This is the third of Jo Nesbo's books to be reviewed here. I've also read The Snowman, his most famous work, and The Jealousy Man, a more recent collection of his short stories.
The Redbreast represents a much earlier effort from the same author. It was the third of his novels to see publication, and also the third of his novels to feature protagonist Harry Hole. It's a far less mature work than the universally acclaimed The Snowman, revealing an author less ready to cut down a story to its essential details.
The novel opens with Harry Hole's failed assignment in support of the U.S. Secret Service, and from there moves into a murky plot involving Norwegian neo-Nazis, actual Norwegian Nazis fighting on the front lines during World War II, and a series of inexplicable murders centered around an illegally imported rifle.
To be honest, I had trouble getting through The Redbreast. It's very obtuse at times, and I had a lot of difficulty telling one Norwegian ex-Nazi from another. The parts of the novel set in the modern day are alright, but they're never successfully tied to the parts of the book taking place near the end of WWII. The "twist" at the end really comes out of left field, and seems more an attempt to bring a narrative that's going nowhere fast to a desperate close.
In my opinion it's a mediocre book by a writer who'd go on to do much better things. It's not terrible, but it does suffer in comparison to his most famous work.
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