Why a Booktrail?
2000s: Varg Veum is back with his most personal case yet.
Wolves at the Door
What you need to know before your trail
One dark January night a car drives at high speed towards PI Varg Veum, and comes very close to killing him. Veum is certain this is no accident, following so soon after the deaths of two jailed men who were convicted for their participation in a case of child pornography and sexual assault … crimes that Veum himself once stood wrongly accused of committing.
While the guilty men were apparently killed accidentally, Varg suspects that there is something more sinister at play … and that he’s on the death list of someone still at large.
Fearing for his life, Veum begins to investigate the old case, interviewing the victims of abuse and delving deeper into the brutal crimes, with shocking results. The wolves are no longer in the dark … they are at his door. And they want vengeance.
Travel Guide
Welcome to Varg Veum’s Bergen
This isn’t the nicest view of Bergen you will see in this novel as Varg gets himself tangled in a cold case which gets very personal. He has to visit some dubious places in and around the city. There are also crime scenes involving large blocks of flats and even pretty fjords which take on a very sinister tone in the hands of this author.
The guide around Bergen this time revolves around the police station, crime scenes and the various shopping centres! There’s quite a few in Bergen it would seem and there’s a lot of time spent in them during the investigations. An interesting way of navigating the city!
This novel has dark overtones as shown by the visits to nearby Tonsberg and the Child Refugee Centre.
Booktrailer Review
Norway’s favourite private investigator – Varg Veum – is back and this is one tough case. He’s investigating the deaths of two men accused of the most heinous crime of all – child abuse – a crime he was once wrongly accused of himself. With the deaths and no one taking an interest in them, Varg fears he might be next. So this case is more personal than most.
The issue of child abuse is not an easy or comfortable one to read about and this does make for some very tough reading at times. This nature of crime makes it understandable why no-one seems bothered about their deaths. The authorities however show a worrying lack of interest and so the scene is set for Varg to take on this personal case. He takes the investigation to heart and carries the reader along for the bumpy yet interesting ride.
Varg is like a dog with a bone. He never lets go of what he’s hunting. In this case, everyone is hiding something and there are some very dark discoveries along the way. The pace matches the story – slow and measured – and that fits well pulling you along with time to reflect.
Although child abuse is a central theme, sex-trafficking and the failings of the justice system and police investigations are also examined. It’s a dark read but one deftly handled by Gunnar and of course Don Bartlett.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Wolves at the Door
Destination: Bergen Author/guide: Gunnar Staalesen Departure Time: 2000s
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
