The Jealousy Man and Other Stories

Product Description

A veritable crime lover’s delight from a true master of mystery and suspense. Experience the #1 New York Times best-selling author as never before in this dark and thrilling short story collection that takes us on a journey of twisted minds and vengeful hearts.
Jo Nesbø is known the world over as a consummate mystery/thriller writer. Famed for his deft characterization, hair-raising suspense and shocking twists, Nesbø’s dexterity with the dark corners of the human heart is on full display in these inventive and enthralling stories.

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.

With Nesbø’s characteristic gift for outstanding atmosphere and gut-wrenching revelations,
The Jealousy Man confirms that he is at the peak of his abilities.

Review

“The twelve tales in this impressive collection from bestseller Nesbø (the Harry Hole series) blend taut suspense with sharply limned characters. . . . Frederick Forsyth fans will be enthralled.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Nesbø delivers stories ranging from dystopian visions to time-honored tales of duplicity and revenge. . . . Wonderfully atmospheric. . . . He never runs out of ideas.”
—Kirkus ReviewsAdditional praise for Jo Nesbø

“Nesbø is the greatest contemporary writer of the thriller.” 

—James Shapiro, The New York Times
“[Nesbø is] a forceful thriller machine.” 

—Steph Cha, Los Angeles Times 
“Nesbø explores the darkest criminal minds with grim delight . . . Maddeningly addictive.”

—Vanity Fair 
“Nesbø’s books have a serious, socially significant heft, as well as a confident (even cocky) narrative stride that is unmatched.
”

—Doug Childers, The Richmond Times-Dispatch 
“Nesbø writes like an angel. As in Lucifer.”

—Susan Balée, The Philadelphia Inquirer

About the Author

JO NESBØ is a musician, songwriter, economist, and #1
New York Times best-selling author. He has won the Raymond Chandler Award for Lifetime Achievement as well as many other awards. His books have sold 45 million copies worldwide and have been translated into fifty languages. His Harry Hole novels include
The Redeemer,
The Snowman,
The Leopard,
Phantom, and most recently
Knife, and he is also the author of
The Son,
Headhunters,
Macbeth, and several children’s books. He lives in Oslo.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

PART ONE
Jealousy

LONDON

I’M NOT AFRAID OF FLYING. The chances of dying in a plane crash for the average frequent flyer are one in eleven million. To put it another way: your chances of dying of a heart attack in your seat are eight times higher.

I waited until the plane took off and levelled out before leaning to one side and in a low and hopefully reassuring voice passed this statistic on to the sobbing, shaking woman in the window seat.

‘But of course, statistics don’t mean much when you’re afraid,’ I added. ‘I say this because I know exactly how you feel.’

You–who until now had been staring fixedly out of the window–turned slowly and looked at me–as though you had only now discovered someone was sitting in the seat next to yours. The thing about business class is that the extra centimetres between the seats mean that with a slight effort of concentration it’s possible to persuade yourself that you are alone. And there is a common understanding between business-class passengers that one should not break this illusion by exchanging any-thing beyond brief courtesies and any practical matters that have to be dealt with (‘Is it OK if I pull down the b