Some stories have a knack of leaving an everlasting impact on the mind of the readers. The genre irrelevant but the impact dead on target. Author Jo Nesbo in his latest offering "Police" has chalked out a story which promises an ever lasting effect on the readers. So does the book live up to the expectations? Let's find out.
The victims are carefully chosen. The locations former crime scenes. The killings no accident. The target police. After recovering from a near fatal shooting, Harry Hole has finally retired from active duty. He hears about the case but keeps his distance, determined to protect those he loves from the danger that he can never seem to escape. But as the media pressure intensifies, Harry finds himself advising an unofficial task force investigating the murders. Drawn into a dangerous web of cold cases and precarious allegiances, Harry can't guarantee protection for anyone. Least of all himself.
First look at the cover and the title and readers are in for a treat as this one is a one word title with a lot of thoughts creating in the mind. The cover image is a mysterious one with a man in black walking towards a structure but it compels the readers thoughts. The blurb is very short and only talks about the lead character and his helplessness. The blurb gives out no clues whatsoever to the readers about the story which is perfect.
The story has been set in Oslo where a killer is on loose and some police offers have been murdered on previous crime scenes. The murders are gruesome and the police itself is clueless. There are no signs of Harry Hole as he has taken up a job in PHS as a lecturer. It's up to Mikael Bellman and Gunner Hagen to clean up the mess on the streets of Oslo. But they are helpless and without any leads. So when some offices try to get Harry back to the fold it converts into chaos as a lot of events and incidents make life miserable for him and others present around. So will Harry return once again at the helm? So will Chief Inspector of Police Mikael Bellman be able to catch the murderer? Where does it all lead to? What dirty dark secrets are being hidden behind this shadowy game? That's what the story is all about.
The ravaging effect the story leaves on the mind of the readers is a treat. It has to be absorbed slowly and carefully and cannot be hurried upon. The thrills and twists and turns which lead up to a lot of excitement are far too many and it's only about time that the readers get engrossed in this cat and mouse story. The involvement of Harry Hole after the initial half is a perfect setup. There are no holes and loose ends in the book whatsoever. It has been written with flair and panache and executed in style. The book promises action, gore and mystery to the fullest and makes the guessing game harder for the readers. There are no experiments and it gives the book a lot of meat in it.
The downside of the book is its sluggish pace which slows down the story a lot as the events unfolds one by one.
All in all the crime thriller fiction genre has been bestowed with one of the most complicated yet exciting works. It has all the elements which makes it a perfect but slow to be absorbed read. It won't give you time to breathe and absorb the action as it unravels time to time. It has a heavy impact on the mind of the readers and doesn't makes it simple for any bright mind. The book is perfect in every sense.
RATINGS:
4 OUT OF 5