Has anyone read the Jo Nesbo books??? Are they worth checking out??

[MrFranklyShankly]

I received Jo Nesbos latest book, in what seems like a long running series, with the central character, Dectective harry something or other, in the lot of them, seems like they are all connected soooo are they worth getting and reading from the beginning??? I have read the Stig Larson triology and thought they were the biggest waste of time. A sticker on front of this book, The leopard, tells me he's the next Stig Larson, so that's slightly putting me off! Any reviews would be appreciated.

Not sure, but when I was buying the last 'Larsson' book the guy in the book shop suggested that Nesbos was similar.

What did you hate about the Larsson books?

I did not like the Larsson books - just have not been able to get into them.

But loved the Snowman by Jo Nesbo and will definitely read some others..

I've read all the Nesbo books and love them. They're much less dry and political than the Larsson books and they're faster paced. Although the stories do get more outlandish as the series continues.

I like them, The Snowman was my favourite so far (still need to read The Leopard)
The thing I struggled with was pronunciation of place names and people, although could manage Harry

I didn't get on with the Larsson books - i think I managed 11 pages, but I quite enjoyed the snowman. It's very over the top in parts and I had to guess how to pronounce some of the character/place names but it is an easy read. I don't think I'll go out of my way to read any more from the series though.

I loved the Snowman and the Leopard, I will buy the other books in the series even though that means I will be reading them out of order! I thought they were both gripping and tense. I haven't read the Larsson stories so cannot compare.

I've only read 'The Snowman' and I thought it was dreadful. Doubt I'll bother with any more. I gave up with the Larson - unreadable. The Snowman was at least readable - but rubbish.

Thanks for all the reviews, sounds like I might like the Snowman...although I think I'll read the Leopard and like you Saxony just read the others if I find this one good. I love Mark Billingham so thats good to know Bran that they're more similar to those....I dont know Phyllis, I found the Larson books so slow paced, and then something interesting would happen and then it would become very complicated with all this policital stuff and then they'd have sex, eat cheese sandwhiches and drink coffee, some unbelievable computer hacking would go on, more cheese sandwhiches with coffee!!! I have to say I actually enjoyed the 2nd book of the 3, but gave up half way through the 3rd....just didnt get it to be honest!

I just thought I'd be missing lots of things in the Leopard by not having read the others, but I take it from what ye have all said I wont?

I've just told my husband to start from the very beginning. I read them all in order and there are some bits where past crimes and situations are referred to. But, you don't have to and it won't hinder understanding of any book.
I loved them all. And Larsson.

Your review made me chuckle Frankly there was a lot of coffee and random sex...I want DP to read the books to see how realistic the hacking actually was (he does IT stuff for a living). I did also wonder if Lasson was being sponsored by apple!

Snowman was utter rubbish. Then when it's all explained, you want to laugh because it is all so far-fetched.

Larsson's books are slow-paced and talk about coffees etc because that is what real life is like.

DH really rated The Snowman, so I'll get round to reading that.

I've been put off by the films in the case of Larsson - really didn't get into any of them.

I loved Larsson and love Nesbo but they are very, very different. I read The Redeemer first and then the others in quite a random order - would definitely recommend going back to the beginning and reading sequentially and there is quite a lot of referencing. I read a lot of crime/thriller stuff and would say that Nesbo is up there on my list.

I was given 3 for Christmas - really enjoyed The Redbreast, found myself skipping through Nemesis (always find those falsely accused type story lines irritating) and so haven't bothered with the last one I own.

would recommend Henning Mankell or Karin Fossum as better Scandinavian crime fiction.

Love the nesbos. It is so frustrating that Batman and Cockroach are not available in Englsih!!

It's nothing but a marketing ploy to call Jo Nesbo the new Stieg Larsson - as seen on the book jackets - JN was largely published first. They're both Scandinavians who write crime novels but apart from that are completely different.

I enjoyed The Millennium Trilogy and The Snowman, however if you disliked SL, but enjoy straightforward crime/thrillers, you might well be OK with Jo Nesbo.

Better than both, IMO, is Tom Rob Smith, who wrote Child 44 and The Secret Speech .. halfway between the two previously-mentioned authors as far as the amount of social comment, political detail etc included goes. Very readable and atmospheric

I've got the Snowman, so should I read the others first? Which is the first?
(I read one Mankell - Italian Shoes - and was v bored. Are his others better?)

I started with the Redbreast and read from there, and am glad I read them in order as many of the minor characters in the later books were primary characters in the earlier books. I liked Stieg Larsson as well but disagree that he and Nesbo are similar apart from them both being Scandanavian - IMO calling Nesbo the new Larsson is misleading and unfair on Nesbo who writes good books in his own right

I wonder if there are any plans to translate the Batman and Cockroaches...perhaps I should email his editors in a saddo fashion....

I have really enjoyed the Nesbo books and would recommend (in an ideal world) to try to read them in order as some of the outcomes in earlier books are referred to in later books so that if (like me) you latch on to plot twists and turns as part of the main enjoyment , this could be spoiled for you.
I have to say that it is somewhat annoying that booksellers have promoted Nesbo as the next Larssen and have coined the term Scandanavian fiction. Nesbo is Norwegian not Swedish - they are separate countries and the people are actually quite different.
I have read all the Nesbo, Larssen and alot of Henning Mankell aswell as recently Lackerberg. Each author has used plots linking back to WW2 but each country has a different take on that time depending on whether they were occupied or not and the recent rise in fascist organisations has been viewed through these different prisms.

We could start a pressure group, Sistersootica! Mind you., I reckon they must have it in hand - he has really taken off in the last year, they'd be mad not to.

Bigbadbarry I haven't read Italian Shoes but mentioned Mankell because I loved the Wallander books. Didn't really read crime novels before that, but they are more straightforward police procedurals than SL.

There's some if the social comment and politics, and although to am extent they are less up to date (written in the 90s), the themes are still very relevant.

I've tried a couple of his other books but didn't enjoy them as much except for The Return of the Dancing Master which is very similar only with a different detective.

I didn't like The Snowman - it gave me bad dreams. Not really sure why, it wasn't massively graphic or anything, but I had a horrible unsettled night's sleep after reading it (about 100 pages in) so gave up.