The Redbreast

遭到國家背叛比遭到他人背叛更難承受
埋藏近60年的委屈與辛酸，這份傷痛該如何平復？

　　每年冬天，百分之九十的知更鳥會往南移棲，只有少數冒著風險留下來。如果遇上溫和的冬天，這些選擇留下來的知更鳥就可以先選好理想的築巢地點。如果牠們賭錯了，就得在寒冬中賠上性命。這個風險成敗參半，就看牠們願不願意賭一把。

　　這年冬天，對於凶手和哈利來說，都是個必須放手一搏的困境。
　　不是活著達成目標，就是全盤皆輸……

　　為什麼一心拯救祖國的軍人，最後會被視為叛國者？
　　半世紀前，一個滿腔熱血的年輕人，因為愛國而自願效命疆場，
　　卻沒料到，那是個選錯邊就無法翻身的動盪年代。
　　他曾投注大量精力，貢獻他的所有，只想為國家付出一己之力，
　　當他發現自己的生命所剩無幾，累積了六十年的恨意終於潰堤，
　　是該向某些人討回公道了。
　　他要在生命結束前，為那場戰爭、為自己遭背叛的人生，執行最後的正義。

　　他是最優秀的警探，卻也是長官眼中的麻煩人物！
　　警探哈利．霍勒是個酒鬼，個性頑固，從不照章行事，
　　但他也直覺過人，總是對線索緊咬不放。
　　因為一樁官僚體制的鬧劇，他被明升暗降地派去執行無趣的監視勤務，
　　卻意外從一份毫不起眼的報告，追查到一樁跨國軍火走私案與一把神祕的步槍。
　　接二連三看似無關的命案，引導他一步步揭開一樁醞釀許久的復仇計畫，
　　他發現案情竟牽扯到半世紀前的戰爭，以及挪威史上最陰暗的過去，
　　而凶手的最後行刺的目標，竟是當今挪威國王！

　　當孤注一擲的凶手，遇上緊追不捨的哈利，誰才是最後的贏家？

　　《知更鳥的賭注》是一個規模宏大、野心勃勃的故事，以犯罪小說作為表現形式，具有強烈的主流文學和歷史小說特質。小說的場景從現代的奧斯陸到二戰其間的維也納和列寧格勒，時間則橫跨半個世紀。奈斯博用古今交錯的敘事手法，探討「背叛」這個主題，述說了一個令人心碎的愛情悲劇，以及一齣天衣無縫的犯罪戲碼。

　　如果你喜歡雷蒙．錢德勒筆下憤世嫉俗的硬漢馬羅
　　喜歡伊恩．藍欽筆下鍥而不捨的雷博思警探
　　喜歡勞倫斯．卜洛克筆下滄桑的老靈魂馬修
　　你也會喜歡哈利．霍勒。

　　如果你喜歡丹尼斯．勒翰書中對罪惡與傷痛的悲憫和關懷
　　喜歡詹姆士．艾洛伊書中對人性和腐敗現實的赤裸刻畫
　　喜歡麥可．康納利書中扣人心弦、錯綜複雜的謎團
　　你也會喜歡「北歐犯罪小說天王」尤．奈斯博

　　Detective Harry Hole embarrassed the force, and for his sins he's been reassigned to mundane surveillance tasks. But while monitoring neo-Nazi activities in Oslo, Hole is inadvertently drawn into a mystery with deep roots in Norway's dark past—when members of the nation's government willingly collaborated with Nazi Germany. More than sixty years later, this black mark won't wash away, and disgraced old soldiers who once survived a brutal Russian winter are being murdered, one by one. Now, with only a stained and guilty conscience to guide him, an angry, alcoholic, error-prone policeman must make his way safely past the traps and mirrors of a twisted criminal mind. For a hideous conspiracy is rapidly taking shape around Hole—and Norway's darkest hour may still be to come.

　　本書中文版由漫遊者文化出版。

作者簡介

尤．奈斯博

　　「北歐犯罪小說天王」尤．奈斯博是挪威史上最暢銷的作家，每一部作品都是挪威排行榜冠軍暢銷書。挪威圖書館借閱率排行榜，前二十名有五本是奈斯博的作品。他拿過所有北歐的犯罪小說大獎，包括玻璃鑰匙、挪威史上最佳犯罪小說、書店業者大獎等。以獲英國的「國際匕首獎」提名和美國的「愛倫坡獎」提名，作品被翻譯成四十種語言，作品在五十多個國家出版。全球銷量突破 500萬冊。

