I loved the story and the pace of this, but I really didn't think the English translator did the work justice. Some poor choices of words and a very inconsistent use of past/present tenses didn't help matters. I would recommend the book, but also warn that the translation might need looking through to the original intent.

Once again my thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and impartially review.
This a completely gripping page turning edge of the seat thriller. At times the tension is palpable nail biting and nerve racking, beautifully atmospheric totally absorbing well written with an array of excellent characters good and bad. Part Police procedural part psychological suspense with some political shenanigans for good measure. Well plotted with twists and turns and action sequences that leap of the page and involve you so completely that you feel a part of the scene.
Be warned those readers of a squeamish nature some parts contain serious gut wrenching gore.
Highly recommended.

Scandi noir set in Copenhagen. A government minister is set to go back to her post a year after the disappearance of her daughter. A series of murders/mutilation of women begins and the victims are decorated with a Chestnut Man and since the minister's daughter used to make and sell chestnut men it is suggested that the murders may be connected to her disappearance. The police are slow to make any progress and there are multiple red herrings to keep you guessing who the murderer is (you won't guess). The climax is action packed and bloody. Fast paced and readable.

From the creator of the hit Scandinavian television show The Killing, comes a psycopathic killer who is closer than you could possibly imagine.
Dark, twisted and brutal, told thorugh a tight plot and narrative with connected murders identified via th ecalling card of a “chestnut man”—a handmade doll made of matchsticks and two chestnuts left at each heavily mutilated and bloody crime scene.
Incorporating politicians to provide a convincing social realism, it gives great insights into the lives of its diverse range of memorable characters - but even the strongest can buckle. It focuses heavily on the police investigation, which keeps the script tight, but sometimes limited its optimum page turning ablity as it was quite procedural. Having said that the 2 main investigators, the tough and very smart Naia Thulin and burned out, yet astute investigator Mark Hess create an interesting dynamic and relationship that was enjoyable to experience. No massive twist or turns, more a steady reveal, with a satisfying ending. A great read for those that like a no holds barred descriptive crime scene.

If you like your crime fiction then you’ve undoubtedly heard of Danish tv show The Killing. If you have then it’ll thrill you to hear that the man behind the show, Soren Sveistrup, has made a foray into the book world with his excellent The Chestnut Man.

Naia Thulin is a detective on Copenhagen’s murder squad. When a mother is found brutally murdered with her hand missing and a small figure made of chestnuts nearby, she is partnered with Mark Hess a detective from Europol who is drinking in the last chance saloon and desperate to get back to Europol. It’s not a happy partnership but they are forced to put personal feelings aside when another body with a missing appendage and a chestnut nearby is found. To add to the mystery the chestnut man bears the fingerprints of missing 12 year old Kristin Hartung, daughter of government minister Rosa Hartung.

This is an excellent crime story. It’s densely plotted and all the threads make for a gripping read. It’s fairly gruesome and not for the faint hearted, though if you’re familiar with Scandinavian crime fiction this will come as no surprise. It’s a genre that doesn’t seem to have any qualms about exploring the dark side of life. The characters are interesting and complicated as any good fictional police should be. There’s a really good mystery which lies at the heart of the story and the reveal was a genuine surprise that certainly caught me off guard.

As much as I miss The Killing I hope the author continues writing books. This is an incredibly accomplished debut and an excellent start to his writing career. A must read for any crime fan.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair review.

Fabulous story, great characters. I was shocked at the ending and could not put this Scandi novel down.
Some upsetting writing about child abuse and the men were typecast as woman haters.
What a great book this was though.

What a fabulous thriller. Was hooked from the start and keen to get through this quickly to find out who the twisted killer was and the story behind his/her motives. Wasn’t disappointed and loved this book, which is a leader in the Nordic crime genre in my view. Looking forward to the next one from this author.

My word...what a book. I absolutely loved it. The suspense was electrifying. Not at all what I expected. Brilliantly written and delivered.

An enjoyable story although I did feel that the first half dragged a bit and it did seem overlong - however by the time I got to the second half I was thoroughly enjoying it. Recommended.

I'm a big fan of thriller novels and this fits the genre brilliantly.

Whilst it's a classic murder mystery there's nothing predictable about it at all. The action starts many years ago with a cliffhanger of a murder scene at a remote farm. You are then transported to the modern day, when a new murder victim is found mutilated. All very ordinary until the forensic team identify that a fingerprint found on the Chestnut Man figure found at the scene belongs to a presumed-dead missing girl. As the story unravels the killer strikes again and the police are seemingly one step behind at every stage.

