Today we have another in the brilliant Varg Veum series by Gunnar Staalesen, Fallen Angels. It was published in paperback by Orenda Books on November 12th 2020. I also have the chance for you to win a digital copy of the book. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.
When Bergen PI Varg Veum finds himself at the funeral of a
former classmate on a sleet-grey December afternoon, he’s unexpectedly reunited
with his old friend Jakob –guitarist of the once-famous 1960s rock band The
Harpers –and his estranged wife, Rebecca, Veum’s first love. Their rekindled
friendship is thrown into jeopardy by the discovery of a horrific murder, and
Veum is forced to dig deep into his own adolescence and his darkest memories,
to find a motive ... and a killer.
Tense, vivid and deeply unsettling, Fallen
Angels is the spellbinding, award-winning thriller that secured Gunnar
Staalesen’s reputation as one of the world’s foremost crime writers.
My Thoughts
The central figure, Varg Veum, is certainly not your run of the mill character. His name means 'wolf' in Norwegian and it suits him perfectly as he doggedly roots out the clues and tries to find out the truth. There is a hint of the outsider about him. Set in Bergen, the story is full of its sights and sounds and the cold, biting weather adds to the atmosphere. The story takes an uncompromising look at the lives of a group of schoolfriends, now grown up. At times, it takes you to uncomfortable places. I certainly did not see the ending coming.
In Fallen Angels, you are taken back into Veum's childhood and to his first love. Moving back and forwards through Veum's life, I found it interesting how the attitudes of the past are depicted. Women certainly had a tough life with assumptions made about them. The past seems like a strange country which we visit and not somewhere we would like to stay for long. We are not shown a cosy, innocent place by any means. As the murders mount up and Veum searches for Rebecca, it proves to be a mystery which is character driven and the tension slowly builds. For readers who enjoy this series, this fills in some of Veum's background.
In short: Slow burning suspense
About the Author
One of the fathers of Nordic Noir, Gunnar Staalesen was born
in Bergen, Norway, in 1947. He made his debut at the age of twenty-two with Seasons
of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series.
He is the author of over twenty titles, which have been published in
twenty-four countries and sold over four million copies. Twelve film
adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring
the popular Norwegian actor Trond Espen Seim. Staalesen has won three Golden
Pistols (including the Prize of Honour) and Where Roses Never Die won the
2017 Petrona Award for Nordic Crime Fiction, and Big Sister was shortlisted in
2019. He lives with his wife in Bergen.
You can read my review of Wolves in the Dark and read an author interview with Gunnar, here and a review of Big Sister here.
Book link: Amazon UK
Thanks to Gunnar Staalesen, Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Don't forget these other great bloggers!
Giveaway (Worldwide)
To win a digital copy of Fallen Angels just Follow and Retweet the tweet at @bookslifethings Closing Date is November 28th 2020 and there is one winner. Good luck!
*Terms and Conditions – Worldwide. The winner will be selected at
random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter
and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right
to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the
competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with
third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed
to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not
responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Thanks for the blog tour support Pam xx
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