Jo Nesbø – "There will be an end and I promise there will be no resurrection"

Author of best-selling Nordic noirs confirms at the London Book Fair that his much loved Harry Hole detective series will come to an end

By Ali Wood

Jo Nesbø, in conversation with Telegraph literary critic Jake Kerridge, explained that he has ‘only one boss and that is the story. I am the captain of the ship but not of the current.’

Discussing his 'wounded soul' detective Harry Hole, whom Nesbø describes as 'a full-blown alcoholic', the Norwegian writer and musician said, "This is a character I'm going to stay with … but there will be an end and I promise there will be no resurrection."

"Probably not for a while?" probed Kerridge.

Nesbø smiled, but did not reply.

Detective Harry Hole appears in 13 crime thrillers, including The Redbreast, and The Snowman, and on March 26 will star in the Netflix show Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole, largely an adaptation of the fifth instalment The Devil's Star, where Hole contends with a new Oslo serial killer and the ongoing feud with ruthless and corrupt Tom Waaler.

Nesbø is the showrunner, a role he was surprised to learn meant he was at the top of the ladder; in theory, above the directors, and in creative control. 

“On my first day, I was the only one in a hundred people – including the production assistant making the coffee – that didn't know what they were doing,” he laughed. "But I know how to tell the story and everyone else brings their experience to the table. It took time to get used to being dependent on others but that's what film-making is all about."

Nesbø insisted the production be set in Oslo and with Norwegian-speaking actors: "I knew if it was in English or set in the UK or US I wouldn't be along for the ride."

Actor Tobias Santelmann was top choice for the tortured detective but, according to Nesbø, his screen test was 'terrible'.

"We went through a number of actors, then I said, ‘let's test him one more time’. We gave him instructions and he blew us away."

Recreating a fictional hero for screen is challenging because, as Nesbø points out, everyone has their own version. Santelmann, for him, is 'way too good-looking', but, ‘There are a thousand Harrys out there and as long as this one is 80% my Harry that's fine.’

It’s for this reason Nesbø admits to avoiding his readers. 

"I try not to get into how they see Harry. I have my Harry and there is a danger of being compromised if you're curious about how they see his persona… I love Harry. I love to have him around, but he's the kind of friend who, when you've spent the weekend with him, you don't call him back on Monday."

When Kerridge raised the point that critics of The Snowman, starring Michael Fassbender, failed to capture Harry Hole's character, Nesbø countered, "I don't need Harry Hole to be the Harry of the novels, but they [Santelmann] happen to be quite close."

Just as the actor needn’t be a faithful replica of the protagonist, nor should the screenplay be a replica of the plot.

"The world doesn't need a 'version of a novel' on screen, they just need a good TV series," said Nesbø.

And from the looks of the Netflix trailer, dropped last month, a ‘good TV series’ it’s set to be. Filmed in Nesbo's native Oslo, where the 'gritty parts are more gritty' and 'the glossy parts more glossy,' the author cites Frank Miller’s Batman and Sin City as influences. 

“Oslo was a recurring dream to me. I left at the age of eight, and placing Harry there was something I had to do. It’s a Gotham City Version of Oslo.”

Harry’s world of killers is violent; layered with addiction and corruption. The lines between good and evil are blurred. For some readers it’s too much. Sometimes they react badly when he kills off major characters.

“I feel terrible about having to do all of this but it’s a gravity pull I shouldn’t fight,” said Nesbø. 

He recalled how, on arriving at the airport the day before, a man came up to him, shook his head and said, simply: ‘too dark,’ then walked away. 

Though Harry moves in a murky world, Nesbø certainly doesn’t. A professional musician, he is the lead vocalist and primary songwriter for the Norwegian band Di Derre, whose pop-rock sound contrasts with the dark tone of his Harry Hole crime novels.

“I don’t feel drawn to the abyss like Harry does. I’m curious, I want to look in but I don’t want to live there.”

Nesbø also treated the audience to a teaser of his next Harry Hole instalment, Kill Shot, which will be out in November. Perhaps inspired by his directorial experience, Nesbø dives into the world of filmmaking for his 14th book in the detective series. 

“Harry is no longer with the police, but an insurance company, but when these videos show up online – beautifully filmed murders – they need to find the victims. There’s only one guy in Oslo who’s a specialist in serial killings. Who do you call?”

• Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole will be available to watch exclusively on Netflix starting 26 March 26 and Kill Shot will be released on 05 November.