PHANTOM

Robin Sachs’s portrayal of crusty Harry Hole, the Norwegian cop introduced in THE SNOWMAN, is right on target as Hole returns from Hong Kong to Oslo. He’s now working privately but still using all his cop connections. Hole sets out to rescue his addicted stepson, Oleg, then himself, from the gun sights of a vicious Russian drug czar and corrupt cops. Sachs offers a light Scandinavian accent that contrasts sharply with his gangsters, who speak “English with a Russian growl.” Nesbø’s storytelling is a challenge as it moves through all angles of the drug trade and involves a plethora of characters—politicos, pilots, elderly bystanders under fire, and the dying young addict/pusher whom Oleg is accused of murdering. Sachs keeps the characters clear and the transitions smooth while ramping up the tension. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2012]