About This Blog


This blog was started as a place to post book reviews. The books reviewed here will be mixed. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, General Fiction, NonFiction and more. Both positve and negative reviews will be posted, as well as reviews for books written for all ages and all reading levels.

Many of the books reviewed here are ones that I have purchased for my own reading pleasure. Some, I receive free in exchange for reviews. Beginning in December, 2009 you will know which are the free ones if you read the final paragraph of my reviews.

Also of note: I choose what I will read, attempting to avoid the books on which I would end up writing a negative review... but I have been known to make mistakes. Thus you see some one and two star reviews here. Since I don't enjoy writing negative reviews, I only write them if the review was promised, or if the book was so exceedingly bad, I just had to say so. Regardless of the percentage of positive to negative reviews on this blog, I give my honest opinion each and every time, and have never received financial compensation for posting my reviews.

Note that, except for fair use portions quoted from some of the books reviewed, all copyright in the content of the reviews belongs to Lady Dragoness.


Friday, February 12, 2010

The Norwegian "Dirty Harry"

Nemesis
Jo Nesbø
Harper (2009)
Hardcover, 480 pages
Rated 4 stars of 5 possible.

Hardcore mystery readers won't want to pass up this new novel by Jo Nesbø, in which the lead character is suspected of killing a former girlfriend.  The evidence, while circumstancial, is damning.  Harry Hole was the last person who saw Anna Bethsen alive... but that's not all, it's just the beginning. So, as the front cover of this novel says, "How do you catch a killer when you're the number one suspect?" Read Nemesis to find out.  I promise you won't be sorry.

Nemesis is a page-turner, with interlocking sub-plots tied together by the involvement of not just Harry, but a cast of characters you'll either love or love to hate. There's also a hint of corruption in the law enforcement of Oslo, Norway.  I've got to say that, while most plot strands are neatly wrapped up, there exists, in the end, an opening for the next novel.

Some readers find the "damaged hero" model has been over-worked, yet this author takes that oldish plot stand-by and does a good job with it. As Harry Hole unravels the mystery, I kept thinking "...every dirty job..." Those of you familiar with the Clint Eastwood "Dirty Harry" character, who starred in several films, will know what I'm talking about. Seems to me like Harry Hole is the Norwegian answer to Dirty Harry.

This review has been simultaneously posted on Amazon.com, Dragonviews and Library Thing.

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