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  • The Bat

  • A Harry Hole Thriller, Book 1
  • By: Jo Nesbø
  • Narrated by: Sean Barrett
  • Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (3,229 ratings)
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The Bat cover art

The Bat

By: Jo Nesbø
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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Summary

The thrilling first book in the best-selling Harry Hole series, never before published in English.

Harry is out of his depth.

Detective Harry Hole is meant to keep out of trouble. A young Norwegian girl taking a gap year in Sydney has been murdered, and Harry has been sent to Australia to assist in any way he can.

He's not supposed to get too involved.

When the team unearths a string of unsolved murders and disappearances, nothing will stop Harry from finding out the truth. The hunt for a serial killer is on, but the murderer will talk only to Harry.

He might just be the next victim.

Appearing in English for the first time, The Bat is the legendary first novel from the worldwide phenomenon Jo Nesbo.

©2012 Jo Nesbo (P)2012 Random House Audiobooks

What listeners say about The Bat

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,379
  • 4 Stars
    1,108
  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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    93
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,556
  • 4 Stars
    731
  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
    63
  • 1 Stars
    53
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,102
  • 4 Stars
    857
  • 3 Stars
    476
  • 2 Stars
    123
  • 1 Stars
    84

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A great introduction to Harry Hole.

Being a massive Jo Nesbo fan, I have been waiting eagerly for the first book in the Harry Hole series to be translated into English. Having loved everyNesbo novel so far, I approached The Bat with high expectations. I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed. Not yet the fully formed character, many of Harry Hole's skills and flawes ar soon on show. The reader is able to see how the author developed Harry into the more mature complex person that he becomes in later books.

Strangely the first book in the series is set out of Harry's native Norway. A young Norwegian woman is Murdered in Sydney and Harry travels to Australia to liase witth the local police. All the usual Nesbo plot complexities are soon on show. The story builds up to a great ending, a typical trait of all Nesbo's thrillers. Had I read this book before any of his later novels, I would have immediately looked for the rest of the series. Just one more book to be translated, Cockroaches I believe is to be published in the English language sometime in2013. It does not really matter which order you read The Harry Holes books, Just read them!.

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50 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping

Fills in some background to explain Harry Hole's character. Having come to this after reading most of the subsequent Harry Hole books (I'm saving the Phantom for a special occasion), I was prepared to be disappointed. However, I wasn't, apart from the book being significantly shorter than some of the later ones.

I loved all the dreamtime stories and as usual, Sean Barrett narrates it flawlessly.

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32 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • mr
  • 31-10-12

Batastic!

Having read all the other Jo Nesbo books featuring Harry Hole, I expected to be disappointed as this one had not been printed in the UK previously and I was worried this was an inferior piece of work. However, Jo Nesbo, once again reminded me of how good an author he really is, as this is another excellent detailed novel full of careful plotting and tension. I loved it. Sean Barrett narrates superbly. 9 out 10 for me.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Depressing, seedy, tedious...unpleasant

I listened to approx 3 audio books per week and this is one of the worst so far. The story was non-existent, no suspense or tension, poorly written and characters who were just unpleasant, unlikelable and with whom I had zero empathy.
The story relied on too many cliches and was just weird and disjointed.

I rarely claim to dislike a book but I actually hated this book. Lack of humour, warmth and literally no beauty. Even the darkest tales can create beauty and love in a landscape, a relationship, a look, a feeling. This book was devoid of anything appealing.

I am at a loss to understand how this is a best-seller? Maybe it has lost something in translation?

Sean Barrett is usually wonderful as a narrator but he had really bad material to work with here....... dreadful accents, confusing characters and dialogue (many characters sounded alike)

I tortured myself by listening to the end willing it to get better, in hope rather than expectation.

Please read negative reviews as well as positive reviews ........I am not the only one who disliked this book.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

An excellent start to the Harry Hole series. I only wish this book had been available first.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Not very exciting, poor plot

Would you try another book written by Jo Nesbo or narrated by Sean Barrett?

Good job with the narration by Sean Barrett. Shame the book had a fairly inexistent plot. Was expecting more grip from a 14 million copies sold book. After a fresh start, I didn't think the plot had a purpose and therefore lacked grip and didn't accomplish any emotional effect throughout the end.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Should be in HOLLYWOOD very soon.

Ive read all of Jo's books now, they all keep you on your toes but this one, well, dare i say it, 'his best work'

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Early Harry - Just as good!

I'd read or listened to all the other Harry Hole books and thoroughly enjoyed them all.

This one was the first in the series but for some strange reason has only just been released as an audiobook?

It delves into more personal details about Harry’s past than do the subsequent books and goes some way to explaining this complex character.

Verdict: It's another winner - Recommended!

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Numero Uno Harry Hole

This is first in the Harry Hole series of books However due to translation to English I have read more recent versions before. It is refreshing to get back to basics with Harry thought and I really enjoyed it. Harry is Harry wherever he turns up and it is nice to see where he started.
Books are stand alone wonderful in my opinion. I could compare Jo Nesbo to other authors like Camilla Lackberg, Henning Mankell who are similiarly set and use really clear imagery to describe the characters and scenes in my opinion.
I have listened to many books with Sean Barrett as the reader and he is excellent in every way in my opinion bringing the story to life and really giving it meaning.
I felt an emotional attachment to the book as I do with all Harry stories and was interested in the characters and how they developed.
Really enjoyed the story and of course being with Harry again. Would highly recommend

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Once you start with one you have to listen all

This story, as well as other Jo Nesbo`s books about Harry Hole, will become your obsession. Firstly the figure of the detective is so much realistic. He will become very close to you. I do not like smokers but Harry Hole is an exception, I am very critical to alcoholics but his dedication to Jim Beam is ok for me. It is the way how Jo Nesbo is able to provide the story and OF COURSE the incredibly good interpretation of Sean Barrett. Voice in my head that makes me listening and listening.

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9 people found this helpful