Friday, May 25, 2012

HEADHUNTERS a Nightmare Crime Ride

"Headhunters" by Norwegian writer Jo Nesbo is a departure from that author's outstanding crime novel series featuring Inspector Harry Hole as he hunts serial killers in "The Snowman" and "The Leopard."

In "Headhunters" Roger Brown runs an executive headhunter search firm that seeks high quality candidates for top corporate job openings. On the side, Brown is also a slick art thief, stealing valuable paintings from private owners.

But when Brown steals a rare, lost Reubens work from the wrong owner, he ends up on a nightmarish ride of horrific events. The sequence of plot twists is truly diabolical, including a scene in which Brown is forced to hide himself in the most nauseating place imaginable, described in all-too-graphic detail not for the squeamish.

"Headhunters" begins with deceptive calmness, then wrenches suddenly into a hideously gripping crime thriller. It's an offbeat, can't-miss treat for Jo Nesbo fans.

BEACH RATING:  4 Palm Trees