Bitter Flowers by Gunnar Staalesen

Thank you to Anne Cater for allowing me to take part in the blog tour. Thank you to Orenda Books for the advance readers copy. All view are my own.

There are books that are being written for the story. There are books that are being written for the characters. There are books that are being written to share a message, to prove a point. I could probably go on and on about the type of books that are being written but Bitter Flowers can’t so easily pushed in one of the before mentioned categories.

I have enjoyed Bitter Flowers over a period of a week, in which I was stressed at work and the only thing that I was looking for every night was to return to this book. And regardless how much I wanted to put the book down, every night I had a fight with myself as the more I read the more invested I was in the setting, the characters, the story, the words.

Not convinced? Then just answer me this. What would you do if a body would turn up in a swimming pool? And what connection has that body to an eight year old missing persons case?

Staalesen puts Bergen on the scandi noir map with a strong sense of place, an amazing cast of characters and a perfectly attentive narrative filled with tone and mood.

Ninth in the series, Bitter Flowers can be easily read as a stand alone. There is not much introduction needed for the main character as we are learning very quickly about his flaws. A staple of the noir novel we learn to love the main character through their flaws, and Varg Velum is no different. We begin with his release from rehab and as he tries to recover he takes a seamless innocent task of house sitting. However from the mood that Staalesen creates through carefully chosen words and topic, we understand that this won’t be a relaxing holiday.

Structurally, Bitter Flowers is built upon deceit but also fits in the category of what I like to refer to as a “fair-game”. Staalesen relays the events through the eyes of Varg that are infused with his character but we get a plethora of clues to be able to follow along and make our own minds up as to who the murderer is. But one mystery remains. What does the body in the swimming pool have to do with a missing persons case from over eight years ago to do with one another? Are they linked or are they two separate cases?

As a fan of the Harry Hole series, I relished the ninth instalment and I am really curious to do a deep dive in the series to see the character progression in the series. Laced with strong narrative and a impactful sense of place, Bitter Flowers is a must-read for Scandinavian noir fans. Bitter Flowers is now out in paperback from Orenda Books, which only highlights the powerhouse of books that the team there have lined up for us.