The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup

49
Written by Norrie

A dark and chilling story of a hunt for a brutal serial killer.

The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup

Genres:Published: 10th January, 2019
Goodreads
Series: N/A
Rating: 5

One Tuesday in October, Rosa Hartung is returning to her job as minister for social affairs following a year’s leave of absence – granted after the dramatic disappearance of her twelveyear-old daughter. Linus Bekker, a mentally ill young man, confessed to her killing, but is unable to remember where he buried the various parts of her dismembered corpse.
On the same day Rosa returns to Parliament, a young single mother is found brutally murdered at her home in the suburbs of Copenhagen-she’s been tortured, and one hand has been cut off. Thulin and Hess, the detectives sent to investigate the crime, arrive at the address to find a figure made of chestnuts hanging from a playhouse nearby.
When yet another woman is murdered-this time with both hands missing-and another chestnut figure is found, Thulin and Hess begin to suspect a connection with the Hartung case. But what is it?
Thulin and Hess are racing against the clock, because its clear that the murderer is on a mission that is far from over…

The Chestnut Man was not what I’m used to when it comes to Scandinavian crime. If you’d read a few, you probably noticed that in addition to the twisty mystery, there’s always a lot of focus on how all the gruesomeness and brutality affects people, and how they feel. I didn’t get same vibes reading this one, but it was nevertheless a totally addictive thriller, filled with vibrant details. Written by the man who wrote one of my favourite TV series, The Killing, I just knew this will be an outstanding book.

If there’s one thing that stands out in this book it’s how cinematic it is; there’s a lot to “see”. Reading this story is quite a visual experience. Snow, vast landscapes, blood, chopped off body parts, there’s something for everyone!20181222_213238.jpg

Thulin is a stubborn woman, whose aspirations lie in cyber crime. She likes to play by the book, even when it doesn’t bring results fast enough. A single mum, he relies a lot on the help of her daughter’s honorary grandpa. I found this quite a lovely parallel to The Killing where the detective’s son was often looked after by an older lady to whom they were not related.

Hess, the man with the mysterious past is also quite headstrong, but he’s way more imaginative and doesn’t shy away from questioning his colleague’s actions, which obviously doesn’t earn him too many brownie points with the team.

To say that Thulin and Hess had clashing personalities would be the understatement of the year. Yet, their differences were just as important in solving the case as their undeniable skills. Their relationship could be summed up as…

Hess: So, I had an idea.
Thulin: Nope.
Hess: But I was thinking –
Thulin: Don’t.
Hess: But we could try –
Thulin: Ain’t happenin’, mate.
Hess: But, how about…?
Thulin: Don’t get creative.

Unraveling the twisted mystery surrounding Rosa Hartung’s daughter was an absolute delight. How is she connected to the bizarre little chestnut figures popping up on each new crime scene?

A fast paced and gripping thriller, The Chestnut Man will appeal to fans of Nordic Noir with a touch of graphic violence.5

ssveistrup

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49 Comments

  2. Oh, that sounds really, really good! I’m yet to explore Scandi crime and am making a note to check The Chestnut Man out. I feel like my fantasy stage might be coming to an end and I can’t wait diving into the world of thrillers again. Fab review! 🙂

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  7. Aaaand this is now on my TBR! I’ve not read much crime before (usually fantasy) but I want to change that and this sounds like a really gripping read. I love that you describe it as ‘cinematic’ – there’s something special about a book that not only allows you to follow the book page by page but also really ‘sees’ it. Great review!

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  8. With both you AND Inge shouting out the praises of this one, I’ll make sure to put at the top of my wish list! I do like a good bit of Scandi-Crime as they don’t shy away from the details. And I do love me a good set of sparring characters, and these two sound like a pair!

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  14. Your reviews make it really hard to ignore a book- I totally want to read this now, too! *le sigh* XD This book sounds perfect, the dialogue is perfect, the snow and bodyparts- yep, yep!

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  16. Haha I loved the “Snow, vast landscapes, blood, chopped off body parts, there’s something for everyone!” part of your review. That and your conversation you posted to sum up how the 2 characters interact. Definitely gave me a laugh. 😛
    This book sounds really good. I’m adding it to my TBR list now and when I get to host for my book club next I’m nominating it as one of the options. It sounds like one that would be fun to discuss with a bunch of people after reading it.
    Awesome post!

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    1. Haha 😀 I hope you’ll enjoy it too!
      They were a great pair, always arguing 😀 I kinda hope there will be more books with them. Or a telly series… or you know. Anything!!

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    1. Thank you 🙂
      Yes, the atmosphere is great. I love books set in the Scandi countries with all the snow. Even though i don’t actually like being in snow, personally. 😀

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    1. Ah, they were so cool! Kept thinking how much it sucks when you have to work with someone you don’t like / always argue with, especially when you are a detective, but at the same time it was so entertaining 😀

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    1. Oh, yay 🙂 Hope you’ll enjoy it too!
      Agree on the cover! I got the physical copy, and those splashes on it look really cool. The BF, who has no artistic inclination said “it looks dirty”, but then again, murder is dirty, so makes sense 😀

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  22. “Snow, vast landscapes, blood, chopped off body parts, there’s something for everyone!” OMG, I can´t anymore. HAHAHAHA. Please tell me you smiled while you typed that line. Great review! ❤ Oh, and great feature pic you did for the book. Love that.

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