The Bat

I enjoyed The Bat by Jo Nesbo which is the first in the Harry Hole series.  It was written in 1997 but only recently translated.  We began reading the series with The Redbreast (translated in 2006) which had some references to Hole solving a serial killer case in Sydney.  Six books later we return to the first story.  He is a Norwegian detective and he's sent to Sydney to liaise with detectives investigating the murder of a young female  Norwegian TV personality.  He is teamed up with an aboriginal detective, Andrew, who shows him around.  There is also a romantic interest as Harry starts dating a Swedish girl who worked at the same bar as the murdered the Norwegian girl.  There are a number of twists and turns along the way, and as is typically Jo Nesbo, some are quite ugly.  The book, particularly at first has a number of Australian cliches which may grate, but bearing in mind the story was originally for a Norwegian readership it likely educated them (and now us) about some Australian history. 4/5