Review by Lauren Murphy

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo was a struggle. I was interested in the premise of the book, an exciting novel on the soldiers of WWII, a Norwegian mystery with complex detectives, but as I began to read it, I found myself not only confused by the story, but bored as well. Maybe I just didn’t understand the setting and character dynamics properly, but I personally would not recommend this book to anyone with a similar genre preference to me. The Redbreast has multiple timelines and a large variety of characters, making it both an intriguing read, but also a confusing one. The story jumped from past to present, while also switching perspectives.

Harry, the protagonist, is a tough & complex character who may have discovered a assassination attempt. He is a very personable character who has the ability to easily connect with people and build strong relationships with his superiors, for, and against. I thought the characters in this story grew and became stronger as the story continued.

All in all, I would rate this book 2 stars. I feel like it had potential to be a great book, but I was sadly left with confusion. If I were to recommend this book, I think it would fit nicely with a person who enjoys mystery novels and can easily switch between timelines without getting lost in another view.