I’m certainly curious for those details.

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