''The Chestnut Man'' is the debut novel by the creator of the legendary Danish television series ''Forbrydelsen'' (3 seasons in total), Søren Sveistrup , and even though it is not a bad book, it certainly lacks the distinguishing marks that would set it at the top of the Nordic Noir genre. This novel has all the well-known trademarks of the genre in every aspect, the plotline follows the three plot narrative structure, the main characters are outlined in a way that is reminiscent of other Scandinavian crime fiction protagonists and the setting is the bleak and rainy Copenhagen right between autumn and winter. The truth is that this is a novel that I was expecting for nearly a year as I was eager to read a book written by the man who was behind the ''Forbrydelsen'' phenomenon. The rape and murder of Nana Birk-Larssen in the first season was a story that captivated European and UK's audiences and is today considered as one of the cornerstones of SCF genre along with ''Broen'' and ''Borgen''. I found seasons 1 and 3 to be the most interesting while the story arc of season 2 was weaker, even though the production standards remained in the same high levels as in the other seasons.
The story begins when the police founds a young mother dead with one of her arms amputated and right besides her there is a chestnut doll consisting of two chestnuts, for the head and the body, and four matchsticks which represent the limps of the chestnut man. The two protagonists, Naia Thulin, a young CID detective in Copenhagen police force, and Mark Hess, a Europol investigator who was kicked out of Hague and returns to his hometown in a rather unflattering status, are both totally drawn in the case as they are convinced that the killer had just started his gruesome work and more victims are going to follow. I preferred Hess's character, as he is outlined in a more detailed and effective manner while Thulin seems to be a collage of the main characteristics that many Scandinavian crime fiction female heroines have and her character struggles to find its own voice in the book's narrative. The plot is rich and intricate and S. Sveistrup narrates it through multiple points of view, the emphasis being given to the two detectives and the Minister of Social Affairs, Rosa Hartung who is the third main character of the novel. Hartung is
dealing with the tragedy of her teenage daughter's kidnapping which took place the previous year. The police, after an excruciating investigation did find the perpetrator who confessed the abduction and murder of young Kristine whose body nevertheless was never found by the authorities. When Kristine's fingerprint is found in the chestnut man found at the first crime scene, the Minister and her family will have to face once again the nightmare which they thought was solved and behind them. The writer remains faithful to his trope of involving the political dimension in his plots, as he did in all 3 seasons of ''Forbrydelsen'', and succeeds in adding an additional narrative layer where nothing is what it seems and intrigue is ever present.
The storyline of Kristine's abduction and the present -serial killer- one are slowly merging as the plot unfolds and they are finally connected in the novels' ending which is dignified, though cliched. Unoriginality is the basic flaw of ''Chestnut Man'' and I was rather disappointed as I was expecting something more by the author who won the hearts of worldwide audiences with his screenwriting skills. Perhaps my expectations were too high but as i finished reading, a sense of dissatisfaction came over me. Of course I am willing to give more than one opportunities to Søren Sveistrup and i hope that in his future attempts will be totally worthy of his status among Scandinavian crime fiction's gurus.
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TapTheLine
A SCF novel, so typical that becomes repetitive and tedious.
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2019Verified Purchase
David Morgan
An Amazon Debut
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2019Verified Purchase
Leah de Souza
Excellent Modern Fiction Thriller
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2019Verified Purchase
Janie D.
It took a while....
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2019Verified Purchase
Rod Richie
Excellent read
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2019Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Beware the chestnut man
Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2019Verified Purchase
VICKI HERBERT
Slog-a-thon...
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2020Verified Purchase
Jake Hiatt
Wonderful read
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2019Verified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
ukstern
Dark and gripping
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2019Verified Purchase
JK
A dark, gritty tale of corruption, human frailty and murder.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 16, 2019Verified Purchase
MSB20
Did Not Finish
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2019Verified Purchase
Sooze
A real page turner
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2019Verified Purchase
Wilki
Couldn't finish it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 11, 2019Verified Purchase