Soren Sveistrup | THE CHESTNUT MAN

Plot (via Goodreads):

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.

Review:

The Chestnut Man is easily one of my favorite books of 2019. Part serial killer thriller, part police procedural, all around engrossing and cinematic - this is one read that will terrify you to the core and compel you right from the start with its mesmerizing and brutal opening. What I loved the most about this one was how original it was. I didn't know why a lot of these characters were in the book until it was either too late or I knew too much - the writing and pacing of this one is just downright perfect. I was overwhelmed in such a good way by this story. Two fantastically written detectives on the search for this maniac terrorizing people in such an eerie way? I mean, sign me up!

Even though this one is well over 500 pages, between the short chapters and the fast pacing, I was gobbling it up and had no intentions of putting it down until it was well into the night and I was not only having a hard time keeping my eyes open, but I was terrifying myself. Like a movie, I had so many times I was just yelling at these characters finding themselves in horror movie-like situations and a few scenes were so scary and cinematic that I just found myself daydreaming of the day I can finally watch this one on Netflix. 

While this read is perfect for me, I will say there are some trigger warnings involving rape, abuse, and some involving children. This one also has some really gory scenes, but given the story I think they were handled effectively and I didn't personally find that it went over the top at all. The Chestnut Man is very heavy on the police procedural aspect and I thought the characters could've been developed a little bit more to really turn it into the perfect read, but that didn't hold me back from 100% loving this one. 

I’m still thinking of this book. It still scares the hell out of me, I wonder what kind of sequel could happen, I wonder what happened to everyone who made it until the end, and I pray for the fictional families affected. This is the kind of novel that sticks with you. You miss it when it’s done, but you’re almost too afraid to read it again. I carried it with me everywhere. In the bathtub, when I was doing my laundry, I even found myself reading it when I was calling in my takeout order because I absolutely had no time to put this one down to even bother with cooking. Also, pizza and a read like this is a wonderful combo for me, so win-win. Since finishing it, I do find that it's harder to fall asleep at night as not only am I totally creeped out well after finishing this one, but sometimes the anxiety creeps in when I think of what would've happened if I completely missed this one...and that is the most terrifying thing yet.

Rating: 5/5