Well, I did it. I gave up on the Chet and Bernie series a little more than 1/2 way through. Here's the difficult thing about a series: you need to develop the recurring characters without being repetitive; each new edition to the series must feel like a new story but the character must evolve. Laurie King did it wonderfully with her Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series but Spencer Quinn simply repeated the same story just in a different locale/with a different mystery to solve.
So, I've moved on to a new series and I hope Mr. Nesbo can accomplish the difficult task of developing the wonderfully flawed Harry Hole (hoo-leh) with a new and inventive story; as there are 12 books in the series!
The Bat - named after the Australian Aboriginal "Garden of Eden" style story - introduces us to Harry Hole, a Norwegian inspector with the Oslo Crime Squad as he is sent to Australia to assist in the investigation of the murder of a Norwegian woman there. I enjoyed reading about Australian history and folklore and the mystery plot had red herrings that kept you guessing the real killer's identity till the very end. Nesbo's writing is entertainingly descriptive, yet the multiple metaphors applied to a bar fight slowed down the action scene to make it almost comical in nature. I really enjoyed getting to know Harry, oh poor Harry.
Already looking forward to Book #2.
Quotes: "Human nature is a vast impenetrable forest which no one can know in its entirety."
"People are afraid of what they don't understand. And hate what they're afraid of."
"And how long does it take to really know someone?...it doesn't take very long to get to know the beaten tracks through the big, dark forest. Some people have fine, straight paths and streetlamps and road signs. They seem to tell you everything. But that's where you should be careful you don't take anything for granted. Because you don't find the forest's animals on illuminated paths, you find them in the bushes and the scrub.***Some forests are darker than others."
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