I'm afraid I just didn't get into this one and put it down. I might try again another time, as I love the concept.

I absolutely adore the Hogarth Shakespeare series and this one has been a particular highlight. Such a genius retelling of Macbeth with the signature Nesbo stamp on it!

It has taken me three attempts to read this book which I just couldn’t get into. I had huge expectations having enjoyed other authors’ efforts in the Hogarth project and Macbeth is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays but I was disappointed. I have not read jo nesbo before but if I didn’t know how highly regarded he is in his genre, I would have thought this had been written by a first time novelist (perhaps it was, in his name?!), it’s clunky and not at all believable in part I feel because of the accurate use of character names.
Macbeth is a SWAT leader, soon to become chief commissioner, Lady his wife is a former prostitute, now successful businesswoman who runs a casino, the witches are drug dealers....all of the others are there - Duncan, MacDuff, Banquo even Hecate but the names don’t suit the characters. I couldn’t detach from the original Shakespeare to be able to enjoy the novel as a stand alone crime book either.
Sorry, it’s a no from me.

I was excited by the premise of this book but I have to agree with other reviewers that it was too long. The build up was slow, that I can take, but a bit of judicious editing would have made this so much more accessible and therefore of more value. Good ideas, good execution, too long.

Thanks to Netgalley I have just finished Macbeth by Jo Nesbo. I've loved the few Harry Hole books that I have read and was expecting this to be similar. I found this a strange book, I couldn't tell where it was set or when it was set however it did keep me interested to the end even if I was occasionally confused!!

I personally really enjoyed this novel even though I was initially a little put off by the writing style. I am a fan of Jo Nesbo, with the Harry Hole novels being a favourite, however, this novel didn't begin in the same hard hitting way. I know this was an interpretation of Macbeth, however, it began really slow and didn't pull me in as much as the Harry Hole novels do. The writing style, since it was based in Scotland, seemed to leave a little to be desired - not knowing the area/time of setting was a little offputting. In general, great book and glad I read this.

This book series sees modern authors taking on various Shakespeare plays and adding their own touches to these well-known works. 'Macbeth' by Jo Nesbo takes into into a modern world with contemporary themes and issues, familiar problems a modern day reader can fully associate with: drugs, corruption in the police force, etc. The stories centres around various police chiefs and the internal battles between them, alongside the corrupt members, so it is never quite certain who can be trusted and who is in the pay of the bad guys. This uncertainty stays with the reader until the end and it requires an avid reader to stick with it for various reasons...
The novel starts off very slowly and it is hard to fully immerse oneself into the writing for a while. That said, it is worthwhile sticking with it because it does speed up and there is lots of action. The twists and turns, whilst modelling themselves on Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' can be a little confusing in parts because it is not always clear who is who and what they stand for - again, this is something that requires some resilience in the reader and you will eventually get on top of all the characters, particularly if you are familiar with the original play. Finally, at times there is something of a language barrier, which is more than likely caused by something lost in translation, or could be attributed to the writer's style, which can be a little unclear or repetitive in parts. This, too, takes some acclimatising to, but doesn't detract from the quality of the storytelling, once it fires up fully.
Throughout the novel, the writer makes use of the original story, but puts some clever ideas of his own in too, creating a novel which belongs very much in contemporary society and thereby bringing new life to Shakespeare's work. Worth a read, but you need to persevere and be understanding of this before you start.

I was really looking forward to this book - the whole premise seemed like a fascinating take on the Macbeth story. It took Macbeth and placed it in the context of a corrupt police force and drug syndicate. While I hadn't read any Jo Nesbo prior to this book, I head heard good things about his books in the past.

Unfortunately, my expectations of the book were not met and it was ultimately an effort to read. This was mostly due to the length of the book which was too long (it could have been a hundred pages shorter and not really lost anything) and the attempts to bring the Macbeth story-line into the book that caused strange jumps and inconsistent characters. The writing itself was good, and I did think the atmosphere was beautifully created but, unfortunately, the book itself was just not for me.

In some ways too close to the source material, which I recognise may be an odd criticism. But couldn't help by think that more could have been done. Others in this series like the interpretation of King Lear have been much more ambitious.

