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  • The Son

  • By: Jo Nesbø
  • Narrated by: Sean Barrett
  • Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,162 ratings)
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The Son cover art

The Son

By: Jo Nesbø
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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Editor reviews

The creator of maverick detective Harry Hole, Jo Nesbo, branches out in this standalone novel, The Son. Convict Sonny is a model prisoner on his best behaviour, acting as father confessor to his fellow inmates. When one man’s confession sheds light on the fate of Sonny’s father, Sonny is determined to break out of prison and uncover the truth once and for all, and to exact revenge… Every bit as gripping as the Harry Hole novels and Nesbo’s brilliant, darkly comic Headhunters, The Son is an excellent crime audiobook – Nesbo at his best. Get it today from Audible.

Summary

Sonny's on the run. Sonny is a model prisoner. He listens to the confessions of other inmates, and absolves them of their sins. He's been lied to his whole life. But then one prisoner’s confession changes everything. He knows something about Sonny’s disgraced father. Sonny wants revenge. He needs to break out of prison and make those responsible pay for their crimes. Whatever the cost.

©2014 Jo Nesbo. English translation copyright © Charlotte Barslund 2014. (P)2014 Isis Publishing Ltd, Random House Audiobooks

What listeners say about The Son

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wow!

I'm a big fan of Scandic Noir and have now listened to all of the Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbo detective stories, as well as various others. Whilst Mankell and Nesbo are, in my opinion, way out in front of all the rest, Jo Nesbo is easily the best. To begin with, I missed Harry Hole, who does not feature in The Son, but this is nonetheless a superbly well crafted story; every bit as good as Nesbo's previous works, completely 'unputdownable' and Sean Barrett's narration is, as always, superb. Thoroughly recommended, and, roll on, the next one!

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding....

No Harry Hole in this one, which was a little bit of a relief, this was not confusing or involved major self issues. Really really good,

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great Nesbo book.

This is Jo Nesbo at his very best. A totally winning combination.Jo Nesbo's writing and the fantastic Sean Barrett performing.I had to ration myself to stop annoying my wife, as every time she spoke to me I had ear-buds in listening.I can not praise this audio book enough.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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I LOVE this book!

What did you like most about The Son?

Is everything a good enough answer? Sonny is a very compelling characters. You can't help but root for him all the way through, no matter what awful things he does. There's a great twist towards the end that I didn't see coming.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Marcus with his bike, the prison governor... Far too many the mention

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed, can't say I cried but I certainly felt emotional. I'm listening to it all over again a week after having listened the first time. I will probably listen to it again in another week or so. It really is that good.

Any additional comments?

Yet again Sean Barrett's narration is sublime. Each character has their own distinguishable voice. He makes a difficult to read book, because of the language/pronunciation difficulties, smooth and perfectly normal. I'd listen to him reading just about anything.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

This book can not be faulted, every turn is unexpected. Both the main characters likeable and of course Sean Barrett is the only person who can read Jo Nesbo. I love his voice.
I listed to this in a break from Harry Hole. Enjoy, if you like crime, mystery and fear etc. this is the book for you.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this story

Where does The Son rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would rank The Son in the top 5 audiobooks that I've listened to.

What did you like best about this story?

I love the way Jo Nesbo plots his books, and how there are multiple plot twists to keep you guessing throughout the book.

Have you listened to any of Sean Barrett’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Yes, I think this is my favourite Sean Barrett narration so far.

Any additional comments?

Really good listen, with a fantastic storyline.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A new hero.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you like Jo Nesbo, you will not be disappointed by this. Twists and turns, and the ending is fantastic. It's great to meet new characters.

What did you like best about this story?

It was a change from the Harry series, Nesbo loves flawed characters, you never know if they will relapse / submit / regress. My heart was in my mouth. I listen to books while I cook and with this book, the family were very well fed.

Which character – as performed by Sean Barrett – was your favourite?

I liked Sonny. Even though he did bad things, you always wanted the best for him.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

You can run but you can't hide from your past.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very Good!

Another stand-alone story from the author of Headhunters and the Harry Hole series.
Really enjoyed this book - great characters with real depth plus an intriguing story.
Get it - you wont be disappointed!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Immensely enjoable for the Nesbo fans.

Whilst this isn't a Harry Hole book, the style is very similar, and immensely enjoyable for Nesbo fans. Sean Barrett's performance is again outstanding. One of life's finer pleasures!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Violent, gripping and delightfully well read

What did you like best about this story?

This is like no thriller I've ever read before. The 'hero' is likable despite having even more flaws than even Nesbo likes to give a character under normal circumstances. Gripping, tense - I had to ponder my morals as I rooted for a selection of deeply flawed people doing pretty horrible things!

What does Sean Barrett bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I'm as much a fan of Sean Barrett as I am of Jo Nesbo, He adds atmosphere in his normal way and absolutely nails the voices and inflections, he really adds to the story. One of the best in the business IMHO

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listen whilst running normally and found myself far exceeding my normal 6-7 kilometres per run whilst I listened to this one!

Any additional comments?

A great introduction to Nesbo. More of a thriller than one of his Harry Hole novels, this is my favourite book by Jo Nesbo of the 5 I have consumed so far.

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3 people found this helpful