A young woman is murdered in her Oslo flat. One finger has been severed from her left hand, and behind her eyelid is secreted a tiny red diamond in the shape of a five-pointed star — a pentagram, the devil’s star. Detective Harry Hole is assigned to the case with his long-time adversary Tom Waaler and initially wants no part in it. But Harry is already on notice to quit the force and is left with little alternative but to drag himself out of his alcoholic stupor and get to work. A wave of similar murders is on the horizon. An emerging pattern suggests that Oslo has a serial killer on its hands, and the five-pointed devil’s star is key to solving the riddle.
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"This is a very good crime novel set in Norway, the authors home country. The characters and the plot are well thought out. I was surprised by a number of turns that the plot took. The main character, police detective, Harry Hole is on his last legs with the police department, his girlfriend, and humanity in general. He has been haunted since his childhood by his quilt of losing his younger sister in a bizarre elevator accident, which he was powerless to stop. Now the young female detective he had been working with on a police corruption case, has been murdered and he feels it is his fault. He tries drowning his guilt with liquor and pushing away all his acquaintances, including his girlfriend. An opportunity to redeem himself and to avenge the killing of his partner arises when he is forced to work a case with detective Waaler, whom Harry suspects of murdering his partner. The case starts when a girl is found naked, murdered in her apartment with one finger cut off. Under one eyelid a red star shaped diamond is found. This and two similar murders set in motion the twisting plot that brings the murder and Harry's problems to a denouement"
— Ronald (4 out of 5 stars)
" Fast-paced, engrossing narrative filled with twists and surprising turns. The conclusion however, as it happens with Nesbo, is a bit too convoluted to be plausible. "
— Valentina, 2/3/2014" Great airplane read, but I can't read anything else from him since deplaning. "
— Paul, 1/24/2014" Very satisfying end to the three-book story arc which started in Redbreast, was continued in Nemesis, and completed in The Devil's Star. I've already purchased the next Harry Hole to read, and will devour it as soon as I finish my current novel. Nesbo realistically captures the life of an alcoholic police detective struggling to keep it together long enough to catch the bad guy. Half the suspense is in hoping that Harry doesn't collapse--or relapse--before the end of the book. I never would have thought that could be entertaining, but it is. "
— Maria, 1/22/2014" Excellent! Can't wait to read another of Nesbo's. "
— Meg, 1/14/2014" I really liked this book. I thought the book was written in a way that it kept you almost waiting and trying to figure out what is going to happen next. Once or twice I was really wrong with my guess. If you like detective, crime novels this one is for you. "
— Bubba61909, 1/13/2014" I really liked it. Will read more from Jo Nesbo. Interesting characters. "
— Quistis, 1/2/2014" It took me quite a while before the book took me in. It did get quite enthralling in the second half though. I guess, overall, it was a nice reading but certainly not the most exiting book, I have ever read. "
— Raccoon, 12/30/2013" A great read with a twist at the end...Can't do better than these Scandinavian authors. "
— John, 12/25/2013" Jo Nesbo is a good writer who keeps the reader guessing right to the end. Reading the Harry Hole books in order would be helpful (something I did not do) "
— Sophie, 12/22/2013" Crazy and violent like all the Nesbo books but I am quite addicted to them and find them a good diversion between other books on my list. "
— Linda, 12/19/2013" Another good, solid Harry Hole procedural. "
— Lynn, 10/17/2013" Definitely the best of the Harry Hole books I've read so far. I've read #3, #4 and obviously this is number 5. Very satisfying overlapping investigations. "
— Jeff, 10/7/2013" Kind of like Stieg Larsson except much much better. "
— Jennifer, 9/21/2013" Mad about Harry Hole! "
— Eleni, 5/22/2013" I love characters like Harry Hole. They are complex and flawed. I enjoy Nesbo's book because I find it hard to guess 'who done it'. "
— Lee, 5/16/2013" Another fabulous book by Nesbo! I love everything about this guy's books. "
— April, 4/3/2013" great read! I really like the character Harry Hole. Totally flawed, but interesting! Jo Nesbo has become my next favorite author "
— Dee, 3/25/2013" Instead of getting up at midnight and eating 10 mars bars, I now read Harry "The Flawed Hero" Hole books. "
— Paul, 3/20/2013" Not the best Harry Hole, but a good mystery none the less. Much less gruesome than the Snowman or Leopard. "
— Moira, 3/18/2013" Too many words marred an otherwise exciting mystery. "
— Stuart, 1/31/2013" Devil's Star is the best mystery thriller I've read in several years, and I've read some good ones. It is well-written, intricately plotted, with attractive characters. It balances an extremely dark story with clever writing and colorful storytelling. Excellent. "
— Nancy, 1/19/2013" I didn't really enjoy The Redbreast so this was an enormous improvement and I read it in one sitting. The characters and plot were engaging, the writing fluid and the last few chapters were pleasingly tense! "
— Catherine, 12/15/2012" I cannot get enough of this series. For fans of twisted, dark anti-hero centered mysteries. "
— Chad, 12/15/2012" Kept me guessing..... Some good twists and surprises. "
— Melissa, 8/25/2012" Good, but the snowman is much better. "
— Marry, 1/18/2012" Much of this was plodding and predictable. Picked up with a few twists at the end, but nearly ran out of patience before getting there. Wouldn't rush to read another in series. "
— Stacey, 9/2/2011" If you don't know who Harry Hole is you don't one of the best characters in recent Detective fiction. "
— John, 7/11/2011" Thought this one was the weakest for the 4 Nesbo books I've read. Didn't much care for the villain. "
— Kristin, 5/21/2011Jo Nesbø is a musician, songwriter, and economist, as well as a writer. His Harry Hole novels include The Redeemer, The Snowman, The Leopard, and Phantom, and he is also the author of several stand-alone novels and the Doctor Proctor series of children’s books. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Glass Key for best Nordic crime novel.
Jo Nesbø is a New York Times bestselling author whose books have sold fifty-five million copies worldwide and have been translated into fifty languages. He is a recipient of the Raymond Chandler Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Judy Young is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.