Nemesis (Nesbø novel): Difference between revisions
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{{About||other novels|Nemesis (disambiguation)#Literature}}{{Short description|2002 crime novel by Jo Nesbø}} |
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{{Infobox book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books --> |
{{Infobox book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books --> |
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| name = Nemesis |
| name = Nemesis |
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| translator = Don Bartlett |
| translator = Don Bartlett |
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| image = Nemesis (Nesbø novel).jpg |
| image = Nemesis (Nesbø novel).jpg |
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| caption = |
| caption = First edition (Norwegian) |
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| author = [[Jo Nesbø]] |
| author = [[Jo Nesbø]] |
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| cover_artist = |
| cover_artist = |
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| country = [[Norway]] |
| country = [[Norway]]<br>(some scenes in [[Brazil]] and [[Egypt]]; ongoing events in [[Russia]] significantly affecting the plot) |
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| language = [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] |
| language = [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], [[English language|English]] |
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| series = [[Harry Hole]] |
| series = [[Harry Hole]] (#4) |
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| genre = [[Crime |
| genre = [[Crime fiction]] |
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| publisher = [[Aschehoug]] |
| publisher = [[Aschehoug]] |
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| pub_date = 2002 |
| pub_date = 2002 |
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}} |
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'''''Nemesis''''' ({{ |
'''''Nemesis''''' ({{langx|no|Sorgenfri}}, meaning carefree, the name of a street in Oslo in which the novel character Anna lived) is a 2002 crime novel by [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] writer [[Jo Nesbø]], the fourth in the [[Harry Hole]] series.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sutterud|first1=Tone|title=Nemesis, By Jo Nesbo, trans. Don Bartlett When a man's girlfriend is in Moscow, what's he to do? Kill his ex, of course|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/nemesis-by-jo-nesbo-trans-don-bartlett-814615.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/nemesis-by-jo-nesbo-trans-don-bartlett-814615.html |archive-date=2022-06-18 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|website=[[The Independent]]|publisher=independent.co.uk|accessdate=4 May 2017|date=23 April 2008}}</ref> |
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==Plot introduction== |
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A fatal bank robbery in [[Oslo]] must be solved, but [[Harry Hole|Harry]] also has to deal with two women who are important to him, while trying to stay away from the [[alcohol]] which continues to have him in its grip. |
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This book introduces for the first time the character of Beate Lønn, who will become an important part of the series, a valued partner of Harry's who significantly interacts with other characters. Highly courageous and dedicated, she is the daughter of a police officer killed by a bank robber and has joined the police in order to emulate him; she has the unique ability to remember every face she had ever seen; to begin with, she is very shy and easily embarrassed, though she will gain confidence in the course of this and later books.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Walker|first1=Fiona|title=Nesbo, Jo - 'Nemesis' (translated by Don Bartlett)|url=http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/reviews/Nemesis.html|publisher=eurocrime.co.uk|accessdate=4 May 2017|date=March 2008}}</ref> |
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==Synopsis== |
==Synopsis== |
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During a [[bank robbery]] in [[Oslo]], a lone robber holds a teller hostage and threatens to kill her unless the [[Automated teller machine|ATM]] is emptied within twenty-five seconds before the police can arrive. When the transfer takes thirty-one seconds, the robber executes the hostage and flees. The case goes unsolved until a police video evidence expert, Beate Lønn, surmises from the footage that the robber and the hostage knew each other. Lønn and [[Police inspector|Inspector]] [[Harry Hole]] are assigned to the murder investigation. Further robberies occur in the same way, but the hostages meet the robber's specified time limit and are spared. |
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Initially given to the robberies unit, the case remains unsolved. However, a police video evidence expert, Beate Lønn, surmises that, since the robber and hostage are intimately close together, the robber knew his victim well. The case is transferred to Lønn and [[Harry Hole]], treating it as a [[murder]] investigation. |
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Further bank robberies occur in the same way. However, successful emptying of the ATMs within the specified time limit mean that no other tellers are killed. |
