Bitter Flowers by Gunnar Staalesen translated by Don Bartlett #Review #NordicNoir

 Today we have another in the brilliant Varg Veum series by Gunnar Staalesen, Bitter Flowers. It was published in paperback by Orenda Books on January 21st 2022 as a  vintage classic. I also have the chance for you to win a print copy of the book. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post. 

Fresh from rehab, PI Varg Veum faces his most complex investigation yet, when a man is found drowned, a young woman disappears, and the case of a missing child is revived. The classic Nordic Noir series continues...

PI Varg Veum has returned to duty following a stint in rehab, buthis new composure and resolution are soon threatened when three complex crimes land on his desk.

A man is found dead in an elite swimming pool. A young woman has gone missing. Most chillingly, Veum is asked to investigate the ‘Camilla Case’: an eight-year-old cold case involving the disappearance of a little girl, who was never found.

As the threads of these three apparently unrelated cases come together, against the backdrop of a series of shocking environmental crimes, Veum faces the most challenging, traumatic investigation of his career.

 My Thoughts

This is another in the marvellous series which centres on the dogged Varg Veum, the private investigator. He is forensic in his pursuit of the truth. Always a little on the outside, we meet him when he was a recovering alcoholic and trying to reintegrate back into his life. Thinking he is going along as a house-sitter, he discovers a murder which leads to him trying to make sense of a very tangled web indeed. Set around Bergen, the environment becomes part of the story and some harsh truths are uncovered. Greed, deceit and duplicitous corporate behaviour stand in marked contrast to the innocence of a missing child and shattered family life. 

    This is more than a detective whodunnit. It is marked out by the quality of its writing and the masterly pacing of some complicated strands in the story. There is an element of social commentary which sets the story firmly in the real world. The setting is evoked clearly and always for a reason. You feel as though you are standing at Varg Veum's shoulder as he moves from clue to clue. There are of course some great red herrings to tease you and the ending is surprising. Varg Veum is in many ways a flawed character but his steadfast pursuit of the truth never wavers. Special mention must go also to Don Bartlett for his translation.

In short: Compelling nordic noir

   

 

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 , a review of Big Sister here  and a review of Fallen Angels 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. 

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Giveaway (UK only) 

To win a print copy of Bitter Flowers just Follow and Retweet the tweet at @bookslifethings

 

  Closing Date is 30th January 2022 and there is one winner.  Good luck!  

 

*Terms and Conditions – UK only.  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.