Thank you so much Crown Publishing for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own.
“Women understand hearts and how to speak to them. Because the heart is the woman in us. Even if the brain is bigger, talks more and believes that the husband rules the house, it’s the heart that silently makes the decisions. The speech touched your heart and the brain gladly follows.”
Book Description:
Set in the 1970s in a run-down, rainy industrial town, Jo Nesbo’s Macbeth centers around a police force struggling to shed an incessant drug problem. Duncan, chief of police, is idealistic and visionary, a dream to the townspeople but a nightmare for criminals. The drug trade is ruled by two drug lords, one of whom—a master of manipulation named Hecate—has connections with the highest in power, and plans to use them to get his way.
Hecate’s plot hinges on steadily, insidiously manipulating Inspector Macbeth: the head of SWAT and a man already susceptible to violent and paranoid tendencies. What follows is an unputdownable story of love and guilt, political ambition, and greed for more, exploring the darkest corners of human nature, and the aspirations of the criminal mind.
My Review:
This book is EXACTLY what it says it is: a really well done retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth with a modern crime twist. As soon as I started reading, I recognized Nesbo’s signature writing style with graphic descriptions and phenomenal character development. I am not going to lie, it’s a big, dense book. And even though I read fast, it took me a bit to hit my stride, but I loved it!
Set in a tired, dark industrial town in the 1970’s, Nesbo’s MACBETH focuses on the town’s ceaseless drug problems and corruption. Inspector Macbeth is head of the SWAT team and has a tendency towards violence and paranoia. A dangerous drug lord by the name of Hecate uses his high connections to the city officials to manipulate Macbeth and will stop at nothing to get his way. Enter Lady, Macbeth’s true love, who owns one of the foremost casinos. What follows is a story of greed, power, ambition, murder, and madness.
My absolute favorite aspect of the book is that it stays true to the classic. This could not have been easy, but Nesbo manages to pull it off flawlessly! I loved that I was able to recognize both Shakespeare and Nesbo in this book. The dark and gritty styles mesh perfectly together. I could not get over the clever and brilliant way Nesbo retold one of the most famous plays ever written.
As I was reading, I could picture every detail, every mannerism. I could hear the blackjack cards hit the table because I was right there. That is the pure genius that is Nesbo. I am a lifelong, forever fan of William Shakespeare and I am happy to say Nesbo’s homage is nothing short of excellent.
My rating is 5 out of 5 stars!
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