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Whilst his girlfriend, Rakel, and her son Oleg are in [[Moscow]] on a [[Parental responsibility (access and custody)|parental custody]] case (Oleg's Russian father has sued for the return of his son), Harry Hole is invited to dinner at the flat of an old girlfriend. Anna, a flamboyant [[Painting|painter]] of minor skill, intends to have an art show which she wants to call ''Nemesis''. |
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The following morning, Harry awakens in his own apartment with the classic symptoms of a [[hangover]], [[headache]] and [[amnesia|short-term memory loss]] regarding the events of the night before. Later that day, Anna Bethsen is found dead, an apparent [[suicide]]. But the gun is held in her right hand, and Harry knows Anna was [[left-handed]], so he believes this is a disguised murder. A photograph found near her body suggests the involvement of a rich businessman, who may have been Anna's lover. |
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Harry, who has concealed his presence in Anna's flat, now is in a race against time to discover the murderer before he is implicated himself. With no memory of the night of her death, he is even uncertain that he himself is not the killer. Learning that Anna was a [[Romani people|gypsy]], Harry enlists the help of Anna's blood relative, Raskol, a former bank robber now in prison, the latter's insights into the robberies in exchange for Harry solving the murder of his niece. Harry's dealings with Raskol extend also to getting from him considerable sums of money to finance a private investigation for which Harry cannot use police resources - an act which, had it been discovered, could have led to Harry losing his job and being prosecuted. |
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Further evidence plus Raskol's suggestions send Harry and Beate Lønn on a visit to a robbery suspect hiding in [[Porto Seguro]], [[Brazil]], but the man is found [[hanging]] from a beam in his home, another apparent suicide. |
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Back home, Harry receives a number of [[email|e-mails]] from the murderer, signed S2MN, which give him insights into the latter's mind. But simultaneously, Detective Inspector Tom Waaler, a thorn in Harry's side in ''[[The Redbreast]]'' (the previous novel), learns of Harry's visit to Anna and, with great delight, prepares to arrest him. Harry now finds himself on the run. |
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While Hole's girlfriend Rakel and her son Oleg are in [[Moscow]], Hole is invited to dinner with an old girlfriend named Anna Bethsen, a flamboyant [[Painting|painter]]. The following morning, Hole awakens in his own apartment with a [[hangover]] and no memory of the night before. Later that day, Anna is found dead of an apparent [[suicide]]. Seeing that the gun is not in the right hand, Hole believes that Anna was murdered and that the scene was staged. A photograph found near her body suggests the involvement of a rich businessman who may have been Anna's lover. Hole conceals evidence of his presence in Anna's flat, unable to prove that he himself is not the killer and believing that he is being set up for the crime. |
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He forwards the incriminating e-mails to Beate Lønn as evidence of his innocence. But forensics determines that the e-mails were sent on time-delay by a [[modem]] connected to Harry's own (missing) [[mobile phone]], so Harry is still implicated. Tom Waaler, meanwhile, uncovers another former lover of Anna's, who may also have robbed the banks. But he shoots him dead when he seems to resist arrest, just as he had done to a murder suspect in the Redbreast investigation, so that line of inquiry is closed. |
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Learning that Anna was [[Romani people|Romani]], Hole enlists the help of her uncle, an imprisoned bank robber named Raskol, to get his insight into the robberies in exchange for solving Anna's killing. Hole receives illegal payments from Raskol to fund the investigation. Further evidence, on top of Raskol's suggestions, send Hole and Lønn to find a robbery suspect hiding in Brazil, only to find him [[hanging]] from a beam in his home. Back home, Hole receives [[email|e-mails]] from Anna's killer, signed "S2MN". Following the murder of Anna's wealthy former lover at the hands of Raskol's henchmen, [[Detective Inspector]] Tom Waaler, Hole's adversary, learns of Hole's visit to Anna, leading to Hole finding himself on the run. |
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Eventually, the strange signature on the e-mails, S2MN, is deciphered when Harry catches sight of it in a [[mirror]]. Now reading NM2S, he deduces that the 2 represents a second S, and that running the letters together [[phonetics|phonetically]], it sounds like the word [[:wikt:Nemesis|Nemesis]] ("revenge"), the name of Anna's intended art show. His "hangover" symptoms are proven by [[forensic evidence]] to be the effects of being drugged. Anna's death was therefore an intricate suicide, which she had plotted to confuse and convict Harry and two other former lovers, all of whom had abandoned her. This solution also leads Harry to realize that the first bank robber was, in fact, the husband of the murdered bank teller, who had intended to leave him for his brother in Brazil. The inescapable conclusion is that all the crimes were done for love. |
