This is a very sophisticated thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. There is a fairly gruesome undertone to the story - both the killings and abuse which is a large and sad part of the book. The author wrote the script for the epic tv series "The Killing" and if you like that, you will surely love this!

Officers Thulin and Hess are investigating a number of deaths where chestnut figures are left at the scene that appear to depict the way in which the killings have been carried out. The killer seems to be ahead of the detectives at every turn and the last quarter of the book really ramped up the pace as it headed to a climax.

There were a number of sub-stories that all pulled together perfectly towards the end - I wasn't lying when I said it is a very sophisticated read as I found it very clever.

There are trigger warnings for abuse and horrific murders however not graphic enough to take anything away from the epic story.

I highly recommend this stunning book that kept me eagerly turning the pages to find out if Thulin and Hess would save the day but also to try and figure out just who the heck the killer was!

My thanks to Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) for providing me with this advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this this book. Plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested I never guessed who was committing the murders which is unusual for me and I found the ending exceptional. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

The chestnut man#netgalley
I must admit I was a little dubious to start with, it was only the genre that made me want to read this book. I am so so glad I did, it was gripping with enough twists, that quite often I thought I knew who was the culprit only to it change. To be honest I was surprised in the end, I just didn’t expect the ending far better than I imagined. Really really good book and definitely recommend

Soren Sveistrup is the man behind the runaway successful Danish TV series, The Killing, he has now turned his attention to writing his first Scandi-Noir novel set in Copenhagen. The Chestnut Man carries trademark elements of The Killing, it is part police procedural, part psychological thriller, incorporating politicians whilst giving us social realism in its portrayals and insights into the lives of its diverse range of characters that inhabit the story. It is dark, bleak, and brutal with a serial killer running rampant in the present day. Naia Thulin is a detective in Homicide's Murder Squad led by Nylander, feeling that her workload has barely challenged her abilities, she wants more and has plans to transfer to NC3 (National Cyber Crime Centre). She is a single mother, with a daughter Le. Mark Hess has been pushed out of Europol after issues, and lands in the Murder Squad, not wanting to be there, with every intention of being reinstated in Europol as soon as possible. He is partnered with Thulin, who quickly judges him to be a man that will be of little use, with a reputation for not being much of a detective.

The detectives find themselves on a brutal murder scene where a 37 year old mother, Laura Kjaer, has been horrifically killed with her amputated hand missing, and left at the scene is a chestnut man. A still grieving Rosa Hartung is returning to her post as politician and Minister for Social Affairs in the government after the disappearance of her 12 year old daughter, Kristine, a year ago. Linus Bekker confessed to and is sectioned in a psychiatric facility for her murder, although his memory of the act was poor but evidence suggests the conviction is secure. Rosa is plunged into fresh turmoil when fingerprints on the chestnut man at the murder scene are identified as being that of Kristine. Additionally, Rosa is receiving disturbing death threats. As further murders occur with a similar MO of mothers with children with the signature chestnut men with Kristine's fingerprints, the police struggle to find any leads whilst the serial killer runs rings around them. Hess and Thulin are ordered to ignore the Hartrup connection, despite the fact it seems to be critical to the investigation.

Sveistrup gives us compelling crime fiction with a fascinating partnership between Thulin with her eyes on a future out of the murder squad, and Hess, with a traumatised past with little interest initially in the case. One of the highlights of the novel is the development of their characters and their relationship from such poor initial beginnings. Hess becomes a man obsessed to the point of falling apart, determined to get to the bottom of the heinous murders being committed. None of the Murder Squad are accepting of him and the boss has lined him up as the fall guy as the pressure intensifies on the police. It takes time for Thulin to see Hess as a dedicated and effective detective that challenges the perceptions of the case, dogged in his determination to find the killer and willing to enter forbidden territory, convinced the case is rooted in the past and that Rosa Hartung is central to it. This is a crime thriller that will appeal to fans of Scandi-Noir, a genre defined by its darkness and harrowing murders. Sveistrup has succeeded in making a brilliant chilling debut, compulsive and gripping reading, packed with suspense and tension, and with great characterisation. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

Not my usual genre but this book had me gripped throughout. Will be looking out for more of the same!

In Thulin and Hess we have two very interesting detectives thrown together, by chance, to solve what becomes a series of murders. The story is centred in Copenhagen and we are soon deeply drawn in to a gruesome murder hunt. As with most Scandanavian noir novels bodies pile up as the detectives find themselves continuously outfoxed. The ending when it comes is certainly unexpected and I suspect sets us up for future novels involving this unlikely duo.

