The Chestnut Man: A Novel

THE CHESTNUT MAN is honestly one of the best books I have read this year. Sveistrup constructed the most fabulously dark serial killer mystery with intricate plot twists and gripping insights into real-life issues.Okay. Let’s have a moment for the writing of this book. Hands down, it is impressive. The flow and pacing of this book are perfection. The story never stops and consistently propels you further down the rabbit hole of an already complex story. I loved it!From the beginning to the end, I was utterly captivated by all the characters, but none as much as the killer. He just seemed so unique and refreshingly sinister. I found myself asking his motives and wanting to get inside his head, though I don’t know how good of an idea that is. I also loved how his actions and the investigation of the case surrounding the murders were used as a vehicle to make commentary on the more nefarious side of humanity. The author didn’t once shy away from the difficult issues, and the book was better for it.If you are someone who loves dark and twisty mysteries with a lot of grit, then I suggest you pick this one up. It is easily in my top five books of the year.

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.

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!!!

Excellent Scandinavian thriller. Søren Sveistrup your debut novel is just wow.. I loved the built-up, the plot and ofcourse the environment he created, but character development was not that great.. anyways, I enjoyed this one..

Uguale alla serie TV. Suspense, emozioni, finale ottimo

La verdad es que encontrar un libro nuevo por menos de 6€ es prácticamente imposible, pero en este caso ha sido así.La verdad es que por ese precio está muy bien aunque sea tapa blanda. La historia del libro es muy buena e incluye detalles que en la serie no se ven y que te pueden hacer gracia si conoces parte de la cultura danesa

Excelente escritor!

I thouroughly enjoyed « the killing » written by the same author, so decided to read his first novel. The plot is pretty good, but the writing is quite bland and unengaging.The characters lack depth and you don’t really feel for them.Also, a little humor could do no harm in such a dry narrative.