Set in Oslo, this thriller follows the fortunes of Harry Hole – an inspector with such severe personal and professional problems that he has turned to drink – as he reluctantly agrees to join an old adversary (Tom Waaler, whom he suspects of corruption and murder) in investigating a series of macabre murders. An intriguing investigation is complicated by the tensions with and suspicions of Waaler, asa well as Hole’s apparently doomed relationship with Rakel and her son, Oleg. The plot twists and turns and the reader must concentrate to keep up with this continuously gripping novel until its dramatic finale. ( )

The premise behind The Devil's Star could have been very interesting and it was a novelty to read a crime novel set in Norway. However, the characters in this book were far too stereotypical and the investigative techniques have been done to death. If I had to sum this book up in one word, I would say it was ordinary. I had forgotten it almost as soon as I had finished it. The Devil's Star is OK if your looking for something you don't have to think too hard about but I'd avoid it otherwise. ( )

While it was the first book of Nesbø's to be translated, it's actually the fifth book in the series. I was lucky because I figured this out before I read it, since there are major events in the previous two books (and probably the first two as well, but those aren't available in English) that lead up to and explain what happens in The Devil's Star. It is a brilliant, engrossing and thrilling novel. I simply adore Detective Harry Hole, even with all his flaws, because he is such a great character. I long for the day all the books in Nesbø's Harry Hole series are translated into English. The Devil's Star has three subplots, the obvious one of murder(s) and two continued from previous books: the first, involving Harry and a woman who is in and out of his life (the first set of spoilers that would ruin earlier novels) and a long-standing battle with his nemesis that eventually comes to a head (which would make no sense without having read the previous books). I can definitely see why they translated The Devil's Star first, but if you can, read them in the correct order (translated titles available: The Redbreast, Nemesis and then The Devil's Star). I think that Nesbø's series is one the best. ( )

A good story if rather gruesome! A bit more of a thriller than a detective story. ( )

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/node/... ( )