Name: The Chestnut Man
ISBN: 9780062968531

Soren Sveistrup

IF YOU FIND ONE, HE'S ALREADY FOUND YOU The heart-pounding debut from the creator of the hit Scandinavian television show The Killing. A psychopath is terrorizing Copenhagen. His calling card is a "chestnut man"--a handmade doll made of matchsticks and two chestnuts--which he leaves at each bloody crime scene. Examining the dolls, forensics makes a shocking discovery--a fingerprint belonging to a young girl, a government minister's daughter who had been kidnapped and murdered a year ago. A tragic coincidence--or something more twisted? To save innocent lives, a pair of detectives must put aside their differences to piece together the Chestnut Man's gruesome clues. Because it's clear that the madman is on a mission that is far from over. And no one is safe.

The Chestnut Man

“A full-throttle thriller in the tradition of classic Stieg Larsson, drenched in atmosphere and charged with adrenaline. Buckle up. You’ll gulp down every word. I loved this book.”—A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window The heart-pounding debut from the creator of the hit Scandinavian television show The Killing. If you find one, he’s already found you. A psychopath is terrorizing Copenhagen. His calling card is a “chestnut man”—a handmade doll made of matchsticks and two chestnuts—which he leaves at each bloody crime scene. Examining the dolls, forensics makes a shocking discovery—a fingerprint belonging to a young girl, a government minister’s daughter who had been kidnapped and murdered a year ago. A tragic coincidence—or something more twisted? To save innocent lives, a pair of detectives must put aside their differences to piece together the Chestnut Man’s gruesome clues. Because it’s clear that the madman is on a mission that is far from over. And no one is safe.

A Novel

Incredibly engaging, vivid portrayals of crime scenes, goes into the psyche of our killer very much so, however I would've liked a bit of an inner dive into the other characters' psyche as well perhaps.

diya

Alexandra Black

Briar's Reviews

Despite being a book-loving, super-nerd, barely anyone recommends me books! It's kind of funny that no one does, but lucky for me I have a nerdy book loving friend who showed me The Chestnut Man. They recommended me the book and I decided that I would honour this once in a lifetime recommendation and read the book ASAP! 

The Chestnut Man is an insane mystery book that is packed full of crime, murder, and brutality. If you love a great crime mystery that takes you on a roller coaster and has you guessing every step of the way, then this book is for you. It's even more shocking when you find out that this is the author's debut novel! This book feels like it's written by a seasoned professional. Regardless, here's the quick run down"

There's a murderer going around Copenhagen murdering people and leaving behind little chestnut men dolls. What's even spookier than dead people popping up with dolls made out of chestnuts and matchsticks is that each chestnut man has the finger print of a missing girl on them... And somehow, all of these crimes are going to be connected. This twisted tale will guide you down a path of curiosity, confusion, and crime.

I was glued to this book and could barely put it down! The book is absolutely gruesome and an R rated thriller, but man was it engaging, paced well, and just all around a great read. There are so many crime and thriller books, television shows and movies that sometimes it feels like we've already seen every story possible. The Chestnut Man didn't make me feel like that and I was guessing along the way about what twisted turn the plot was going to take next.

I recommend this book to those who love a good crime thriller and want something a little darker. Also, side note, this book has apparently been adapted by Netflix so I guess I'm going to have to watch that!

Five out of five stars.

Søren Sveistrup

The Chestnut Man (Film Tie-In)

The Chestnut Man, written by Søren Sveistrup, the creator of the renowned Scandinavian television series The Killing, delivers a gripping and chilling debut novel that will leave readers breathless. This psychological thriller takes readers on a harrowing journey through the dark underbelly of Copenhagen, where a deranged serial killer terrorizes the city with his sinister calling card—the Chestnut Man.

From the very beginning, Sveistrup establishes an atmosphere of tension and suspense that never lets up. The hauntingly detailed crime scenes and the intricately crafted Chestnut Man dolls, made of matchsticks and chestnuts, provide a macabre backdrop for the unfolding investigation. As the body count rises, the relentless pursuit of the murderer becomes a race against time, sending shockwaves through the city and leaving no one safe.

