Lit life | Norwegian author Jo Nesbø writes another chapter in the history of Nordic noir

It testifies to Seattle's essential Scandinavian-ness that Norwegian author Jo Nesbø will appear at four different locations when he visits Seattle this week and next. At the Poulsbo Sons of Norway lodge and Seattle's Leif Erikson Lodge, in Pioneer Square, and Bellingham, Nesbø will introduce Northwest readers to his entry in the Scandinavian crime-fiction sweepstakes, his books featuring Oslo detective Harry Hole.

If your sole exposure to Scandinavian mysteries is Stieg Larsson's wildly popular "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," be apprised that, once you're done with the Tattoo trilogy, these would be good books to try out next. Nesbø's Oslo is a Scandinavian swamp of crime, neo-Nazi activity and binge drinking ... but somehow, thanks to the author's feel for his hometown, these gritty stories made me want to flag down the next plane to Norway.

In "The Redbreast," "Nemesis" and now "The Devil's Star," Nesbø looks at Norwegian society through the bloodshot eyes of an upright, deeply troubled man. A detective in the Oslo police force, Hole is a Doc Martens-wearing bad boy who remains the most ethically uncompromised swimmer in a sea of corruption.

Over the phone, the author acknowledged that Scandinavia in general is "tidy and organized." But while Oslo is quiet by American standards, Norwegian crime has developed an international flavor. Drug trafficking and prostitution, once local industries, are now run by international cartels, Nesbø said.

The neo-Nazi movement Nesbø writes about is more symbolically upsetting than a real threat to Norwegian society, he says: "People find it so disturbing, because the Second World War is so disturbing. When people use Nazi symbols, people get so angry and so emotional about it." Some of those tangled feelings come from Norway's history vis-a-vis Nazi Germany. It's a theme Nesbø treats in "The Redbreast" — Norwegian Nazi sympathizers who fought for Germany feature prominently in the plot.

Nesbø's stories incorporate Norwegian politics, history and pop culture (Nesbø was a working rock musician and a stockbroker before he began writing books). But their most complex feature is Hole himself, a man whose drinking damages both himself and the ones he loves. More a binge drinker than a steady imbiber, "he's a sort of an on-and-off guy," says Nesbø. "He's disciplined — he doesn't give in easily to his alcoholism. It's not like the traditional hard-boiled detective who wakes up each morning and has a hangover ... this is a man whose alcoholism is his Achilles' heel."

There are eight Harry Hole novels altogether — the first two haven't been released in this country. Three more, which follow "Redbreast," "Nemesis" and "The Devil's Star" in time, may come out in the future — "Nemesis" is one of six finalists for the prestigious 2010 Edgar Award in crime fiction.

Check them out if you like a gripping story of corruption, crime and politics, and a flawed hero whose worst enemy may be himself.

Mary Ann Gwinn: 206-464-2357 or mgwinn@seattletimes.com. Mary Ann Gwinn appears on Classical KING-FM's

Arts Channel at www.king.org/pages/ 4216533.php

Norway is not a member of the European Union. An earlier version of this story indicated that it was.