BOOK TIP

The Chestnut Man

Søren Sveistrup

You know those lifestyle analyses that continually claim stuff like, "Finland is the happiest country in the world!" or "People in Denmark smile more than anyone else!" or "Swedes live longer!" or "Study shows Norwegians never pout or scowl!"? Well, that's because Scandinavia has so many serial killer novelists that folks' evil tendencies are eliminated by reading about awfulness. Me? I love it. The latest Dane to debut a serial killer novel is Søren Sveistrup, already famous as the weirdo who wrote the scripts for the incredibly dark "The Killing" TV series. His book, "The Chestnut Man," about a slayer who severs the hands of his victims and leaves a souvenir doll made of two chestnuts at the crime scene, is highly recommended. There's a panoply of wonderfully drawn characters, a complex, multifaceted plot, and high doses of gloomy autumn atmosphere.