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Hole forwards the incriminating e-mails to Lønn as evidence of his innocence. However, forensics determines that the e-mails were sent on time-delay by a [[modem]] connected to Hole's missing [[mobile phone]]. After Hole uncovers another of Anna's former lovers who could be responsible for both her death and the robberies, Waaler goes after the new suspect to arrest him. However, Waaler, who is revealed to be the [[arms dealing|arms dealer]] known as 'The Prince' from the previous novel, kills the suspect on the grounds of 'resisting arrest' to prevent his connection to the arms smuggling ring being uncovered. Hole deciphers the e-mail signature and finds that it stands for "[[Nemesis]]", the name of Anna's planned art show and the ancient Greek goddess of retribution. Hole's "hangover" is proven by forensics to be the effects of being drugged. Anna's death was an intricate suicide, which she had plotted to confuse and convict Hole and two other former lovers, all of whom had abandoned her. |
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Thanks to Raskol's gypsy contacts, Rakel wins the custody battle for Oleg and returns to [[Norway]] with him. But even now Harry cannot relax. He has gotten wind of a [[witness]] in the murder of his former colleague, killed during the [[The Redbreast|Redbreast]] investigation into a mysterious gun smuggler. The witness may have seen Ellen's murderer with the smuggler, known only as the Prince. Harry shows him a picture of his new prime suspect... |
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Following Hole's exoneration for Anna's death, he and Lønn deduce that the robber is the widowed husband of the first robbery's murder victim, and that he killed his wife following her decision to leave him and elope with his older brother, who was the first suspect that had been found dead in Brazil. Following a dangerous confrontation in which Harry is wounded and Lønn is almost killed, the perpetrator is finally apprehended. Thanks to Raskol's contacts, Rakel wins custody of Oleg and returns to Norway with him. With the closure of the cases Harry has discovered a new witness in the murder of his former colleague, Ellen Gjelten. The witness may have seen Ellen's murderer with the Prince. Hole shows the witness a picture of who he now suspects the Prince to be: Tom Waaler. |
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In fact, the reader knows much more than Harry, having been told a lot by the omniscient author. The ending clearly sets the stage for a shattering showdown in the following book. |
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==Translation== |
==Translation== |
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{{Jo Nesbø}} |
{{Jo Nesbø}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nemesis (Nesbo novel)}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nemesis (Nesbo novel)}} |
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[[Category:2002 novels]] |
[[Category:2002 Norwegian novels]] |
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[[Category:Harry Hole (novel series)]] |
[[Category:Harry Hole (novel series)]] |
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[[Category:Norwegian crime novels]] |
[[Category:Norwegian crime novels]] |
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[[Category:Novels about theft]] |
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[[Category:Novels set in Oslo]] |
[[Category:Novels set in Oslo]] |
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[[Category:Aschehoug books]] |
[[Category:Aschehoug books]] |
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[[Category:21st-century Norwegian novels]] |
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Latest revision as of 13:14, 29 October 2024
.jpg) First edition (Norwegian) | |
| Author | Jo Nesbø |
|---|---|
| Original title | Sorgenfri |
| Translator | Don Bartlett |
| Language | Norwegian, English |
| Series | Harry Hole (#4) |
| Genre | Crime fiction |
| Publisher | Aschehoug |
Publication date | 2002 |
| Publication place | Norway (some scenes in Brazil and Egypt; ongoing events in Russia significantly affecting the plot) |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| ISBN | 82-525-4910-1 |
| OCLC | 52064471 |
| Preceded by | The Redbreast |
| Followed by | The Devil's Star |
Nemesis (Norwegian: Sorgenfri, meaning carefree, the name of a street in Oslo in which the novel character Anna lived) is a 2002 crime novel by Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø, the fourth in the Harry Hole series.[1]
Synopsis
[edit]During a bank robbery in Oslo, a lone robber holds a teller hostage and threatens to kill her unless the ATM is emptied within twenty-five seconds before the police can arrive. When the transfer takes thirty-one seconds, the robber executes the hostage and flees. The case goes unsolved until a police video evidence expert, Beate Lønn, surmises from the footage that the robber and the hostage knew each other. Lønn and Inspector Harry Hole are assigned to the murder investigation. Further robberies occur in the same way, but the hostages meet the robber's specified time limit and are spared.