The underlying theme of the book is abuse against children and I found this aspect difficult to read at times. However these descriptions are dealt with sensitively and you do feel swept along with finding justice for the many victims.

The book is a twisty turny ride that will envelop you right until the end.

‘Chestnut Man, do come in’. Well, you won’t be inviting him into your home after reading this excellent but darkly disturbing book.

Given the pedigree of the author this book will receive plenty of attention so I’m not going to write a synopsis of the story. However, I will suggest that you don’t read the first chapter whilst eating your breakfast!

The various characters, big and small, are finely written with emotional depth. Soren Sveistrup clearly spent as much time thinking about the human relationships as the gory crime scenes. Although it is basically a (very high quality) police procedural it is also a deft examination of what family means in the modern world.

The mysterious identity of The Chestnut Man kept me guessing and Sveistrup provides the reader with lots of red herrings. This should be no surprise to anyone who watched Season 1 of The Killing, where you felt sure that you knew who ‘the Baddie’ was at the end of every episode only to be swiftly proven wrong. This story would make a great TV drama, I'm sure that it'll be hitting BBC4 soon.

A real pageturner, a smart and well written thriller Everything got me the atmosphere, the characters, the story. Some many smart layers, twists and surprises.

I atrongly recommend this thriller it won’t let you down- not so sure about chestnuts now though...

The Chestnut Man is a serial killer, who leaves these seemingly innocent chestnut men dolls at the scene of the crime, with the fingerprint of a girl who went missing a year ago!

This is a well written thriller, with imperfect characters in a race against time to try to find the killer, whilst trying to work out what the fingerprint means!

This is the debut novel by the writer of the TV program, The Killing, and what a great debut!

If you enjoy crime novels, Swedish noir or thrillers, then you'll find this gripping!

The Chestnut Man is out now, and is available on Amazon, and everywhere else you can find books!

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK and Micheal Joseph (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

This book was a definite slow burner for me. I don’t read many crime novels but I was drawn in by the synopsis. The plot was thorough and all of my questions were answered. The story was well paced, but it did take me a while to get through this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am currently purchasing books for our secondary school library for our senior students. I am trying to provide a balance of genres and periods and really try and introduce them to a wide range of modern fiction. This book would definitely go down well with a hypercritical teenage audience as it has a bit of everything - great characterisation and a narrative style that draws you in and keeps you reading whilst also making you think about a wide range of issues at the same time. I think that school libraries are definitely changing and that the book we purchase should provide for all tastes and reflect the types of books that the students and staff go on to enjoy after leaving school. The Chestnut Man is the kind of book that you can curl up with and totally immerse yourself in and I think it will definitely go down well at my school. I think that it was the perfect blend of page-turning fiction with a terrifying and plausible dark heart. I think it would be a big hit with our seniors and will definitely recommend that we buy a copy as soon as we can.

A fantastic read from a first time author. The characters, story, plot lines etc were really well written. I especially liked the suspense and it kept me guessing till the end. A thrilling page turner. Looking forward to the next chapter in this series....can’t wait!

A fabulous book well written and with so many super tense moments I was literally enthralled. I never guessed the ending but that is no surprise because the story was so well crafted with so much going on I didn’t feel I had to.
I believe this was the first thriller by this author and it just cannot be his last. It is superb.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and it is exactly the type. Of book I wanted to read and I wasn't disappointed fab read from start to finish. Fully. Recommend

Excellent, tense, scandi-noir thriller from the writer of The Killing about a serial killer lose in Copenhagan. As Rosa Hartung returns to work as Minister for Social Affairs, following the mysterious disappearance of her daughter 12 months before, so the first murder occurs. It's disturbing - no clear motive and the woman has had a hand amputated. As more murders occur and the limb count continues to build, it's a race against time for detectives Hess and Thurin to discover what happened to Rosa's daughter and find the killer. before another victim is attacked. This is a dark thriller, gritty and uncompromising in places. The little chestnut men found at the scene of each crime add a really chilling element to the story. If you're a fan of scandi-noir and if you enjoyed The Killing, this should be your next read

This is a very well written Scandi crime thriller with lots of twists throughout that will keep you guessing about what’s going to happen.
The only negative I have about the book is the volume of characters can get overwhelming at stages.
You’ll enjoy this book if you liked The Killing.