I really enjoyed this story. There were many threads to it, but always a chestnut man. I was kept guessing until the very end.

A typical Scandi noir, there's something deeply engaging about "The Chestnut Man."

While I guessed who the killer was, his motivations were unexpected and there were plenty of twists along the way to keep me interested.

It's not a quick read but it's well worth persevering with, especially if you're a fan of the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

Gripping
Great book, quite long though. It’s very dark and creepy, it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

I loved this book by the creator of ‘The Killing, it was gripping from the start. There are murders taking place in Denmark and the victims are being found with various body parts missing and chestnut men are being left in place.

This story follows the police as they try to determine who the psychopathic killer is before further murders are committed.

I hope there is a follow up to this series by the author as I enjoyed this one so much!

I thought the story was going to be… more. So much more. But it was seriously bogged down by the writing, or (and I will freely admit this) the translation. There were plenty times while reading where I was like “oh dear, that could have been edited better, or translated more smoothly”, and it kept jarring me out of the story. I also feel that there is a ton of filler stuff, and that the book is filled with flat, bland characters. They are really by the numbers, nothing special… okay, except maybe for the fact that they were really daft. Almost wilfully stupid. I mean really. I know I am just the reader, but they were clunky and blind and, honestly, came across as incompetent more often than not. And I don’t mean the higher ups – I mean Thulin and Hess, our main pair.Not only that, the author Søren Sveistrup weaves in a totally unnecessary and bland romance. It just came across as forced. I didn’t like that at all, and it pops up out of nowhere, and nothing comes of it. I mean they are trundling along, and all of a sudden they just want each other, then they don’t? What? Just, no. No.So I am in the minority apparently about how I felt about this book – it seems other readers loved it. It just didn’t work for me. I didn’t like the characters or care about them, the book was very predictable in places, there was too much filler stuff between happenings, the logic is a little questionable, and the experience overall was not that great. The book felt like a super long read, so I didn’t love that, either. I just didn’t love The Chestnut Man, overall.

The Chestnut Man is an intricately plotted, well-written thriller that keeps you guessing right to the end. Written by the creator of the TV series The Killing, the short chapters and cinematic quality of the narrative make it stand out from a lot of other Scandinavian crime fiction. My only criticism would be that it is far too long (like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series); it really needed the services of a good editor. To begin with, I did not really take to either of the main characters but gradually their backstories emerged and their characters were developed to such an extent that I fully expect there to be a sequel to The Chestnut Man; in fact I really hope there is.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

First, the mild reservation - this book will test your capacity for coping with gruesome descriptions of fairly brutal crimes from time to time. For this reader, there was an ever-present sense of being on the edge of gratuitously macabre detail that didn't appear wholly necessary for what was already a detailed and reasonably convincing plot.
Having got that partial caveat out of the way we can turn to a more generous appraisal of a well-written (and well-translated) Scandi-noir crime novel in the best tradition of Jo Nesbo or Stig Larsson. The plot has enough twists and turns to satisfy most readers, and the writing maintains a real sense of momentum and developing menace. In terms of the key question - 'Was it hard to put the book down and turn off the light?' The answer is a resounding 'Yes'. Characters are well-developed and generally credible. There's surely room for further outings for Hess and Thulin in future novels - I certainly hope so. Highly recommended.

Well if you loved The Killing you will love this. Brilliantly written-very graphic and gruesome-but bearing in mind the serial killer theme it couldn't be anything less. A fabulous gripping thriller.

Macabre and violent

Marius Larsen a soon to retire police officer, in October 1989 discovers a monstrously grisly scene on a farm outside of town. But it ends when he is knocked unconscious.

The plot moves from there to present day, Laura Kjaer is brutally, violently killed. This is the first case where Thulin a female police officer is forced to work with a visiting investigator from Europol called Hess. On the way to the crime together on their first day they hear the news about Rosa Hartung, Minister of Social Affairs, returning to work that day after a tragic episode involving the disappearance of her twelve-year-old daughter, nearly one year earlier.

The difficulties Rosa faces become interwoven slowly with the investigation. This is when the plot gets very complicated. But this convoluted swirl takes the reader back to the beginning of 1989 in the most unanticipated way.

There are many characters that form the plot which is extremely macabre and violent. Follow the characters carefully in order to keep moving along with the plot. It gets complicated.

BonnieK

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

I found The Chestnut Man to be a compelling read. Despite the subject matter being way outside my comfort zone I just had to keep reading. I love when that happens! I will certainly look out for further work by this author.

I really enjoy the atmosphere of Scandi noir and this is up with the best of them. For me it started off a little slow and then it rattles along at a fair old pace! I like the short chapters where you don't linger on one character for too long although it sometimes ends on a cliffhanger, which is annoying and exciting at the same time. I like we get a bit of background information on the main characters private lives and with that in mind I really hope there is a sequel! Highly recommended if you like Scandi noir.

