Nemesis - (Harry Hole) by Jo Nesbo (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Don't Miss the Netflix series Detective Hole, based on Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series, premiering March 26, 2026!

"Nesbø's storytelling abilities are incomparable. Nemesis is crime novel as art form and great entertainment." --USA Today

Detective Harry Hole must use his maverick methods once again as he investigates a slew of brutal bank robberies and the suspicious suicide of a female artist in this clever and harrowing installment in the Harry Hole series from the author of The Snowman.

Captured on closed-circuit television: A man walks into an Oslo bank, puts a gun to a cashier's head, and tells her to count to twenty-five. When he doesn't get his money fast enough, he pulls the trigger. The young woman dies--and two million Norwegian kroner disappear without a trace.

After a drunken evening with former girlfriend Anna Bethsen, Police Detective Harry Hole wakes up at home with a headache, no cell phone, and no memory of the past twelve hours. The same day, Anna is found shot dead in her bedroom, making Hole a prime suspect in the investigation led by his hated adversary, Tom Waaler. Meanwhile, the bank robberies continue with unparalleled savagery, sending rogue detective Hole from the streets of Oslo to steaming Brazil in a race to close two cases and clear his name. But Waaler isn't finished with his longtime nemesis quite yet.

The second Harry Hole novel to be released in America--following the critically acclaimed publication of The Redbird--Nemesis is a superb and surprising nail-biter that places Jo Nesbø in the company of Lawrence Block, Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, and other top masters of crime fiction. Nesbø has already received the Glass Key Award and the Booksellers' Prize, Norway's most prestigious literary awards. Nemesis is proof that there are certainly more honors in this extraordinary writer's future.

From the Back Cover

"More twists and turns--and speed--than an icy Norwegian Slalom Track."

--New Orleans Times-Picayune

Captured on closed-circuit television: A man walks into an Oslo bank, puts a gun to a cashier's head, and tells her to count to twenty-five. When he doesn't get his money fast enough, he pulls the trigger. The young woman dies--and two million Norwegian kroner disappear without a trace.

After a drunken evening with former girlfriend Anna Bethsen, Police Detective Harry Hole wakes up at home with a headache, no cell phone, and no memory of the past twelve hours. The same day, Anna is found shot dead in her bedroom, making Hole a prime suspect in the investigation led by his hated adversary, Tom Waaler. Meanwhile, the bank robberies continue with unparalleled savagery, sending rogue detective Hole from the streets of Oslo to steaming Brazil in a race to close two cases and clear his name. But Waaler isn't finished with his longtime nemesis quite yet.

Review Quotes

"Nesbo returns with another novel that is every bit the multitextured, complexly plotted, psychologically rich thriller that made Redbreast such an unqualified success.... Nesbo manages the unlikely feat of exploring the inner life of his lead character in the thorough and compelling manner one associates with, say, Ruth Rendell, while at the same time juggling multiple, interlocking plot strands as dexterously as David Hewson. No doubt about it: Nesbo belongs on every crime-fiction fan's A-list." - Booklist (starred review)

"Nesbo returns with another novel that is every bit the multitextured, complexly plotted, psychologically rich thriller that made Redbreast such an unqualified success. . . . No doubt about it: Nesbo belongs on every crime-fiction fan's A-list." - Booklist (starred review)

"[A] beautifully executed heist drama... . Expertly weaving plot lines from Hole's last outing to feature the inspector, The Redbreast (2007), Nesbo delivers a lush crime saga that will leave U.S. readers clamoring for the next installment." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The high-intensity action is threaded through a series of Chinese boxes revealing one false solution after another before the brilliantly inventive final twist." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"The dense plot is supremely detailed. . . . A crisp, clean translation. . . . Satisfying." - New York Times Book Review

"High tension, lightning pace, a flawed but ultimately sympathetic protagonist: NEMESIS has it all." - BookPage

"Nesbø has a knack for Euro noir." - Entertainment Weekly

"Nesbo offers up another top-notch mystery thriller, thickly layered, perfectly plotted, and briskly paced to keep readers hooked. With ties to events in The Redbreast, this is an excellent sequel. . . . Recommended for all fiction collections and essential for Scandinavian crime lovers." - Library Journal

"There are two ways to recognize a police procedural by the Norwegian author Jo Nesbø the dense plot is supremely detailed, and (here's the real surprise) even the most dedicated career criminal will stop what he's doing and find time for a serious philosophical discussion--often, with his arresting officer.... One big puzzle that's eventually solved in a satisfying way." - New York Times Book Review

"It's a good bet that if this is the first Harry Hole novel you read, you'll never miss another. . . . It's complex but so well written. . . . If you're a fan of crime fiction, Harry Hole's your man." - Arizona Republic

"No matter what language you read, get on the Jo Nesbo crime patrol and see why the world loves Harry Hole." - Madison County Herald

"Assured, complex, and evocative." - Seattle Times