The Jealousy Man (translated from the Norwegian by Robert Ferguson) is a book of “short” stories written by Jo Nesbo. There are 12 stories separated into two themes: jealousy and power.
The stories that stood out for me were London – a plane journey to London, with the client Maria, saddened by her husband and her best friend’s betrayal, contemplating the contract she has signed with Shaun, the passenger in the seat next to her. I felt the rapport between main characters as the story developed, and the twist at the end was perfect.
The Jealousy Man – for which the book was named is one of the more detailed of the stories, which developed and again took the reader to an unexpected result. Inspector Balli is the expert at interviewing and analysing the potential murderers in a case, with jealousy as a motive. He has personal experience that backs him. He doesn’t speak about it, but the knowledge is there. He is also a climber – which is a key element of the plot of this story. An interesting take on the application of experience.
The Cicadas – a tale of student friends Peter and Martin, on holiday in Europe, with concepts of time travel, murder and love combined in an unexpected way. A girl called Mariam that Martin rescues from drowning and falls in love with, but whom Peter also wants, and the running of the bulls provide an ideal opportunity for death to visit.
And then there is Shredder – a clever tale of investigative ability and discovery, saddened by the progressive illness of a loved one, combined with a growing realisation of how dangerous his invention is, and then the final ability to remove, to shred that knowledge and secrets before it ends in the wrong hands, and before the inventor himself gives way.
Rat Island was no doubt inspired in part by the Covid pandemic, but ultimately a little too dark, and gory for me, as was Dark Knight – a wordy read in Nesbo style, with the evil very present and near.
Some of the other books by the same author: Harry Hole Thrillers: The Bat, Cockroaches, Phantom. Standalone Crime: Headhunters, Midnight Sun, Blood on the Snow, The Kingdom.
Nesbo is a world-renowned bestselling crime writer. His books have been translated into 50 languages and have sold over 45 million copies worldwide. Before becoming a crime writer, Nesbo played football for Norway’s Premier league team Molde, but gave up on his dream due to injuries. He completed three years of military Service, and then attended Business School, where he received a degree in Economics. Whilst studying, he formed a band called Di Derre (Them There), which topped the charts in Norway. Nesbo worked as a financial analyst during the day and gigged with the band at night. When he was asked to write a memoir of his life on the road, he went to Australia for six months, and instead came up with the plot for his first Harry Hole crime Novel – The Bat. Nesbo was born in 1960, and grew up in Molde in Western Norway. He is now 60 years of age, and lives in Oslo.
Nesbo is not my favourite author, but in short story format, there was a selection that will tick the boxes for most readers of suspense thrillers to enjoy. - Christine E Hann
The Jealousy Man (Translated from the Norwegian by Robert Ferguson) is published by Penguin Random House UK – 2021. ISBN: 978-1-78730-312-6
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