HEADHUNTERS: JOE NESBO

This is the third novel I have read by Nesbo, the Norwegian writer.  All of his novels seem to take place in Oslo.  This being an exception in the sense that it's not about Harry Hole, the detective, but about Rodger Brown, a headhunter for a large firm.  Confident, able to see through any defense, he has made a name for himself for always convincing clients to hire his man.  That is, until he interviews, at the suggestion of his gallery owning wife, Diana, Clas Greve, fired CEO of HOPE, a company that makes electronics in Belgium.  In the interview, Rodger finds himself on the defensive immediately, and Clas appears to be the man who knows all the tricks. Nevertheless, Rodger decides against his better instinct to work with Clas, discovers he has a priceless Rubens hidden in his apartment, ends up sneaking in, taking the picture, but also discovers his wife's cell phone in Greve's bedroom.  He's been cuckolded.   From there things fall apart, as Rodger flees, with Clas in pursuit, angry about the painting, about the job.  Though Clas is a professional special forces sort, he, of course, meets his match with Rodger.  Just in time, Rodger finds out that his previous lover, Lotte, also has been in on the conspiracy with Clas, so Rodger regains his wife's trust and affections.  She turns on Clas, sets him up with Rodger's help, engineering both Clas's death and their returns to normalcy.  Rodger returns to his job, hires his initial interviewee from whom he had earlier taken an Edward Munch print and, we assume, lives happily ever after.  Not the best of Nesbo's but like all, readable and interesting.