Simone loved chocolates. Especially Twist. Every Saturday when I did the shopping at Kiwi I used to buy a big bag of them. It was one of our few routines. It was a sort of anchor in a life based on opportunism, whims, the occasional evening meal together and, as a rule, waking up in the same bed. We blamed our jobs, and I believed that everything would be different once we had a child. That would bring us together. A child. I remember how shaken she was the first time I brought it up. I say this as though I’ve just made up my mind here and now, but of course that’s not the case. For several minutes now I’ve just been waiting for the right moment. And the right moment is now. Kudos, Mr. Nesbø, for a great collection. While I am eager to see more Harry Hole, I enjoyed this piece quite a bit.

The Jealousy Man by Jo Nesbø | Goodreads The Jealousy Man by Jo Nesbø | Goodreads

Not that things were so important for her when she was alive either. I’ve just been explaining all this to the officer. That she told me I could take anything I wanted when she threw me out – the stereo, the TV, books, kitchen equipment, you name it. She was ready for it. She’d decided this was going to be a civilised breakup. We loved each other, officer. We more than loved each other. We were the air each other breathed, we kept each other alive, do you understand? No, of course, why should you?’ Is that a smile I see curling the officer’s lips? He doesn’t respond. Of course not, he’s under an oath of silence as regards anything to do with the investigation. All the same, at the thought of Henrik Bakke being a suspect I can’t help but smile as well. I don’t even try to hide it. We smile. Druga priča po redu, već spomenuti Stručnjak za ljubomoru, prava je mini detektivska priča, priča o zločinu iz strasti i nevjerojatno domišljatom načinu da se on prikrije. Nije baš tipična whodunnit priča, jer akteri ove priče puno toga skrivaju ispod površine, tj. nitko nije baš onakav kakvim se doima. Zaplet je donekle predvidiv, ali način na koji priča završava ipak iskače iz uobičajenih narativnih okvira. U ovoj priči ima najviše pripovijedanja, najviše detalja, zbog čega je i njena radnja najsporija u odnosu na ostale, ali ne mogu reći da mi nije bila zanimljiva. Mislim da bi se upravo ova priča najviše mogla svidjeti svima onima koji su u ovoj zbirci očekivali nešto nalik na uobičajenog Nesbøa. Thank you to Knopf DoubleDay Publishing and to the author for this advanced copy of The Jealousy Man and Other Stories in exchange for an honest review.The officer looks as though he might be preparing a response, a long and complex response that’s going to require a lot of thought. I continue. I have enjoyed Jo Nesbo's work in the past, The Snowman is one of my favorites. However, this compilation of short stories did not really do it for me sadly. The first story was absolutely fantastic, but then it just sort of fizzled out from there. If I am being honest I DNF this book because some of the stories I found to be anti climatic and confusing. The format on my Kindle was also a bit rough because it was hard to tell when one story ended and another began.

Review: The Jealousy Man and Other Stories by Jo Nesbo Review: The Jealousy Man and Other Stories by Jo Nesbo

My absolute favorites were London, The Jealousy Man and The Line, which incidentally were all in Part One. Part Two had a more dystopian feel to the stories and that isn’t really my thing, though I did like Cicadas of all the stories in this section. In this thrilling new collection the master of crime delivers a gripping, edge-of-your seat read that you won't be able to put down.I love Nesbø. I really really do and he's someone I'll read as soon as a book is out. But I'm sad to say, I struggled, I really struggled with this. Meet a detective on the trail of a man suspected of murdering his twin; a hired assassin facing his greatest adversary; and two passengers meeting by chance on a place, spelling romance or something far more sinister.

