The Chestnut Man audiobook

When the weather turns cold and the days dark, is there anything more satisfying than cozying up with a dark crime thriller? I think not.A serial killer is loose on the streets of Copenhagen. In addition to the brutally mutilated victims, the killer also leaves behind his calling card, a little figurine made of chestnuts and matchsticks. Even more baffling, a clue from each scene seems to point to another unrelated and already solved crime. The police must stop the killer before he claims any more victims. But how do you stop someone that's always one step ahead?This story contains all the hallmarks of a terrific Scandinavian noir. The crimes are gruesome, the detectives are all flawed, and the setting is dark and gloomy. It could not be more quintessential of the genre.Diving in, I did find the beginning a little bit slow. A good number of characters are introduced initially, and I had some trouble remembering them all. But once I got over that hump and everything started to come together, I couldn't put it down. It's one of those substantial stories you can just sink your teeth into and not surface for hours.If there's one small annoyance, it's that most of the detectives in here are awfully whinny about having to do their jobs. Any time facts had to be rechecked or previously unsolved items had to be revisited, there would inevitably be a chorus of whys and whatever for's. And since that didn't add anything to the story, I'm not sure why it was even included (unless it's a part of the heretofore mentioned hallmarks of a Scandinavian noir I'm not aware of).Still, minor quibbles aside, I found this to be thoroughly entertaining. I had great fun following along with the twists and turns, and the big reveal was worth the buildup. Even though this story is on the longer side, I found it riveting once I got into it. It was the perfect book to get lost in on a dreary day, wrapped up in a cozy blanket with a hot cup of tea.

Whoop whoop! Today Chestnut Man’s adaptation into series just released on Netflix! I just watched a few scenes and they seemed outstandingly promising! 🥳📚I was sooooo ready to give five Danish, thrilling, chilling, darkest, mind numbing stars to this book as a die-hard fan of Danish series “Forbrydelsen” (American version is “Killing” but in my opinion Danish version beats the hell of US version because of the atmosphere, sensational, smart, darker crime thriller elements and far better casting performances: I always prefer Sarah Lund over Sarah Linden!)But now I’m barely rounding up 3.5 to 4 stars just because of the impressive, riveting, exciting beginning. The reasons to cut the points:- Longevity: There were too many detailed, long, never ending descriptions slow the pace and you wanted to skip the details and try to find the real action hid in the long sentences. If the author may reduce at least 100 pages and cut some extra details about all the characters’ background stories, it could be helpful for us to get the juicy, thrilling and witty parts of the story that hooked me up at the first chapters.- RESEMBLANCE with “Forbrydelsen”: Thulin is between Girl in the Dragon Tattoo’s Lisbeth with her technological skills, high intelligence and Killing’s Sarah Lund with her independent, work-oriented, serious, detailed, tough manners (she tries to raise her child by herself. As a difference from Sarah, she has a girl who forms a quick relationship with her new troubled colleague) Unlike Stephen Holder( thanks to US version series introduced us Joel Kinnaman, now he is in every show including Hanna, For All Mankind, Altered Carbon) / or Lennart Brix (Danish character), Hess, stronger and more complex, introvert hero, has troubled past, his new position is a test and last chance for him to prove his ability to work on a case, being a part of a team. He is not a drug addict or divorced like Lennart/Stephen but his past demons and a heart wrenching tragedy he’d endured justifies his changing moods and antisocial manners.A SUCCESSFUL SCRIPTWRITER ALWAYS GIVES HIMSELF AWAY: I felt like I didn’t read chapters of book, I read 130 scenes of a screenplay. Some character descriptions, detailed background stories and their motives were written like character analysis. It was good to imagine each chapter as fast pacing, moving scenes of an action/ crime thriller movie. It worked for me as I start to read like that and I imagined Rosamund Pike and Tom Hardy as my casting choices! (Sorry no American actors came to my mind. I think British talents already invaded Hollywood!)But I still liked the writing, dark, stunning, captivating atmosphere, gruesome, stomach lurching, violent murders that we used to from the other Scandinavian novels. The main reason connects the murders is child abuse/neglect/abandonment. The killer acts like a savior of those harmed, wounded little children!I wish I could see more parts of Thulin and Hess come together, getting rid of the hostility and disconnection weaken their performances to organize as colleagues and friends, taking out their boxing gloves and settling their differences. I wanted to see them work as a real team, more love-hate relationship. But they didn’t team up till the end and they continue their own personal investigations, they didn’t share much about their findings which put them more dangerous situations. But I think a sequel is coming and at the next book we’re gonna see more connection and bounding relationship between them.As a result, after omitting few pages, this is still a great story with remarkable characterization and dark, stunning, heart throbbing, agitating, horrifying but also creatively dark and scary themes make this one of the good examples of the genre. So if the author decides to write a sequel or adapt it to the TV, I happily read and watch it! I’m a big fan of his previous works and I am enthusiastic and excited to read more crime stories he will create in near future.bloginstagramfacebooktwitter