I was interested to read this book as it was billed as a modern interpretation of Macbeth - play that I saw in Stratford and enjoyed many, many years ago on a school trip. I have read some Jo Nesbo and was expecting something exciting and thrilling. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I found the book to be very slow and difficult to read and relate to the characters. It was set in a dystopian version of Fife. the east cost and north east England. This is not a vision that I particularly like.


It would be interesting to read some other books in this series to see how other authors have approached the task of modernising a classic.

I'm a huge fan of Jo Nesbo and Macbeth is one of my favourite Shakespeare so I obviously pre-ordered this book as soon as I heard about it. I'm so pleased that this retelling was as brutal and bloody as I'd hoped. As usual, Jo Nesbo crafts a thrilling and twisty plot that engages the reader from start to finish. The political machinations are as intriguing as always and the essence of the characters are captured perfectly. I would highly recommend this one.

I am currently working on expanding our school library's senior section after years of a dismal and uninspiring selection of books that our older readers never checked out. My job has been to seek out much more diverse, gripping and modern books that will get them into reading by appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible. This really appealed to me because of its fantastic narrative and sense of atmosphere, combined with believable characterisation and its page-turning nature. It's hard to get young people into reading and if the library is not stocking the kind of book that they might grow up to buy as adult readers then we are not really meeting their needs. I can imagine this provoking lots of discussion after finishing it and a long queue of people trying to reserve it as they've heard so much about it. Will definitely be buying a copy and know that it's going to be a very popular choice. An engrossing read that kept me up far too late to finish reading it. It certainly stood out from the other books that I was considering and I look forward to converting more Jo Nesbo fans in future!

I loved the idea of the re-telling of Shakespeare’s master pieces by present day authors. MacBeth, I must say, is one of my favourites and which I have read so many times over the years and seen it performed both with original settings and as a modern-day war version on stage. Jo Nesbø set his personal take on the story in 1970’s Scotland with a far more detailed expansion, making it a mighty read. The reception that it appears to be getting is that of the three bears, you can’t please everyone’s tastes.
I felt that Nesbø worked the essence of the core story into his own work quite well. I could easily follow the characters and how it was coming together as the corruption ran riot within the forces that should have been there to protect its citizens. It has all the key elements from greed to murder and everything in between. The plotting and conniving of the very eerie Lady MacBeth , which is well portrayed by ‘Lady’ through her restless nights sleep walking and trying to wash the blood from her hands. Paranoia runs rife in MacBeth after years of dabbling on the wrong side of drugs, which makes a lethal combination in a position of power.
Once I had all the characters in their new roles sorted out the rest fell into place and I found myself right in the middle of what was going on. It is strange as in my mind the scenes flashed between each version of the story as I read. All in all I really enjoyed this book which has been translated back and forth to get to this version. A very recognisable reconstruction of the original with the unmistakable Nesbø flare as icing.

I had heard a lot of mixed reviews about this but i really enjoyed this twist on Shakespeare. Nesbo's writing is up to his usual fantastic level.

This is a beautifully crafted retelling of the story of Macbeth. Jo Nesbo has translated the action from an historical to modern day Scotland with great aplomb. The characterisation is excellent and the setting within the police force works really well. The narrative maintains the readers interest throughout and moves from one event to the next well.

The readers attention is held from the outset - the initial descriptive text about the raindrop being only one example. I

When Hogarth Press asked Jo Nesbo if he would take part in their rewritings of Shakespearean classics, his immediate response was “Only if I can have Macbeth.” His wish was granted, and the resulting work is a dark, brooding tour de force, an inspired reworking of Shakespeare’s examination of the corrupting force of power.

Speaking at the Edinburgh Book Festival, Nesbo told of the many politicians with whom he has discussed this issue. Does power corrupt? Does absolute power corrupt absolutely? Of course, they all replied. But not in my case! Well, it’s certainly true of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and Nesbo’s too. But Nesbo drew a startling analogy with the Bible’s King David. In his fight against Goliath, David is the good guy. But his adultery with Bathsheba results in him sending her unsuspecting husband to his death. Quite rightly we struggle to find excuses for him. It’s painful when our hero is caught on the wrong side. So too with Macbeth.

I need to add here that David repents, so his reputation can be rehabilitated. Macbeth is an entirely different proposition altogether.

