Jo Nesbo Books in Order (Harry Hole, Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder, Olav Johansen)
All of Jo Nesbo’s Books!
Who is Jo Nesbo?
Jo Nesbø is a Norwegian writer, musician, economist, and former soccer player and reporter. But also a TV producer now.
Nesbo’s most famous series is “Harry Hole,” but he also wrote some children’s fiction (Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder) and more crime series.
What you may not know is that he is the main vocalist and songwriter for the Norwegian rock band Di Derre.
How to read Jo Nesbo’s Books in Order?
The Harry Hole series
Harry Hole is also an alcoholic, a smoker and his family history is complicated. He is a complicated man and his relationship with his superiors is not always easy. That said, he is a respected detective and he has undergone special training in interrogation techniques and firearms at the FBI, which makes him a real asset, especially with serial killer cases.
For more details, go to the Harry Hole Reading Order.
- The Bat (1997)
- Cockroaches (1998)
- The Redbreast (2000)
- Nemesis (2002)
- The Devil’s Star (2003)
- The Redeemer (2005)
- The Snowman (2007)
- The Leopard (2009)
- Phantom (2011)
- Police (2013)
- The Thirst (2017)
- Knife (2019)
- Killing Moon (2023)
Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder
Jo Nesbo also wrote from children with his series Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder. Full of humor and witty dialogues, this series follows Dr. Proctor, Nilly, and Lisa as they have a ton of fart-tastic fun!
You can learn more about Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder with our article dedicated to the series.
- Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder (2007)
- Bubble in the Bathtub (2008) aka Time Travel Bath Bomb
- Who Cut the Cheese? (2010) aka The End of the World. Maybe
- The Great Gold Robbery (2012) aka The Magical Fruit
- Can Doctor Proctor Save Christmas? (2017)
The Olav Johansen Series
Jo Nesbo wrote another crime series, this time it’s not about a cop. Olav Johansen is a walking contradiction: He’s a cold-blooded killer with a heart of gold.
- Blood on Snow (2015) – Olav is a fixer for a high-profile crime kingpin in 1970s Oslo. He easily takes care of anyone who causes trouble for his boss. But he is more complicated than he seems. Olav’s latest job puts him at the pinnacle of his trade, but it may become his greatest mistake: It turns out that the more you know about your boss’s business, the more your boss might want you fixed yourself-especially if you’re falling for his wife.
- Midnight Sun (2015) – Jon is on the run. He has betrayed Oslo’s biggest crime lord: the Fisherman. Fleeing to an isolated corner of Norway, to a mountain town so far north that the sun never sets, Jon hopes to find sanctuary among a local religious sect. Hiding out in a shepherd’s cabin in the wilderness, all that stands between him and his fate are Lea, a bereaved mother and her young son, Knut. But while Lea provides him with a rifle and Knut brings essential supplies, the midnight sun is slowly driving Jon to insanity. And then he discovers that the Fisherman’s men are getting closer…
Jo Nesbo’s Stand-alone books
- Headhunters (2008) – Adapted into the 2011 film of the same name. Roger Brown is a corporate headhunter, and he’s a master of his profession. But one career simply can’t support his luxurious lifestyle and his wife’s fledgling art gallery. At an art opening one night he meets Clas Greve, who is not only the perfect candidate for a major CEO job, but also, perhaps, the answer to his financial woes: Greve just so happens to mention that he owns a priceless Peter Paul Rubens painting that’s been lost since World War II-and Roger Brown just so happens to dabble in art theft. But when he breaks into Greve’s apartment, he finds more than just the painting. And Clas Greve may turn out to be the worst thing that’s ever happened to Roger Brown.
- The Son (2014) – Roy has never left the quiet mountain town he grew up in, unlike his little brother Carl who couldn’t wait to get out and escape his troubled past. Just like everyone else in town, Roy believed Carl was gone for good. But Carl has big plans for his hometown. And when he returns with a mysterious new wife and a business opportunity that seems too good to be true, simmering tensions begin to surface and unexplained deaths in the town’s past come under new scrutiny. Soon powerful players set their sights on taking the brothers down by exposing their role in the town’s sordid history.
- Macbeth (2018) – 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.
- The Kingdom (2020) – Roy has never left the quiet mountain town he grew up in, unlike his little brother Carl who couldn’t wait to get out and escape his troubled past. Just like everyone else in town, Roy believed Carl was gone for good. But Carl has big plans for his hometown. And when he returns with a mysterious new wife and a business opportunity that seems too good to be true, simmering tensions begin to surface and unexplained deaths in the town’s past come under new scrutiny. Soon powerful players set their sights on taking the brothers down by exposing their role in the town’s sordid history.
- The Jealousy Man and Other Stories (2021) – a short story collection. A detective with a nose for jealousy is on the trail of a man suspected of murdering his twin; a bereaved father must decide whether vengeance has a place in the new world order after a pandemic brings about the collapse of society; a garbage man fresh off a bender tries to piece together what happened the night before; a hired assassin matches wits against his greatest adversary in a dangerous game for survival; and an instantly electric connection between passengers on a flight to London may spell romance, or something more sinister.
- The Night House (2023) – In the wake of his parents’ tragic deaths in a house fire, fourteen-year-old Richard Elauved has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle in the remote, insular town of Ballantyne. Richard quickly earns a reputation as an outcast, and when a classmate named Tom goes missing, everyone suspects the new, angry boy is responsible for his disappearance. No one believes him when he says the telephone booth out by the edge of the woods sucked Tom into the receiver like something out of a horror movie.
If you like Jo Nesbo, you may also want to see our Millennium reading order, or our guide to Jussi Adler-Olsen’s Department Q series. Don’t hesitate to follow us on Twitter or Facebook to discover more book series.
