The Bat cover art

The Bat

A Harry Hole Thriller, Book 1

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About this listen

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.

 Crime Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives World Literature Crime Murder Exciting Thriller Fiction

Critic reviews

A fascinating book, filling in the gaps in Hole’s biography and telling the story of the murder case in Australia that cemented his reputation as a brilliant investigator... A stunning opening to the series
Meaty, big and bloody, this is the rock and roll of detective fiction
Nesbo is a terrific writer who knows how to build a story, taking you slowly to the top of a rollercoaster before sending you hurtling towards a solution that you never see coming
Harry Hole is fully formed as the difficult, vulnerable personality we have come to know. The evocation of Australia itself has the customary Nesbo expertise...most satisfyingly - we can now see the organic shape that Nesbo always intended his work to take
Whether a hardened Hole addict or a first-time imbiber, The Bat is sure to snare your interest with its tale of this booze-fuelled policeman
A searing read from a chilling thriller writer
Hole is a spiky character and this is the first novel to feature him. If you want to get to know this brilliant, flawed character, this is the best place to start (William Leith)
An ambitious, fun, exciting and original crime novel
The Bat is a truly captivating crime novel
The Bat is innovative and different, and the pace that Jo Nesbo creates in his debut novel makes you long for more crime novels featuring Harry Hole
All stars
Most relevant

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The main character would have been sacked from any police force so I didn`t really understand why he was the protagonist. The story and the storytelling were excellent, but the main character was such a loser I lost interest.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Give the `hero` some redeeming qualities!

What about Sean Barrett’s performance did you like?

Couldn`t fault it. Excellent.

Was The Bat worth the listening time?

No... as soon as I found out whodunnit I gratefully stopped.

a little depressing

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I've read a couple of Jo Nesbo's books and enjoyed them so it was a delight to have this, his first book, read to me.
His usual variation of pace and delightful blend of humour and darkness made this a great listen. Now I'm looking forward to hearing his second book.

Great story well told well read

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A real twister in places, dies lose a little direction about 3/4 way in with flash backs, but still a great listen and excellent narration.

Compelling.

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I listened to this book & I would listen to others. It was not my favourite, by any means.
I had to have it turned up loud to hear it & the accents weren’t the clearest.
All in all, a ***.
I would try one more in the series, as I liked Harry. The other characters were more obscure & less memorable.

Not A Five Star!

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Billed as #1 in the Hole stories but there is still room for another prequel for this turbulent detective. The suspects were all discounted and then reconsidered an I was still left guessing right until we are meant to find out who it is. Poor Hole: always has a rough personally-involved ride and this story brings no exception.

The beginning

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