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Dregs

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Member Reviews

Dregs features Norwegian detective William Wisting and his journalist daughter Line. Single feet encased in trainers are found in the water of a summer resort. Who do they belong to and what is the connection between them? Excellent translation, tight plot, enjoyed this offering - the twists kept coming.

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A Nordic-Noir police procedural featuring three feet that wash up on the shore. Each foot is wearing a training shoe. At the same time, four people have disappeared from an old folks' home. Bizarre.

It's up to the staid, 'slightly awkward way he had', detective to work out what's going on, why only feet are found, why people have disappeared from the same home and, of course, where are the rest of the bodies.

The story is mostly told from the perspective of the detective and of his journalist daughter, who has a thing for murderers and is working on a feature series about a few of them. It is an easy read despite the subject matter, with a tad too much backstory told for those involved in the investigation. Despite the gruesome opening with severed feet, this is not a gory book. There is no violence or dramatic scenes such as car chases, which would make this an action-packed and visual kind of read. Instead, this is measured and interesting story, looking at social aspects and the role of prison for murderers in particular.

This book is part of a series featuring the detective, William Wisting, and this is the only one I've read so far. Hopefully the rest of the books appeal to the intellect as much as this does, preferring social themes over gratuitous sensationalism. Recommended for fans of intelligent Nordic-Noir.

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A severed left foot in a trainer washes up on the shore, then another, and yet another: four left feet in a single week and they belong to people who have gone missing over the last year. Chief Inspector William Wisting is the lead detective on the case. Meanwhile Line, Wisting's daughter who is a journalist, is writing an article on how prison effects inmates on release.

I rather enjoyed this book, having read others from the series and saw the TV programme back in January on BBC4. My only criticism of it (and his other stories from the series) is that Line, always seems to be running some kind of writing piece/work alongside the detectives. In that aspect it makes it a little far fetched and far too convenient.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

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"Dregs" is the first English translation in the Wisting series of Nordic noir by Jorn Lier Horst. It's so gripping I devoured it in one sitting. Horst has put his professional experience to good use by creating a police procedural which is authentic and keeps the reader guessing throughout. I enjoyed it and am excited to read more in the series, and will also check out the adaptation for the BBC.

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Thanks to Sandstone Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Reading a Jorn Lier Horst, William Wisting novel is like putting on a comfy pair of old slippers. Though it would be a stretch of the imagination to say these exemplars of Scandinavian crime fiction are a typical edge-of-your-seat ride, they are no less compelling for the intelligently plotted, almost leisurely unfolding of the story-arc that is a hallmark of Jorn Lier Horst's creative product. William Wisting defies many familiar tropes of the detective genre. He is a straightforward man and an even more straightforward copper. This is rather old school crime fiction at its very best. Great storytelling with no gimmicks, where the plot and meta-setting of Norway are the stars of the show. 'Dregs' is another superior example of that rare thing: a cerebral crime novel with an impeccable sense of time and place. This is social realism meets crime fiction in the evocative undertow of Nordic noir. This latest instalment (or rather translated) of the Wisting series, involves severed limbs and missing persons; convicted killers and an interesting side-plot about the underlying purpose of the penal system in the broader context of theories of law and order. All is all a very satisfying mystery that pulls no punches in the deceptively measured prose of Jorn Lier Horst. Impeccably written, wonderfully observed - this is one for the purists of crime fiction.

Understatedly brilliant.

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DNF at 26%. I found this book a little bit dull. I have read others from this author which I enjoyed but I just felt that this one was a bit too slow and plodding and I felt like every step of the way the author simply told us clue after clue... there was no real building of suspense. It could be because this is an earlier book in the series (and so the author's style develops over time).
I will still be reading more from this author and I can highly recommend another of his books, The Katharina Code.

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William Wisting is the latest Norwegian detective to appear on our TV screens, and if you enjoy this style of calculated and complicated investigation then there’s a series of six books to look forward to. The first, Dregs, is very much cut from the same cloth as Wallander or Beck: this is Scandi crime and not Nordic noir. That might be splitting fine hairs, but Dregs is most definitely a thoughtful police procedural, not a melancholic investigation of the dark night of the soul.

I swiftly felt at ease with this solid, old-school Scandinavian detective. His investigation – a series of unsolved missing people cases followed by the appearance of partially decayed remains – is told in an accessible, unfussy literary style. Events happen sequentially, from the perspective of the main characters, without jumping around in time or relying on stunt misdirection to mislead the reader. There are few cliff-hangers or radical reversals. Instead the tangled aspects of the mystery are gradually revealed amid a building sense of menace.

