The first novel in Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole series is The Bat.
Originally published in Norwegian as Flaggermusmannen in 1997, The Bat introduces Harry Hole as a Norwegian police officer sent to Sydney, Australia, to assist with the investigation into the murder of a young Norwegian woman. The case expands into a serial-killer investigation involving attacks on blonde women.
The novel establishes several features that define the series: Hole’s skill as an investigator, his isolation, his struggles with alcoholism, and his willingness to pursue disturbing cases across national and cultural boundaries. It also introduces his nickname “Harry Holy,” used by Australian police characters because of the pronunciation of his surname.
English readers can easily encounter the books in a different order. The Bat was translated into English only in 2012, after later novels had already made Harry Hole popular internationally. Cockroaches is the second novel, while The Redbreast and Nemesis are later entries, not the beginning of the series.