Dear HarperCollins,
I just finished reading Jo Nesbo's The Redbreast. I enjoyed it so much, I had to write. I was a little uncertain about the book when it was recommended to me. You see I used to work in a bookstore and one of the owners is a great fan of literary thrillers. I recently ran into him and he highly 
recommended Jo Nesbo's book. I hadn't heard of the novel or author previously, and I wasn't sure I would be able to relate to the characters (a male Norwegian police detective, and a story with flashbacks to soldiers fighting on the Eastern Front during WWII?), but I am always willing to give a book a try when someone is so enthusiastic about it. Happily I got on so well with Harry Hole that he has jumped to the top of my list of favorites as far as detectives go.
I'm presented with a small problem now. I know there are already seven books in the series and Mr. Nesbo is writing the eighth. I'm happy to see that you've bought the rights to two more Harry Hole novels (the fourth and fifth in the series), though I can't find any publishing details yet. Am I being too anxious? I'm not sure I can wait until they're released here, however. Already three titles are (or soon will be) available in the UK from Random House. I know you have to deal with publishing schedules and have to worry about the bottom line and and how well an author sells and no doubt many other variables readers don't know about, but now that you've dangled such an intriguing character in front of my eyes, surely you can't expect me to just patiently wait another year until I can get my hands on more? Actually my greatest concern is whether you plan on publishing all Mr. Nesbo's books, as I see no US rights granted for any of the other titles.
You probably already know this, but, the thing with mystery readers is we like to keep up on our favorite authors, and we especially like to read the books in order. I know I am just one tiny voice amongst a sea of mystery readers, but if you happen to be listening, can I just ask that you please publish all the Harry Hole books? And if possible, in the order they were written (small detail, but very important). You would make many mystery fans here in the US quite happy.
Thank you for your kind attention.
D.
Dear Reader,
Can you tell I really liked The Redbreast? I literally flew through it in less than a week, and it is a 500+ page book. I admit I was a tad bit reluctant when my former boss described it to me, but he liked it so much I had to at least give it a try. I tend to read a certain type of book--even when it comes to mysteries, but once again I see I need to keep reading outside my comfort zone. There are so many good books to discover out there.
I won't go into the plot but will say the book is set in contemporary Norway (primarily Oslo) as well as the Eastern Front during WWII. The series features detective Harry Hole, a rather self-deprecating, 30-ish (in this installment), angst-ridden man who has a buzz haircut and wears Doc Martens. He's entirely likable. There's a lot going on in the story, so you have to pay attention to the details as they are important later in the story. I was guessing until the very end, and not much ended up as I predicted it would. If you enjoy a well written, edge-of-your-seat type thriller, with a nice European slant to it, Jo Nesbo is an author to watch. I've already ordered Nemesis (due out March 6) and The Devil's Star (already published) from the UK. Click here for more on Harry.
Respectfully yours,
D.