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A review by lovelymisanthrope
The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I found a copy of this book at a Little Free Library and was intrigued to read it.
"The Chestnut Man" follows a cast of characters as they try to figure out who this elusive serial killer is that is terrorizing Copenhagen. At each of the crime scenes, the killer leaves his calling card: a tiny doll made of chestnuts. The police are shocked to discover that the dolls actually have the fingerprints of a young girl, a government minister's daughter, who was kidnapped and murdered years ago. Could this be a coincidence? Or does the Chestnut Man have even more secrets?
First and foremost, this book is graphic. I am normally not too shocked or appalled to read about most crimes in books, but this book was visceral in its descriptions and left me feeling uneasy. I think it is a great testament to the author that he can write such gore, but still have a really strong narrative and interesting story that continues to progress. One example of this is that the serial killer amputates hands, and the police explain it in great detail.
I am normally not a huge fan of crime novels, especially ones that follow police, but this one was so well done, and I am happy to report that I did not feel like I was reading an episode of Law and Order. There is something about those types of crime stories that really take me out of the narrative, but this book read more like a thriller with some characters who happen to be the police.
The story starts off a little slowly, and it took me some time to get into it. It is a lengthy story, and the author took the time to really build up the big reveals, so it takes a while to get into the story. However, once the murders start happening more frequently, I do think the story picks up in pace and it was easy to devour the second half of the novel.
I loved all of the twists and layers to this story. I did not see the killer coming. I also have not been able to stop thinking about what occurred in the house during those final few scenes of the book.
I definitely recommend this novel to anyone with a strong stomach who likes violent novels.
"The Chestnut Man" follows a cast of characters as they try to figure out who this elusive serial killer is that is terrorizing Copenhagen. At each of the crime scenes, the killer leaves his calling card: a tiny doll made of chestnuts. The police are shocked to discover that the dolls actually have the fingerprints of a young girl, a government minister's daughter, who was kidnapped and murdered years ago. Could this be a coincidence? Or does the Chestnut Man have even more secrets?
First and foremost, this book is graphic. I am normally not too shocked or appalled to read about most crimes in books, but this book was visceral in its descriptions and left me feeling uneasy. I think it is a great testament to the author that he can write such gore, but still have a really strong narrative and interesting story that continues to progress. One example of this is that the serial killer amputates hands, and the police explain it in great detail.
I am normally not a huge fan of crime novels, especially ones that follow police, but this one was so well done, and I am happy to report that I did not feel like I was reading an episode of Law and Order. There is something about those types of crime stories that really take me out of the narrative, but this book read more like a thriller with some characters who happen to be the police.
The story starts off a little slowly, and it took me some time to get into it. It is a lengthy story, and the author took the time to really build up the big reveals, so it takes a while to get into the story. However, once the murders start happening more frequently, I do think the story picks up in pace and it was easy to devour the second half of the novel.
I loved all of the twists and layers to this story. I did not see the killer coming. I also have not been able to stop thinking about what occurred in the house during those final few scenes of the book.
I definitely recommend this novel to anyone with a strong stomach who likes violent novels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder