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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
WWII combat violence and present-day murders; significant intensity
Language
Some
Some strong language
Sexual Content
Barely any
Brief adult content
Substance Use
Some
Heavy alcohol use; Harry Hole's alcoholism is central to his character
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The long shadow of wartime collaboration; guilt, complicity, and the violence done to memory
What this book is about
Oslo detective Harry Hole investigates a modern-day arms deal that leads him to survivors of a Norwegian SS unit's brutal service on the Eastern Front in WWII. The alternating WWII and present-day timelines converge on a reckoning with collaboration and betrayal. Nesbø's third Harry Hole novel is his breakthrough — masterfully plotted and deeply disturbing.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
WWII violence and atrocities
Murder and crime violence
Alcoholism themes
Reader Verification
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