The Bat by Jo Nesbo

If you're like me, you started in the middle of Jo Nesbo's series on Oslo detective Harry Hole with his book The Snowman, the best-seller two years ago.  However, the translators finally returned to the beginning and gave us The Bat, where it all began.  In this first of the series, Harry is a 32 year-old, handsome, eager young detective - not the wrecked and broken man of the later books.  Nesbo takes us to Australia as Harry helps to find a fairly creepy serial murderer.  While I found the book started a bit slow and not as well written as his other books, by mid-story, Nesbo had kicked it into gear and given us his classic detective novel.  He flushes out the character of Harry Hole (pronounced Hoo-le), giving background on his childhood, his inner demons, his battles with alcohol, and even a love interest.  By the end, I was ready to bite on the next in the series.  If you like a good murder mystery with really excellent character character development, check this book out:)