Author: Søren Sveistrup
Year published: 2019
Category: Adult fiction (mystery/thriller)
Pages: 516 pages
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location: (my 2024 Google Reading map): Denmark, Germany
Summary: If you find one, he's already found you ....
A psychopath is terrorizing Copenhagen.
His calling card is a “chestnut man”—a handmade doll made of matchsticks and two chestnuts—which he leaves at each bloody crime scene.
Examining the dolls, forensics makes a shocking discovery—a fingerprint belonging to a young girl, a government minister’s daughter who had been kidnapped and murdered a year ago.
A tragic coincidence—or something more twisted?
To save innocent lives, a pair of detectives must put aside their differences to piece together the Chestnut Man’s gruesome clues.
Because it’s clear that the madman is on a mission that is far from over.
And no one is safe.
Review: I read about this book on Maphead's blog so first a huge thank you! This book is so dark and so good, I stayed up late the past few nights reading it.
Thulin and Hess are really good main characters. They are good at their jobs, but flawed as people (aren't we all) so they feel real. They make mistakes that take the investigation in the wrong direction, but at heart really care about the case(s) they are working on and the people involved. There is a myriad of other characters who all play a vital role; I didn't feel like anyone was wasted or just taking up space.
The creep factor in this book is real. There are amputations, scary scenes in the dark, we are never sure when the perpetrator is going to strike next or why. In the last third of the novel it all starts to come together; I thought I knew who the bad guy was but I was wrong! Sveistrup reveals the murderer in such a slow impressive way.
This book is written by a Dane in English so it doesn't feel like a translation that could be awkward. If you like an excellent dark mystery then take this one on.
Challenges for which this counts:
- Cloak and Dagger
- Literary Escapes--Denmark and Germany
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