Saturday, May 03, 2014

Cold Hearts, by Gunnar Staalesen

(pb; 2008, 2013: sixteenth novel in the Varg Veum series.  Translated from Norwegian by Don Bartlett.)


From the back cover:

"On a frosty January day in Bergen, Norway, private investigator Varg Veum is visited by a prostitute.  Her friend Margrethe has disappeared and hasn't been seen for days.  Before her disappearance, something had unsettled her: she'd turned away a customer and returned to the neighborhood in terror.  Shortly after taking the case, Veum is confronted with a brutal, uneasy reality.  He soon finds the first body - and it won't be the last.  His investigation leads him into a dark subculture where corrupted idealism has had deadly consequences."


Review:

Cold  is a good, entertaining and tightly written  P.I. novel whose end reveals aren't revelations, but effective and intriguing with their lightning-quick pacing; this book is worth owning.

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This novel inspired the film with the same name: Kalde Hjerter was released in Norway on March 30, 2012.  Geir Meum Olsen wrote the screenplay.

Trond Espen Seim, who also directed this film, reprised his role of Varg Veum.   Bjørn Floberg reprised his role of Jacob Hamre.  Lene Nystrøm played Karen Bjørge.  Mads Ousdal played Thorvaldsen.  Gitte Witte played Maggie.  Ingrid Olava played Siv.  Kim Sørenson played Malthus.

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For further information on Varg Veum-related films, check out this site.

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