One of the standout features of The Chestnut Man is the skillful characterization. The two detectives at the center of the story, Naia Thulin and Mark Hess, are complex and flawed, each carrying their own personal burdens. Thulin, a determined and resilient investigator, is driven by a strong moral compass, while Hess, a seasoned detective haunted by his past, struggles to keep his demons at bay. The dynamic between these two characters adds depth and emotional weight to the narrative, as they are forced to overcome their differences and work together to decipher the twisted clues left by the Chestnut Man.

Sveistrup's background in television is evident in his writing style. The pacing is tight, with short and punchy chapters that keep the reader engaged. The plot is intricately woven, filled with unexpected twists and turns that will leave readers guessing until the very end. The author masterfully plays with the reader's expectations, constantly challenging their assumptions and leading them down unexpected paths. The narrative is peppered with clever misdirections and red herrings, ensuring that the suspense never wanes.

Another strength of The Chestnut Man is its exploration of larger themes. Sveistrup delves into the dark corners of humanity, examining the nature of evil and the lengths people are willing to go to protect their secrets. The story also touches on the flaws within the justice system, the power of grief, and the profound impact of loss. These thematic layers elevate the novel beyond a mere thriller and give it a thought-provoking depth.

However, the novel does have a few minor shortcomings. At times, the pacing feels rushed, particularly in the latter part of the book, where certain plot developments could have been given more room to breathe. Additionally, some readers might find the violence and graphic descriptions of the crimes unsettling, so it's worth noting that this is a dark and gritty novel that doesn't shy away from its gruesome subject matter.

In conclusion, The Chestnut Man is a heart-pounding debut from Søren Sveistrup that solidifies his position as a master of Nordic noir. With its relentless suspense, complex characters, and chilling atmosphere, this book will keep readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. Fans of Scandinavian crime fiction and psychological thrillers will find themselves captivated by this sinister tale of a madman's mission and the relentless pursuit of justice.

Deadly by the Page

The Chestnut Man, written by Søren Sveistrup, the creator of the renowned Scandinavian television series The Killing, delivers a gripping and chilling debut novel that will leave readers breathless. This psychological thriller takes readers on a harrowing journey through the dark underbelly of Copenhagen, where a deranged serial killer terrorizes the city with his sinister calling card—the Chestnut Man.

From the very beginning, Sveistrup establishes an atmosphere of tension and suspense that never lets up. The hauntingly detailed crime scenes and the intricately crafted Chestnut Man dolls, made of matchsticks and chestnuts, provide a macabre backdrop for the unfolding investigation. As the body count rises, the relentless pursuit of the murderer becomes a race against time, sending shockwaves through the city and leaving no one safe.

One of the standout features of The Chestnut Man is the skillful characterization. The two detectives at the center of the story, Naia Thulin and Mark Hess, are complex and flawed, each carrying their own personal burdens. Thulin, a determined and resilient investigator, is driven by a strong moral compass, while Hess, a seasoned detective haunted by his past, struggles to keep his demons at bay. The dynamic between these two characters adds depth and emotional weight to the narrative, as they are forced to overcome their differences and work together to decipher the twisted clues left by the Chestnut Man.

Sveistrup's background in television is evident in his writing style. The pacing is tight, with short and punchy chapters that keep the reader engaged. The plot is intricately woven, filled with unexpected twists and turns that will leave readers guessing until the very end. The author masterfully plays with the reader's expectations, constantly challenging their assumptions and leading them down unexpected paths. The narrative is peppered with clever misdirections and red herrings, ensuring that the suspense never wanes.

Another strength of The Chestnut Man is its exploration of larger themes. Sveistrup delves into the dark corners of humanity, examining the nature of evil and the lengths people are willing to go to protect their secrets. The story also touches on the flaws within the justice system, the power of grief, and the profound impact of loss. These thematic layers elevate the novel beyond a mere thriller and give it a thought-provoking depth.

However, the novel does have a few minor shortcomings. At times, the pacing feels rushed, particularly in the latter part of the book, where certain plot developments could have been given more room to breathe. Additionally, some readers might find the violence and graphic descriptions of the crimes unsettling, so it's worth noting that this is a dark and gritty novel that doesn't shy away from its gruesome subject matter.

