Harry Hole, #5

The Devil's Star

Name: The Devil's Star (Harry Hole, #5)
Author: Jo Nesbø

by Jo Nesbø

Genre

Mystery, Crime, Thriller

Pages

522

Contents

Overview

Jo Nesbø’s The Devil’s Star follows Oslo detective Harry Hole during a punishing summer heatwave, as a gruesome murder marked by a severed finger and a star-shaped red diamond draws the police into what may be a ritualistic serial-killer case. Harry is brilliant but unstable, drinking heavily and facing dismissal, while forced to work under Tom Waaler, a celebrated colleague he deeply distrusts.

As more women disappear or die, the investigation turns on symbols, timing, geometry, and the unsettling possibility that the killer is communicating through a pattern. The case tests Harry’s instincts, sobriety, and loyalty to the people he loves, especially Rakel and Oleg, while exposing tensions inside the police itself. The novel combines procedural detection with themes of obsession, corruption, vengeance, faith, and the dangerous human need to impose order on chaos.

Plot Summary ⚠️ Spoilers

During a sweltering Oslo summer, Vibeke Knutsen and Anders Nygård discover dark droplets leaking through their kitchen ceiling from the flat above. Police are called to the apartment of Camilla Loen, where Harry Hole, forensic officer Beate Lønn, and lead investigator Tom Waaler find Camilla shot in the shower. Her left index finger has been cut off before death, and a red, star-shaped gemstone is later found on her eye. A Glock with filed-off markings connects the scene to illegal weapons, while Harry’s suspicion of Waaler, whom he believes to be the criminal figure called Prince, makes the assignment personally poisonous.

Harry is already collapsing. His obsession with the murder of colleague Ellen Gjelten and his unsupported accusation against Waaler have wrecked his standing, damaged his relationship with Rakel Fauke and her son Oleg, and driven him into drink. Bjarne Møller, his superior, warns him that dismissal papers are ready. Yet the Camilla case pulls him back, especially when another woman, Lisbeth Barli, vanishes after leaving home briefly to buy potato salad. A high-heeled shoe is found, then a mailed severed finger arrives at police headquarters: Lisbeth’s middle finger, adorned with another five-point star ring.

The investigation grows into a serial-killer inquiry. A third victim, receptionist Barbara Svendsen, is found shot and posed in a law-firm restroom, her left ring finger removed and another red star diamond planted. Psychologist Ståle Aune profiles a ritualistic killer whose pattern may be escalating. Harry deduces that the murderer may be posing as a masked bike courier, allowing him to enter buildings unnoticed. He also becomes fascinated by the pentagram, or devil’s star, after finding one carved above Camilla’s bed and another traced in dust on a television screen near Barbara’s murder scene.

Harry eventually decodes the pattern: the number five governs the killings. The victims, timings, severed fingers, fifth floors, and locations form points of a pentagram laid over Oslo. This allows the team to predict two remaining sites, including a student building in Kampen and Villa Valle, home of Olaug Sivertsen. Beate visits Olaug and notices a pentagram-cut diamond brooch connected to Olaug’s son, Sven Sivertsen, who travels from Prague. Sven appears to fit the evidence: he has access to red diamonds, weapons, and international smuggling routes.

The police set a trap at the Kampen student building, using surveillance equipment supplied by Otto Tangen and Special Forces under Sivert Falkeid. The operation fails. While police pursue false leads, student Marius Veland is revealed as an earlier hidden victim: Harry finds an embalmed thumb and a carved star in Marius’s room, then discovers Marius’s body sealed in an airtight suit bag in the loft. The thumb proves that the murders began before Camilla and followed the digits of the left hand. Meanwhile Waaler goes alone to arrest Sven at Olaug’s flat. Beate prevents Waaler from shooting the unarmed Sven, and Sven is taken into custody with weapons and diamonds in his suitcase.