A grizzly debut that will NOT having you dreaming of chestnuts roasting on an open fire anytime soon. I'd rather have Jack frost nipping at my nose instead thank you very much! This debut novel details a police investigation into the murders of mothers who have had various allegations of neglect and abuse filed against them. The murders are violent and gruesome. He likes to take a hand here, a foot there...but he is a giver also - his gift or calling card, if you will, is a chestnut man made out (you guessed it!) chestnuts and match sticks. Interesting choice of calling card but this is an interesting case. What makes this even more interesting that there is a fingerprint on the chestnut men left behind - the fingerprint of a young girl who went missing a year ago. She is presumed dead, but her parents are given hope when her print if found on the chestnut men.This had a few twists and turns, and things all do come together in the end. I didn't figure this one out which was nice. I liked to be surprised. In the end it all made sense and had me looking back wondering if I might have missed some clues. The only thing that would have made this book better for me was more of the killer. I would have loved to hear that POV without giving the identity away. Not for the faint at heart but if you are a fan of Scandinavian fiction or the television show the Killing, this one is for you. There are some gruesome scenes, but they are not gratuitous. They serve a purpose - to show just how sick and damaged the killer is. I look forward to more books by this author.Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Liked this book it held my attention throughout. It didn’t really grab, though until about a hundred pages in. I think it was the structure, the quick short chapters that helped to move the story long at a fast clip. This prevented me from dropping into the “Fictive Dream,” which is important to for me to enjoy the book. There are also multiple points of view. Once I settled into the style and format I did enjoy the book a great deal. Because of the structure, multiple points of view, the short chapters/scenes, it had a cinematic feel. The book should easily convert to the movies. There were times I wished there wasn’t so much narrative and more scene. I do recommend this book to mystery readers. David Putnam Author of The Bruno Johnson series.

As the leaves fall, He's coming for you. . . The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup is a dark & gritty thriller and an excellent debut from the creator of the hit television show The Killing. With a brilliant storyline, tense atmosphere and some great characters, this is one of the best crime novels I have read in a long time. Set in Denmark, a psychotic serial killer 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. To save innocent lives, an unlikely pair of detectives must put aside their differences to piece together the Chestnut Man’s gruesome clues. As the investigation goes further, we realize that nothing is what it seems to be on surface.Reading the book is like solving a jigsaw puzzle. None of the individual pieces look in place till the big pictures start emerging and the picture becomes suddenly clearer. Right from the novel’s first scene, THE CHESTNUT MAN gives a hint of the thrill ride that’s about to follow. Our story begins on Halloween in 1989, when a local Danish policeman is called to a remote farmhouse for a routine visit. Readers will be instantly transported to rural Denmark and the beauty of the autumn season…. till they encounter what’s waiting for them. The story is a part of police procedural and part psychological thriller. A ‘Nordic-Noir’; with the bleak, dark setting and the complex characters, and is vastly different from the English country house murder mystery. The plot becomes increasingly, complex and the author cleverly interweaves the investigations, the politics and the individual lives of detectives Thulin and Hess and others. The story unfolds through numerous twists, turns, and cliff-hangers to an explosive climax. Even though 500 pages long it is the sort of book that never feels long. Among the characters, Detectives Thulin and Hess make an unlikely pair. Thulin is a single mother and a rising star in her police force. Hess is an outsider—from Europol, sent to Copenhagen as punishment for one of his many blunders on the job. A dark brooding Hess is a perfect foil to Thulin’s cool and collected personality. I wish the story had more interactions between the two but hopefully, their story will be continued in future installments. The book has many instances of graphic violence. However, this violence is not at the expense of the story and only advances the story further. Having said that, some of the scenes may be upsetting for some.Overall, The Chestnut Man is powerful, gritty police procedural with a brilliant storyline and some great characters. Sveistrup has succeeded in creating a gripping story, full of suspense and thrills. This is the one story you don’t want to miss. Many thanks to the publishers HarperCollins, the author Søren Sveistrup and Edelweiss for the ARC.

Thaulin and Hess are to clear some uncanny cases of murder. Several women are mutilated. It's about child neglect, sent in anonymously to the authorities. How is a prominent Danish minister Rosa Hartung involved in those murder mysteries? What about the kidnapping of her own daughter Kristine? Why is the past of some characters connected to that incredible series of murder? Definitely the highlight of the year. Extremely compelling and eerie page turner you can't turn down. If you liked Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy you'll absolutely love this one. So many right and wrong traces, extremely well drawn characters, a very mysterious killer leaving uncanny chestnut men at the crime scene, great twists and an excellent denouement you would never ever had thought of. This is the definitive murder mystery of my reading year! It was on my list for quite a while and I am glad that Lynne brought it back to my attention with referring to a Netflix series on that novel.Highly recommended! You shouldn't miss this one.

