Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo 384 pages published by Vintage    When the Norwegian ambassador to Thailand is found dead in a Bangkok brothel, Inspector Harry Hole is dispatched from Oslo to help hush up the case. But once he arrives Harry discovers that this case is about much more than one random murder. There is something else, something more pervasive, scrabbling around behind the scenes. Or, put another way, for every cockroach you see in your hotel room, there are hundreds behind the walls.

While this book is actually the second in the series of Harry Hole, it has only recently been translated and published. There is something appealing about an imperfect and flawed hero, an alcoholic Norwegian detective, and Nesbo creates a fast-paced read. 

We are starting the new year with a remarkable lack of new material.