Wow, can't believe that this is a debut. Absolutely amazing, fast paced and brilliantly written, had no idea who the killer was. Definitely recommend.

Loved The Killing so was interested to see how the author presented a novel in this genre. It was brilliant.....great twists and turns and unputdownable!! Look forward to the next one and how the 2 main detectives develop further stories

This is the first Scandi-noir novel that I have read and it won't be my last!

From the chilling image on the cover and the intense opening paragraph to the very last page, this novel is thrilling and compulsive reading.

In the beginning, Thulin and Hess are not a good pairing and although the potential is there for Hes to become a more likable character, Thulin is often pig-headed and narrow-minded regarding her carer.  As the story progresses though we see both these characters in a different light and it's easy for the reader to warm to them.  I love the fact that despite not always being perfect (who is?), Thulin is a really strong female role model who has no devastating back story.  As a female reader this is extremely refreshing.  Each character in the novel has flaws and this is real life!  It's an unfamiliar feeling to read a novel where all the characters display this. 

The first chapter sets the reader on an intense and shocking journey.  As I have been told is common for this genre, the story slowly and intricately unfurls but at no point is interest lost (apart from one tiny section where there's a long political explanation).  Often seemingly no or little progress is made towards solving the case until each piece of the puzzle brilliantly falls into place and connects the dots. 

Not for the faint hearted, this is an excellent debut crime novel and I cannot wait to read more by this author.

If that cover doesn't draw you in and make you pick it up, you are a lost soul !!!

And if the cover doesn't do it for you, the story certainly will. It does make for uncomfortable reading at times given the subject matter but it is a story about a serial killer so some gruesome descriptions of the crimes shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.

The plot is gripping, dark and thrilling and the pace of the book is ideal with a seamless mix of murder, politics and police procedure all wrapped up in a perfect psychological thriller package. I actually don't normally like what is called Scandi-noir after having previously tried and failed to read one by a very successful author but this one is excellent.

The characters are fantastic - I know it's a good book when I can see the characters as real people and imagine who would play them if the book were made into a film or TV series - the Danish actor, Kim Bodnia, from The Bridge (Bron/Broen) and Killing Eve would be perfect for the role of Hess.

This is the debut novel by this author, although he has written the highly acclaimed series "The Killing", and a very accomplished debut it is and my thanks must go to the publisher, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph, via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

I'd heard lots of good things about The Chestnut Man before I started this buddy read with Kerry and Robyn, but I still wasn't quite sure what to expect. I love Scandi Noir, and The Chestnut Man has several familiar features. It's slightly slower paced than the thrillers I am used to reading, but this did not affect my enjoyment of the novel at all. It gives Sveistrup the opportunity to develop the characters in detail, and this helped me to understand the motivation for their actions and become more involved In the investigation. 

Sveistrup's descriptions of the surroundings make The Chestnut Man very atmospheric and I could not help but become wrapped up in what was happening. I could not tear my eyes away from the page and I always wanted to know more.Somr of the descriptions are slightly more graphic than I would have expected, but I loved this and the insight it gave me into the person the police were hunting.

The plot of The Chestnut Man is quite complex, as there are a few strands which only tie together when the direction of the story becomes clearer. I, and the rest of my book buddies, enjoyed the opportunity to theorise even if at times it did take me some time to get my head around what was going on.

There is a very surprising twist at the end of The Chestnut Man which has definitely left me thinking!

Great story line based in Denmark. Some pretty disturbing content but very well written.
I would recommend reading this book.

Fantastic scandi-noir thriller. Everything you expect from a scandi-noir - a policeman with a troubled background, a politician with secrets to hide and a killer who is brighter than everyone. A real page turner. Highly recommended.

This a good Scandinavian detective read. Was it written to become yet another tv series or a film?

A politician"s daughter is missing...the daughter used to collect chestnuts. We then have murders where the calling card is a man made from chestnuts.
Running through the story is the love /hate relationship of the two detectives tasked with solving the murders.

A page turning thriller..

A brutal murder of a single mother is discovered by the murder squad in Copenhagen, her hand amputated and a chestnut man left at the scene. A revelation reveals that a fingerprint left on the chestnut matches the fingerprint of a young girl declared dead after she went missing a year ago. A series of similar murders occur, each more brutal than the next and the same chestnut and fingerprints found at the scene. The police must work fast to find out why the women are being targeted, the significance of the chestnut men and crucially, the psychopath who is terrorising the city.

This book far exceeded my expectations. As far as thrillers go, it had everything I look for - plenty of action without being unrealistic, twists and turns throughout, red herrings that caught me completely off guard and an ending that I did not see coming. There were a number of secondary plots that kept my attention away from guessing who the killer was. The characters were well-crafted and there were just enough to have plenty of suspects without being unnecessary additions. I thought the plot was intricate and extremely well constructed. It is one of the best thrillers I've read, especially for a debut. I can't wait to see what the author produces next.