PURSUED BY DEATH Book Review

By redandbluedave on August 30, 2024

Info

Written By: Gunnar Staalesen.

Translated By: Don Bartlett.

Published By: Orenda Books.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a physical copy of the book for the purpose of this review, also thanks to Random Things Blog Tour for adding me to the tour.

Overview

When Varg Veum reads the newspaper headline 'YOUNG MAN MISSING', he realises he's seen the youth just a few days earlier – at a crossroads in the countryside, with his two friends. It turns out that the three were on their way to a demonstration against a commercial fish-farming facility in the tiny village of Solvik, north of Bergen.
Varg heads to Solvik, initially out of curiosity, but when he chances upon a dead body in the sea, he's pulled into a dark and complex web of secrets, feuds and jealousies.
Is the body he's found connected to the death of a journalist who was digging into the fish farm's operations two years earlier? And does either
incident have something to do with the competition between the two powerful families that dominate Solvik's salmon-farming industry?
Or are the deaths the actions of the 'Village Beast' – the brutal small-town justice meted out by rural communities in this part of the world.
Shocking, timely and full of breathtaking twists and turns, Pursued by Death reaffirms Gunnar Staalesen as one of the world's greatest crime writers.

Overview taken from the official book press release.

Review

Back to my happy place, a dark crime thriller this time it's Pursued By Death by Gunnar Staalesen and from the cover alone I just knew I was in for a gripping ride.

The book follows main character Varg Veum with his life and career as a private investigator stalling he gets pulled over by police at the side of a road, events unfold and Varg is left in a bit of a predicament as his driving license is confiscated meaning he will have to use public transport until he gets it back. It's when he rides the bus one particular day that he sees three youths together talking on a corner, thinking nothing of it and carrying on gazing out of the bus window Varg continues his journey.

It is not until later when he reads an article in a newspaper that he realises one of the youths he saw is now missing.

The Norwegian town of Solvik (where the book is set) is a quiet unassuming place where nothing much but fishing ever happens but after news breaks of the young man's disappearance the town may not be the same ever again. Suspicion and furious finger pointing is now the order of the day throughout the town as the townsfolk try to find the one they believe who did it but it's down to Varg to investigate the darkened streets of this town and see where the secrets are lurking.

The book has you on the edge of your seat from the word go and doesn't let you relax throughout. Gunnar Staalesen writes with a furious passion and that bursts through on each page, when you read a book and it leaves you thinking "wow" you just know you've read something epic. I liked how the book twists and turns and keeps you guessing which really keeps your brain working as you try to work out who did it.

Summary

Time now then to put my thoughts into a summary, overall I enjoyed the book it's darkness gripped me and took me on a rollercoaster of who did its. Gunnar Staalesen is a great writer and definitely knows his stuff when it comes to the subject matter, the location and story had an overall authenticity to it which made the story more intense. Sometimes you get a dark thriller that just doesn't feel like it is real but this book definitely feels real and at times chillingly real. I'd definitely recommend picking this one up.

Verdict-Out of 5 ⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

EXCELLENT

I give Pursued By Death an excellent score of 5 ⭐, an epic piece of crime writing that will have you planted on the edge of your seat, definitely not one to miss - a great reading experience.

Note on 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). Where Roses Never Die won the 2017 Petrona Award for Nordic Crime Fiction, and Big Sister was shortlisted for the award in 2019. He lives with his wife in Bergen.

This review was part of the Random Things Blog Tour please check out the other bloggers on the tour