The Bat, Nesbo - B-

                                         Actually, eight Harry Hole novels have been translated into English. This newly translated book was the first one written- one must assume some copyright/legal issue is the reason this has been held back so long. One of the joys of the police procedural/detective/mystery genre is enjoying the way  a writer's  characters develop as the series goes on. As this is the initial novel in the series, we have the opposite. The story from a decade ago is not as solid as the more recent ones. Plus, this whole tale is set in Australia, where the Norwegian detective has been sent to liase on the investigation of the death of a Norwegian national.  Harry doing his thing in the land down under is a bit unsettling. That said, it is filled with all sorts of local insights and is a fast moving yarn, involving a maniacal serial killer, who the young Harry tracks down.