Publicly, Sven is hailed as the Courier Killer. Privately, Waaler reveals his true nature to Harry. He runs an extrajudicial and criminal network, funded through smuggling, and had intended to kill Sven under cover of self-defense. He now orders Harry to poison Sven in custody with a substance called Joseph’s Blessing, framing it as a suicide. Instead, Harry bluffs Sven with fake poison, forcing him to admit his dealings with Prince, whom Sven identifies as Waaler. Sven denies the murders and explains that he merely delivered guns and star diamonds to Frogner Park at scheduled intervals, believing he was working for a Norwegian contact. He offers evidence against Waaler if Harry can find the real killer.

Harry hides with Sven while Waaler is secretly authorized to hunt them. Beate, Bjørn Holm, and Harry pursue new evidence from tourist photographs, witness statements, and forensic details. A photograph from Prague supports Sven’s link to Waaler, but another clue points elsewhere. Harry realizes that theatre producer Wilhelm Barli, Lisbeth’s husband, had motive and opportunity. Barli was jealous of Lisbeth’s affair in Prague and constructed the pentagram pattern to frame Sven, using Sven’s deliveries of guns and diamonds as planted evidence. A fennel seed under Lisbeth’s severed finger proves Barli handled the finger after claiming she had disappeared.

During a storm, Toya Harang, Lisbeth’s sister and the star of Barli’s production, visits Barli’s flat and discovers Lisbeth’s body hidden inside his waterbed. Harry reaches the flat by climbing in through neighboring balconies and confronts Barli. Barli effectively confesses: he killed Lisbeth, sealed her body with foam, hid her in the waterbed, and staged the other murders to create a ritual frame around Sven. He also murders Toya when she becomes a problem, leaving her body in the shower. Barli then stages his own theatrical suicide by hanging himself outside from a rotary dryer.

Before Harry can report everything, Waaler leaves a voicemail from Oleg’s bedroom, proving he has taken the boy hostage. Harry rushes to the student block, where Waaler arrives with Oleg at gunpoint and tries to frame Harry, Sven, and Oleg in a staged fatal confrontation. Harry’s planned surveillance bluff fails, but he wounds Waaler with a concealed chisel and escapes with Oleg and Sven into an old lift. When Waaler grabs Oleg through the lift grille, Harry handcuffs Waaler’s wrist to the descending lift door mechanism. Waaler is trapped, crushed, and later found dead at the basement door.

In the aftermath, Harry ensures Oleg’s safe return to Rakel and arranges protection for Sven, whose testimony can expose Waaler’s corruption. Møller opens inquiries, and the head of Kripos apologizes for dismissing Harry’s suspicions, offering him his job back. Harry remains sober in the moment but uncertain about his future, considering leaving the police and taking a taxi-driver exam through Øystein. The serial murders are solved, Waaler’s immediate threat is over, and Harry is left with fragile hope, lingering trauma, and the burden of what justice has cost.

Characters

Harry Hole

The troubled detective at the center of the investigation, whose brilliance is undermined by alcoholism, nightmares, and impending dismissal. He decodes the devil’s-star pattern, uncovers Wilhelm Barli as the real killer, and ultimately confronts Tom Waaler to save Oleg and expose police corruption.
Tom Waaler

A celebrated Oslo detective who leads the serial-killer inquiry while secretly operating as the criminal figure Prince. He pressures Harry to join his vigilante network, tries to eliminate Sven Sivertsen, and becomes the final immediate threat when he uses Oleg as leverage.
Beate Lønn

A forensic specialist whose precision and courage repeatedly advance the case, from linking the red star diamonds to identifying key photographic and physical evidence. She prevents Waaler from shooting Sven and becomes one of the few colleagues Harry can trust.
Bjarne Møller

Harry’s superior in the Crime Squad, torn between protecting Harry and enforcing his dismissal. He coordinates the investigation, manages media pressure, and later helps contain the aftermath of Waaler’s corruption.
Rakel Fauke

