How to Write a Harry Hole Novel
What’s the formula behind every Harry Hole novel? (Including Knife). It’s made up of four elements:
1. Harry’s EPIC struggle with alcohol.
2. During the investigation, someone close to him gets killed. (You wouldn’t want to be his colleague, trust me.)
3. A dizzying mix-up of suspects that leaves you in a daze.
4. A style that’s far more fluid and lively compared to typical Scandinavian crime novels, making it nearly impossible to put down.
The Recipe Fails
This formula worked pretty well up until the previous novel (The Thirst), but that’s where it all fell apart. It became impossible to take seriously the endless stream of obvious red herrings, each one blatantly screaming “fake” from a mile away. And they really were just that—fake. Then, of course, another one of Harry’s hunches would come along, and the whole cycle would start over again.
Well, the same thing happens with Knife. You start reading the 12th installment in the Harry Hole series and think, “This is awesome.” And it is, in terms of character handling. But then you notice that Nesbo isn’t even bothering to create the illusion of an investigation anymore. Harry just points to someone and firmly declares, “This miserable bastard did it!” But you, the reader, know very well—despite the numerous chapters designed to make this character look as guilty as someone caught at midnight on a street corner with a bludgeon in hand, drooling through a mask, standing over a passed-out, jewel-laden woman in a fur coat—that it’s not that miserable bastard who did it.
Hey, Where Did That Filthy Truls Brentsen Go?
And then there’s Truls Brentsen, the most despicable creature in the Hole universe, who barely makes an appearance in this book. This is a problem because the most interesting scenes in the previous installment were tied to this police disgrace nicknamed Beavis. And he was very, very, very slowly beginning to change. And suddenly, you found yourself rooting for this filthy scumbag. And it all ended with a nice little cliffhanger. So now, what do we get? What? WHAT?
And yet. Despite everything, this book still works, somewhat. A bit clunkily, though.
Jo Nesbo Aims to Dazzle
Even though Harry isn’t eliminating suspects through proper investigation but rather because they confess to him, saying: “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. But I had nothing to do with this case, sorry.”
Despite the false suspects, the mystery still grips you. And Harry’s involvement is much, much greater. Almost TOO MUCH so. And the culprit? Get ready—they are even less credible. This is, of course, debatable, but I can imagine that many readers will be stunned near the end of the book, concluding that Jo Nesbo has completely lost his grip. Or maybe he just didn’t have a single decent idea, but one thing’s for sure: he sacrifices ALL common sense on the altar of the biggest possible surprise. And Knife successfully stabs itself into the reader’s brain…
Rating: 7.9/10
Knife by (Harry Hole #12) Jo Nesbø
531 pages, Hardcover
Published in 2019 by Harvill Secker