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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
3.5 stars! It’s my first time reading Nesser and I’m positively impressed. The storytelling was not what I expected or what I was used to, but it was a page-turner nonetheless. The story starts with the murder of Eva and her husband Janek Mitter is arrested, only to be murdered later. The lead detective Van Veeteren does not share much, is distant. As a reader, you don’t really have too many clues, but it was not easy to guess what happened and why. The style reminded me a bit of the famous Martin Beck Police Mystery Series by Sjöwall and Wahlöö.
“He could feel it in the atmosphere, in the damp emptiness. As if this restaurant and this Sunday afternoon had been waiting for him”.
Chief Inspector Van Veeteren, snappish, sardonic, unsentimental, depressed and almost psychic in his ability to solve a crime is everything that is fundamental to Nordic Noir. Håkan Nesser, is undisputedly one of the godfathers of the genre and Mind’s Eye is the first of the Van Veeteren series, authored in 1993 and translated to English in 2008. As a character, Van Veeteren fulfils the somewhat cliched characteristics of classic Nordic Noir protagonists with the need to struggle with and refract their conflict-ridden private lives through their investigation of violent crimes and crumbling societies. Along with Mankell’s Wallander, Sjöwall and Wahlöö’s Martin Beck, Staalesen’s Varg Veum and Nesbø’s Harry Hole, Van Veeteren is the loveable unloveable antihero of Nesser’s classic series. Somewhat misogynistic, non-PC and at times a little questionable, Mind’s Eye is story with a clever plot that wraps around the psyche of characters against the backdrop of the wintery north.
I rarely read any books that are not set in real places as I find a real fascination in the sense of place that comes with dealing deeply into a corner of the world and its geography and history. Mind’s Eye is set in the fictional location of Maardam which I guess could be anywhere across Northern Europe. To be honest, I thought this would be a deal breaker for me, however, the characterisation was strong enough to override this sense of place which Nesser more than made up for in the fictional location anyway.
Mind’s Eye centres around the death of Eva Ringmar and features the classic “I was so drunk I can’t remember anything” plot foundation. Husband Janek Mitter is naturally the primary suspect and before you can say Scandi Noir, Van Veeteren is up to his eyeballs in intrigue.
I love Nesser’s approach to writing this one. It’s very procedural, yet not linear. It’s sequenced, yet not readily predictable. It follows formula, yet allows characterisation to be parallel with plot.
“A novel, a film, a play, Münster - they are nothing but stuffed life. Life that has been captured and stuffed like a taxidermist stuffs a dead animal. They are created so that we can reasonably examine it. Clamber out of reality and look at it from a distance. Are you with me?” P254
I can quite happily give this 5 stars.
Chief Inspector Van Veeteren, snappish, sardonic, unsentimental, depressed and almost psychic in his ability to solve a crime is everything that is fundamental to Nordic Noir. Håkan Nesser, is undisputedly one of the godfathers of the genre and Mind’s Eye is the first of the Van Veeteren series, authored in 1993 and translated to English in 2008. As a character, Van Veeteren fulfils the somewhat cliched characteristics of classic Nordic Noir protagonists with the need to struggle with and refract their conflict-ridden private lives through their investigation of violent crimes and crumbling societies. Along with Mankell’s Wallander, Sjöwall and Wahlöö’s Martin Beck, Staalesen’s Varg Veum and Nesbø’s Harry Hole, Van Veeteren is the loveable unloveable antihero of Nesser’s classic series. Somewhat misogynistic, non-PC and at times a little questionable, Mind’s Eye is story with a clever plot that wraps around the psyche of characters against the backdrop of the wintery north.
I rarely read any books that are not set in real places as I find a real fascination in the sense of place that comes with dealing deeply into a corner of the world and its geography and history. Mind’s Eye is set in the fictional location of Maardam which I guess could be anywhere across Northern Europe. To be honest, I thought this would be a deal breaker for me, however, the characterisation was strong enough to override this sense of place which Nesser more than made up for in the fictional location anyway.
Mind’s Eye centres around the death of Eva Ringmar and features the classic “I was so drunk I can’t remember anything” plot foundation. Husband Janek Mitter is naturally the primary suspect and before you can say Scandi Noir, Van Veeteren is up to his eyeballs in intrigue.
I love Nesser’s approach to writing this one. It’s very procedural, yet not linear. It’s sequenced, yet not readily predictable. It follows formula, yet allows characterisation to be parallel with plot.
“A novel, a film, a play, Münster - they are nothing but stuffed life. Life that has been captured and stuffed like a taxidermist stuffs a dead animal. They are created so that we can reasonably examine it. Clamber out of reality and look at it from a distance. Are you with me?” P254
I can quite happily give this 5 stars.
I might be starting to get over saturated with Scandanavian noir but VV is not a bad character.
I'm glad I read the 2nd book in the series first; I might not have continued after this first novel. The murder suspect refers to Van Veeteren as "the disagreeable one" and that's right on the mark. He reminded me more and more of House as the book went on. (I swear I came up with that on my own and only later saw the reviews making the same comparison!) V.V. withholds information from both his team and the reader. Although I was able to put the pieces together, I was frustrated by Nesser's style. It was interesting to get a glimpse into the Swedish court system in the first half of the book.
Olen kerännyt hyllyyni useita Håkan Nesserin kirjoja, mutta tämä oli ensimmäinen lukemani Van Veeteren -sarjan dekkari. Olen vähän pettynyt, dialogi oli turhan lakonista ja lyhyttä, jotenkin töksähelevää. En päässyt kirjan kanssa "lentoon" ja harmitti sekin, että arvasin loppukäänteitä ennakkoon. Aion antaa Nesserille vielä uudenkin mahdollisuuden, koskapa ensimmäinen lukemani Håkan Nesserin kirja, Kim Novak ei uinut Genesaretin järvessä, oli minusta tosi ihana.
I finished this!
I guess it is just an authorial choice that our protagonist detective figures something out and doesn't tell us, because again I was sort of paging backwards, going, wait, what did I miss? But once I realized that was on purpose, it was ok. Maybe a little obtuse, but ok.
I guess it is just an authorial choice that our protagonist detective figures something out and doesn't tell us, because again I was sort of paging backwards, going, wait, what did I miss? But once I realized that was on purpose, it was ok. Maybe a little obtuse, but ok.
I liked this book but thought that the characters seemed to be a bit flimsy in that you didn't get to know anything much about them. I will try another in the series to see if I can get more used to his writing style. Some of the reviews I have read since reading suggest that it a typical writing style of Scandinavian fiction and I have only read a handful.
A new grumpy detective with baggage, but one with Maigret-like methods. Nesser's Van Veeteren is a fully realised character from this first novel, which has a cracking first act in the courtroom after an initial murder. Full review here: https://annabookbel.net/nordicfinds-sweden-week-a-new-to-me-grumpy-detective
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Murder
Minor: Incest
יאנק מיטר מתעורר בבוקר לאחר לילה של שכרות, ומגלה את אשתו מתה באמבטיה. הבעיה היא שהוא אינו זוכר דבר מליל אמש, ולא יכול לספר למשטרה כל פרט אשר יועיל לו, שכן כבעלה של הנרצחת, ששהה איתה בעת הרצח, הוא החשוד היחיד ברצח.
יאנק בטוח שלא רצח את אשתו, אך כל הסימנים מצביעים עליו, ואין לו כל אליבי. רק הבלש הותיק ואן וטרן מאמין ליאנק שיש רוצח אחר, "דג חמקמק", שמהתל במשטרה ומנסה להפליל יאנק ברצח אשתו. ואן וטרן ממשיך בחקירה בזמן שיאנק יושב במעצר וממתין למשפטו, ולאט לאט, מצליח לעלות על עקבותיו של הרוצח.
הכתיבה איכותית, ולרוב מעניינת, אך הקצב איטי למדי, ויש לקחת זאת בחשבון.
דג חמקמק/הוקאן נסר
יאנק בטוח שלא רצח את אשתו, אך כל הסימנים מצביעים עליו, ואין לו כל אליבי. רק הבלש הותיק ואן וטרן מאמין ליאנק שיש רוצח אחר, "דג חמקמק", שמהתל במשטרה ומנסה להפליל יאנק ברצח אשתו. ואן וטרן ממשיך בחקירה בזמן שיאנק יושב במעצר וממתין למשפטו, ולאט לאט, מצליח לעלות על עקבותיו של הרוצח.
הכתיבה איכותית, ולרוב מעניינת, אך הקצב איטי למדי, ויש לקחת זאת בחשבון.
דג חמקמק/הוקאן נסר