Søren Sveistrup

Finally! The ending was a bit too pat, as with most detective novels, but I am crowning The Chestnut Man with five stars anyway because this is the first novel I have been able to get stuck into for a while! There's a Netflix adaptation, of course, but I'm not sure I can watch now that the main characters have come to life for me in a way that doesn't match the screen cast.

The plot gave me Jeffrey Deaver vibes and I was thoroughly hooked but I also grew to care about the two detectives, show more small but fierce Naia Thulin and troubled new guy Mark Hess (with his heterochromic eyes, which reminded me of Practical Magic!) He is an ass to start with, determined to get back to his old job with Europol, and I'm surprised she wasn't marked as the next victim, given the marginal amount of time she spends actually caring for her daughter, but I eventually started feeling very protective of the pair!

I'm not a mad fan of crime fiction, Nordic noir or otherwise but I know that the killer is nearly always someone on the inside, although I must admit that I only realised when the clues started getting really heavy-handed! And I'm glad that the author let the flashbacks speak for themselves, without going down the whole 'nobody loved me, that's why I'm like this' route - or as Hess tells the killer: ‘I don’t feel sorry for you. You were probably a psychopath from birth. I’m just sorry you ever got out of that basement.’ The constant switching of perspective was slightly tedious, however - we don't need to know why a victim's husband hates his family or the whole entire history of two 'red herring' characters, thanks, just the facts.

The setting, particularly when read in October with the same terrible weather and dark nights, was wonderfully atmospheric. I think Thulin and Hess spend the bulk of the novel wet through from walking around in the cold rain. A spooky touch, to go with the creepy chestnut men figures found at the crime scenes!

The sure sign of a good book is when the characters are stronger than the plot, and now I really, really want this to be the start of a long series with Thulin and Hess (especially now that he's on the family tree)! show less

I was a big fan of “The Killing” so when I heard about this book, onto the wish list it went. Did it live up to my expectations? You betcha. This Scandi crime/police procedural comes loaded with all the elements that will keep you reading into the wee hours. Two compelling MC’s, an intricate plot & a sinister bad guy…it ticks all the boxes. Set in Copenhagen, it’s the story of a current investigation with deep ties to the past delivered with a stealthy & rising sense of menace.

The show more first MC is Naia Thulin. She’s a young cop who is slowly dying of boredom as the newest member of the Major Crimes Division. Despite her intelligence & tech skills, she’s being wasted on the small stuff. Naia decides to ask for a transfer to Cyber Crimes but her boss has one last job for her. It seems they’ve been saddled with a Europol agent who was demoted back to Copenhagen. Her job is to babysit for a few days until he’s up to speed.

Mark Hess spent the last 5 years living a nomadic life with Europol. But a disagreement with higher-ups resulted in him being sent back to his old stomping grounds. He’s been paired with Thulin, a rather intense young woman, but making new friends is not a priority. Copenhagen holds too many bad memories & his sole focus is getting his job back. Then a body is found.

In alternate chapters we meet Rosa Hartung. She’s the government minister for social services who is returning to work after compassionate leave. A year ago her daughter Kristine disappeared & has never been found. The tragedy left it’s mark on her family & she needs to get back to some kind of normal.

Thulin & Hess take the call about a body & arrive to find a young nurse who’s been murdered. The area is carefully picked over but no leads are forthcoming. Until they get an odd call from the forensic crew. One of the items taken from the scene was a funny little doll made from chestnuts & matchsticks. A fingerprint was found on it & they have a match…..Kristina Hartung.

I’ll leave it at that for the plot. Suffice to say there are more bodies, each accompanied by a chestnut man. The book opens with a ominous prologue from 1989 so you know there’s more going on here than just the crimes in the present.

This is a great read for several reasons but two things stood out for me. First, don’t expect to be spoon fed. We learn things right along with the MC’s & I enjoyed being a third partner in the investigation. Some clever misdirection means you have more than one candidate for the killer & it keeps you guessing as a good thriller should.

Second, I really liked Thulin & Hess. These 2 characters are the heart & soul of the story. They have very different styles & it was interesting to watch them go from barely speaking to appreciating what the other brought to the table. Both are smart & capable of the intuitive thinking that puts it all together. The author purposely gives only sparse details about their pasts & you get the feeling there is so much more to learn about them. Maybe in book 2? (hint, hint)

So many procedurals rely on a character’s dumb decision to move the story along & it was a pleasure to read one that didn’t stoop to using this device. With a clever plot & intelligent characters, there was no need. As for the ending, just when you think you’ve made it safely to the other side….well, that would be telling. My reaction? “Oh, crap”.

A big bowl of shiny chestnuts to translator Caroline Waight. She does a stellar job of providing a seamless translation while maintaining a Scandinavian vibe that gives the book a real sense of place. show less

Although I've been a fan of Nordic Noir since before it was called that, all the way back to Sjowall and Wahloo's Martin Beck novels in the 70's, I'm not indiscriminate in my enthusiasm for them. For different reasons, I wasn't motivated to read more of either Jo Nesbo or Camilla Lackberg after their first books.

Not so with Søren Sveistrup! Apparently he has written another book featuring Thulin and Hess, which hasn't yet been translated to English. It will go onto my TBR once it is.

I loved show more the pace of this as I listened. The short chapters with changing perspectives flowed smoothly, quickly pulling me into the evolving plot. I wasn't crazy about the violence toward women, but at least it was integral to the plot and for the most part Sveistrup didn't dwell on it.

Thulin is a smart female cop, about whose past we learn little, a good foil to the equally smart and seemingly troubled Hess. Neither wants to spend time on the murder squad, seeing it only as a stop-gap on their way to other things, though they both clearly have the right instincts to do well there. The balance in their two roles in the ultimate resolution of the case was very well done. There were plenty of surprises in the plot, and in one key way it did not go as I had anticipated, keeping me completely engaged.

Bring it on, Sveistrup. I'm ready for more. show less

I love the cover of Soren Sveistrup's new novel The Chestnut Man. Those few black strokes conjure up something ominous... And then I discovered that Sveistrup was the creator and screenwriter of The Killing - a show I really enjoyed. And I knew I was a for a really great read!

A killer is on the loose in Copenhagen. His signature? A small little man made of chestnuts and matchsticks left at every murder. Forensics makes a startling discovery - the fingerprint of the daughter of a high ranking show more politician is on each one. Trouble is - she's been missing for a year.

Great premise and I was hooked. But what makes or breaks a great premise are the protagonists. I'm happy to say that Sveistrup has created a great pair in Detectives Thulin and Hess. Thulin is a single mother balancing parenting and detecting. She's tough, intelligent, happy to work on her own and doesn't suffer fools. But that's what she fears she's been paired with when she inherits Hess from Europol. He has messed up there and until things are cleared, he's assigned to partner with Thulin in the Major Crimes Division in Copenhagen. But, really Hess just wants to coast until he can get back to Europol - where he also coasts along. This pair reminded me a bit of the two detectives in The Killing. Seemingly polar opposites. But as things progress, they grudgingly start to work together. I really enjoyed this pairing - and hopefully they cross paths again in another novel.

Their work is cut out for them. The case is hindered by politicos and complicated by multiple suspects. Just when I thought I had sussed out the killer was, another possibility popped up. I quite enjoyed being led down the garden path. And I have to say, I was surprised by the final answers. Well done. (Which I really appreciate as I read a lot of mysteries).

The ending has a nice little gotcha that opens things up for a possible follow-up. A wonderfully dark and gritty read for those who love Scandi noir (puts hand up). (And on a side note, Netflix is making a series based on this book). show less