While Hole's girlfriend Rakel and her son Oleg are in Moscow, Hole is invited to dinner with an old girlfriend named Anna Bethsen, a flamboyant painter. The following morning, Hole awakens in his own apartment with a hangover and no memory of the night before. Later that day, Anna is found dead of an apparent suicide. Seeing that the gun is not in the right hand, Hole believes that Anna was murdered and that the scene was staged. A photograph found near her body suggests the involvement of a rich businessman who may have been Anna's lover. Hole conceals evidence of his presence in Anna's flat, unable to prove that he himself is not the killer and believing that he is being set up for the crime.
Learning that Anna was Romani, Hole enlists the help of her uncle, an imprisoned bank robber named Raskol, to get his insight into the robberies in exchange for solving Anna's killing. Hole receives illegal payments from Raskol to fund the investigation. Further evidence, on top of Raskol's suggestions, send Hole and Lønn to find a robbery suspect hiding in Brazil, only to find him hanging from a beam in his home. Back home, Hole receives e-mails from Anna's killer, signed "S2MN". Following the murder of Anna's wealthy former lover at the hands of Raskol's henchmen, Detective Inspector Tom Waaler, Hole's adversary, learns of Hole's visit to Anna, leading to Hole finding himself on the run.
Hole forwards the incriminating e-mails to Lønn as evidence of his innocence. However, forensics determines that the e-mails were sent on time-delay by a modem connected to Hole's missing mobile phone. After Hole uncovers another of Anna's former lovers who could be responsible for both her death and the robberies, Waaler goes after the new suspect to arrest him. However, Waaler, who is revealed to be the arms dealer known as 'The Prince' from the previous novel, kills the suspect on the grounds of 'resisting arrest' to prevent his connection to the arms smuggling ring being uncovered. Hole deciphers the e-mail signature and finds that it stands for "Nemesis", the name of Anna's planned art show and the ancient Greek goddess of retribution. Hole's "hangover" is proven by forensics to be the effects of being drugged. Anna's death was an intricate suicide, which she had plotted to confuse and convict Hole and two other former lovers, all of whom had abandoned her.
Following Hole's exoneration for Anna's death, he and Lønn deduce that the robber is the widowed husband of the first robbery's murder victim, and that he killed his wife following her decision to leave him and elope with his older brother, who was the first suspect that had been found dead in Brazil. Following a dangerous confrontation in which Harry is wounded and Lønn is almost killed, the perpetrator is finally apprehended. Thanks to Raskol's contacts, Rakel wins custody of Oleg and returns to Norway with him. With the closure of the cases Harry has discovered a new witness in the murder of his former colleague, Ellen Gjelten. The witness may have seen Ellen's murderer with the Prince. Hole shows the witness a picture of who he now suspects the Prince to be: Tom Waaler.
Translation
[edit]As with other Harry Hole novels, the novel was translated from Norwegian into English by Don Bartlett.
References
[edit]- ^ Sutterud, Tone (23 April 2008). "Nemesis, By Jo Nesbo, trans. Don Bartlett When a man's girlfriend is in Moscow, what's he to do? Kill his ex, of course". The Independent. independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
External links
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