Harper Paperbacks The Chestnut Man

This Danish mystery about two police officers tracking a serial killer has plenty of tension, scares, and violence. It doesn’t spare the gruesome details about the victims. I had just a few problems with the book, which I’ll cover in a minute.The story concerns Naia Thulin and her assigned partner, who goes by just the name Hess. Hess is sent from Interpol to be her partner as punishment for some infraction. They follow a trail of murders, four to be exact, which, besides the victims being dismembered while alive, also have at their crime scenes a handmade doll made of chestnuts, the killer’s calling card. There is another oddity about the murders. The dolls contain the fingerprint of a young girl whose mother is a prominent politician. The girl was kidnapped and assumed to be murdered over a year ago. A man named Linus Bekker, a paranoid schizophrenic was convicted of the murder and is now in a psychiatric institution. He confessed to killing the girl, but her body was never found.Thulin and Hess are not convinced that Bekker was the murderer, although a machete with the girl’s blood was found in Bekker’s garage. The police detectives who arrested Bekker received accolades for Bekker’s capture, and they are not about to see their record being tarnished by a false arrest. Thulin and Hess are up against others in their department, as well as a sophisticated and ruthless killer.I found the book to be great in pacing and building tension. What it provides in tension, however, it loses in a clear storyline. The book is relatively long at over 500 pages, so it probably doesn’t lend itself to being read in one sitting. When I picked the book up after putting it down for a day or so, I had to go back several chapters to reorient myself to what was happening. There are numerous characters, victims, families, and police to keep straight.The chapters are short, many are just a few pages, which makes for rapid reading, but the scene and perspective shifts make the story choppy. If you are looking for an action-packed thriller, this book certainly has it. There are plenty of red herrings to make the identity of the killer a shock. On the other hand, I found character development lacking. I would recommend this book to those who like labyrinthine thrillers and complex puzzles.

Could not put it down. A very unique story line. Kept my interest from beginning to end. Wish I could find another like it.

The Chestnut Man takes the police procedural/crime novel to another level. With a psychopath murdering women who have been accused of abuse, disfiguring the victim and leaving a chestnut man as a calling card, we have the murder squad on the case. Made up of one detective hoping to transfer to another division and another sent down from his position at Europol, this team with a shaky beginning must find a way to solve these crimes. This novel has great character development and a cinematic quality that puts you right in the middle of the action. The race against the clock and the tension are palpable. Even with a fast pace I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and flew through the 500+ pages. If it weren't for other responsibilities this would definitely be a one sitting read as even when I had to put it down I couldn't wait to pick it back up. I absolutely loved this one, the twists and turns and surprising conclusion kept me on my toes the entire time. With a bit of an open ending I'm hoping it becomes a series. If you like your crime thrillers dark, complex and well thought out, I can't recommend this one high enough!!!

Is it the long winter nights, the freezing wind and weather, or perhaps it is frustration with their Social Democracy? "The Danish welfare model ensures a healthy work-life balance as well as free education and healthcare for all." "Denmark is one of he most egalitarian societies in the world." The word 'egalitarian' simply means relating to or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.If those statements are true, then all the material in this novel describing people and places in Denmark is a complete lie. And I don't believe that the author is writing fantasy here. Many politicians point to Denmark as being the best example of social democracy in the world. If that is true, then that societal construct simply does not deliver as well as it's proponents claim. This novel is rife with descriptions of all the problems that are common with the rest of the world.Political commentary aside, Soren Sveistrup has delivered a debut novel that is intricate, extremely well written, complete with complicated characters with their own skills and motivations, and a criminal who is psychotic, detail oriented, and who leaves shocking crime scenes as his/her clues. This is a severely damaged individual who is able to remain under the radar and essentially hide in plain sight, culling his/her initial victims and executing his/her plans with perfection before sliding back out of the light.A substantial and frightening threat is preying on Danish citizens, creating an increasing level of fear and anxiety among the population with each gory crime committed. The clues are virtually nonexistent, but it all comes back to "The Chestnut Man". A great read for fans of Christian Galacar, Robert Bryndza, and Chris Carter. And of course let's not forget to list Jo Nesbo.

Soren Sveistrup’s “The Chestnut Man” … a little bit crime, a little bit gory, a little bit scary, a little bit noir. It’s a dark murder mystery that packs a punch. A serial killer is loose in Copenhagen leaving a calling card at each crime scene—a “chestnut man” doll. As if the murders aren’t bad enough, forensics discovers a girl’s fingerprint on one of the dolls. It belongs to a government minister’s daughter who has been missing for over a year. Two detectives are left to crack the case and hunt down the killer known as the Chestnut Man, but they will first need to put their differences aside and work together before he outwits them once and for all. There were a lot of characters to keep track of early on and the book has a slow build but I expected that once I picked up the elements of noir and it didn’t affect my overall takeaway. I liked that it kept me on my toes and there were definitely some surprises along the way that I didn’t predict. Be warned the book is gruesome but it needed to be to accurately describe the horrifying murders that were taking place. If you are a fan of a good crime mystery with a little bit of noir elements to it, then this book is for you.