The Devil's Star Book

"Harry had felt the gnawing ache for alcohol from the moment he woke up that morning. First as an instinctive physical craving, then as a panic-stricken fear because he had put a distance between himself and his medicine by not taking his hip flask or any money with him to work. Now the ache was entering a new phase in which it was both a wholly physical pain and a feeling of blank terror that he would be torn to pieces. The enemy below was pulling and tugging at the chains, the dogs were snarling up at him from the pit, somewhere in his stomach beneath his heart. God, how he hated them. He hated them as much as they hated him."


Fassbender is Harry Hole.

Harry Hole has always been a heavy drinker, but the longer he has been a cop, the more baggage he has acquired, which has recently escalated his drinking from the problem stage to the critical stage.

If he could stop being a cop, maybe he would drink less.
If he drank less, maybe he could be with the woman he loves.
If he could be with the woman he loves, then maybe he could fight the demons in his head.

The new case he has been assigned has elements that intersect his own life. He is having horrible nightmares, and fears the torture that sleep has become. A symbol he is unfamiliar with is found at the crime scene. This design takes on new significance when he learns of its meaning.

"'It's what we call a mare cross, or a devil's star.'

'A mare cross?'

'A pagan symbol. They used to carve it over beds or doorways to keep away the mare.'

'The mare?'

'The mare, yes. As in night-mare. A female demon who sits on the chest of a sleeping person and rides him so that he has bad dreams.'"

I know it sounds a bit sexy having a female demon in your bed riding your chest, but this isn't some goth chick you've picked up down at the local dance club for a bit of horizontal action. This demon, in the form of a woman, is terrifying, and if Harry can't find a way to get her off his chest, she will ride him right into the grave.

This She-Demon has been riding Harry like the free ride pony at the state fair. Drunk or sober, she strokes those things back to life that he fears and turns them into horrors. She takes the bad memories already staining his mind, and twists them into dreadful, sweat inducing terrors.

Meanwhile, there is a case to be solved.

He has been paired with Tom Waaler, the other great detective in the department. Harry believes that Waaler is dirty, not just dirty, but filthy dirty. Their animosity for one another has reached an arch-nemesis level. I've stepped over the corpses of more than a few of my arch -nemeses over the years, and frankly, as much joy as there is in the vanquishing, there is always something missing when they are no longer there to create that burst of stimulating sparks.

Women are being murdered, so whatever problems they have with each other catching the killer has to be the top priority."He intrudes where women feel at their most secure. Into their home. Into a street in broad daylight. Into the Ladies' room at work."

The killer leaves a token behind, maybe a payment for their lives or maybe just a bit of showmanship. A red diamond in the shape of a star.

Harry's resignation/asked to leave papers are ready to be signed, but the city of Oslo needs Harry to step up one more time and catch this killer before that she-demon starts riding everyone's chest. Being paired with Waaler is more than enough motivation for Harry to stow the sauce and start being the brilliant detective they need him to be, but with a convoluted case that is baffling the force, Harry can't help but start to care again.

The problem is, when anyone starts to care again, they open themselves up to being emotionally eviscerated.


Jo Nesbo

I saw a trailer for the new movie starring Michael Fassbender called Snowman, based on the Jo Nesbo book. I instantly, in the dark of the theater, did a mental calculation to determine how many Nesbo books I needed to read before that movie comes out. The Devil's Star, Redeemer, and Snowman, so no problem. Three months, three books. Too easy. All I really need is three days. So don't be surprised if you see another Nesbo review from me next month and another the month after that. I might be behind on Harry, but Harry is always there waiting for me. If you want to try your hand at some Nordic Noir, Nesbo is a great place to start.

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