Book Reviews

‘The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.’ Alan Bennett

“Many a book is like a key to unknown chambers within the castle of one’s own self.” ― Franz Kafka

Friday 9 May 2014

Book Beginnings: Cold Hearts by Gunnar Staalesen



Gilion at Rose City Reader hosts Book Beginnings on Fridays - The idea is 'to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.' Hash tag #BookBeginnings for twitter and a master linky list on the host's blog.


I'm reading Cold Hearts by Gunnar Staalesen, published by Arcadia Books.

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Here's the beginning...

'I was dancing the bridal waltz with Beate, but I was not in heaven; I was at Mari and Thomas's wedding in Loten one boiling hot day in June, 1997.
I had met her at Oslo Station. She had come from Stavanger, I had come from Bergen. Since the last time I saw her she had had her hair cut short and there were red flecks in it, but her eyes were as I always remembered them: cornflower blue with a touch of aggrieved sorrow She was dressed in a youthful style: jeans, pale green T-shirt and a light reddish-brown summer jacket. She gave me a quick hug, flashed me a wry smile and said: 'Event of the year? Our only son getting married...'

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Have you read this novel? What did you think of it? Do you like the beginning?

Have a great weekend whatever you are reading!

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About the book...

On a frosty January day in Bergen, Private Detective Varg Veum is visited by a prostitute. Her friend Margrethe has disappeared and hasn't been seen for days. Before her disappearance, something had unsettled her: she'd turned away a customer and returned to the neighbourhood in terror. Shortly after taking the case, Veum is confronted with a brutal, uneasy reality. He soon finds the first body - and it won't be the last either. His investigation leads him into a dark subculture where corrupted idealism has had deadly consequences.


6 comments:

  1. I'm intrigued. I like the way the author takes us into the scene and lets us know that he and his wife are divorced (or separated) without saying "we are divorced." Sounds like a good plot.
    Here's the link to my Friday post: MOVING IN.

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  2. The start is good. I agree with Sandra it is well written and reveals information in a much better way because it is indirect.

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  3. Sounds so good! Thanks for sharing...and enjoy. Here's mine: LANDLINE


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  4. Love the scene.

    THANKS for sharing and for stopping by my blog earlier.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Book Beginnings

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  5. That beginning certainly does draw you into the midst of things. Haven't heard of this book or author before, but I'm definitely intrigued.

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  6. Yes I would read it. Wasn't prepared for that bit of dialogue at the end.

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