'Police', the latest crime thriller by Jo Nesbø, is steeped in suspense and action. As is well known, it is the ultimate aim of every suspense writer to weave a mysterious plot involving a wide variety of characters, all of whom have adequate motives for a crime, so as to confuse a reader, propel him through a journey of thrills and guesses, while satisfying his curiosity by logically concluding the plot at the end. Creating such a multi-layered plot that sounds realistic and yet has a novel and unexpected storyline is no simple accomplishment.
With 'Police', Jo Nesbø clearly establishes his mastery in the art of creating suspense thrillers once again.
For those who are new to Jo Nesbø, this novel is part of a series featuring the popular character Harry Hole and is the writer’s 10th thriller novel. Harry Hole is a former Norwegian police detective, who has been out of action as a result of his choices after the events outlined in an earlier novel. Although this is a Harry Hole novel, his entry and actions are delayed till the initial one-thirds of the novel. Hole has had a brilliant track record in solving criminal cases with his clever thinking and the ability to spot and decipher clues that escape the notice of his peers. Hole’s absence is greatly acknowledged by his loyal team of former colleagues as they grapple with the unsolved murders of members of the police force. They cooperate with each other and work on attempting to unravel the mystery just as Hole, their star performer would have done. This in itself comes as a great surprise for the reader, as one feels that the team is working fine even without Hole. But in fact, it is the writer’s clever ploy to create a great background for Hole’s entry and also to build up the roles of his team members.
As a series of unexplained gruesome murders begins to take place regularly, the team realises that it is not a coincidence that every victim is killed in the very same location and situation as in a previous unsolved crime scene. Added to that is the fact that the victim himself had been an investigating officer in the previous case.
Apparently, the killer is someone seeking revenge for all unsolved crimes, smartly and cunningly luring his unsuspecting victims to a location and time of his choice. Is this the killer’s way of punishing the incompetent lot in the police force? But it is a fact that some crime cases remain unresolved in spite of best efforts. What motivates the killer to expose the past failures of his victims in such a gruesome and blood stained manner?
Harry Hole, who has given up his career in the police force, is now engaged in teaching at the police academy. He does not wish to risk the safety of his girlfriend Rakel and her son Oleg, and has thus taken up this “safe” career instead.
While Hole’s loyal team comprising of forensics experts Beate Lønn and Bjørn Holm, researcher Katrine Bratt and psychologist Ståle Aune come up with convincing theories and work brilliantly on solving the cases, making some advances, they are not able to succeed. Also lurking in the background are corruption and conspiracy at the highest levels, which force the team to work in secrecy and occasionally work around few procedural requirements.
Meanwhile, pressure from the media and the spate of killings spur the team to accelerate their investigations. Hole’s reluctance to join the team as a detective, eventually ends tragically when a member of the team is victimised. But the case is still far from being solved. Although Hole possesses skills such as intuitive ability to see patterns and motives that are not visible to the common eye, the killer is equally brilliant in outwitting Hole. Revealing more details would be a spoiler for the reader. Suffice it to say that Jo Nesbø takes the reader on a long, winding and suspenseful journey while Hole and his team relentlessly pursue the killer. Although there are several characters portrayed as probable suspects or villains, they continuously evolve and are shown in different light and perspectives, thus leaving the reader wrong footed many a time.
Credit is due to the writer for creating such realistic characters with all too human traits and weaving such a complex multilayered plot involving many intersecting storylines.
Hole is a hero with his own shortcomings as a human being. He is fiercely loyal to his girlfriend and yet when an infatuated student makes undesirable advances, he is distracted. He conquers his weaknesses, but this eventually converts the spurned student to turn vindictive. The apparent rivalry amongst some of his peers also simmers underneath. All these incidents add to the undercurrent of tension in the plot. Not just Hole, but all the characters have been well developed and this enhances the realistic feel of the story.
The style of writing is minimalistic and elegant, creating the effect needed for a thriller. The length of the chapters is just right, building up a scene while moving the storyline and often ending on a note of suspense to keep the reader’s attention hooked. The pace is sometimes slowed to lull the reader into a false sense of security until another unexpected murder takes place.
The scene is then revisited much later to reveal the subsequent events and satisfy the reader’s curiosity. The twists in the plot are most unexpected and although the reader is mentally prepared to expect the unexpected, he is in no way able to rightly guess the killer.
Overall, the novel provides a captivating and exciting experience that engages the reader till the very end. If you are a Harry Hole fan, then this novel is for you, and if you have not been introduced to Hole before, now is the time to get introduced to this fantastic creation of Jo Nesbø as he goes about brilliantly solving this murder mystery trail.
Paritosh Uttam is the author of Dreams in Prussian Blue. He lives in Pune and is a software engineer by profession.