The Jealousy Man and Other Stories by Jo Nesbø | Goodreads

So I wasn’t all that surprised to meet Bakke again at the Kiwi store on Saturday morning a couple of weeks later. We both laughed when I looked in a very demonstrative way at the bag of Twists in his shopping trolley. And he asked about the divorce papers, he said Simone’s lawyer was waiting for them. I said I’d had a lot to do but that I would see to it next week. I was perhaps a little annoyed with him for bringing it up. I mean, what was the rush? He’d taken my place in her bed, surely that was enough to be going on with? It almost seemed as though he could hardly wait to get married to her. And her millions. So I asked him straight out if they were planning to get married. He looked bewildered, so I repeated my question. He smiled wanly and shook his head. And then I got the picture.’ It’s just an inventory I’ve made. Don’t let your feelings get in the way of common sense now, Arne. Try to see this as a controlled liquidation.’ I read that when Henrik Bakke found her he thought at first she was asleep. Pity he wasn’t there when she died. He might have learned something. I mean, it must be fascinating to study a human being in transit between life and death, don’t you think?’ Maybe it was a bit hasty of me to just give up everything like that. After all, she was a wealthy young woman, good for fourteen million, whereas I am a debt-ridden photographer with a little too much faith in his own business skills. Simone supported my idea of starting my own studio along with six other photographers. If not financially then at least morally. We were the perfect Twist couple, Simone and I,’ I say, and halfway expect the officer to raise one eyebrow and give me a puzzled look. ‘I’m not thinking of the dance but the chocolate,’ I explain. The officer evidently doesn’t have a sense of humour. ‘I like liquorice and nougat and I hate banana creams. As it happens she loved the banana creams. You know, the ones with the yellow-and-green wrapping. Oh yes, of course, you’ve already . . . If ever we had guests I had to take them all out before I put the dish out, so she could have them herself the next day.’The writing is typical Nesbø, which, for those who have read some of his work, will know is steeped in symbolism and a deeper analysis of the emotional being. Hidden meanings and ideas permeate the narrative, such that the reader may play close attention to get all that Nesbø presents in his writing. With stories that vary in length, it is even more important to pay attention, as there are times when a piece is over before it really begins, meaning the reader will miss what is being presented. Simon Vance (one of my all-time favorite narrators) read London, the opening tale that was truly captivating and held my attention, and Odd. Quotes from London: "then you smiled, just a tiny wavelet on a slushy puddle," and René "Girard's [mimetic] theory is that beyond satisfying our basic needs we don't know what it is we want, so we mimic our surroundings, we value what other people value..." On leave from his Harry Hole novels, Nesbø delivers stories ranging from dystopian visions to time-honored tales of duplicity and revenge. This collection is divided into two sections – Jealousy and Power – and as I typically find when I read collections of short stories I definitely liked some more than others. The stories are dark and they include morally grey characters, which I loved. And none of them ended the way I expected to them…they are filled with great twists that really keep you guessing the entire time as to where it is heading, no matter how long each story is. This collection of short stories by the talented Jo Nesbø is divided into two themes. The first centres on jealousy and part two around power. I enjoy the first group much better than the second as there’s a really good mix of stories and the theme is evident throughout. The first entitled London is outstanding and my favourite story as I love the clever twist at the end which makes me smile, albeit wryly. The second The Jealousy Man which gives the collection it’s title, has a great premise of sibling rivalry and how that manifests itself into jealousy. It is a bit on the long side with some digressions but it is a clever story of parallel lines. I also like The Line which is short and sharp with the perfect revenge for a line jumper. In Trash we have an angry and jealous refuse disposal officer who really cleans up after himself and The Confession has a particularly yummy Twist! The latter really appeals to my rather dark sense of humour!!

Jo Nesbo Short Story from The Jealousy Man The Confession: A Free Jo Nesbo Short Story from The Jealousy Man

In his first ever collection of short stories, this master of crime delivers a gripping, edge-of-your seat read that you won't be able to put down. Quite a paradox, isn’t it? I never did get round to sending in those divorce papers, so Simone and I were still man and wife when she died. That makes me the sole heir, officer. So if it really was Henrik Bakke who killed her, what that means is that the man who stole the love of my life from me has made me a millionaire. Me. How’s that for one of life’s little ironies?’ I put Simone’s coffee cup down on the tablecloth on her coffee table. Her coffee cup. Her tablecloth. Her coffee table. Even the dish of chocolates in the middle of the table is hers. Things. Strange how little things mean once you’re dead. One way or another.Svidio mi se i način na koji Nesbø ovdje portretira likove, tj. naglasak koji stavlja na likove koji su više možda zlikovci nego heroji i splet okolnosti koji ih je natjerao da to budu. Ljubomora je sama po sebi snažna emocija, korijen mnogih krivih postupaka i skretanja u pogrešnom smjeru. Ovdje je ona ono nešto što sve priče povezuje, ali i ono nešto što ih sve pokreće. With Nesbø’s characteristic gift for outstanding atmosphere and gut-wrenching revelations, The Jealousy Manconfirms that he is at the peak of his abilities. Nesbo also takes us to the near future, to a dystopian America, where the upper-class elite is waiting atop a skyscraper to be evacuated while the masses fight for survival in the streets below. We are introduced to two best friends on their way to the running of the bulls in Pamplona when they fall in love with the same girl and, in the epic and vicious finale, we meet a psychologist who also happens to be an assassin. The city is a watering hole on the savannah where animals of every kind congregate; apart from the handful of herbivores so large they’ve got no need to worry, most of us are hunters, prey or scavengers. We live in a symbiotic relationship of fear from which none of us can escape…Redemption comes only when you do what you have to do to survive...Survival...is in the final analysis dependent on our ability to learn the qualities of mercy, wisdom and forgiveness.” A veritable crime lover’s delight from a true master of mystery and suspense. Experience the #1 New York Timesbest-selling author as never before in this dark and thrilling short story collection that takes us on a journey of twisted minds and vengeful hearts.