Harry’s partner, whose strained relationship with him reflects the personal cost of his drinking and obsession. Her home and son become central to the stakes when Waaler threatens Oleg.
Oleg Fauke

Rakel’s son and Harry’s emotional anchor. His bond with Harry offers moments of warmth, and his abduction by Waaler forces Harry into the climactic confrontation.
Wilhelm Barli

A theatre producer and Lisbeth Barli’s husband, initially presented as a grieving spouse. He is revealed as the architect of the staged pentagram murders, framing Sven out of jealousy and theatrical self-mythologizing.
Lisbeth Barli

Wilhelm Barli’s wife, whose disappearance becomes the second apparent case in the Courier Killer pattern. Her concealed body and severed finger provide crucial evidence against Wilhelm.
Sven Sivertsen

Olaug Sivertsen’s son, a Prague-based smuggler who supplies weapons and red star diamonds and is framed as the Courier Killer. He identifies Waaler as Prince and becomes Harry’s reluctant informant.
Olaug Sivertsen

Sven’s elderly mother, living at Villa Valle, whose home lies on Harry’s predicted pentagram map. Her diamond brooch helps Beate connect Sven to the murder evidence.
Camilla Loen

The first visible murder victim in the investigation, found shot in her shower with her index finger severed and a red star diamond planted. Her death establishes the ritual pattern that drives the case.
Barbara Svendsen

A law-firm receptionist murdered at work after being approached by a false visitor. Her staged body, severed ring finger, and hidden diamond confirm that the police are facing a linked series.
Marius Veland

A student whose murder predates the known victims and reveals the true beginning of the digit sequence. His sealed body and embalmed thumb show the killer’s methodical staging.
Toya Harang

Lisbeth’s sister and the performer who takes a central role in Wilhelm Barli’s production. Her discovery of Lisbeth’s body makes her a final victim of Barli’s attempt to control the story.
Vibeke Knutsen

Camilla Loen’s downstairs neighbor, whose discovery of the bloody leak first brings police to the case. Her conversations with Harry also introduce domestic and symbolic threads around Anders and religious language.
Anders Nygård

Vibeke’s partner, who is present when the leak from Camilla’s flat is discovered. He discusses pentagram symbolism with Harry, helping connect the star motif to folklore and the nightmare demon.
Øystein Eikeland

Harry’s taxi-driver friend, who supports him through insomnia and addiction without enabling him. Waaler’s network targets Øystein while searching for Harry, and Harry later considers following him into taxi work.
Ståle Aune

A psychologist who profiles the serial killer for the task force. His explanations of ritual, escalation, and the killer’s possible wish to be caught help Harry interpret the pattern.
Roger Gjendem

An Aftenposten crime reporter who covers the Courier Killer case and becomes a potential outlet for Harry’s attempt to expose the truth. Waaler’s network coerces him by threatening his brother.
Bjørn Holm

A forensic officer who assists Beate with photographic evidence and physical clues. His work with tourist photos helps corroborate Sven’s movements and advance Harry’s revised theory.
Sivert Falkeid

The Special Forces leader involved in the Kampen stakeout. He coordinates armed units during the failed attempt to catch the supposed courier killer.
Otto Tangen

A surveillance specialist coerced by Waaler into wiring the Kampen student building. His equipment shapes the failed trap and later figures in Harry’s bluff against Waaler.
Eva Marvanova

Sven Sivertsen’s pregnant lover in Prague, whose discovery of his gun and star diamond links him to the Oslo crimes. Her photograph of Sven with Waaler becomes key evidence of the Prince connection.
Ellen Gjelten

Harry’s murdered colleague, whose unresolved case fuels his obsession with Waaler. Her death forms the emotional and investigative background to Harry’s pursuit of Prince.
Roy Kvinsvik

A former neo-Nazi and witness connected to Harry’s accusations against Waaler in Ellen’s case. His recantation helps undermine Harry before the Courier Killer investigation begins.
Sverre Olsen