In conclusion, The Chestnut Man is a heart-pounding debut from Søren Sveistrup that solidifies his position as a master of Nordic noir. With its relentless suspense, complex characters, and chilling atmosphere, this book will keep readers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. Fans of Scandinavian crime fiction and psychological thrillers will find themselves captivated by this sinister tale of a madman's mission and the relentless pursuit of justice.

Sarah Chauvidon

Colleen

3.5 Stars
 
*A gruesome but engaging thriller with a noticeable amount of TV gimmicks*


When I first came across The Chestnut Man, I thought it sounded like such an incongruous name for a gory thriller. When I hear of chestnuts, I think of cozy holiday scenes, yummy roast chestnuts, and time with family. Perhaps the author chose the chestnuts specifically for that juxtaposition of associating something cheery with grisly murders.

I am always bit warry of authors making the transition from screenwriting to novels. They really are two completely different types of writing, and most people don’t make that transition well. But Sveistrup put out an excellent debut novel that kept me guessing the whole way. I will also mention that the translation seemed good; the Scandinavian names might trip up some people, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from giving it a go.

Like most Nordic Noir the characters are all morally grey people. There seem to be an abundance of affairs and people hiding much worse things than that. I can’t say that I actually liked any of the characters. But I was thoroughly engaged in finding out what happened to them.

Sadly, the story is written in present tense. I know how often I complain about this, but I just don’t like it! I really don’t want to have to start screening my books before reading them, but I’ll have to if this horrible writing trend continues!

Anyway, despite the present tense writing, the story was engaging, and it really did keep me guessing. It is a multifaceted story with different characters who each have their own agendas. There are several different sub plots within the story. Some people might be bored by the political bits much the way they were bored by the embezzling bits in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. But the different threads of the story and how they tied together were a big part of what made this story good.

I say good, not great.

Aside from the present tense writing, there were a couple of other things that gave this story only a three-and-a-half star rating from me. One big thing is that there is a lot of violence. Murder, torture, body mutilation, rape, incest, and child neglect and abuse… and much of this is described in detail. I would definitely warn sensitive readers away from this one.

On top of that, I got a little burnt out about two-thirds of the way through. Not by the violence itself, but by the double whammy of these despicable things being perpetrated by so many different people and by the other characters’ overly naïve reactions. This book had what I call the “Running Scared” syndrome. You know, the kind of movie or book where almost everyone turns out to be hiding some terrible secret, and every person you stumble across will turn out to be a psychopath. Where you can point a finger at any character at random, and they’ll end up having literal skeletons in their closet. And all of these people are doing terrible separately like they’re in a murderous Sodom and Gomorrah!

But despite this free-for-all crime bonanza, everyone else acts like they’re living in flipping Mayberry. Even the investigators of the Murder Squad are ridiculously surprised by each act of violence. Copenhagen is a relatively safe city, but it is still a large city. Violence happens. And the police’s continuously naïve reactions were too over-the-top for me.

But the main reason I lowered my rating was one particular gimmick that the author used repeatedly: Every time some piece evidence was found or a character figured out a piece of the investigation, it was purposefully withheld from the reader. Stuff along the lines of “when she saw the photograph, she immediately knew who had committed the crime.” But then THEY DON’T TELL YOU. Noooo, the reader has to sit and wait for whatever plan to be set in motion to the catch the killer while everyone knows the answer EXCEPT you. That drives me nuts. If it happens once or twice, I can deal with it. But Sveistrup stuck to that gimmick for nearly every reveal in the whole book. I got sick of knowing that every time someone found evidence, or looked at photo, or answered a phone call, that critical information would be truncated and cruelly withheld from the poor, neglected reader. Ok, I’m being dramatic. But it happened far too many times in this book! That is exactly the kind of cheap trick one would expect from a TV writer.

Despite these complaints, I have to admit that the story was quick to read and engaging. I did like the overall story and would likely give this author another try in the future. But I really hope he cuts back on the you-don’t-know-but-I-know gimmick.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

Bailley Leppert

Absolutely in love with this book! For fans of true crime and shows like Criminal Minds, this is the book for you! The layers of detail, plot, and character connections makes this book hard to put down. I was constantly questioning what is going on, trying to figure out whodunnit and why. In the end, I was absolutely shocked at the reveal. This book grabs you from the first chapter and never lets you go.

