is born out of a desire to eliminate a potentially dangerous witness to his role in the smuggling ring, and to this end he convinces Sven that he should trust him and not Waaler. He then breaks Sven out of custody with the intention of bringing Waaler to justice. Hole is now a hunted man, his future in the police - and quite possibly his life - depend on his being able to prove Waaler's crimes. Sven is willing to testify against Waaler, but he is adamant of his innocence of the murders, and consequently his testimony is wholly dependent on Hole exonerating him. Hole is faced with the daunting task of discovering the true murderer in a single day. However, a clue is provided by a seemingly irrelevant photograph which Sven shows Hole, and this combined with a very minute but precise piece of forensic evidence points to a completely unexpected perpetrator. Leaving Sven chained up, Hole encounters his new suspect in the immediate aftermath of his committing yet another murder. Hole comes very near to being killed himself, but eventually the killer commits suicide. Just as Hole believes that he is in the clear, Waaler calls to inform him that he has kidnapped his surrogate son Oleg and demands that he trade Sven for the boy. Hole arranges a meeting at the residence hall. Using the CCTV cameras as a bargaining chip, Hole tries to convince Waaler that his position is hopeless. More and more outrageous stories are proposed by Waaler to explain how he intends to cover up what has happened, and when it becomes clear that Waaler will kill all three witnesses in the lift of the building, Hole enacts an escape plan and manages to overpower Waaler and rescue Sven and Oleg, with Waaler ultimately being killed in the ensuing scuffle. Having exposed Waaler and solved the case, Hole's termination of employment is rescinded and he returns to the force. References External links 2003 Norwegian novels Harry Hole (novel series) Norwegian crime novels Novels set in Oslo 21st-century Norwegian novels