Der Fledermausmann

3.5 stars. The book was a captivating one. The story focuses on the character as well as the plot. Definitely didn't see the end coming.

I did eventually warm up to this book however I am not raving about the series just yet. I will give Harry Hole another shot at catching my interest as the book absolutely caught my interest as it progressed and was a definite puzzler until the reveals began.

So...it is 2023 and I have just re-read The Bat. I guess my review from 2015 was correct because I've warmed even more to this book which many told me to skip. I love knowing the history of characters and this book did an excellent job of painting the history of Harry Hole. For fans of Nordic Crime I think this series is a win.

2,5/ 3⭐️
Czuje się, że to początki Jo Nesbo. Ekscytujące było kilka ostatnich stron. Byłam trochę rozczarowana rozwiązaniem plotu i sprawy.

This is one of those books that everyone seems to love (if you read the ad copy) but I didn't get it. I liked Nesbo's prose. I liked the characters. I just wasn't on board with the plot. It felt meandering and uneccessarily cryptic. I did love the infusion of Austrailian folk lore; that was awesome. Overall, he was unclear about details I felt should be explicitly described. Instead, Nesbo used euphemism and symbolic language to reveal important details. It made me feel daft and I hated that.

I really ended up not being a fan of this. Just not my taste.
I did like the narrator – his voice was interesting and fit the book well.

A bit gorier than I expected so yay, but who didn't see that ending coming?! Harry makes some really bad decisions.

A diferencia de muchas novelas policiales, El murciélago está conformado de capítulos cortos, que en un principio cuesta comprender, pero que a medida que avanza el libro le dan un ritmo muy claro a la historia. Harry Hole es un hombre atormentado, que lucha diariamente contra sus variados demonios. Sin duda quiero leer más de Jo Nesbø y conocer más a Harry.

I really enjoyed this one. The writing was top drawer and the characters had depth and were completely believable. I will definitely be following up Harry Hole books.

When I say depth, the whole book has a kind of depth to it that, up till now, I've found lacking in crime fiction for the most part. Maybe I've just not been reading the right ones.

Harry Holy, as the Aussies call him, is an interesting character. The story moves along at a fast pace, broken up by Harry's introspective examination of past events in his life. I'm not certain I like this fellow, but I don't know enough about him yet, so I'll move on to the next book in the series and learn more.

Only half finished this book. It never gripped me.

I was NOT prepared for this ending.

“The Bat”

I was really impressed by this thriller. It had me captivated from start to end, a real page-turner. being from Sydney,I really enjoyed the Sydney setting. The mystery had quite a few twists and turns which made me not to want to put the book down until I had finished. I certainly enjoyed Harry's character and look forward to reading more Harry Hole books.

To be honest, I am a bit disappointed by this one. It misses this gritty depressing feeling that the last one had. On the other hand, it is the first one from this series with the Harry Hole character. Still looking forward to the next one.

Um. Really? This is the international publishing sensation that has so many people (including non-mystery readers)? Is it just that Nesbø is profiting from being as Scandinavian as Stieg Larsson? I don't get it.

While I wouldn't call this anything special, The Bat is a perfectly adequate book about your typical dysfunctional cop with substance abuse issues and internal demons working a tough case, falling for someone who knew the victim, letting said substances and demons mess things up, before cracking the case at great personal cost. I know that seems spoilery, but it's not – the writing's on the wall within a couple of chapters.

It was a pleasant enough way to pass a few hours, and I'll probably pick up one or to more in the series, just to see if I get the fuss. But if you're wondering if you should read The Bat, I'd shrug and point you to a handful of other works. Go ahead and read it, but don't make it a priority.

I really am curious – has anyone read further on? Do they improve? What nugget of greatness did I miss?