Bitter Flowers

All in all, a decent plot. Story reasonably well told. I read it out of sequence but that was wasn’t a big deal; it stands on its own.

I've read most of these Varg Veum mysteries. This one is particularly complicated. The writing is lovely, and the descriptions of the western Norwegian land and seascapes are vivid. In the spirit of the genre, the cops are never happy with Varg, just as they were not pleased to see Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe or Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade intrude on their turf. If you are a fan of this type of lonely, hard-boiled-with-a-heart-of-gold private eye, you'll love all the Varg Veum mysteries. Varg in Norwegian is an older word for Wolf. Veum means sacred place. The idiom Varg i Veum - Wolf in a sacred place, means Persona non Grata. That is how Varg is perceived just about wherever he goes. However, like Inspector Morse, he solves all his cases but gets little credit for being such a great detective.

Oh it is good to be back in the company of Varg Veum. Gunnar Staalesen has created a series that is full of mystery and challenge, with great characters, and a narrative that always takes us to the heart of the story and makes us feel as though we are walking along side Veum as he navigates the increasingly perplexing investigations. Brought to life by a beautiful and seamless translation by Don Bartlett, no matter which book you pick up you will find yourself transported, through time and space, to Veum's Norway, with a sense of place that is second to none. Although the stories are always typically centred around a single inciting event, there is often a topical, socially relevant element to the stories that Gunnar Staalesen creates. Bitter Flowers is no different. As the story opens we find Veum at a pivotal moment in his life, fresh out of rehab and fighting his reliance upon his good friend, 'Aquavit'. Whilst not fully back in his investigative saddle, he is offered a chance to work as a house sitter, a nice simple task that should apply no undue pressure. That is until the discovery of a dead body in the home he is to look after, and the subsequent disappearance of the person who arranged it all. Veum is soon embroiled in a murder investigation, for which he is sure to be. suspect. Being the inquisitive chap he is, Veum cannot help but look into the life of the victim, bringing up a surprising connection to a missing child case from some years before. Not only that, he find himself at the door of the victims employer, a company under suspicion of serious environmental crimes. How the two different threads tie back to the murder victim is cannily and carefully probed, the intertwining of these separate threads taking us, as readers, in a surprising and often threatening direction. I love the sense of mystery that permeates the story. As the book is told in first person, from Veum's perspective, we discover truths at the same time as Veum. I love the matter of fact style of his narration, conversational and still challenging, both of himself and of others. We are privy to his personal struggles and the way in which that affects his investigations. We see his limitations, but also his determination. It also leaves us with no room for doubt about his innocence or guilt in the murder investigation, meaning we can simply try and piece together the clues as Veum uncovers them. I have to be honest, I didn't see this one coming at all, the reasons for the murder, or the unfortunate turn of events which came to pass. There is an air of tragedy from the very first page of this book, some acutely observed emotions and a varied cast of characters who will both delight and frustrate in equal measure. I loved seeing the progression of Veum's relationship with Karen, but also the tender and understanding way that he dealt with his new found friendship with his 'flower girl' Siv. This is a story packed with emotion, for many reasons, one in which we learn more about the fragility of Veum's own character, the underlying mystery of a child long missing, and the tragedy of promising young woman whose future is cut short by a tragic accident. It is part environmental statement, part murder mystery, but completely enthralling. Bearing in mind that this story is taking us back into Veum's past, it is fascinating to see the progression of his character. With all of Gunnar Staalesen's hallmark storytelling, that real authentic PI vibe, and a mixture of deception, tension and the occasional flash of high threat action, as a fan of the series, I am left feeling very satisfied.

This novel is ruined by awkward cliches, just piles upon piles of cliches or really clumsy descriptive passages. The plot is great however.

I enjoyed this book, but I had a few problems with some of the references. The American references I got, but some of the others I hadn’t heard before. It was a good mystery and I took only one break to sleep before I finished it.