The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup is a chilling serial killer thriller set in Copenhagen. Thulin and her new partner, Hess, are assigned what is initially believed to be the isolated murder of a single mom. More murders occur, each with a chestnut man left behind. Every time the police think they have answers, another happens. And it’s possible these murders are tied to not just the recent kidnapping and suspected death of Rosa Hartung’s daughter, but a mass killing decades in the past.

This book is yet another example of why I’ve fallen in love with Nordic mystery/thrillers. There are so many interlocking stories here, all fascinating, and I couldn’t wait to see how they tied together. Masterfully done! Just when I thought I’d figured things out, WHAM! Another curve ball. I’m just sad that one of my favourite characters turned out to be the culprit. 

Besides the character in question above, Hess was my favourite. He’s so broken, and at first you think he doesn’t really care about the case. He’s actually a Europol agent, sent back to Copenhagen for some offense. But as the story progresses, you see how smart he is, and learn why he’s rather standoffish. I think he’s a good man, dealing with a lot. I’d love to see another story featuring Hess and Thulin, or just Hess alone. I’m kinda cranky, too, because now I want to read more of Sveistrup’s books and I can’t find them in English! I’m quite tempted to learn Danish just to read more.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins/ Penguin UK for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.