Macbeth
‘Shakespeare's darkest tale reimagined by the king of Nordic noir’ Mail on Sunday
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3.7 • 55 Ratings
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
*JO NESBO HAS SOLD OVER 60 MILLION BOOKS WORLDWIDE*
*No 1 Sunday Times bestseller*
'Immensely enjoyable and gloriously dark' Daily Express
He's the best cop they've got.
When a drug bust turns into a bloodbath it's up to Inspector Macbeth and his team to clean up the mess.
He's also an ex-drug addict with a troubled past.
He's rewarded for his success. Power. Money. Respect. They're all within reach.
But a man like him won't get to the top.
Plagued by hallucinations and paranoia, Macbeth starts to unravel. He's convinced he won't get what is rightfully his.
Unless he kills for it.
'A deliciously oppressive page-turner' Guardian
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Scandinavian noir collides with the Scottish play in this high-speed, blood-soaked Shakespearean reboot. Jo Nesbø reimagines Macbeth as the head of a SWAT team in a dreary, working-class town in the ’70s. Committed to cleaning up the gangs and corruption, Macbeth’s also obsessed with murdering police commissioner Duncan and taking his post. Nesbø doesn’t tamper much with Macbeth’s major themes, showing how relevant and modern the bard’s treatment of power, ambition and greed remains. Still, the bestselling Norwegian author finds places to let his own gifts for high atmosphere and grisly prose shine through.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this ambitious entry in the Hogarth Shakespeare series, bestseller Nesb (The Thirst and 10 other Harry Hole novels) transmutes Macbeth into a crime novel set in 1970s Scotland. Macbeth heads the SWAT team in a dreary city called Capitol, determined to take down criminal gangs and to clean up the corrupt local government, a goal shared by Duncan, Capitol's upstanding police chief. But local drug kingpin Hecate wants to be rid of Duncan and schemes to put Macbeth, something of an outsider and an addict to a drug called "brew," in charge. Hecate sends Macbeth three sisters (the witches in Shakespeare's original), who foretell his future: that he will be head of the Organised Crime Unit and then chief commissioner. Macbeth is promoted to the first post by Duncan, and "Lady," Macbeth's consort and a local casino magnate, has the manipulative wiles to ensure Macbeth does whatever it takes to eliminate Duncan and rule the city. The themes will resonate well with contemporary readers, but, at nearly 500 pages, the story feels bloated. It's a clever reengineering of one of Shakespeare's great tragedies, but may disappoint Nesb 's fan base.
Customer Reviews
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Even brilliant authors can have bad days!
As a enthusiastic reader of Nesbo’s books I was very disappointed by Macbeth. Perhaps this was an experimental project that his publishers pushed him into publishing? Hard to believe it was the same author of those brilliant Harry Hole stories.
Struggle
Disappointing, kept thinking the book might get better as I turned the page, but it didn’t at all. Do not buy and read it!