Happy Sunday, readers, and welcome back to our weekly spotlight on Scandinavian crime fiction! If you’re new to CBTB, every Sunday this November, I’ll be spotlighting crime fiction from a particular Nordic country. We’ve already explored Norwegian crime fiction and Swedish crime fiction, and this weekend, it’s Denmark’s turn! Denmark is home to two bestselling crime writers whose work helped introduce me to the Scandinavian crime fiction genre, writers who remain some of my favorites to this day,, and it’s also home to a number of up-and-coming crime writers whose novels are shaking up the genre, and delivering truly gripping and inventive stories. Today I’ll be walking you through my personal favorite Danish crime writers, and giving you tips for where to start with their work! I’ll add the same disclaimer here that I’ve had on my last couple Nordic Noir blog posts: this list is by no means an exhaustive rundown of all the Danish crime writers out there, simply a guide to my personal favorites, which I hope will help you embark on your own journey discovering their work!
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Excerpt: THE CHESTNUT MAN by Søren Sveistrup
There’s nothing I love more as a reader than discovering a great new Nordic crime novel, and that’s exactly what I found last year with Søren Sveistrup’s excellent debut thriller THE CHESTNUT MAN. If you haven’t yet explored Sveistrup’s debut, you’re in luck: this outstanding Nordic serial killer thriller is available now in paperback! In THE CHESTNUT MAN, an unlikely investigative duo is on the trial of a brutal serial killer in Denmark, and this villain has a very creepy calling card: a chestnut doll (a traditional children’s craft in Denmark), which he leaves behind at each crime scene. Author Søren Sveistrup is the creator of the TV show The Killing, and his background shines through in his debut crime novel’s engaging pacing and larger-than-life protagonists and villains. Blending the immersive atmosphere of Denmark with a pacey, page-turning plot you won’t be able to put down, THE CHESTNUT MAN is an excellent Nordic thriller perfect for fans of Lars Kepler—and perfect for any reader looking for an atmospheric, chilling thriller to dig into this fall. Thanks to the publisher, I’m thrilled to be able to give CBTB readers a glimpse into THE CHESTNUT MAN today. In today’s blog post, you can revisit my full review of the book, read a Q&A with the author, and read the book’s first chapter! Read on and enter the world of THE CHESTNUT MAN.
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CBTB's Best Nordic Noir of 2019
There's nothing I love more than a great Nordic Noir novel, and today’s blog post is dedicated to celebrating the best of the Scandinavian crime novels 2019 had to offer. 2019 saw the return of some of my personal favorite authors (new Nesbø book, here’s looking at you!) and introduced me to a number of new-to-me authors as well. As always with these sorts of lists, narrowing down my picks proved a very tricky task, but I’m absolutely confident that the titles listed here will deliver all the atmosphere, rich character development, and gritty mystery that any Nordic Noir reader could hope for. Whether you’re a longtime fan of this category of crime fiction or are new to the genre entirely, there’s a book for you on this list.
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Q&A: Søren Sveistrup, Author of The Chestnut Man
I’m thrilled to welcome Søren Sveistrup to Crime by the Book today to give CBTB readers an inside glimpse into one of the season’s hottest thrillers: THE CHESTNUT MAN. Søren’s debut novel is garnering incredible buzz, and the read lives up to the hype. In THE CHESTNUT MAN, an unlikely duo of police officers in Copenhagen, Denmark must track down a brutal killer with a chilling calling card - “chestnut men,” dolls crafted out of chestnuts and matchsticks. THE CHESTNUT MAN is a big, layered, intricate crime novel—the kind of story that Nordic Noir dreams are made of. With harrowing, clever plotting and made-for-television tension and drama, THE CHESTNUT MAN will thrill fans of Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson. Søren Sveistrup is the creator of the hit television show The Killing, and THE CHESTNUT MAN is his debut novel. Read on for the inside scoop on THE CHESTNUT MAN, including plot details, a snippet from my full review, and my conversation with the author.
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Book Review: THE CHESTNUT MAN by Søren Sveistrup
One of the season’s most hotly-anticipated new thrillers is finally here. From the mind that created the sensational television show The Killing now comes an equally-gripping - and equally-chilling - Nordic thriller: THE CHESTNUT MAN. In his debut crime novel, Søren Sveistrup instantly establishes himself as a must-read author for fans of Nordic Noir legends Jo Nesbø and Lars Kepler—and, for that matter, as a must-read for any reader who just wants a gripping thriller to sink their teeth into this fall. THE CHESTNUT MAN is good, old-fashioned Scandinavian crime fiction; it’s a hefty book, clocking in at 528 pages in the American hardcover edition, and immerses the reader in an intricate plot moving from the mundane details of police work to the cinematic (and gruesome) crimes of a twisted killer. If the plot of THE CHESTNUT MAN seems a bit familiar at first glance, don’t worry; Sveistrup sets up his debut novel in well-tread territory, but it quickly separates itself from the pack with richly-drawn characters, made-for-TV pacing, and, naturally, a killer with a modus operandi so sinister, you’ll want to read this book with all the lights on. The buzz surrounding the publication of THE CHESTNUT MAN has been significant; it’s earned incredible pre-publication praise, is a September Book of the Month Club selection, and is soon to be a Netflix original series. The buzz is warranted here; Sveistrup’s debut is a must-read for the crime reader looking for a big, bold, spend-all-day-reading thriller.
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