I have heard quite a bit of praise for Jo Nesbo in the past and saw this as a chance to evaluate the author. I loved the setting and the descriptions. 1970s gritty is perhaps my favorite setting for fiction. I grew up in the 1960s and 70s in a very gritty city myself. I really like the start of the book but after a while, the Shakespeare seemed forced into the story. It was like the story and the Shakespeare were fighting each other for dominence. I could not fall into the story.

Thank you for allowing me to have this ARC, but sadly I could not get into it . It started dark and apparently ended dark. I have enjoyed other Jo Nesbo books ( Harry Hole).

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34616200-macbeth" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Macbeth (Hogarth Shakespeare)" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1489801350m/34616200.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34616200-macbeth">Macbeth</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/904719.Jo_Nesb_">Jo Nesbø</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2154581223">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
Netgalley #9<br />2018 Reading Challenge: involves a heist<br /><br />Many thanks go to Jo Nesbo, Random House especially Hogarth, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.<br /><br />I recently learned about the Hogarth series and had to have ALL THE BOOKS. Macbeth is the latest in the series. Nesbo is well known for his Harry Hole thriller series, Nordic noir. This was just superbly written. It was quite easy to follow the Shakespeare plot though the story. In fact I caught myself asking, "this should be about when such and such happens. Will he write that in?" And BOOM he somehow symbolically had it there all the elements while still telling his own story of a poor city ruled by vice with a corrupt police force and a renegade cop who may just succeed in saving the day. <br />Macbeth is ruthless. Lady is a former prostitute who now owns a gambling den. Duncan is the police commissioner. Well you see where this is going. <br />But my biggest chill was at the end-"I was not born of woman." <br />This was just simply amazing. I'm afraid I've been ruined for all other books in the series by reading this one first.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6595648-bam-the-bibliomaniac">View all my reviews</a>

This was Jo Nesbø's attempt to bring Shakespeare's Macbeth up to date. He made it dark, had corrupt drug dealers, policemen, and motor cycle gangs. It was bloody from the start. It was rainy but it was sunny on the other side of the tunnel. It was a town that had seen better days. The corruption was from another former police commissioner but followed with the greed of the people. I liked how he had the ghosts come to Macbeth and also to Lady. They didn't seem to haunt anybody else. I would recommend this book to my readers.

This is the first book by this author that I have read, and I found the introduction extremely difficult to get through. I tried to read it several times and gave up.

I really wanted to love this book as I enjoy Shakespeare immensely. Granted, Macbeth is one of the few plays I haven't read, so I can't say how the book compares to the play, although I'm certainly aware of the main plot and conflict of Macbeth. This was also my first Jo Nesbo, so I definitely went into this blind!

Ultimately, I really wanted to enjoy this book. I love dark and dense novels with strong characters, but for some reason, this just didn't grab me. I don't know if it's because the pace seems to plod along a bit to me although much happens or if it was because I had trouble understanding the motives of the characters. Macbeth seems too much of a pawn for Lady's whims, and it frustrated me that he was so easily persuaded by her, particularly when it came to his close friends and confidantes. This could very well have happened the same way in the play, but it just didn't jive with me.

Although I didn't love the book, I see its merits and think it will have a place among many readers' bookshelves. We will certainly be ordering it for our library as we have a lot of lovers of the Hogarth series. As an aside, my favourite Shakespeare plays are "Much Ado About Nothing" and "Taming of the Shrew," so it's possible that because I'm not a big fan of Shakespeare's tragedies that this version of Macbeth didn't work for me.

I found this to be very slow and I didn't get the feeling that I wanted from a Macbeth retelling. I was distracted trying to match each character to the one from the original play and couldn't concentrate on the plot enough, because it didn't engage me.

I have not heard of the Hogarth Shakespeare Project before, but have read all of Jo Nesbo books, so was intrigued by this effort. I read Macbeth LONG ago, so the story was somewhat familiar, but Nesbo took it to a whole other level. Outstanding character development as is typical from Nesbo, and just could not put it down, even reading into the wee hours of the morning knowing I had to be up early! I also loved his detail to atmosphere and descriptions. Blew me away! Thank you to NetGalley for this amazing look at a classic.

3.5 stars

The Hogarth Shakespeare project invites current writers to update Shakespeare’s plays, setting them in modern times with modern characters.

"Macbeth" by Jo Nesbø is a retelling of Shakespeare's play "Macbeth", which was set in the Middle Ages. The original story centers around a high-ranking Scottish military leader named Macbeth who - urged on by his ambitious wife Lady Macbeth - secretly murders the King so he can take the throne. Afterwards, the usurper becomes a murderous tyrant who orders the death of anyone who opposes him or threatens his power. I'll admit that - to refresh my memory before reading Nesbø's book - I watched the 2010 movie "Macbeth" starring Sir Patrick Stewart and Kate Fleetwood.

