History Literature / HarryHole

* ChekhovsGun: In ''The Redbreast'', Sindre Fauke, a soldier who deserted the norwegian forces who fought for the nazis in WorldWar2, mentions to Harry multiple times that he's writing a book about the truth of Norway's involvement in the war compared to the whitewashed version that people are told about. [[spoiler: Upon reading the book, it confirms Harry's suspicion that "Sindre Fauke" is in fact Gudbrand Johansen, who developed a split personality based on his friend Daniel Gudeson, and killed the real Sindre Fauke to punish him for desertion.]]

* ChekhovsGgun: In ''The Redbreast'', Sindre Fauke, a soldier who deserted the norwegian forces who fought for the nazis in WorldWar2, mentions to Harry multiple times that he's writing a book about the truth of Norway's involvement in the war compared to the whitewashed version that people are told about. [[spoiler: Upon reading the book, it confirms Harry's suspicion that "Sindre Fauke" is in fact Gudbrand Johansen, who developed a split personality based on his friend Daniel Gudeson, and killed the real Sindre Fauke to punish him for desertion.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In ''The Redbreast'', it's mentioned a few times that a Waaler, a racist policeman that both Harry and Ellen dislike, is a fan of {{Music/Prince}} and loudly blasts his music in the police car.[[spoiler: This is the hint that signals to the audience that "the Prince", a clandestine arms dealer for the neo-nazis in Norway, is none other than Waaler himself.]]

Harry Hole is the protagonist in a series of crime thrillers by Norwegian Jo Nesbø. A detective in the Oslo Police Department, Harry is usually tolerated by his superiors and colleagues despite his [[TheAlcoholic habitual alcoholism]] and [[CowboyCop unorthodox methods]] because he is a brilliant detective. The first two novels in the series are set in respectively Australia and Thailand, while all the subsequent ones largely take place in and around Oslo. The series has been translated into several languages, reaching bestseller status in Britain and Germany, and contains ten novels so far:

* AnyoneCanDie

* MadeOfIron: Every book has [[OnceAnEpisode at least one scene]] where Harry -- through a combination of luck, guile, and [[TheDeterminator sheer bloody-mindedness]] -- survives something that would kill any normal person.

** After Ellen's death, Beate Lønn takes on [[ReplacementGoldfish takes on a very similar role]]. [[spoiler: That is, until she's murdered too.]]

A [[Film/TheSnowman2017 film adaptation]] of ''The Snowman'' is set for release on October 13, 2017 in the UK and October 20 in the US.

** The eponymous [[ProfessionalKiller Redeemer]] isn't going to let [[spoiler:attack dogs]] or [spoiler:being drugged and handcuffed]] stop him.

Nesbø's strong anti-authoritarian streak and concern for [[DistressedDamsel women in peril]] have earned him comparisons to the [[Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy Millenium Trilogy]] by the late Stieg Larsson, although Nesbø's work tends to be less overtly {{Anvilicious}} than Larsson's. His plotting has also been highly praised. ''The Redbreast'' was voted the best Norwegian crime novel of all time by a poll of Norwegian readers, and ''The Bat'' won the Glass Key award for Best Nordic Crime Novel.

* DrugsAreBad: No one who reads ''Phantom'' is going to have any desire to try opiates.

* RapeAndRevenge: Turns out to be a driving force of the plot of ''Nemesis'', along with a liberal amount of DrugsAreBad. Results in a major DownerEnding. [[spoiler:Gusto sold his adoptive sister Irene as a SexSlave in exchange for drugs. When Oleg finds out about this, he kills him.]]

* RapeAsDrama: Happens at least twice, due in no small part to the CrapsackWorld setting.

* [[spoiler: ThanatosGambit: Harry pulls one]] at the end of ''Gjenferd''. [[spoiler:Subverted, obviously, by there being another novel after it, [[SpoiledByTheFormat implying that he survives]]]].

* AbhorrentAdmirer/StalkerWithACrush: Truls Berntsen, to Bellmann's wife Ulla.

Nesbø's strong anti-authoritarian streak and concern for [[DistressedDamsel women in peril]] have earned him comparisons to the late [[Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy Millenium Trilogy]] by Stieg Larsson, although Nesbø's work tends to be less overtly {{Anvilicious}} than Larsson's. His plotting has also been highly praised. ''The Redbreast'' was voted the best Norwegian crime novel of all time by a poll of Norwegian readers, and ''The Bat'' won the Glass Key award for Best Nordic Crime Novel.

Don Bartlett did the translations, which did not appear in chronological order. The first novel in the series, ''The Bat'', finally appeared in English in late 2012, while ''Cockroaches' was the last of the series to appear in late 2013. Additionally, for some reason, ''The Redeemer'' was not released in the United States until long after ''The Snowman'' and ''The Leopard'' were available.

''Kakerlakkene'' (literally ''Cockroaches'') has yet to be translated into English; the others have been translated by Don Bartlett. The first novel in the series, ''The Bat'', finally appeared in English in late 2012, while the second novel, ''Kakerlakkene'', still has yet to be translated. Additionally, for some reason, ''The Redeemer'' was not released in the United States until long after ''The Snowman'' and ''The Leopard'' were available.

* ShoutOut: ''Flaggermusmannen'' and ''Rødstrupe'' translate to ''Bat Man'' and ''Robin''. ''Snømannen'' translates to ''Snow Man'' (Mr. Freeze?)

Harry Hole is the protagonist in a series of crime thrillers by Norwegian Jo Nesbø. A detective in the Oslo Police Department, Harry is usually tolerated by his superiors and colleagues despite his [[TheAlcoholic habitual alcoholism]] and [[CowboyCop unorthodox methods]] because he is a brilliant detective. The first two novels in the series are set in respectively Australia and Thailand, while all the subsequent ones largely take place in and around Oslo. The series has been translated into several languages, reaching bestseller status in Britain and Germany, and contains nine novels so far:

* 1998 – ''Kakerlakkene'' (''The Cockroaches''; not yet available in English)