The Bat cover art

The Bat

A Harry Hole Thriller, Book 1

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The Bat

By: Jo Nesbo, Don Bartlett - translator
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

*DETECTIVE HOLE IS SOON TO BE A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES**

Discover the addictive first book in the bestselling Harry Hole series.

Harry is out of his depth.

Detective Harry Hole is meant to keep out of trouble. A young Norwegian girl taking a gap year in Sydney has been murdered, and Harry has been sent to Australia to assist in any way he can.

He's not supposed to get too involved.

When the team unearths a string of unsolved murders and disappearances, nothing will stop Harry from finding out the truth. The hunt for a serial killer is on, but the murderer will talk only to Harry.

He might be the next victim.

'A stunning opening to the series' Sunday Times

'Meaty, big and bloody, this is the rock and roll of detective fiction' Financial Times

'A searing read from a chilling thriller writer' Independent

© Jo Nesbo 2012 (P) Penguin Audio 2012

 Crime Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives World Literature Crime Fiction Murder Thriller Exciting

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Critic Reviews

A fascinating book, filling in the gaps in Hole’s biography and telling the story of the murder case in Australia that cemented his reputation as a brilliant investigator... A stunning opening to the series
Meaty, big and bloody, this is the rock and roll of detective fiction
Nesbo is a terrific writer who knows how to build a story, taking you slowly to the top of a rollercoaster before sending you hurtling towards a solution that you never see coming
Harry Hole is fully formed as the difficult, vulnerable personality we have come to know. The evocation of Australia itself has the customary Nesbo expertise...most satisfyingly - we can now see the organic shape that Nesbo always intended his work to take
Whether a hardened Hole addict or a first-time imbiber, The Bat is sure to snare your interest with its tale of this booze-fuelled policeman
A searing read from a chilling thriller writer
Hole is a spiky character and this is the first novel to feature him. If you want to get to know this brilliant, flawed character, this is the best place to start (William Leith)
An ambitious, fun, exciting and original crime novel
The Bat is a truly captivating crime novel
The Bat is innovative and different, and the pace that Jo Nesbo creates in his debut novel makes you long for more crime novels featuring Harry Hole
All stars
Most relevant
If you can get past the silly portrayal of all things Australian the story is entertaining.

Almost a winner

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i have never read this author before although i love the crime/thriller genre. Loved the well constructed plot and well researched story and main character. I will read/listen to more Nesbo

a discovery

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Stone the bloody crows! It’s the 1990s and Norwegian detective Inspector Harry Hole is sent to Sydney to assist with the investigation of the murder of a Norwegian national. Defying instructions, Harry takes an active role in the case, encountering drag queens, pimps and prostitutes, and some of the Indigenous community as he tracks down a serial killer. I have mixed feelings about this. Given that author Jo Nesbo is Norwegian, the story (understandably) felt like a fair dinkum tourist’s view of Australia with lots of facts about Australia, larger-than-life characters including a saltwater crocodile and a great white shark, and a series of long Dreamtime monologues - the only things missing were the redbacks! Despite the heavy-handed stereotypes, the plot and characters were interesting, especially Harry’s dysfunctional backstory. Nesbo admires Harry Bosch and the character similarities are intentional. Audio narrator Sean Barrett is a British actor but his Australian accents were excellent and his performance impressive. I didn’t expect his pronunciation of Australian place names to be bonza (they were fine), he’s narrating from Harry’s Norwegian POV.

High on stereotype but interesting all the same!

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I enjoyed that this book introduced Harry Hole, but the story was very slow and the plot a bit erratic. But I have enjoyed other Harry Hole books but had not experienced the first.

I am glad I was exposed to a different plot
First as I don’t think I would have read on if this
Was my first.

Introducing Harry Hole

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Good book Thank you Jo for writing this book & Thank you Sean Barret for reading to me much appreciated 💜💜💜💜

The Bat by Jo Nesbø

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