“..and perhaps that’s how it was: the most attractive flowers were the ones with the bitterest scent…” p321

One of the things I love about so many of the Scandi Noir writers is the depth they often go to describe the topography, geography and atmosphere of their settings. Gunnar Staalesen’s Varg Veum series is a standout as far as this goes, with incredible detail regarding Bergen, Norway and surrounds, where the series is set. I feel a sense of familiarity with this city that sits on my to be visited list and my appetite is whetted even more.

Bitter Flowers is book 8 in the series, first published in Norwegian in 1991 and translated to English in 2022. I’ve been finding it a bit difficult to get my hands on a couple of earlier books that have been translated. The order of English translations definitely doesn’t follow the series order from the original, and while that is mildly irritating for me, doesn’t seem to affect the overall read.

Staalesen is a Nordic Noir master, and Bitter Flowers is a classic exemplar of the genre. Three deaths/disappearances, unrelated or so it seems and somehow through a range of interwoven threads they come together in the most remarkable of ways. At the centre of the story is the Schrøder-Olsen family, Bergensian stalwarts, business owners yet with dark secrets especially when it comes to environmental sabotage and lust for money. Veum finds himself at the centre of it all and in usual VV style is able to weave it all together, this time in an almost Hercule Poirot conclusion.

4 solid VV stars for this one.

A dark and chilling Norwegian tale set in a stunning and intriguing backdrop. I loved the mystery and added level of interest of the unfamiliar places, names and culture which were all immersive.
The story centres on a building and concerning number of suspicious deaths and the historic unsolved mystery of a missing little girl. The complexities and interconnections slowly start to unfurl and family and company secrets start to be hinted at and are uncovered by a private investigator whose questions soon start to put him under sharp focus and in danger himself.
I loved the style of writing and the beautifully interwoven connections between the various characters kept me on my toes but, happy to say, I was able to keep up and the end results were satisfying and loose ends thoroughly tied up. Refreshing and original, a definite recommend from me.

Best of his I've yet read.

The irascible, world weary private investigator Varg Veum returns, post rehab, although not necessarily completely rejuvenated, and is drawn into a trio of tricky cases, that may or may not be connected by nefarious threads. This is classic Gunnar Staalesen, and to my mind one of the best of the series to date…

If ever Staalesen’s wholly deserved comparison with the great Raymond Chandler needed to be justified further, Bitter Flowers is the book to turn to. For some reason, I was channelling The Big Sleep right the way through the book, with the rich, secret ridden and not entirely likeable Schroeder-Olsen family at its centre, making their fortune not on the oilfields of California past, but harvesting and dispersing toxic waste on the beautiful Norwegian landscape. The wheelchair bound patriarch, reminiscent of old man Sternwood in Chandler’s classic, and the strong floral motif encapsulated in the character of the damaged young daughter Siv Schroeder-Olsen, also reminding me of the opening to The Big Sleep. The family are complex in terms of their relationships with each other, with a degree of avarice, envy and murderous intent at its very core, and the differing representations of themselves that they present to both the outside world, and to Veum himself as he digs deeper into the heart of their familial loyalty and treacherous disloyalty.

Once again, Staalesen demonstrates his superior, and always authoritative plotting carefully intertwining the three cases that Veum becomes embroiled in, leading to a clever interlinking of the three and the part that this family plays in all of them. Along the way, we see Veum’s growing affinity with the daughter Siv, a true innocent, and how this impacts on his determination to bring some justice and resolution. As the level of dishonesty and destructive sense of self-preservation that this family imbue becomes more apparent, Veum’s steely determination to expose their sins drives him on relentlessly. As usual, Staalesen brings the reader along effortlessly, as through Veum we uncover the clues and form our own theories as to the guilty parties and what has driven them to behave in certain ways. It’s always enjoyable to play along with the investigation in this way, and that’s what makes these books so singularly enjoyable every time.