A neo-Nazi suspect in Ellen Gjelten’s murder. Waaler admits killing him and presents the act as justice, revealing his extrajudicial code.
Nikolai Loeb

A Russian Orthodox pastor who explains pentagram symbolism to Harry. He later hears a disturbing confession that hints at the true killer’s jealousy and violence.
Ina

Olaug Sivertsen’s young lodger, whose absence briefly appears alarming during the investigation. Her later return with her fiancé provides a counterpoint to the fear surrounding Villa Valle.
Terje Rye

Ina’s fiancé, introduced when Ina returns to Olaug’s home. His arrival resolves Olaug’s fear that Ina has become another victim.
Magnus Skarre

A younger detective on the task force who questions assumptions during the serial-killer briefings. His role helps frame the investigative debates around motive, pattern, and victim count.
André Clausen

A witness at the law-firm murder scene who reports seeing a masked courier. His identification helps Harry establish the courier disguise as the killer’s method of approach.
Klaus Torkildsen

A Telenor technician blackmailed into monitoring Harry’s phone contacts for Waaler’s network. His role shows the reach of the corrupt operation hunting Harry and Sven.
Groth

A custody-block officer nicknamed the Griever, present when Møller retrieves Harry and when Harry later removes Sven from custody. His compliance helps Harry execute the plan to turn Sven into a witness.
Head of Kripos

The senior police official who earlier orders Harry to drop his accusations against Waaler after Roy Kvinsvik recants. After Waaler is exposed, he apologizes and offers Harry his position back.
Solo

A kiosk worker who gives Harry background on Waaler’s abusive childhood and a suspicious accident involving Waaler’s father. His information deepens Harry’s understanding of Waaler after the confrontation.

Themes

In The Devil’s Star, Jo Nesbø builds a crime story around signs that demand interpretation: fingers, diamonds, pentagrams, maps, timings, and bodily traces. The novel’s central pattern—the number five—turns murder into a grotesque code. Harry’s breakthrough comes when he stops treating the victims only as individuals and begins reading the city itself as a diagram, overlaying a pentagram on Oslo. Yet the solution also warns against the seduction of pattern: Wilhelm Barli weaponizes symbols precisely because he knows police and media will follow them.

Justice versus corruption: The book repeatedly asks who has the right to punish. Tom Waaler’s “cathedral building” philosophy casts violence and crime as tools for a higher order, while his plan to poison Sven shows how easily justice becomes self-serving brutality. Harry, by contrast, operates outside procedure at times, but his aim is exposure rather than secret execution. The tension between Waaler’s “sanitation” and Harry’s flawed conscience gives the novel its moral charge.
Addiction, damage, and the possibility of return: Harry begins as a man collapsing under grief, alcohol, nightmares, and professional disgrace. His dead answering machine, filthy flat, and withdrawal symptoms make his isolation physical. Yet the case, Beate’s trust, Møller’s reluctant faith, and his love for Rakel and Oleg keep pulling him back toward responsibility. Sobriety is not presented as triumph but as a fragile, repeated choice.
Performance and staged identity: Barli, a theatre producer, turns murder into dramaturgy: false clues, planted diamonds, theatrical timing, and a final “happy ending” tableau. This motif extends beyond him. Waaler performs heroism for the press, Sven performs innocence and seduction, and even Harry must bluff roles—poisoner, kidnapper, rogue cop—to reach the truth.
Women as targets of male control: Camilla, Lisbeth, Barbara, Toya, Eva, Beate, Vibeke, and Rakel are all endangered by possessive or predatory men. The severed left-hand fingers and romantic symbols such as the “vena amoris” twist intimacy into domination. Nesbø links murder not to random evil alone but to jealousy, ownership, humiliation, and fear of female autonomy.

The devil’s star finally becomes a double image: a clue to a killer’s design, and a sign of the darker patterns—corruption, obsession, violence—that Harry must recognize without becoming part of them.