The Bat cover art

The Bat

A Harry Hole Thriller, Book 1

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The Bat

By: Jo Nesbø
Narrated by: Sean Barrett
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About this listen

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 Suspense Thriller & Suspense Crime Murder Exciting Thriller Fiction

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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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What did you like most about The Bat?

Good story with several sub plots, very enjoyable

What other book might you compare The Bat to, and why?

Most good detective novels

What about Sean Barrett’s performance did you like?

Maintained my interest, very good

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

A man with human failings but an exceptional detective

Any additional comments?

Well worth a listen

A new author for me

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Sean's superb performance leads you easily through the different characters. This is my first Nesbo and I loved it from start to finish. Not easy to turn off. I felt there was plenty of grip and darkness - I could have slapped Harry at times, but then, I'm just getting to know him.

Couldn't turn off!

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

This is a good book to listen to. I like listening to detective stories and this one held its own. I liked the aboriginal stories scattered through the book and how they were used to intertwine with the main and side stories.

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

I liked the character of Andrew best and thought the vocal characterisation was really good here - the tone of voice used was completely different to that used for Harry. I also thought the background on Harry was early good as that helped to understand his character more in the later books I have read (each out of sequence).

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

One sitting, perhaps not but for me this book was better for the extended time I listened to it over. I used my commuting time so it took me 2-3 weeks to finish it. This gave plenty of opportunity to think about the detail and mull it over which would have been lost had I raced through it.

Any additional comments?

I have downloaded the next book in the series and am ready to start that one soon :)

Great background to the series

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I've wanted to read Jo Nesbo for a while. I'm now looking forward to the next Harry Hole. Great story and well read.

Good start to the series

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No real build up of characters: Harry Hole can drop off the perch anytime and no one would notice the difference and, if he was sober a little longer, might so many people die: particularly his girlsfriends? No more Harry Hole for me after Book2 , the Redbreast. I don't care what happens to him!

Actually, it's not that exciting

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After listening to this book, you realise whey they left this one until last to translate. Ok, but not as good as the rest.

Not his best

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I'm new to the Harry Hole (pronounced Hooli) character and I very much enjoyed this book. Sean Barrett's voice suited the style of the book well and I'm now hooked on Harry.

New to Harry

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Great book. The narration is excellent with a brilliant performance by Sean Barrett, master of characters. Sean really is Harry Hole.
My only complaint is the strong Australian accents which grated on my nerves, but after a while you bed into the story and it gets easier to listen to.
I read it out of sequence and I can definitely see how the writer has perfected his craft since this first book. Don't hesitate to buy this audiobook and enjoy hours upon hours of a great story well told.

Great read, very entertaining

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This was my very first audio book, which I really enjoyed listening, looking forward to the next.

loved it

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