Macbeth
By jo nesbo
Blurb
In the wake of the death of the former corrupt police commisioner the new chief of police is determined to replace his old cronies with people he knows to be trustworthy. He needs a new head of organsied crime and he believes Macbeth is the best person for the job.
With the job will come respect and power, something that his 'wife' Lady is excited about but can Macbeth, a former drug addict, handle the pressure of his new position. And will his new position be enough for him or will his desire for power leave him considering murder to attain a better position?
Our Review
Macbeth by Jo Nesbo is the third book I have read in the Hogarth Shakespeare initiative published by Vintage. As with all the other retellings I think Macbeth will not only add to the original version but will also make it more appealing to new audiences.
When I read Shakespeare’s Macbeth previously I always used to get confused between it and Hamlet and I haven’t read any Jo Nesbo previously, so I was unsure how I would feel about this book, but I enjoyed it.
In the beginning, the corrupt police commissioner named Kenneth has just died leaving behind a city that is best described as “a quagmire of corruption, bankruptcies, crime and chaos.”
The new commissioner Duncan is determined to fight corruption in the city and has replaced all of Kenneth’s cronies with people he knows or believes to be trustworthy. The public appear to trust him also and feel like he will make the city a better place.
Duff wants to be one of Duncan’s new guard in line to replace some of Kenneth’s former colleagues, more specifically he wants the job of head of organised crime. Unfortunately, an error of judgement means that Macbeth gets the job instead much to Duff’s chagrin.
Macbeth was happy simply being head of SWAT but his ‘wife’ Lady has enough ambition for the both of them and convinces him that head of organised crime is not enough. She convinces him he needs to kill Duncan and take over his job.
This was an idea supported and planted by one of the main crime bosses Hecate who knows of Macbeth’s history as a drug addict and is convinced that he can get him under his control.
As the story escalates Macbeth and Lady are plunged to new depths and it is anyone’s guess how things will end and who will still be standing.
This was a brilliant retelling and it retained the central themes of madness and betrayal. I definitely recommend it.
Our Final Rating...
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