The Recurring Cast
Character guide · 13 books · 1997 to 2022 · Set in Oslo

Jo Nesbø

Crime and mysteryPolice procedural

Oslo detective Harry Hole is brilliant, self-destructive and haunted by the colleagues he has lost. The early books are set in Sydney and Bangkok; from The Redbreast on, Oslo and a long duel with corrupt police shape the series.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip. Years are first Norwegian publication. Kill Shot is not yet out in English. Nesbø’s standalones and children’s books are left out.

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Who appears in which book

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LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
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Jo Nesbø books in order

Each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

Harry Hole

13 books · Set in OsloPolice procedural
  1. 1The Bat1997With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Cockroaches1998With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon
  3. 3The Redbreast2000With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon
  4. 4Nemesis2002With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon
  5. 5The Devil’s Star2003With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon
  6. 6The Redeemer2005With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon
  7. 7The Snowman2007With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon
  8. 8The Leopard2009With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon
  9. 9Phantom2011With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon
  10. 10Police2013With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon
  11. 11The Thirst2017With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon
  12. 12Knife2019With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon
  13. 13Killing Moon2022With Harry HoleBuy on Amazon

Characters

13 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Harry Hole and the Oslo police