Macbeth

Driven. I braced myself when I saw that the Hogarth Shakespeare assignment for the Scottish play went to Jo Nesbø. Usually, I don’t like contemporary staging of Shakespeare in offbeat ways, but this Hogarth series has been terrific. Nesbø’s Macbeth provided the perfect blend: Shakespeare’s core story in the form of a dark crime story set during the 1970’s drug wars. Macbeth takes drugs and is the head of a police SWAT team. His ambitious wife runs a casino and is called, “Lady.” All the elements of love, ambition, guilt, crime and greed are present, and fans of Nesbø and Shakespeare alike should be pleased by this novel. Rating: Five-star (I love it) Click here to purchase Macbeth from amazon.com.