The Leopard by Jo Nesbo

The Leopard is Norwegian author Jo Nesbo’s latest installment in the Harry Hole crime detective series and like the previous it is just as the addictive and as graphic.

The story begins with Harry Hole, so traumatised after the Snowman case, that he flees Oslo, for the bustling streets of Bangok, where he distracts himself with the aid of alcohol and opium, all to block out the past.

Meanwhile back in Oslo, a new killer seems to be on the loose, his victims are two young women both tortured and found with 24 puncture wounds to their mouths, resulting in them drowning in their own blood. The killer seems meticulous and leaves the crime scenes without evidence and thus leaving the police force with no clues or suspects and media are reaching fever point with this new killer, so the police have no option but to find the one person who doesn’t want to be found.

Kaja a new detective on the case, is then sent to Bangok to bring Harry Hole home and also to give him the news that his father is terminally ill in hospital. Once Harry hears the news of his father, he reluctantly decides to return to the city but is adamant that he will not be involved in the case, until a third victim is tragically claimed, and his detective instinct begins to take over.

On close inspection, none of the victims seem to have any connections, but with Harry Hole on the case with his new team, he discovers that the all the victims had one thing in common, they all had spent the night in an isolated cabin in the mountains and for some reason, someone seems to picking them off one by one.

Harry and his team have to find the new killer before they can claim another victim but with the Kripos team on his back and feeling like everyone is against him, this is proving to be a battle as he battles old enemies and tries to come to terms with his dying father.

Again this is another great read from Jo Nesbo, I have always loved Harry Hole, I particularly enjoyed him in The Leopard, as he seems to have become a bit more vulnerable since The Snowman but he is still as cynical as always. As per with previous Jo Nesbo novels, The Leopard is terribly graphic and has some scenes in it, that would not look out of place in a Saw movie. I will admit though with the ending of The Leopard, it does make you wonder if this is the end of Harry Hole, hopefully not!

You can buy [amazon_link id=”0099548976″ target=”_blank” ]The Leopard on Amazon [/amazon_link] and other good bookshops.