*****

Nesbø's retelling of Macbeth, set in the early 1970's, substitutes the police department of a downtrodden European city for the Scottish royal court. In Nesbø's story, Macbeth is the head of a SWAT team who - persuaded by his girlfriend Lady - murders the police department's Chief Commissioner to take over his position. Macbeth then engineers the death of anyone who suspects him of murder or endangers his position.

Macbeth, in a magnificent feat of self-delusion, asserts that his ultimate goal is to clean up the city, wipe out corruption, and help the people - many of whom are addicted to a cocaine-like drug called 'Brew.' Unknown to Macbeth, however, his ascension to Chief Commissioner - as well as his ongoing ambitions - are being covertly manipulated by a major drug lord/drug manufacturer called Hecate.....who wants Macbeth in his pocket. In fact Macbeth himself soon becomes addicted to 'Brew'.....and later to an even stronger drug called 'Power.' (LOL)

Macbeth has no loyalty and no conscience. Early in the story Macbeth orders the death of Banquo, a father figure who took Macbeth in when he was a homeless teenage addict.....and cleaned him up. Later on, Macbeth sends his henchmen to wipe out Duff, a steadfast friend from childhood who saved Macbeth from a child predator in their orphanage.

No evil is too base for Macbeth, who's ultimately responsible for the murders of numerous men, women, children.....and a baby. Though Macbeth's depravity is off the charts, he stoically claims that - in the long run - 'it's for the public good.'

All manner of things are seen in this book, including: ghost appearances; witches; spying; double dealing; gambling; drug snorting; a motorcycle gang; gatling gun massacres; sleepwalking; adultery; a demon; and more. There's a wide variety of action and intrigue....and even a bit of seduction and romance.

Overall, Nesbø's book (more or less) faithfully follows the trajectory of the original play, so - if you're familiar with that - you'll have an idea of what happens.

Jo Nesbø is the best-selling author of the 'Harry Hole' detective series - about a troubled, alcoholic Norwegian cop whose cases always involve gruesome murders. Thus, it's natural for Nesbø - who seems very familiar with the politics of law enforcement - to set his updated "Macbeth" in the environs of a police force.

Nesbø's tale is well-written, compelling, and held my attention throughout. That said, the book feels overlong - with so many murders and battles that they feel repetitive. Moreover, the continuous treachery and barbarity becomes hard to stomach (for me).

Nevertheless, I'd recommend Nesbø's "Macbeth" to readers who enjoy Shakespeare; the Hogarth series; and/or thrillers. It's well worth reading.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Jo Nesbø), and the publisher (Knopf Canada) for a copy of the book.

I love the idea of the Hogarth Shakespeare series and have read all of the books in the series to date. I don’t know what parameters were given to the authors, if any. This modernization of Macbeth has a clever premise, but it didn’t fully work for me. I have found in several of the novels in this series, the story can get bogged down when the authors stick to the multiple characters and story lines in the original. That happened for me here. I enjoy Nesbo’s writing, but this one felt forced and cluttered, which seems like an issue with sticking to the original complicated narrative.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital ARC of this book. This book is true to its title description. The reader won't be disappointed when reading this book.

Very disappointed.A good idea (I guess) But really didn’t work for me.Too much of a departure from his usual.

This is the Macbeth retelling from the Hogarth Shakespeare series. I know that's hard to believe with the title and all. In this one, Macbeth is re-imagined as a 1970s police drama in Norway. Because, well, why not? This is a Shakespeare tragedy, so everyone dies. That is not a spoiler. If you haven't read Macbeth, you should probably do so immediately. (I think I just figured out where George R.R. Martin got the idea that you can kill all of the main characters and keep going. That should have been obvious.) This is dark and well written and this author is quite amazing, so I definitely recommend it.

I wasn't too thrilled with this book. I have read the Harry Hole series and liked Jo Nesbo's plot weaving and characters. To me the plot and characters didn't come together for a good story. Pass.

This is Macbeth for the more modern era. This telling both parallels and sometimes parodies the Classic Shakespeare Macbeth. It would be interesting to have students read both and compare and contrast the two stories. Some people never change and are always predictable but occasionally circumstances change our lives and our selves making us new people. I enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to anyone looking for their next Book Fix.

Had a hard time getting into this book. Usually, Jo Nesbo grabs my attention on the first page. this one took a long time setting the scene. Only my love of Nesbo's books kept me at it.

"You’re a better man than me, Macbeth."

Jo Nesbo's Macbeth is his contribution to the Hogarth Shakespeare Project. This book started slowly for me. Which is funny because the book opens to action but nevertheless it was S-L-O-W. There is a lot going on all at once and there are a lot of characters with their agendas. I found I put this book down a lot in the beginning and turned to other books but kept coming back to this one. As I said I struggled in the beginning of this book as it was slow, but it didn't stay that way. This Mash up of Nesbo and Shakespeare was quite entertaining. After the first couple of chapters I was hooked. This book kind of snuck up on me. If you struggle in the beginning of this book as I did, stay with it, it's worth it as Nesbo unleashes his re-telling of Macbeth as only he can! It's gritty, dark and addictive (once you get past the beginning).

