Review: The Redeemer

The Redeemer by Jo Nesbø
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

For those who have been following my reviews of Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole series, you will know my feelings towards the series are very mixed. I’m not the crazy fan I had hoped to be, but I find them to be okay reads for some quick entertainment. In truth, had I not brought a collection, I doubt I would have read this far into the series – yet as I own up to The Snowman, that is as far as I will be going. I can certainly appreciate why so many people are fans, but I’ve accepted I will not be such a person.

The Redeemer is book six of the series, and I think this is the book I’m most unsure about. My feelings have been mixed throughout, but never as much as towards this book. It was certainly an interesting story, but I feel as though things moved far too slowly for my liking. I kept expecting something big to happen, but even when shocking events occurred the impact was never what it should have been. Sure, it has left me intrigue to see how certain things develop in the rest of the series, but I was not blown away in the manner I had hoped to be. In fact, it was the little things in this one that I enjoyed more – the little snippets that have an impact upon the series, the things that make me look back at the prior books and question what I knew – rather than the crime within this one that had great potential to be truly addictive.

I think, by this point in the series, you get the best impact if you’re invested in all that is going on. I’m enjoying watching as things develop, but I’m not sucked into the world in the manner I am with other crime series. For those who are sucked in, this book contains more of the signature Jo Nesbø elements, ensuring fans will be plenty happy with the story and events they receive.

Overall, for me, this was another okay Jo Nesbø read. As I’ve said, I will read The Snowman, as I own it, but I’m unsure as when I will get around to it – for the moment, I plan to dive into some crime series I know I enjoy.

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