Readers who enjoy fast-paced action thrillers – let’s say Jo Nesbo or Arne Dahl – may find Dregs a little too leisurely and subdued, however. Fans of Henning Mankell will feel far more at home. If anything, the character of Wisting may owe a little too much to Wallander – he suffers from a mysteriously debilitating illness which saps his energy and intellect. There’s even a mention of diabetes, so I suspect it’s a deliberate tribute. But it’s a nice change that he’s not an alcoholic, trapped in a continual custody battle with an embittered ex-wife!

The subplot involving Wisting’s journalist daughter and her interviews with ex-offenders opened an interesting can of worms, too. It neatly adds to the confusion surrounding the main investigation by casting doubt on the guilt of a previously convicted criminal. But the nuanced discussion about imprisonment, retribution, rehabilitation and social exclusion provides more intellectual stimulation than most crime-thrillers aspire to achieve.

It was also refreshing to read a murder-mystery where the victims weren’t all female, where violence against women or children wasn’t the core of the story. Wisting’s daughter, Line, provides an alternative viewpoint to that of older male generation, but you don’t get beaten over the head by radical campaigning.

An engaging read and an inviting start to the series. I shall read more…

8/10

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First encounter with William Wistling and his creator Jorn Lier Horst another great and intriguing storyline in the Scandinavian crime noir genre. A great read, a real page turner with a highly imaginative storyline. Look forward to catching up with both in the future.

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When a severed foot is washed up on the Norwegian shoreline it doesn't seem particularly important but when a second and a third appear the police draft in Wisting. His daughter Line is working on a new profile of murderers recently released from prison and one of these is related to one of the missing people whose foot has been found. As Wisting investigates further he finds a connection between all the victims and a hoard of missing money.
This is rerelease of an older novel in the William Wisting series but is no less excellent for that. The Wisting novels are not as dark as some scans-crime but are twisty enough to satisfy. I would have preferred to read in order - Line doesn't have a child here and Wisting does have a relationship - but otherwise excellent in its field!

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This is an intelligently written police procedural, set in Norway and my first read by this author. It would have been better to have started with book one in the series, although this is the first to be translated.. Detective William Wisting is investigating the discovery of a show found on a beach, with the left foot still inside. This is a very intriguing slow paced police procedural, with a very interesting plot.Touching on imprisonment and social issues. Lovers of Scandinavian crime thrillers will enjoy this book. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

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This is the 6th in the series but, to my knowledge, the first that has been translated. There were quite a few mentions of past cases that Wisting has been involved in but, in my opinion, jumping in mid-series didn't spoil anything for my reading experience.
So we meet Chief Inspector William Wisting as he is baffled by the appearance of a severed foot, complete with training shoe, washes up on the coast. A second shoe washes up and hopes that it matches are dashes as they are both left feet. So, two victims. Wisting and his team start their investigation in earnest and, with little to go on vis-à-vis the feet, they start to trawl the missing persons cold cases and consult the experts as to who the feet belonged to and where they came from. As they start to peel back the layers of what is going on, as they identify the victims, as another person goes missing, they start to realise that this case could be one of the worst they have ever had.
This was a gripping read that grabbed me from the off, held my attention nicely throughout and left me wholly satisfied at its conclusion. The plotting was tight and the clues that were found were sprinkled throughout the narrative perfectly so as to keep enough back, but sufficient was drip-fed to keep me interested, and intrigued. Once the lid was off, the case basically exploded and it became evident how extremely well plotted the whole thing was. There were definitely loads of balls to keep in the air! Especially when you factor in Wisting's journalist daughter and her latest project of interviewing released prisoners. Some of her, and their, musings was quite interesting as a side issue.
It's always nice to read a book set in a different country. Mainly for the wonderful geography and scenery, but also to get a glimpse into how society works in that country. In this book we get an overview of some of the politics and social issues which complement the narrative without getting preachy.
The story gets on with itself very well. It's a bit of a slow burn initially as there is a lot of nothing for our investigators to wade through. I found this to be quite realistic and it wasn't too long until it all started kicking off. By the end of the book I was pretty exhausted with all that was connected.
The characters were well drawn and it didn't seem to matter that I started at book 6 as there was enough backstory explained to play catch-up. I gelled with Wisting from the off which also helped. He is not the stereotypical wounded main character which made a pleasant change.
All in all, a good solid read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I understand that there is a TV adaptation based on different books on later this year and I will definitely be turning in to that.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

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