Wow! What a book! Absolutely loved it. Gripped from the first page. Couldn’t put it down. Full of twists and turns.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this thrilling book

what a spooky thrilling book this one was to read...so much so that i couldnt put it down as i wanted to know what had happened to everyone....

a missing girl who's body has never been recovered but her case closed with someone jailed for her death
mutilated bodies with their hands and legs cut off, is he guilty of murder or other crimes

and crimes scenes where chestnut characters are found...what do they mean or is there a reason, what could it all signify...


our two detectives have their work cut out for them with everyone breathing down their necks but first they have to get over their dislike of each other

wow what a storyline and one that never got boring just one incident after another and the author kept your attention right to the last page in the book...

this is one author i am going to be keeping an eye out for,

This is an amazing piece of writing, filled with a brilliant storyline that twists and turns, excellent characterisation, including a down-at-heel hero, who is an amazing detective, his partner, who has her own frailties, and a villain right out of Silence of the Lambs!

I loved the back stories, the pace, the settings and would recommend this highly to any lover of a fabulous detective story.

Sveistrup is a new must-read for me!

This is my first book of this genre, and I enjoyed it very much. It took a little while to get into but the characters are intruiging and I’m glad I stuck with it.
There were many twists and turns along the way that I didn’t see coming and it kept me gripped to the end.

A superb read. Quite unexpected and I did not see the end at all. Very likeable characters and a super story plot.

This is a chilling story that kept me gripped right to the very end. It is set in Denmark, but it is far from the image of hygge.
It starts when a government minister returns to work the year after her young daughter has gone missing.. Although the child's body has never been found, her murderer has been convicted. The politician tries to throw herself into work to distract herself from her grief, though she is constantly having to deal with tabloid journalists asking questions about how she is coping. In the following days several murders take place, each more horrific than the one before. The country is horrified as the news leaks out that a serial killer is on the loose. The murderer's trademark is that a model of a man made out of chestnuts with matchsticks for arms and legs is found at the scene. The horrific descriptions of the murders.contrasts with the poignant images of family life for the grieving politician and her husband and son. The mundane domestic arrangements, with school pickup being delayed by a father's drinking, show the remaining child feeling neglected as his parents each deal with their own private grief.
The way the detectives work with a forensic scientist to try to find a link between the murdered women, and then try to predict where he might strike next, goes to the heart of the story. In the race against time to stop the killer, The stresses and strains between police officers and politicians leads to more false turns. I didn't guess who the murderer was, or the connection between the victims until the very end.
I would recommend this book, but make sure you've locked your doors before you settle down to read.

Oh my gosh! This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. I just couldn't stop reading it. The story was chilling and had me on the edge of my seat eagerly seeing what else was around the corner. I loved the main characters too and thought they were really well developed and interesting. I have my fingers crossed that this is not a one off and is the first in a series of books. Highly, highly recommend!

I’m finding this book difficult to get into. I’m not giving up, it’s a good story and with an interesting,plot.

What a great read!!

This is packed full of tension and suspense and the short, interwoven chapters would make this perfect for a TV series. This writer is excellent at both providing background to the characters and the separate strands of the investigations with the minimum of excess.

The story starts with an historic case and then moves to a murder investigation that is set in the present day. This case links with the abduction and supposed murder of the daughter of a prominent politician when her fingerprints are found on a chestnut man at the crime scene.

There was some overlap of characters from books that follow a similar thread; the determined policewoman with a tragic back story and the lone wolf type investigator who gets the job done by unconventional means, but this did not detract from my enjoyment of the plot line.

The story led in one direction but all the while the reader was aware that a deeper story could emerge and emerge it did. The history of some of the characters was explored and this made for an action packed ending. All the loose ends were tied up which I find satisfying, I would thoroughly recommend.

My thanks to Net Galley and Penguin UK/Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read THE CHESTNUT MAN.
Soren Sveistrup very quickly took me into a very dark place when I read this intriguing novel.. Set in Denmark during the winter, it's easy to become immersed in the atmosphere of gloom and damp which adds to the premise of the story.
Following Naia Thulin as she investigates the case that has more twists and turns than a corkscrew, her meeting with the much maligned Hess, an officer who has been temporarily kicked out of Europol begins a partnership of sorts where each is suspicious of the other, yet turns into one of grudging respect. They're following the trail of The Chestnut Man, a killer of women between 25 and 40 with a child or children, who leaves a doll made from chestnuts at each murder site. Thulin and Hess quickly realise there is a connection, but were is the clue that will lead them to find the person who has been pulling their strings. Child abduction in crime thrillers is not new, but I really liked the way the story played out, and was intrigued by the writing style. I'd like to read more cases with Thulin and Hess. There's always room for another dynamic duo!

