The Chestnut Man from Book to Netflix Series
In 2020 we awarded Søren Sveistrup the Barry Award for Best First Mystery for his debut novel THE CHESTNUT MAN. It was a personal favorite for 2019. I’ve been on the lookout for a sequel but I have yet to see one announced.
Meanwhile, an excellent six-part series has been produced of The Chestnut Man and it has been picked up by Netflix for its customers. It stars Danica Curcic as Naia Thulin and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard as Mark Hess, a pair of mismatched detectives.
Two nights ago, my wife Michele and I watched episode 1 and it impressed us both enough to keep watching (not often the case when we begin watching a Netflix series). Last night we planned to watch episode 2 and ended up at 11:30, having watched all of the 5 remaining, gripping episodes. That should tell you something. The Chestnut Man is not something for the feint of heart- cozy crowd. This would be rated R for all the usual reasons. But it was very well put together with excellent acting, scene placement and puzzling mysteries. I already knew the plot was outstanding. This is a good example of how to make a great film out of a remarkable novel. It helps to have 6 hours to tell the story.
(Another recent good example of this is CB Strike, based on the novels of Robert Galraith-J.K. Rowling, available on Cinemax and HBO. Very faithful adaptations of the books and a wonderful cast.)
There is an option at the beginning to choose “English with subtitles.” The dubbed-in English was quite good. I would recommend you choosing this option.
Here is my review:
THE CHESTNUT MAN by Søren Sveistrup (Harper, $28.99). Rating: A Two mismatched detectives in Copenhagen have just been paired up. One is the dedicated Naia Thulin, who does not like her boss and has asked to be transferred to a newly formed cyber-crime division of the police department. The other is Mark Hess, who used to be a department detective, but for the last five years has been seconded to Europol, based in the Hague. He’s run into a spot of trouble with his Europol boss and has been sent “home” for a breather, while his boss figures out what to do with him. Thulin’s impression of Hess is that he couldn’t be more disinterested in their work if he tried. He disappears for hours at a time and fails to communicate with her. She might as well not have a partner. But all that changes when they catch the case of a single mother brutally murdered in a Copenhagen suburb. Thulin and Hess gradually learn to work together and both are dogged in their determination to solve the case and possibly save lives of the killer’s potential, future victims.
Near the body is found a small figurine made of chestnuts and match sticks – a chestnut man. And when the figurine is subjected to forensic testing a very disturbing discovery is made. The chestnuts bear the fingerprints of Kristine Hartung, who disappeared a year ago and has been presumed dead. Kristine is (or was) the young daughter of Rosa Hartung, Copenhagen’s Minister of Social Affairs.
What follows is a very complex investigation that appears to have several incidents of child abuse and child neglect at its root.
This first novel by the creator of the internationally successful TV series The Killing, is a real page-turner and is the best first novel I have read this year. But be forewarned, it contains distasteful material. But I’m a sucker for mismatched detective pairs and find their journey to compatibility as interesting as an intriguing plot line.
If you end up watching it on Netflix, please let me know what you think of it at george@deadlypleasures.com
Jeannette Voss writes:
I took your advice on the website and started watching the first episode around 4:00 pm this afternoon. I watched the first five episodes, took a break to eat a little dinner and feed my dogs, and then went back for the concluding episode. It was excellent. I had read the book when it came out, but had forgotten enough of it to keep me on my toes while watching the episodes. Thanks for highlighting it – I haven’t seen any publicity for it on Netflix. [Ed. Note: I too had forgotten enough about the book to be surprised by the identity of the villain. I’m guessing that Netflix is counting on word-of-mouth to advertise this crime drama.]