About the Author

S ren Sveistrup is an internationally acclaimed scriptwriter of the Danish television phenomenon The Killing which won various international awards and sold in more than a hundred countries. More recently, Sveistrup wrote the screenplay for Jo Nesb 's The Snowman. Sveistrup obtained a Master in Literature and in History from the University of Copenhagen and studied at the Danish Film School. He has won countless prizes, including an Emmy for Nikolaj and Julie and a BAFTA for The Killing.

Reviews

Chilling psychological drama * Mail Online *
This one will have your heart in your mouth * Digital Spy *
Sveistrup keeps the reader gripped until the very end * Dagbladenes Bureau *
I was completely blown away by this debut novel * sidsesbogreol.dk *
Sveistrup sets new standards in crime * bogfriisen.dk *
Nerve-racking, you're sitting on the edge of your seat, and by the time you've finished the book you've got no nails left * Livetidukkehuset.dk *
Simply an unparalleled page-turner * Ord fra en bibliofil *
Absolutely fantastic crime novel. The plot keeps you gripped, and you always end up wanting to read just one more page. Nerve-racking. Nail-biting. Thrilling. Hair-raising * Krummeskrummelurer.dk *
Not all good scriptwriters can produce a detective story designed to be read rather than watched on TV. But Soren Sveistrup, the man responsible for The Killing, proves . . . that it can be done . . . The characters, the plot with its deep, eerie undercurrent of the unknown, and the intense, compelling manipulation of suspense are qualities reminiscent of The Killing * Marie Louise Toksvig *
This nerve-racking debut novel has a brilliant plot . . . * Ugebladet Sondag *
A powerful portrait of two intriguing detectives who are here to stay . . . * Vildmedkrimi.dk *
Simply so well written, well constructed and suspenseful. I've read a lot of fantastic crime novels, but this is far and away the best I've read in a long time. . . . insanely suspenseful and gripping * RandiGlensbo.dk *
Crime fiction of the highest quality - fascinating characters, great storytelling, and unbearable suspense. I absolutely loved it * Deon Meyer *
Sveistrup is a skilled weaver of plot, able to surprise the reader and maintain a well-developed sense of pacing, tension and action. He keeps the reader hooked until the final page * Bok 365 *
The ingredients in this stew are familiar to everyone who reads crime novels. Sveistrup's great skill becomes apparent in the solid, complex plot, as well as in the pacing and impact that drives the reader onward page after page. The Chestnut Man is a demonstration of how a novel of this type should be sewn together. The result is incredibly thrilling! * Dagbladet *
While other writers come across as formulaic, Sveistrup's plot develops naturally, and he finds space amid the child abuse and harassment for enough injections of humanity that The Chestnut Man never turns into violence porn, a stumbling block for several of his Danish colleagues. The key is Thulin and Hess, the most promising pair of investigators in Nordic crime since Saga and Martin first met over a corpse on a bridge in 2011 * A-magsinet *
Individual scenes in the narrative stand out knife-sharp in all their calculated evil. Their encounter with brutal reality nearly overwhelms those involved, and the reader is profoundly challenged by the novel's material. But you survive because you retain a clear sense that there must be a deep well of sorrow behind the crimes, and because the author depicts his cast of characters in such a nuanced way that you sympathise with the hard-pressed investigative team, the victims, and the person behind the terrible murders. Sveistrup keeps the reader gripped until the very end. This is professional writing in the very best sense, and I'm looking forward to more. * Dagbladenes Bureau *
The Chestnut Man is an intensely gripping first novel that feels anything but debut-like. Seasoned crime fans with feel as though they're in very safe hands ... [Sveistrup] throws his hat into the ring with extreme professionalism and a talent for deploying his special tricks in precisely calibrated doses. * Borsen *
Praise for The Killing * - *
Excellent . . . A shrewd mix of police procedural, political thriller and domestic drama * New York Times *
TV of the absolute finest quality . . . the writing shines * Guardian *