The Devil's Star

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The Devil's Star
Author	Jo Nesbø
Original title	Marekors
Translator	Don Bartlett
Country	Norway
Language	Norwegian
Series	Harry Hole, #5
Genre(s)	Crime novel
Publisher	Harvill Secker
Publication date	2003
Published in English	2005
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	448 pp (Eng. paperback trans.)
Preceded by	Nemesis
Followed by	The Redeemer

Marekors (Norwegian: Marekors, 2003) is a crime novel by Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø, the fifth in the Harry Hole series. The story revolves around a serial killer. An English-translated version of the book named "The Devil's Star" was translated by Don Bartlett.

[edit] Blurb

A YOUNG WOMAN IS MURDERED IN HER OSLO FLAT. One finger has been severed from her left hand, and behind her eyelid is secreted a tiny diamond in the shape of a five-pointed star - pentagram, the devil's star.

Detective Harry Hole is assigned to the case with his long-time adversary Tom Waaler and initially wants no part in it. But Harry is already on notice to quit the force and is left with little alternative but to drag himself out of his alcoholic stupor and get to work.

A wave of similar murders is on the horizon. An emerging pattern suggests that Oslo has a serial killer on its hands, and the five-pointed devil's star is key to solving the riddle.

[edit] 5

The number 5 has several coinsidences within the book, it includes:

The number of the murder victims were initially intended to be five, but only four were completed (with Olaug Sivertsen spared from the last murder). However, the murderer was not known to be there during the time and place where Sivertsen's murder was supposed to have taken place. Therefore it is unclear whether it was intended that Olaug Sivertsen was to be a murder victim.
Five fingers on a hand - each murder victim have had one of their fingers severed. Starting with chronologically Marius Veland's thumb and lastly Barbara Svendsen's ring finger. Had Olaug Silvertsen been murdered in the final event it would have been her pinky missing out of her left hand.
Each murder takes place on the fifth floor of a building. An exception to this being Marius Veland, the first victim who was known to have been murdered on the fourth floor where his room is. However his body was moved by the murderer and kept hidden in the fifth floor.
Five o'clock - all the murders are known to have been taken place at around 5:00pm. In addition, journalist Roger Gjendem was told by Harry Hole to meet him at the Underwater pub at 5:00pm near the end.
Five days gap between each murder.
The book consist of five parts.
Barbara Svendsen's body was found in balance, supported at five points: the two feet, the knees and the forehead.
At one time Harry Hole stood by a closed counter and saw a TV around the corner, the lottery was drawing and the only number he had heard was 5 before Tom began talking to him.