Shortlisted for the Galaxy International Author of the Year Award 2011.

January 2011 Book of the Month.

Two young women are both found dead with inexplicable puncture wounds, drowned in their own blood. The Oslo police can make no headway in their investigations. It's time to call in Inspector Harry Hole... A heart-stopping thriller from the bestselling author of The Snowman, The Leopard is an international phenomenon that will grip you until the final page.

'Piece of Passion from Briony Everroad, Jo Nesbo's Editor at Harvill Secker'

‘After the fantastic climax of The Snowman, I wasn't sure where Jo Nesbo would take Inspector Harry Hole next. But he didn't disappoint: The Leopard is a thrilling read from start to finish. Harry goes from Hong Kong to the northern reaches of Norway and even to The Congo. I got the manuscript before a long weekend, and raced through it with the wind howling outside the door. Certainly spooky, given that much of the story centres on a ski cabin in the middle of nowhere! This is the sixth Harry Hole novel we have published, and they keep getting better and better. It's not just the pace, clever plots and the unpredictable Harry Hole that make these books so brilliant. The author's inventive spirit and sense of humour always shine through.’

Comparison: Henning Mankell, Karin Fossum, Stieg Larsson
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Synopsis

In the depths of winter, a killer stalks the city streets. His victims are two young women, both found with twenty-four inexplicable puncture wounds, both drowned in their own blood. The crime scenes offer no clues, the media is reaching fever pitch, and the police are running out of options. There is only one man who can help them, and he doesn't want to be found. Deeply traumatised by the snowman investigation, which threatened the lives of those he holds most dear, Inspector Harry Hole has lost himself in the squalor of Hong Kong's opium dens. But with his father seriously ill in hospital, Harry reluctantly agrees to return to Oslo. He has no intention of working on the case, but his instinct takes over when a third victim is found brutally murdered in a city park. The victims appear completely unconnected to one another, but it's not long before Harry makes a discovery: the women all spent the night in an isolated mountain hostel. And someone is picking off the guests one by one.

About the Author

Jo Nesbø, musician, economist and author of the best-selling series featuring Detective Harry Hole, has won many prizes for his novels, including the Glass Key, the Riverton Prize and the Norwegian Bookclub prize for best ever Norwegian crime novel. His first novel to be published in English was The Devil's Star and the second, The Redbreast, was shortlisted for the CWA Duncan Lawrie International Dagger. He lives in Oslo. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation