The Chestnut Man: A Novel | 
pickThis was a low pick because there was a lot going on between all the characters for me. The story starts out slow but picks up at the end and then leaves you with a cliffhanger or maybe an opening for a sequel. This sat on my shelf for a few years because I was saving it for the Halloween season thinking it would be creepy but not so much. Detective driven chasing a psychopath story but in all a decent read.
pick2025 Reads continued....
CH - Quirky, rambling first outing about a private dectective. Liked it, didn't love it
TBOCC - Slight let down from her previous ghostly novel. Liked it, didn't love it
TCM - Slow to begin with but ramps up the twists and turns a 1/3 way thru. Was great. Sequel due 2026
CTD - 5th Hawtorne novel with a different format which was refreshing .
Totally forgot that my local book club is meeting to discuss this one next week. Don‘t know if I‘ll finish it in time, but I‘m determined to read as much as I can!
pickThis book was a slow burn but a good one. It ended on a cliffhanger, which I would normally hate, but I think was perfect for this story. And I'm glad I listened to it, because I definitely wouldn't have read the names correctly.
so-soOverall I think I enjoyed this one, I listened to it via BorrowBox.
Read for reading challenges.
3.75/5
Easter trip to Sydney! Some book buying of course…walking in the Botanical gardens and laneways and tea drinking in a knitting themed Tea Shop ❤️📚📕
#dymocks #abbeys #sydneybookshops
pickI'm late to party with this one, but I really enjoyed it. I'll have to check out the Netflix series. It has 100% on rotten tomatoes, so it must be a decent adaptation.
pickThis was such a pleasant surprise!! I was dreading this #52Books23 prompt #NordicNoir but honestly I loved it!! A perfect blend of psychological and criminal thriller with a like-able police duo and a mostly believable story. Novel ends on a mini cliffhanger so I‘m hoping another book will follow. As far as the gruesome factor, it‘s manageable but does contain a healthy dose of ICKINESS 😳
#52Books23 #NordicNoir #Creepy #SerialKiller or a cozy for @TrishB
A serial murderer who leaves behind a signature “chestnut man” doll as a clue at each crime scene sounds intriguing! 😐 I‘ve had this on my TBR for a while!
#ScarathlonDailyPrompts #PhotoChallenge Day 14: #Clue #TeamSlaughter #Scarathlon2022
I‘m going to eat this entire pint 🍨 The chestnut man is ok so far but there is to many parts I find pointless and boring. Making progress on my #botm tbr stack though 📚
Hiding out and getting in a little reading before my work day starts. I am impatiently waiting on the “sitting on the back deck with an adult beverage and a book” season. Winter can suck it. 🤣
pickThis creepy & atmospheric crime story is a kind of Larsson's Millennium Lite - similar matter-of-fact writing style without the endless tedious detail. The 2 MCs are kinda reminiscent of Lisbeth as well. And while not as multi-layered & dense it's just as enjoyable. Non-stop action, building tension, rising body count, all good stuff. Lots of twists, shocks, red herrings, gory bits & a satisfying unravelling. Would love to see more of the 2 MCs.
bailedI had to bail on this one. There was just too much minutiae and not enough story.
“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.”
It defies explanation: a dead body in the trunk of a car submerged in a lake, a freshly built snowman standing watch over a corpse, or a chestnut man if snow is in short supply. Regardless, it's bleak in more ways than one & the least that a Scandinavian detective can do is throw on a #sweater before heading to their next crime scene! Below is a link to a humorous brief video Every Single Scandinavian Crime Drama & a link to 6 Nordic Noir
so-soI liked this a lot when I first started it, but the more I got into it the more I started to lose interest. I thought it was creepy and well thought out. But, there were so many characters to keep track of and the author kept introducing new characters and I started to lose track of who everyone was. I thought it was a great story, but it didn‘t fully keep my interest.
so-soIt was slow, but kept my interest. If you like Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, you will like this read.
pick@Twainy practicing with my new sticker pen, which is actually called decorating tape. It‘s so much fun and perfect for #litsylove letters.
Good thing this man is sleeping through this book… it‘s not for the faint of heart 😅 #catsoflitsy #thechestnutman
pick⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Finished the book, now time to watch the series!😱
pickAs I read lots of crime fiction/thrillers, it's interesting how, even when I see many of the same elements/tropes, if the story is good, I still want to keep reading.
Which is a long way of saying that, although I found a lot in this novel that seemed familiar, I still really enjoyed reading it. When I finished it, I was really hoping it was part of a series so I could keep reading more about the characters (the ones that survived, at least).
Plus I watched all six episodes of the danish tv adaptation of The Chestnut Man on Netflix. Which means another 31pts for #TeamSlaughter in #Scarathlon2021
so-soUnpopular opinion but I found this terribly boring. It started out promisingly enough but then just went on for far too long. And I wasn‘t really impressed with the twists. Oh well, another one off the #BOTM backlog.
Watched two hours of this. Definitely a slow burn.
#2021Scarathlon
#TeamSlaughter
10 points
@Clwojick
I will not watch another serial killer show late at night…I will not watch another serial killer show late at night. At least it‘s points for #TeamSlaughter! #murders #chestnutman #tv #thriller #serialkiller #Scarathalon2021
In time for Halloween 🎃
pickSeptember Wrap-up 📚
Say Cheese and Die 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Coraline 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Chestnut Man 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The Girl Who Cried Monster 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Poems for the Dawn Vol 1 (ebook) 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Our Water Graveyard (ebook) 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Welcome to Camp Nightmare 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Library holds! This and my audiobooks on Libby should get me started for October.
I want to send out an invite to all you fellow Littens here who enjoy mysteries and thrillers and also have a #BOTM subscription. I‘ve been a BOTM member for years now but I help moderate BOTM: Mystery/Thriller Discussion Group over on Facebook. It‘s my month to host the discussion so I just posted a poll to help pick the book; there‘s never enough spooky stuff in October! These are just 2 in the poll.
Come look up the group and I can let you in!
The Chestnut Man is on Netflix!! (Sorry for the crappy pic)
pickOne from my #botm backlog. I really enjoyed the mystery….until the very end. I supposed that happens and I‘m trying to not let it color my review. The last two chapters just didn‘t do it for me.
Joining into the hype 😂 I‘ve heard it‘s really gory 🤔🤔🤔
#chestnutman #horror #thriller #LittensDressedInBlood
pickThis book is SMART! So intricate and engrossing, it also reads like a movie (makes sense based on who the author is) and keeps the reader guessing and on the edge of their seat while reading. This is the kind of thriller that needs to be written more - not just horrible people in bad situations, but a race to catch a killer that always seems to be three steps ahead.
If you see a chestnut man, it‘s too late.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Been enjoying this so much on audio, that when I found a copy thrifting, I had to pick it up! Finishing it using the tangible version! #currentlyreading
pickA book that propels you forward and gives you all the pent-up‘ness. A fine ending… except I didn‘t love the very last last last bit. That‘s ok. 😜 A strong 4 stars … maybe even 4.5. Note: this book is horrifying. There are …. a lot of trigger warnings.
Honestly, those first two chapters? 😳 Thats how you get thrown into a story! #currentlylistening
pickI was expecting more of a horror story, but this one ended up pretty good. Reminded me a lot of Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole books.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
My July #botm picks. What did you all pick?
I really liked this book, so it's no surprise that I was excited for the Chestnut Man teaser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLo7-XEpN44
pickI do love a dark Scandinavian thriller. This didn‘t disappoint. It will be good on screen as it is written with very short scene like chapters. The characters were complex and plot was twisty turny. It was a bit long that took me a while to get through. It reminded me of years ago carrying around A Jo Nesbo thriller for weeks when someone who always asked about the book I was reading asked me if I was still reading that one lol!
pickForgot to post this a while back. I did not have this one figured out right away. Not one of my favorites but I would read it again.
pickThis book was not what I expected but I was not disappointed. I thought the story developed well & the individual strands are woven together in a way that didn't feel contrived or forced. The author masterfully included false "clues" that added to the twist "reveal". My only complaint is that in the beginning, the author includes too many characters, which had me turning back a few times. Short chapters kept me turning pages. Highly recommend!??
