First Look
First Look: The Chestnut Man
Nothing chills quite like Scandi Noir, does it? Crime fiction fans have spent a good 10-15 years gorging themselves on the smörgåsbord offered up by our Nordic neighbours. Understandably so too; no other part of the world has served up such a consistent diet of terrifically high quality, if rather blood-splattered, fare.
And it looks like the trend is here to stay, with the future as bright as the driven snow for Scandinavian crime fiction – which is rather pleasing news for all of us who love it.
The latest Nordic Noir to thrill television audiences looks set to be an adaptation of Danish author Søren Sveistrup’s 2018 book The Chestnut Man, known as Kastanjemanden in its native Denmark.
Filmed for – and to be released on – Netflix, hopes are high that The Chestnut Man could be the Next Big Thing, mostly due to the quality of the source material. Described as being ‘like a Stieg Larsson, but better’, the book comes from the keyboard of the screenwriter behind the unrivalled series The Killing. A BAFTA and Emmy award-winning scribe, Sveistrup’s transfer to novel writing was a smooth one indeed. Since its initial release, the book has been translated into almost 30 languages in more than 50 countries.
Here’s a trailer for the Netflix series. Fair warning… it’s fairly creepy viewing:
The plot revolves around the discovery of a handless corpse. Found in a children’s playground in suburban Copenhagen, the body of the woman is (somewhat ironically) found with a unique fingerprint on it – that of a young girl who was murdered a year previously in a case that was never solved. Above the body, there’s a bizarre little doll made out of chestnuts: a calling card from the murderer.
Hungry young detective Naia Thulin (Danica Curcic) and her brand new partner Mark Hess (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) are given the case. But it’s no investigation for an amateur. The Chestnut Man isn’t finished yet…
Sveistrup has high hopes for the adaptation of his much-loved debut novel. ‘Netflix has shown a strong, genuine interest in my book,’ he says. ‘I’m excited about the deal and confident that Netflix will be the perfect place for The Chestnut Man.’
‘After the success of The Rain, we are excited to announce our next Danish Original which will be building on the great tradition of Nordic Noir. We were instantly compelled by the strong story and Søren’s voice. We are looking forward to bringing The Chestnut Man to our global audience’, added Tasha Crawford of Netflix’s International Originals team.
The Chestnut Man lands on Netflix on Wednesday 29th September, with all six of the 50-minute episodes available for you to devour immediately.
Can’t wait to see The Chestnut Man on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
Read the first chapter of The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup here.
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The book was good and the TV does the book justice. I did not know the actors but they did a good job of capturing the characters. It was good, really really good. I may watch it again.