This ‘gritty’ Nordic noir crime drama is set to be your next Netflix obsession

A new crime drama has soared up the Netflix charts (Picture: Francisco Munoz/ Netflix)

Netflix viewers have rushed to watch a new Norwegian detective drama based on a best-selling book series.

This week the new nine-episode serial killer mystery Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole was released on the streaming platform.

The series marks the first time Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole novels have been adapted for the small screen, with the show specifically being based on the fifth instalment – The Devil’s Star.

The author has a legion of fans, with his books selling 60 million copies worldwide, including 5.6 million in Norway – an impressive feat considering that is more than the country’s entire population.

The synopsis for the TV series has teased: ‘Created by one of the greatest storytellers in crime fiction, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole, is a whodunnit serial killer mystery led by famed anti-hero Harry Hole.

‘Underneath the surface, this series is a nuanced character drama about two police officers – and supposed colleagues – operating on opposite sides of the law. Throughout the season, Harry goes head-to-head with his long-time adversary and corrupt detective Tom Waaler.

Tobias Santelmann stars in Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole (Picture: Einar Aslaksen/ Netflix)

‘Harry is a brilliant but tormented homicide detective who struggles with his demons. As the two navigate the blurred ethical lines of the criminal justice system, Harry must do all he can to catch a serial killer and bring Waaler to justice before it is too late.’

Set in Oslo, the series stars Tobias Santelmann as Harry and Joel Kinnaman as Tom, as well as Pia Tjelta, Ellen Helinder, Anders Baasmo, Maxime Baune Bochud, Kåre Conradi and Simon J. Berger. The original score was also composed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

Since being released, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole has shot up the Netflix UK charts, where it is currently the sixth most watched TV series. It also currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘A roundhouse-kick of a thrill ride that lives up to the promises baked into the thriller subgenre’s name, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole delivers virtually everywhere it should – which is nothing less than what a modern legend deserves,’ Collider wrote in its review.

Viewers have labelled it ‘stylish, gritty and suspenseful’ (Picture: Ronald Plante/ Netflix)

‘Stylish, gritty, and suspenseful, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole is a knockout and Nordic noir done right,’ FandomWire shared.

‘Everything from the casting to that delicious Nordic Noir vibe makes this Netflix production a gorgeous viewing experience,’ HeavenofHorror added.

Meanwhile viewers have called it ‘an intense, atmospheric ride’, ‘gripping and unforgettable’, and said it ‘exceeded their expectations’.

Detective Hole was previously adapted for the screen – in the 2017 film The Snowman. Based on the seventh novel in the series, it starred Michael Fassbender as Harry Hole.

However, it underperformed at the box office, grossing $43.1million (£32million) worldwide against a $35million (£26million) budget. It was also largely panned by critics, who called it ‘clichéd and uninvolving’.

The author was responsible for adapting his novel (Picture: Rune Hellestad – Corbis/ Getty Images)

Speaking about adapting the beloved book series for TV, director and executive producer Øystein Karlsen told Netflix’s Tudum: ‘It’s the first time the series starts viewing the story solidly from Harry’s perspective, it feels like, and it’s an incredible page-turner of a book.

‘You will have to watch it twice to realise you could have figured it out along the way, but a beer on me at Schröder’s if anyone gets the whole plot before it ends – unless you’ve read the book, of course.’

Meanwhile the author – who adapted his book for this series – added: ‘For me, storytelling isn’t about serving people what they think they want, but what they didn’t know they wanted. We will try to create something fresh, exciting, and surprising with respect to the book version of Harry.’

Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole’s was filmed in more than 160 different locations over 113 days in Oslo, including notable spots from the book series. ‘Having been a fan of the books for years, I always felt that Oslo on its own is such an important character in the stories. It has the perfect mixture of rich and poor, dark and light, old and new, to balance the darkness and suspense in the universe that is Harry’s. Jo’s version of Oslo is sort of a Gotham version, and we enhance that in the series,’ Karlsen added.

Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole is now streaming on Netflix.

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