Big Sister
Varg Veum receives a surprising visit at his office from a woman he has never met before. She presents herself as his half-sister. The woman has an assignment for Veum. Her god-daughter, a nineteen-year-old student nurse from Haugesund, moved out of her apartment in Bergen a couple of weeks ago. Since then, no one has heard from her. She has not left any new address. She does not answer her mobile phone. The police have not yet taken the case seriously.
Veum takes on the assignment. His investigations uncover half-repressed misdeeds and stored-up hatred. They lead Veum to confront an unscrupulous MC gang and to put him on the track of a community that carries out its highly dangerous activities in the murky anonymity of the Internet.
And the meeting with the elder sister also ends up showing Veum unknown facets of his own earlier history.
Shortlisted for the 2019 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year
Foreign Sales:
Denmark, Gyldendal
The Netherlands, Uitgjiveri Marmer
UK, Orenda Books
France, Gaia
Praise:
«Let this be clear from the start: Both the author and the PI are still going strong and show no signs of old age in this 18th book in the Veum series.»
***** (5 out of 6 stars), Stavanger Aftenblad
«In Big Sister Staalesen also takes care of the heritage from Amalie Skram in optimum fashion. Both writers problematise the possibility of freely choosing how life is to be lived when one is mentally wounded from childhood. In Big Sister, such issues are incorporated into the actual solution of the crime mystery. And in doing so, Staalesen dishes up an unpredictable whodunnit that constantly surprises the reader, who feels roughly (but not totally) as smart as Veum himself.»
***** (5 out of 6 stars), Bergens Tidende
«... more than enough to seize hold of both the bad guys and us. Yet again.»
***** (5 out of 6 stars), Bergensavisen
«Staalesen proves yet again that he is a premier league literary craftsman ... Varg Veum is, to me, the most interesting character in Norwegian crime writing.»
***** (5 out of 6 stars), Fædrelandsvennen
« ... one of Staalesen's best plots ever.»
***** (5 out of 6 stars), Varden
« ... a crime novel among the very best in the Varg Veum series ... He gives the topic an emphatic and sober treatment, which results in a novel where the tension builds up slowly around a tragic twist that we will not reveal here.»
Aftenposten
«Let this be clear from the start: It is always a pleasure to open a new crime novel from Gunnar Staalesen's hand and immediately recognise the solid work and building of intrigue which is so typical for this Norwegian old master of crime ...»
VG
«Gunnar Staalesen is a top notch storyteller!»
Dagen
«... the same good old Staalesen style as ever. He never relents – and each new book means new reading pleasure.»
Hamar Arbeiderblad
«Varg Veum is still going strong.»
Dagsavisen
"I didn’t just enjoy the storytelling in Big Sister, I savoured the novel’s smooth, easy style. Each chapter develops the plot and character, they sometimes distract and amuse, but crucial revelations are slipped in, it’s both subtle and punchy … The Varg Veum novels make up one of the most consistently brilliant crime series out there and Staalesen is one of the writers who gave Scandi-Noir (Nordic-Noir) a good name. They haven’t all been translated into English but the following superb stories are available; The Writing on the Wall, Yours until Death, The Consorts of Death, Wolves in the Dark and Cold Heart. Clearly translator Don Bartlett has an excellent understanding of Staalesen’s writing. Haunting, dark and totally noir, a great read." Nudge Book
"Step by ominous step, Veum uncovers successively darker secrets about his parents, neither of whom he really knew, as he pursues his search for Emma. He encounters Emma’s absentee father and members of her father’s drug-dealing biker gang, who were responsible for a gang rape years earlier that plays a pivotal role in solving Emma’s disappearance. Meanwhile, religious fanatics have been using the internet as a weapon to drive depressed young people into suicide. Like Raymond Chandler, Staalesen creates intense emotion through dialogue and description, but his altogether Norwegian focus forces home a substantial social message: ignoring the past is inevitably tragic." Publishers Weekly
«I Storesøster forvalter også Staalesen arven fra Amalie Skram på beste vis. Begge forfatterskapene problematiserer muligheten for å velge fritt hvordan livet skal leves, når man er sjelelig skadeskutt fra barnsben av. I Storesøster inkorporeres slike spørsmål i selve løsningen på kriminalmysteriet. Underveis serverer Staalesen en uforutsigbar krim som stadig overrasker, og hvor leseren føler seg omtrent (men ikke helt) like smart som Veum.»
Gro Jørstad Nilsen, Bergens Tidende
«... mer enn nok til å fengsle både skurkene og oss. Nok en gang.»
Per Randers Haukaas, Bergensavisen
"(...) en kriminalroman som er blant de beste i serien om Varg Veum. (...) Han gir det en empatisk og edruelig behandling, noe som har resultert i en roman som langsomt bygger spenningen opp omkring en tragisk vending som ikke skal røpes her."
Rune Hallheim, Aftenposten
"La det være sagt med en gang: Det er en fornøyelse i seg selv å åpne en ny krim av Gunnar Staalesen, og med en gang gjenkjenne det gode håndverket og den sikre intrigeoppbyggingen som kjennetegner denne norske krimveteranen. (...) Det er i møtet med mennesker, bokstavelig talt der Varg Veum står på trappen til mer eller mindre motvillige involverte, at Staalesen er på sitt aller beste. Så også denne gangen."
Sindre Hovdenakk, VG
"Varg Veum holder koken."
Gerd Elin Stava Sandve, Dagsavisen