　　奈斯博曾是挪威知名的搖滾巨星，白天任職於金融業，利用晚上和週末時間演出。不久，他考上金融分析師的證照，被挪威最大的證券公司高薪挖走，工作和樂團越來越難以兼顧，瀕臨崩潰的奈斯博決定休半年長假，他帶著筆電，跳上飛機，前往地球最遙遠的彼端：澳洲，在那裡寫下日後讓自己聲名大噪的「哈利．霍勒警探」系列的第一集《蝙蝠人》。

　　奈斯博的讀者族群廣泛，涵蓋純文學讀者、冷硬推理/黑色小說讀者、以及通俗驚悚小說讀者。受到英美犯罪名家一致擁戴，麥可．康納利稱讚是「我最喜歡的驚悚作家」。評論家普遍認為奈斯博可與丹尼斯．勒翰、詹姆斯．艾洛伊、麥可．康納利、伊恩．藍欽、雷蒙．錢德勒等名家相提並論。稱他是「挪威犯罪書寫的畢卡索」，德國《明鏡日報》稱他是「斯堪地那維亞的奇蹟」。

　　「哈利警探系列」
　　1. 《蝙蝠人》
　　2. 《蟑螂》
　　3. 《知更鳥的賭注》（漫遊者預計出版）
　　4. 《復仇女神的懲罰》（暫名，漫遊者預計出版）
　　5. 《魔鬼的法則》（暫名，漫遊者預計出版）
　　6. 《救贖者》
　　7. 《雪人》
　　8. 《獵豹》

　　奈斯博作品銷售成績
　　◎ 作品全球銷量突破 8,500,000 冊。
　　◎ 作品被翻譯成四十種語言，在五十多個國家出版。

　　《知更鳥的賭注》銷售成績
　　◎挪威銷量破15萬冊，排行榜冠軍書，蟬聯榜上 52 週。登上冰島排行榜冠軍。
　　◎榮獲挪威書店業者大獎「年度最佳挪威小說」、獲選挪威史上最佳犯罪小說大獎。
　　◎2007 年，《知更鳥的賭注》的英譯本入圍英國犯罪作家協會的鄧肯．羅利國際匕首獎。

　　Jo Nesbo is a musician, songwriter, economist, and author. He is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the Glass Key, the Riverton Prize, and the Booksellers' Prize, and Norwegian readers voted one of his Harry Hole novels the best Norwegian crime novel of all time. He lives in Oslo.

1

Toll Barrier at Alnabru.
1 November 1999.

A grey bird glided in and out of Harry’s field of vision. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Slow time. Somebody had been talking about ‘slow time’ on TV yesterday. This was slow time. Like on Christmas Eve before Father Christmas came. Or sitting in the electric chair before the current was turned on.

He drummed harder.

They were parked in the open area behind the ticket booths at the toll gate. Ellen turned up the radio a notch. The commentator spoke with reverence and solemnity.

‘The plane landed fifty minutes ago, and at exactly 6.38 a.m. the President set foot on Norwegian soil. He was welcomed by the Mayor of Ullensaker. It is a wonderful autumn day here in Oslo: a splendid Norwegian backdrop to this summit meeting. Let us hear again what the President said at the press conference half an hour ago.’

It was the third time. Again Harry saw the screaming press corps thronging against the barrier. The men in grey suits on the other side, who made only a halfhearted attempt not to look like Secret Service agents, hunched their shoulders and then relaxed them as they scanned the crowd, checked for the twelfth time that their earpieces were correctly positioned, scanned the crowd, dwelled for a few seconds on a photographer whose telephoto lens was a little too long, continued scanning, checked for the thirteenth time that their earpieces were in position. Someone welcomed the President in English, everything went quiet. Then a scratching noise in a microphone.

‘First, let me say I’m delighted to be here . . .’ the President said for the fourth time in husky, broad American-English.

‘I read that a well-known American psychologist thinks the President has an MPD,’ Ellen said.

‘MPD?’

‘Multiple Personality Disorder. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The psychologist thought his normal personality was not aware that the other one, the sex beast, was having relations with all these women. And that was why a Court of Impeachment couldn’t accuse him of having lied under oath about it.’

‘Jesus,’ Harry said, looking up at the helicopter hovering high above them.

On the radio, someone speaking with a Norwegian accent asked, ‘Mr President, this is the fourth visit to Norway by a sitting US President. How does it feel?’

Pause.

‘It’s really nice to be back here. And I see it as even more important that the leaders of the state of Israel and of the Palestinian people can meet here. The key to —’

‘Can you remember anything from your previous visit to Norway, Mr President?’

‘Yes, of course. In today’s talks I hope that we can —’

‘What significance have Oslo and Norway had for world peace, Mr President?’

‘Norway has played an important role.’

A voice without a Norwegian accent: ‘What concrete results does the President consider to be realistic?’

The recording was cut and someone from the studio took over.