Jo Nesbø explains why Detective Hole starts with the fifth Harry Hole novel, The Devil’s Star

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As a big fan of Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole books, I felt pretty confident about the new Netflix series, ‘Detective Hole,’ knowing that Nesbø himself wrote the scripts. It’s always reassuring when the author is directly involved in adapting their own work!

Fans might have been surprised to discover the TV series began with “The Devil’s Star,” the fifth book in the series, instead of the first. Now, in a recent interview with TopMob, Jo Nesbø has revealed why that choice was made.

According to Nesbø, this novel is where everything finally coalesces. It’s not just about Harry’s development as a character, but also the relationships around him – his connection with Rakel as a mother and with her son, and Harry’s bond with young Oleg.

We really wanted Oslo to feel like a character in the story, and that heavily influenced our choices. That’s why we decided to film on location in Oslo – we wanted the city to be visually prominent and play an active role, not just be a backdrop.

We created a version of Oslo that feels like the real city, but with everything turned up a notch. The rough parts are rougher, and the glamorous parts are even more glamorous. It’s essentially a heightened, more dramatic version of Oslo – almost like a Gotham City take on the city.

Jo Nesbø appeared with Tobias Santelmann, the actor portraying Harry in the series. Joel Kinnaman, who plays Harry’s coworker and rival Tom Waaler, also stars. The first season focuses on Harry’s battles with Waaler, his personal struggles, and his pursuit of a serial killer terrorizing Oslo. Kinnaman discussed his complicated character with TopMob, describing him as ‘conflicted’.

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Kinnaman describes the character as a malignant narcissist – someone very self-centered and lacking in empathy, but still capable of feeling it occasionally. He places this on a spectrum, suggesting it’s just a step below a fully sociopathic narcissist who has even less capacity for empathy.

“I thought that was really interesting.”

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Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs writes about TV dramas for TopMob, covering shows on streaming services and traditional channels. Before becoming a writer, he worked in public relations, first at a business-to-business agency and then at the international production company Fremantle. He has a BA in English and Theatre Studies and a Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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2026-03-27 16:04