Cockroaches: The Second Inspector Harry Hole Novel

Cockroaches is the second in the Harry Hole series, but the last one to be translated into English. This sees us back in Norway after our adventures in Australia, only to be sent off again to investigate the death of the Ambassador in Thailand. This gives us a quick tour of the less reputable parts of Bangkok as our alcoholic detective goes cold turkey to work out who killed the ambassador and why. There’s just one problem. No one wants him to solve the case.

The Norwegian government sent their man to Thailand to reduce the possibility of embarrassment. The politicians and responsible officials prefer a cover-up with the case closed as quickly as possible. Harry was picked for the job because everyone assumed he would not be sober enough to find out what was going on. The Thai government also wants a whitewash. The economy depends on tourism and it would be financially inconvenient if people were deterred from visiting.

Needless to say, Harry is unimpressed by such political machination. Once he recovers from the hangover, he’s on the job and, before long, there are cockroaches crawling out from the walls. Although this shows an author learning his trade, it’s still a rigorously efficient plot and enjoyably clever.