A fast-paced thriller that keeps you gripped, even as it follows the usual formula of wrong turns, a renegade cop and an extraordinarily competent killer. You can tell the author has written for TV, as the murders were pretty gruesome for a book. The different characters and storylines took a while to get my head around, but they eventually wove together for a very satisfying ending. The Danish setting was a nice change from the usual British and American locations.

1989. Detective Marius Larsen travels out to Orum's Farm. Animals have broken through the fence, roaming the neighbour's fields. Farmer Orum needs to sort this out. When Larsen arrives at the farm what he is faced with is horrific...

Move forward to present day Copenhagen. Detective Naia Thulin works for the Major Crimes Division. Her boss, Nylander, tasks her with partnering 'the new guy'. A liaison officer named Hess, stationed at Europol's HQ in the Hague, ordered to Copenhagen for some blunder or other. They are faced with a brutal murder. The victim, Laura Kjaer, 37 years old, has been partly dismembered. A chestnut man figure lies nearby. Forensics uncover a fingerprint on its head. The print of Kristine Hartung. The 12-year-old daughter of Rosa Hartung, Minister for Social Affairs. The girl went missing less than a year ago and a few weeks later a young tech nerd was arrested and, given weight of evidence, he confesses to strangling and dismembering the body. No body parts were ever found. When more horrific murders occur the chestnut figures take centre stage. How can they all reveal a fingerprint of Kristine Hartung?

The Chestnut Man is a complex story with well developed characters. It is dark and disturbing with many horrific scenes. Perhaps though a tad too long as I found myself easily distracted. It did not anchor me to the pages and took me considerable time to read because of this.

Set in Copenhagen, this story follows young detective Naia Thulin, who is assigned a murder case whereby the killer leaves behind a doll made of Chesnuts. Soon afterwards, a second woman is found murdered along with a chestnut doll next to her body. Who is the killer? Will Thulin solve this case before somebody else loses their life?

I requested this book to read from Netgalley as the synopsis drew my attention and I really thought I would love it. Unfortunately, that was not the case! Upon first beginning the book I realised it was a translation however it was not translated brilliantly and I could notice that the first language this book was written in was not English. The poor translation put me off from the beginning. I also found that there was so much going on and so many characters and plots that I struggled to keep up and understand which character and plot the author was discussing. I also found that the plots would switch very suddenly in the middle of a chapter, with very little distinction which made it difficult to keep up with. It did not captivate me and took me a while to read as it felt more of a chore to pick it up. I feel like this is such a shame because the plot really does appeal to me and I feel like it could have been done so much better.

I ended up pretty thoroughly annoyed with The Chestnut Man. To be fair, it’s not a genre I would normally read and I wouldn’t have touched it if it hadn’t been by the man who created the excellent TV series The Killing. This means that fans of the serial-killer genre may like it far more than I did, but for me it was just a series of tired old clichés strung together, albeit strung together quite well for much of the book.

In Denmark, a series of sadistic killings (of women, naturally) is marked by the killer’s trademark Chestnut Man left at each scene. A maverick cop, sent back to the Copenhagen police after his insubordinate behaviour annoyed his Europol bosses, suspects that these killings may throw doubt on the solution to the murder of the daughter of a prominent politician a year before. There is a Race Against Time to catch the killer before...I’m sure you get the picture.

I read this while I was ill and needed brain-off entertainment. The first 400 pages didn’t do too badly on that, but I just ticked off the clichés as they went past: the maverick cop and his ill-matched partner who begin to form an attachment; the boorish, sexist police colleague; the vain, unheeding boss; the killer who is always One Step Ahead and Plays Games With The Police, child abuse as a cynical plot device, the female investigator under threat...and so on and so on. I could just about live with all that, but the final 100 pages became so silly that I lost patience, and I especially disliked the corny old Cornered Killer Climax In Which The Killer Explains Everything To The Victim scene (yeah, right), which in this case is largely repellent, misogynistic torture porn. The explanation scarcely holds together and the psychology is pretty silly, so coupled with the ludicrous implausibility of subsequent events it made me very irritated indeed.

I had expected something deeper and more thoughtful from Sveistrup, but The Chestnut Man is just another bog-standard Scandi serial-killer thriller. There’s no superbly original central character like Lisbeth Salander to lift it above the ordinary, and nor, of course, does it benefit from a brilliant screen performance from the likes of Sofie Grabol or Sofia Helin which made The Killing and The Bridge such classics. Fans of the genre may enjoy this, but I’m afraid I didn’t.

(My thanks to Penguin Books for an ARC via NetGalley.)