"It’s never what you want to do, but what you have to do."

Set in the 1970's, this book focuses on a police force attempting to shed its drug problem. A dangerous drug lord named Hecate has high connections in the city and will use them to get what he wants - absolute power. He is manipulative and clever. Macbeth is a man with demons. He has addiction issues and is prone to violence and paranoia. He also just so happens to be the head of the SWAT team. Hecate's plan involves manipulating Macbeth while putting him in a position of power. Hecate also owns one of the two casinos in the rainy industrial town which serves as the setting for this book. The other casino is owned by Macbeth's girlfriend, Lady.

"A last desperate act which, seen from the outside, is a sacrifice, but which deep down you hope will be rewarded with the forgiveness of your sins and opening of heaven’s gates."

A drug bust goes wrong at the beginning of the book and Macbeth and Duff, his childhood friend need to clean up the mess. It's not long after that drug bust when power, greed and guilt come into play. Ambitions can and do get the worst of people in this book. In one way or another various characters owe others debts and call them in. Soon greed, ambition, corruption, backstabbing, lies, murder, love, guilt and the need to be the top dog in the city get the best of many characters.

Nesbo puts his personal touches on Macbeth focusing on political ambition, greed, murder, and police procedures and corruption. I thought Nesbo’s re-telling was clever, entertaining and intelligent. Nesbo's Macbeth was well written and well thought out. I can’t imagine how much work it took to right such a re-telling. I think he pulled off the re-telling brilliantly.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set in a dying industrial town in the 1970's, this was an excellent re-imagining of Shakespeare's classic Macbeth story as told by one of my favorite authors, Jo Nesbo. A very dark, intense plot that was very rich in characters including corrupt cops, corrupt politicians , drug lords and biker gangs where seemingly everyone is power hungry and tests of loyalty and betrayal are around every corner.
If you are fan of Shakespeare or Nordic noir, you will enjoy this. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In a downtrodden Scottish city, the ultimate struggle for power is playing itself out. The long-standing and thoroughly corrupt head of state has just died and a lot of the people under his command are scheming for ways to move up the organizational ladder. Urged by his cunning, greedy, and ruthless wife, one man in particular exhibits the resolve to reach all the way to the top. As a man of action rather than his own ideas, he clears the path for his ascent with a murderous, drug-fueled rampage that leaves many people—both the innocent and the not-so-innocent—dead or injured. Although he does briefly reach his goal, none of this ends well: he dies at the hands of his best friend and chief rival while his wife, haunted by a past she cannot outrun, commits suicide.

If you are thinking that you have read that story already, you undoubtedly have. It’s Macbeth! Only, in this case, it is Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbo’s thoroughly impressive retelling of Shakespeare’s classic tale of out-of-control ambition. The author does a truly masterful job of bringing the story forward in time by almost 400 years while staying true to the genre that he knows so well. He transforms the quest to control a sovereignty to the quest to control the police department that effectively runs the town and also embeds a number of other clever updates (e.g., Hecate, head of the witches in the play, becomes a drug lord who exerts his power behind the scenes). The author even makes the bold choice to use as many of the original names as possible, which, after the reader adjusts to it, becomes an effective device.

If this is not a perfect story, that is at least partly because Shakespeare’s Macbeth is not a perfect play. But it is a great play that alternates between being disturbing and thrilling in roughly equal measures. And so it is with Nesbo’s novel that draws from the same source material. This is a grim, gritty, and depressing tale in which no one really wins in the end. Although some semblance of order is restored as the story concludes, it is not at all clear that the plight of the besieged city is going to improve, regardless of who is in control. But, of course, you could not really reproduce Macbeth and have it work out any other way.

This is the seventh effort to appear in Hogarth Shakespeare’s ambitious project to reimagine some of the Bard of Avon’s best work. Have read them all—and enjoyed most of them—I have to say that Nesbo really rose to the occasion here. While the most of the other books were relatively short at around 250 pages or so (undoubtedly because stage plays themselves are generally shorter), the author here has gone the other way to produce a work that is almost twice that length. This commitment to deepening the story allowed him to turn several less-developed players in the original play (e.g., Caithness, Lennox, Seyton) into fully realized characters. In fact, as riveting as the story itself is, the novel Macbeth might work best as a collective character study on the destructive power of addiction: to the pursuit of power, to narcotics and other vices, and to the inability to move on from the past. Along with Margaret Atwood’s inventive Hag-Seed, this a book that fulfills the promise of what this series should be.

This was my second book by Nesbo, but it won't be my last. He is so good at created an atmosphere and moody, intriguing characters. Gripping!