Shreya Punj

Rachel Kanyid

DNF at 65% or so. Not a fan of the pacing and overall story is not engaging me enough.

Cheri McElroy

Wow! This was creepy, gory, atmospheric, and quite a ride. The hunt for a serial killer known as The Chestnut Man was a perfect book for October. I loved the pacing and twists.

Monique Walked

THE GRIPPING DEBUT NOVEL FROM THE CREATOR AND WRITER OF HIT TV SHOW THE KILLING '***** Brilliant. Scandi noir is back with a bang with this sensational debut novel. The Stieg Larsson comparisons seem unfair - on Sveistrup. He's quite simply in another league' Metro _____________ One blustery October morning in a quiet Copenhagen suburb, the police make a terrible discovery. A young woman is found brutally murdered with one of her hands missing. Above her hangs a small doll made of chestnuts. Ambitious young detective Naia Thulin is assigned the case. Her partner, Mark Hess, is a burned-out investigator who's just been kicked out of Europol. They soon discover a mysterious piece of evidence on the chestnut man - evidence connecting it to a girl who went missing a year earlier and is presumed dead; the daughter of politician Rosa Hartung. But the man who confessed to her murder is already behind bars and the case long since closed. Soon afterwards, a second woman is found murdered, along with another chestnut man. Thulin and Hess suspect that there's a connection between the Hartung case and the murdered women. But what is it? Thulin and Hess are racing against the clock, because it's clear that the killer is on a mission that is far from over . . . Fans of The Killing, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Jo Nesbø will love this debut thriller. _____________ 'A full-throttle thriller in the tradition of classic Stieg Larsson, drenched in atmosphere and charged with adrenaline. I loved this book' A. J. Finn, author of The Woman In The Window '***** This has success written all over it' Daily Express 'Creepy, clever and packed with tension' Sun 'If you're pining for a dose of Jo Nesbo-style Scandi noir, this should hit the spot. The twisty, tricksy storyline gathers an unstoppable momentum so that 500 pages disappear in a trice' The Times 'This might just be the thriller of the year' Jeffery Deaver, bestselling author of The Bone Collector Featured in BBC Top Fiction Picks of 2019, Guardian Books of 2019, Evening Standard Best Books of 2019 & Inside Soap's Hot List. LONGLISTED FOR A CWA DAGGER AWARD FOR THE BEST FIRST NOVEL _____________ Praise for The Killing: 'Soren Sveistrup, is clearly a master craftsman' Telegraph 'TV of the absolute finest quality . . . the writing shines' Guardian 'Excellent . . . A shrewd mix of police procedural, political thriller and domestic drama' New York Times 'The most talked-about, boxset-friendly cultural landmarks of the 21st century to date' Independent

Sian Wadey

I haven't read any Nordic Noir for a while, but picked up The Chestnut Man based on another review. I am a die hard fan of The Killing, it was the first programme to introduce me to foreign drama, so I was looking forward to the novel.
The concept of a chestnut man being left at a series of murders is exciting and somewhat chilling and following Thulin and Hess as they go about solving the crime was a roller-coaster ride. I liked Thulin and her no nonsense attitude and could clearly picture downtrodden Hess, with his different colour eyes. I felt that the clues unraveled well and I didn't see the murderer coming at all, but I believe this somewhat hindered it because I like my suspects to be slightly more obvious than what they were. All in all, I found myself gasping at the horrific crimes and laughing and the humour dispersed throughout. This is a solid crime novel and I look forward to reading more by Soren Sveistrup. I'm also looking forward to the series coming to Netflix next year.

Fraser Simons

This felt like all of the tropes of the field reiterated and underlined to me. Complete with an autistic kid and leaving tokens and mommy issues. Had the authorial voice been more compelling I might have gone on but I just felt like it was run-of-the-mill when it had been seriously overhyped to me. So I DNF’d it at 40%; a generous way into the book to see if I’d get hooked, but I never did.

