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Aug 26, 2018gloryb rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A re-telling of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" as is so common now adays. The character names are the same, some of the famous lines from Shakespeare's Macbeth are included, and some character development is the same. However, there are differences - like the setting. Nesbo has set his novel in a small town plagued with pollution, closed factories, high unemployment, drug addicts as citizens, rival drug gangs, and a corrupt police force. Macbeth, Banquo, Duncan, Malcolm, and Lennox have responsible positions in the town's police force and each in their own way want to rid the town of the 2 drug gangs. Macbeth is involved with the owner of the town's casino - Lady. Nesbo's story follows the saying that power corrupts. Some of the characters are seekers of power and control while other characters are their followers - the doers. I think this novel based on Shakespeare's play is very clever. Nesbo, from his Harry Hole novels, incorporates in this story elements that he is very familiar with. This novel makes me want to re-see a production of Macbeth for a comparison of the ending. I noticed from the flyleaf that several other authors have used Shakespeare's plays as a basis for their own story. These too have been published by Hogarth Press. I would like to read these novels too.