The Bat cover art

The Bat

A Harry Hole Thriller, Book 1

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The Bat

By: Jo Nesbo, Don Bartlett - translator
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

*DETECTIVE HOLE IS SOON TO BE A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES**

Discover the addictive first book in the bestselling Harry Hole series.

Harry is out of his depth.

Detective Harry Hole is meant to keep out of trouble. A young Norwegian girl taking a gap year in Sydney has been murdered, and Harry has been sent to Australia to assist in any way he can.

He's not supposed to get too involved.

When the team unearths a string of unsolved murders and disappearances, nothing will stop Harry from finding out the truth. The hunt for a serial killer is on, but the murderer will talk only to Harry.

He might be the next victim.

'A stunning opening to the series' Sunday Times

'Meaty, big and bloody, this is the rock and roll of detective fiction' Financial Times

'A searing read from a chilling thriller writer' Independent

© Jo Nesbo 2012 (P) Penguin Audio 2012

 Crime Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives World Literature Crime Murder Exciting Thriller Fiction

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Critic reviews

A fascinating book, filling in the gaps in Hole’s biography and telling the story of the murder case in Australia that cemented his reputation as a brilliant investigator... A stunning opening to the series
Meaty, big and bloody, this is the rock and roll of detective fiction
Nesbo is a terrific writer who knows how to build a story, taking you slowly to the top of a rollercoaster before sending you hurtling towards a solution that you never see coming
Harry Hole is fully formed as the difficult, vulnerable personality we have come to know. The evocation of Australia itself has the customary Nesbo expertise...most satisfyingly - we can now see the organic shape that Nesbo always intended his work to take
Whether a hardened Hole addict or a first-time imbiber, The Bat is sure to snare your interest with its tale of this booze-fuelled policeman
A searing read from a chilling thriller writer
Hole is a spiky character and this is the first novel to feature him. If you want to get to know this brilliant, flawed character, this is the best place to start (William Leith)
An ambitious, fun, exciting and original crime novel
The Bat is a truly captivating crime novel
The Bat is innovative and different, and the pace that Jo Nesbo creates in his debut novel makes you long for more crime novels featuring Harry Hole
All stars
Most relevant
Being a massive Jo Nesbo fan, I have been waiting eagerly for the first book in the Harry Hole series to be translated into English. Having loved everyNesbo novel so far, I approached The Bat with high expectations. I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed. Not yet the fully formed character, many of Harry Hole's skills and flawes ar soon on show. The reader is able to see how the author developed Harry into the more mature complex person that he becomes in later books.

Strangely the first book in the series is set out of Harry's native Norway. A young Norwegian woman is Murdered in Sydney and Harry travels to Australia to liase witth the local police. All the usual Nesbo plot complexities are soon on show. The story builds up to a great ending, a typical trait of all Nesbo's thrillers. Had I read this book before any of his later novels, I would have immediately looked for the rest of the series. Just one more book to be translated, Cockroaches I believe is to be published in the English language sometime in2013. It does not really matter which order you read The Harry Holes books, Just read them!.

A great introduction to Harry Hole.

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I had never heard of Harry Hole and yet I’d seen the books but just passed them by for some reason. I’m so glad I bought this as it’s opened up a whole new series for me to catch up on. I really enjoyed the storyline. The narration and accents were good and characters distinguishable. The story was bleak but full of twists and turns that kept you guessing. Will certainly be buying more Holes!

My first Hole…

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A pretty good crime novel...enjoyed all the characters and had the courage to show flaws. But I did guess all the twists a long way begire...but still enjoyed the journey.

More to it than most crime novels

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Would you consider the audio edition of The Bat to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version but enjoyed the audio

Would you be willing to try another book from Jo Nesbo? Why or why not?

Other books have good reviews. The Australian context seemed odd for a Scandinavian writer. I think I'd prefer to meet Harry Hole on home turf.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

There was no single scene that stood out.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The book isn't particularly moving but is entertaining.

Any additional comments?

The narration is good.

Entertaining

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my first book by this author, good plot, learned a lot about Aussie culture! will probably read more

worth a listen

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