Yulande Lindsay

I listened to the audiobook and wow...what an experience. Was completely engaged.

Sarahi Flores

This story totally intrigued me it also made me cringe. A fictional story but of course it felt realistic with how detectives work and how murders are committed. It took some time to get into the story. It wasn’t boring, it was just hard to keep focus. One minute I get lost in the narration, then next there’s a scene where I’m so into it I manage to absorb all the info. It basically like that during the whole novel.

The characters where indeed interesting and of course the murderer with his calling card, a chestnut doll.  Every killer has to have a calling card right? Why a chestnut? Well there’s a reason of course. It goes was more into the past rather the present of the crimes that have been committed.

a fair warning, this novel definitely has some mature scenes, adultery, murder, abound and such. Just keep in mind.

Thulin, the female detective is a total badass. Very head strong and persistent. Hess is an experience detective who is calm and good at finding clues. They both seem great detectives But of course they had some trouble working together.

I should mentioned it in the beginning, this is an audiobook review. I would have rather just read the book then listened to it. I believe I would have finished it sooner. Overall the narration was not bad. Sometimes it left me lose concentration. I don’t know if it’s the voice per say. But that voice left me too calm that I would space out lol. Anyways, I still think it was a great novel. I give this ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ out of 5 stars. Like I said, I would definitely recommend you to just read it!

Abbi Emens

This book really had the potential to be good, but, unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The opening chapter was so intriguing, but the following 250 pages were slow paced and unfulfilling. When the plot finally started to pick up, it was only for a couple of pages and then it went right back to unnecessary narratives. There were too many characters that were introduced for no reason other than to throw off the reader from guessing who the killer actually was. And the blatant sexism was not a plus for me. Most (pretty much all) of the female characters were reduced to having no personalities and were only described by their "ample breasts and slim waists". And they were always written as the air-headed bimbos who have no common sense and sleep with married men. The story concept was great, but the execution was drawn out and tiresome.

Alecsia Dima

Hands down the best thriller i have ever read 🫀

FEVRONIA AVERI

Pam Sartain

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!

Seth Swinney 

Atmospheric thriller that I enjoyed overall. Some side plots were not wrapped up. 

Kelsey Holtaway

What a fun surprise. I went into this not really expecting to like it. A 500+ page Nordic procedural didn’t scream exciting to me but i was totally enraptured. 

This is twisty! And requires some attention, but this starts with a bang and keeps a tense, chilling atmosphere the entire time. 

I’m so delighted by this book.

THE GRIPPING DEBUT NOVEL FROM THE CREATOR AND WRITER OF HIT TV SHOW THE KILLING _____________ October, Copenhagen. The police make a terrible discovery - a young woman is found brutally murdered, with one of her hands cut off. Next to her lifeless body hangs a strange doll made of chestnuts . . . Assigned to the case is young and ambitious detective Naia Thulin, and Mark Hess, a burnt-out investigator who has just been kicked out of Europol. Struggling for leads they come across a mysterious piece of forensic evidence that doesn't quite fit. It points to a missing girl, presumed dead - the daughter of politician Rosa Hartung. But a man has already confessed to her murder, and the case is long since closed. The body count keeps rising, as another woman is found murdered. Once again, a chestnut man is found with the victim. Thulin and Hess need to make the connection between all three crimes, and fast, because it's clear the murderer is on a mission that's far from over . . . Fans of The Killing, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Jo Nesbø will love this debut thriller. _____________ '***** Brilliant. Scandi noir is back with a bang with this sensational debut novel. The Stieg Larsson comparisons seem unfair - on Sveistrup. He's quite simply in another league' Metro '***** This has success written all over it' Daily Express 'Creepy, clever and packed with tension' Sun 'If you're pining for a dose of Jo Nesbo-style Scandi noir, this should hit the spot. The twisty, tricksy storyline gathers an unstoppable momentum' The Times 'This might just be the thriller of the year' Jeffery Deaver, bestselling author of The Bone Collector 'A full-throttle thriller in the tradition of classic Stieg Larsson, drenched in atmosphere and charged with adrenaline. I loved this book' A. J. Finn, author of The Woman In The Window Featured in BBC Top Fiction Picks of 2019, Guardian Books of 2019, Evening Standard Best Books of 2019 & Inside Soap's Hot List LONGLISTED FOR A CWA DAGGER AWARD FOR THE BEST FIRST NOVEL _____________ Praise for The Killing: 'TV of the absolute finest quality . . . the writing shines' Guardian 'Excellent . . . A shrewd mix of police procedural, political thriller and domestic drama' New York Times 'The most talked-about, boxset-friendly cultural landmarks of the 21st century to date' Independent

