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This is the story of Olav: an extremely talented “fixer” for one of Oslo’s most powerful crime bosses. But Olav is also an unusually complicated fixer. He has a capacity for love that is as far-reaching as is his gift for murder. He is our straightforward, calm-in-the-face-of-crisis narrator with a storyteller’s hypnotic knack for fantasy. He has an “innate talent for subordination” but running through his veins is a “virus” born of the power over life and death. And while his latest job puts him at the pinnacle of his trade, it may be mutating into his greatest mistake. . . .
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
April 7, 2015 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780553545982
- File size: 114574 KB
- Duration: 03:58:41
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Publisher's Weekly
February 16, 2015
Olav—a hit man, or “fixer”—narrates this thin standalone from Nesbø (The Son) set in 1970s Oslo. His boss, drug kingpin Daniel Hoffmann, has an unusual assignment for Olav: “He wanted me to fix his wife.” Olav sets up surveillance on the beautiful Corina Hoffman from a hotel across the street and watches her let a man into the apartment. It’s someone she clearly knows, but the man’s first action is to strike her, then he sleeps with her, and Olav figures she’s being blackmailed. Olav, whose sympathies shift to Corina, hopes to save her and double-cross his boss in a plot reminiscent of a 1940s American noir novel. A damaged loner, Olav is full of contradictions, but he’s more intelligent and emotional than he’ll admit, which gives the book a bit of humanity and humor. Nesbø fans will enjoy this slender story, though newcomers may find it altogether too macabre. Agent: Niclas Salomonsson, Salomonsson Agency (Sweden). -
Publisher's Weekly
April 27, 2015
Nesbø, the leading light of Norwegian noir, returns with this slim standalone thriller about a hit man with a heart of gold. Olav is a contract killer in 1970s Oslo, working for a ruthless drug kingpin named Daniel Hoffman. Hoffman orders Olav to kill Hoffman's own wife, Corina, whom he believes is having an affair. But, this being a Nesbø novel, things aren't as they seem, and Olav makes a snap decision that saves Corina, but places himself in danger and leads to a showdown with Hoffman. American singer-songwriter Smith is an odd choice as reader: the book is translated into colloquial British English, told from the first-person perspective of Olav. But Smith's affectless American drawl manages to somehow convey the deep humanity of an antihero who comes up short in the empathy department. At a trim four hours, this audio edition is a bit of a departure for Nesbø, whose novels tend to be two or three times as long (at least), but there's plenty of blood and snow to go around. A Knopf hardcover. -
AudioFile Magazine
In a somewhat questionable casting choice, rocker Patti Smith narrates Jo Nesb¿'s stand-alone thriller. The first- person narrator of the novel is Olav, a male killer for hire. While Smith attempts to take on a more masculine persona, the gender of the antihero is, at best, ambiguous as the story opens even though no indicators point to such vagueness as Nesb¿'s intention. In addition, Smith reads in a numbing monotone, stripping Olav's character of any emotion. This contradicts Nesb¿'s storyline in which Olav is overwhelmed by emotions he's unaccustomed to. If anything, this approach creates an aural spoiler. This title is an outstanding addition to Nesb¿'s work, but Smith's interpretation does it no justice. J.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
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