Firstly the setting: Nesbo calls it Fife, but really it’s an amalgam of locational influences: Newcastle as in Get Carter – an industrialised city with drugs and a hideous microclimate (gloomy, grey, and wet). You might think this is the Scottish climate, but Nesbo was thinking of Bergen, which he assured the audience is even worse! It’s a dangerous place, reminiscence of the Manhattan of The Basketball Diaries. Unsafe to walk around, yet retaining a village feel. Everyone knows everyone else. The place has lost its industry, and the only people making money are the drug lords, of which Hecate is king-pin, and the casino owners (enter Macbeth’s lover, Lady).

As for the police force. The in-fighting is as fierce as that between the drug gangs and the casinos, and the man in the top job, Duncan, is there only because he turns a blind eye now and again, Macbeth is the head of the SWAT unit, a man of the street, a cleaned-up junkie, the man with a vision and a lover with ambition …You know how the plot goes. As Nesbo said, Shakespeare had already written his first draft. All he had to do was transpose and modernise the details.

He did try to change it. He wanted to remove the 3 witches. What place do they have in a crime novel set in the 1970’s? But the novel wouldn’t work without them. So they became Hecate’s lackeys. He has added complex backstories, and turned Duff (no Mc) into a womanising toerag of a husband. There are some superb set pieces, such as the ambush of Banquo. Macbeth’s relapse into drug use – ostensibly to quieten his guilty conscience – both exacerbates his paranoia and provides a rational explanation for his haunting by Banquo. The key question though is is that enough to excuse him?

“What is pure evil?,” mused Nesbo. “Is it just the absence of good?” On that basis, Macbeth has crossed the rubicon. The callousness, brutality and scale of his crimes is astonishing. No details to spoil the effect here, but there is no repentance. He is no David,

One final point. “My generation of writers have seen more movies than have read books,” said Nesbo. “And my writing is influenced by the rhythm of the movies.” So there is the juxtaposition of closed room scenes with those set in (albeit very gloomy) daylight. Also frequent zooming from a wide-angle view to specific detail and scenes which burn themselves onto the retina. I have no doubt that Nesbo’s Scottish Book (although he refuses to call it that) will be filmed at some point. Will I be in the queue to see it? Not sure. The power of Nesbo’s storytelling and my own imagination may well suffice.

This novel was written as part of the Hogarth Shakespeare Project, where writers re-imagine Shakespeare's plays with contemporary themes. Nesbo has done this brilliantly, although I must admit a personal distaste for the concept.
Thank you, Netgalley, for the e-review copy of this novel.

To know Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' is to know how brilliantly Jo Nesbo has written his 'Macbeth.' A best seller, don't miss out!

I was thrown when I first started reading, trying to work out what was going on as I was expecting a faithful recreation of the play. I was pleased to find that this was not the case. Once I got into the novel and ignored my expectations of a Shakespeare rewrite I could not put this down.

A very modern rewrite of the play that works spectacularly. Jo Nesbo has focused much more on the opening to explore how reputation and honour is awarded to Macbeth and his best friend Banquo. They are part of SWAT, Duncan is the Mayor and Duff is turned into a rival senior police officer. As in the play events conspire to drive the plot towards key events e.g. the death of Cawdor.

This is a novel for adults, not learners as it will not help study the play. Some characters need context e.g. Hecate 'was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night' (google search),  and so considered evil but is not a character we met in the play. Here Hecate is a manipulative crime boss.

This is a novel for males as the main characters are men. There are stylistic women who are part of this world but not significant enough to be more than sketched out.

This is one novel that will be recommended to the men in my life. I can see it easily being transferred to the TV as crime dramas are very current.

Jo Nesbo has provided another must read for his followers.

I was given the novel free by netgalley.com for my fair and honest review.

In a town riven by pollution, drug abuse and crime a corrupt leadership does little to make changes. However after a successful raid against a gang, the leader of the SWAT team, Macbeth, is promoted rapidly. As his enemies and rivals fall by the wayside Macbeth becomes drunk on power and the support of the woman he loves, Lady. But forces are plotting his downfall.
This novel is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare Project in which learning writers are asked to reinterpret famous Shakespearean themes. Nesbo has chosen to write Scandi-crime version of Macbeth in which the characters have the same names and motives, just the setting is different. As scandal-crime novel it is OK, I hated the dystopian setting, as a 'version' of Macbeth it works well. Unfortunately as a whole I didn't feel it hung together with Nesbo's trademark tension.