The Devil's Star: A Novel
Starred Review. A serial killer taunts Harry Hole in Nesb&oslash;'s searing third crime novel to feature the Oslo police detective to be made available in the U.S. (afterNemesis). Still suffering from alcohol-fueled demons and obsessed with hunting for evidence against a clearly dirty cop, Hole grudgingly agrees to help look into the murder of a woman whose finger has been amputated and a red diamond stuck under her eyelid. More bodies follow, with the murderer leaving identical five-pointed diamonds (the titular devil's star) at each crime scene. At first the killings appear to be random, but Hole soon discovers an ominous pattern. Nesb&oslash; brilliantly incorporates threads from earlier novels, including Hole's often tumultuous relationship with his lover, Rakel, without ever losing the current story's rhythm. Even with&mdash;or perhaps because of&mdash;his flaws, Hole is arguably one of today's most fascinating fictional detectives.5-city author tour. (Mar.)Copyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.