The gripping debut novel from the writer of The Killing

Taylor McNeely

If you follow me on Goodreads, you’ll know I’ve been in an audiobook kick and a lot of the books I listen to are thriller/crime books. I love this genre of books, but sometimes they start out slow and I know I’ll have higher chance of finishing the book if I listen to the audiobook. I was actually going to borrow this book from @cristinethebookqueen, but I went to New York for the weekend and needed a long audiobook, so I had something to listen to for 4 hours. I knew I would like this book, but I didn’t know how invested I would be with this book. It was written by the author of The Killing TV show, which is one of my favorites, and I definitely saw the similarities of his writing from this book and the show.
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I loved how it had multiple POVs and even though sometimes it would talk about the personal lives of the narrators, just to add some back story, it still pertained to the events happening in the book. I also loved the semi-reluctant partnership between the two main characters and how in the end, they got pass their differences enable to solve these grisly murders. There was many parts in my car where I was freaking out and yelling “OMG NO! HURRY! THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!” Those kind of scenes is what really makes me love thriller/crime books especially when I don’t see it coming. .
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I’ll also mentioned there are very sensitive topics in this book that they talk about, so I would definitely research the trigger warnings before you read this book. In the end, this is my surprise favorite book of this year and I really hope this author makes a sequel or writes any other kind of book in general because I’m definitely going to pick it up.
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IT'S HAPPENING!! I'M GETTING ADDICTED TO CRIME/THRILLER AUDIOBOOKS!!

Lori Keenom

This book was so good. Twists and turns. Gripping holds your attention. Couldn’t wait to find out what happened,but didn’t want to to end.

Kerri McDonald

As I sit here, shivering whilst I eat ice cream in the middle of winter, I’m trying to parse my extremely mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, this was a damn good thriller. This book is the definition of a page-turner. You open the book and a woman is already getting brutally murdered! Then we met our two detectives, Thulin and Hess. Thulin is a woman who is trying to get out of homicide and apply her considerable skills in another department. Hess is a man just cruising through the motions until he gets to go back to his real job. That is until they start investigating the murder previously alluded to and things aren’t as they seem.

I found this book fast-paced and hard to put down. I needed to know what was going to happen next and I found myself racing the pages trying to figure out who could be the Chestnut Man.

And then I figured it out about halfway through the book and it all went downhill from there.

Once I wasn’t so focused on figuring out whodunit, I found myself focusing more on the writing. Though the writing was compelling, it felt very formulaic. It was like I was watching an episode of Law & Order: SVU that I had seen 100 times before. I mean, it does make a kind of sense because the author is a screenwriter. I just wish it wasn’t quite so obvious in his novel. And I wish it had done something to break out of the typical crime novel model.

The characters also felt very flat to me. Like they were actors performing a part as opposed to “real” people. I would have liked to have Thulin especially fleshed out more. She was by far the most interesting character, but it felt like she was just there to be the stereotypical “badass female who takes no shit.” I just wish she had had more layers. The same can be said for our lead male character, too. Hess was just so boring… I felt like there was a missed opportunity to have some truly complex characters.

The other issue I have with this book is something I have a hard time describing. This is a novel that focuses a lot on violence against women. All of the murder victims are women. I get that is a common theme in mystery/thriller novels. But the way this author wrote the violent scenes just made it feel very… exhibitionist? Like it was making it over the top for a cheap shock. It felt gross, to be honest. I’m not a squeamish person but it just didn’t sit well with me.

Final thoughts: If I was rating this book on readability and plot alone, it would be solid four stars. The lack of complex characters, the formulaic writing, and the in-your-face attempt to be shocking knocked it down to three. Still, I think I would give this author another try.