And what of the indomitable Veum himself, following his period of rehabilitation? Well, he’s lost none of his intuitive and dogged nature, and despite the demons that haunt him, and at times rise to the surface again in the course of this investigation, he is still a man you would want on your side in times of trouble. He has a ferocity of spirit, cleverly masked by the laconic and cynical front he presents to the world, that leads to a stubborn intent to see his cases solved, and justice attained, that is wholly admirable. His methods may be questionable at times, but it definitely all adds to his charm.

Bitter Flowers is, as always a masterclass in plotting , pace and characterisation, carefully weaving in themes and tropes that strike home with the contemporary reader, although the books are set some distance in the past. However, the themes of betrayal and criminality are timeless, and nothing beats a good, slightly old-fashioned private investigator whittling away at a seemingly unsolvable case or three, and Varg Veum is a classic example of this. The translation by Don Bartlett is as accomplished as ever, sharing the tenor of Staalesen’s voice and humour so beautifully. Much as I hate to repeat myself, this one can only be classed as highly recommended. Bring on the next…

I’m always happy to catch up with Varg Veum, the quintessential Nordic investigator, and Bitter Flowers proved to be another challenging case for Veum and me both!

Bitter Flowers starts where Fallen Angels ended: it’s the 1980s and Veum is fresh out of rehab. He’s doing really well and his physiotherapist and friend Lisbeth Finslo managed to land him an easy-peasy job house-sitting for a wealthy couple while they’re travelling.

Obviously, it’s all too good to be true. While Lisbeth shows him around the house, they discover a body in the swimming pool. And while Veum is fishing said body from said pool, Lisbeth disappears. And so, after one short chapter, my WTH sensors were on high alert and Gunnar Staalesen had my full attention.

It gets worse though (or even better, depending on your point of view). It soon appears that this current death might be linked to the disappearance of a little girl eight years before. As Veum digs deeper, he discovers another event that might be linked to both cases. After a while it starts to feel a little incestuous, all these people who are somehow linked, all these threads that are somehow connected, yet I could not figure it out. The truth was just around the corner but it kept eluding me.

I had the best time trying to put the pieces together, although it did feel like making a jigsaw puzzle without being able to look at the picture on the box. I was 100% certain about one element but in the end I was proven dead wrong, there’s a reason why Veum’s the PI and I’m not.

Bitter Flowers is a fabulous slice of Nordic Noir, clever and intricate, featuring one of my favourite Nordic characters. Veum is self-deprecating and has this dry sense of humour that never fails to make me snort. If you’re into the Varg Veum series, I heartily recommend you add Bitter Flowers to your collection, and if you’re new to the series but would like to give it a try, this is actually a great place to start, because this is not an instalment that relies heavily on previous books.

Massive thanks to Orenda Books for the gorgeous proof. All opinions are still my own.

Sometimes you don’t have to know what the book’s about to be interested in it; this is one of those cases, since the first sentence it was impossible to stop reading.
When Veum is asked to take care of the house for holidays, I doubt that he would think that his life would change so much within a few minutes; from finding a body at the pool to having to stop a disaster within a few days of difference. He has been away for personal reasons but now he will have to return to work as a Private Investigator if he wants to find the truth.
Reading one of the Gunnar Staalesen books is a sign that the book will be complex and very interesting; you can’t stop reading and wanting to know more about the story. Believe me when I say that this book will not be different; how can a man in a pool be related to a missing case and a environmental disaster?
Veum will not have an easy case in his hands, no one is ready to talk or to help him in the case, not even the police. But, it’s not difficult to like Veum; because he knows his faults and doesn’t try to be perfect, for me that’s the best way a character can be described, no one is perfect, you only have to accept it! But this will be a complicated case and he will have to be quick to solve the case before it’s too late.
I loved this story, I was a little bit confused sometimes with all the characters involved in the plot, but when the case is solved everything will be forgotten, this is how good the ending is; everything will fit perfectly.
Are you ready for the “Bitter Flowers”?