5 Heart Pounding Stars!!! You'll never see/think of chestnuts roasting on an open fire the same way again!It takes a lot for thrillers to impress me, even more for them to stump me. The Chestnut Man did both and is hands down my fave thriller read this year! Combining a gripping storyline with great characters and the kind of intense atmosphere that will have you ferociously turning pages this was one of the best crime novels I have read in a while. I'm a sucker for police procedurals and this one definitely delivered for me. It was a twisted, slice of Nordic Noir which will appeal to those (like me!) who are not put off by upsetting content, gore or graphic violence. I have no problem admitting that I'm all in for this kind of stuff. 😉

3.5 starsPlease don't think me a curmudgeon for not swooning over this much-vaunted Scandi crime thriller; I like to think that I'm usually fulsome with my praise. It might be worth pointing out that after reading seventeen books so far this year, my rating average is an indulgent 4.5 Not wanting to be a party pooper, I'll get my gripes out of the way first...Gripes:The book started brilliantly then gradually became leaden and drawn out. The writing was a little clunky at times (possibly due to it being translated).(view spoiler)[The killer was all-too-obvious, which was a pity. (hide spoiler)]There was an unnecessary abundance of over-explaining once the killer was revealed. Almost like a covering over of cracks in the plot. Unfortunately, the story was formulaic and some things just didn't ring true. Likes:I loved Hess's character: quirky and thinks outside the box (as per usual, no-one will listen). More could have been made of him.The interplay between characters was gratifying and the suspenseful atmosphere wonderfully realised. Until halfway through I was really loving it - so, a curate's egg of a book.And, hey, don't listen to picky old me. Most readers have thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish. I'm almost certain that you should follow their lead.

Taking place in Denmark, this ominous novel positively pulses with menace. A murderer leaves at the scene of the crime a sinister and primitive fetish in the form of a man made from chestnuts and matchsticks which echoes a childhood song about the “apple man.” The beginning is jaw-droppingly violent and the murders continue along this grisly vein. Gripping, violent and gruesome this is quite an addition to the Scandi-Noir subgenre. Best of all nothing is obvious although the ending did feel a bit conventional despite the length of the novel. Nevertheless, this is tautly plotted with a sure hand.

The Chestnut Man was an atmospheric thriller with the right amount of suspense.A murder has been committed and detective Thullin and Hess are the ones investigating it. Thullin is a single mother and a very good detective. She has done the time in the department she is in but she's ready for an upgrade and recently has applied to the cyberunit. Hess has been working with Europol solving cases. He's a nomad and doesn't really put any roots anywhere. He recently got in hot water during his last investigation and he was sent to Copenhagen as a form of punishment. At first, nothing is really interesting to him until the dead woman is found. He becomes even more invested when the fingerprint of an abducted twelve-year-old is found at the scene of the crime. The killer has left his calling card, a chestnut man and her prints are on it. The twelve-year-old is presumed dead. Someone confessed to raping and murdering her over a year ago, so how can her fingerprint be there?That's the million-dollar question. There is one undeniable fact about the gruesome murders, the women who have been targeted have all failed their children in one way or the other. There has to be a connection but what is it?The audio (which I did parts of it) was excellent. I felt like I was there, experiencing the cold dark days. I liked both detectives and I wanted to learn more about them. I do think that they needed to interact a lot more than they did. I would love for this to become a series. I want more Hess and Thullin's cases.Cliffhanger: No4/5 FangsMrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

4.5 stars! A gripping, shocking, addictive, fast-paced thriller!Bodies are being discovered with limbs missing. A serial killer is leaving little handmade chestnut men near his victims. The town is terrified. Police are working round the clock to track down this dangerous psychopath. This was EXCELLENT! It is over 500 pages, yet I was hanging on every word. Not once did the storyline loose its grip on me. The chapters are short (just the way I like them) and had me flipping pages as fast as possible. I was completely glued to this book from the moment I read the first sentence - the pace and flow were done to perfection! The characters were fantastic! The main policewoman, Thulin, is a unique and edgy character who I loved. My one small critique is that the ending had some over-the-top elements that felt unrealistic. I am a big fan of this author who also wrote the Netflix show “The Killing” and I can’t wait to see what he comes out with next. This was on my Edelweiss backlist and I’m kicking myself now for taking so long to read it. Thank you to Edelweiss for my review copy. This easily makes my 2020 Favourites List!

Fans of the hit show, The Killing, will find some common elements in the Chestnut Man, the debut from Danish screenwriter Soren Sveistrup. As a fan of the TV show, I appreciated the similarities, from the gloomy atmosphere to the flawed detective duo of Hess and Thulin. The two are paired up when the murder of a young woman has links to the disappearance of a young girl a year earlier. When the cases are linked to other grisly murders, it’s clear there is a serial murderer on the loose in Copenhagen. The one defining characteristic, other than details of the actual killings, is the murderer leaves a calling card of a handmade chestnut doll at the scene. Chestnut dolls are apparently a thing in Denmark, and there is even a song: “Chestnut man, Chestnut man please come in…” The story is a well-written, chilling, character-driven police procedural and the short chapters made for a tense page-turner that had me holding my breath and on the edge of my seat more than once. However, at slightly over 500 pages, the book would have been made even better had 100-150 pages been cut. Still, despite a few flaws, the story held my attention and I will definitely be in line for the author’s next book. • Netflix has plans to adapt the book into a series. Production is planned to begin in 2020 • Recommended for fans of strong character-driven police procedurals such as those written by Tana French. • This was a buddy read with Marialyce and one we both enjoyed. Our duo review of this and other books can be found at https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...