Wolves in the Dark

By Gunnar Staalesen

On the path to self-destruction after the death of his girlfriend, things take a turn for the worse, when child pornography is found on Varg Veum’s computer and he must battle to prove his innocence … the chilling new instalment in the award-winning Varg Veum series, by one of the fathers of Nordic Noir.

‘Mature and captivating’ Rosemary Goring, Herald Scotland

‘Moving, uncompromising’ Publishers Weekly

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Reeling from the death of his great love, Karin, Varg Veum’s life has descended into a self-destructive spiral of alcohol, lust, grief and blackouts.

When traces of child pornography are found on his computer, he’s accused of being part of a paedophile ring and thrown into a prison cell. There, he struggles to sift through his past to work out who is responsible for planting the material … and who is seeking the ultimate revenge.

When a chance to escape presents itself, Varg finds himself on the run in his hometown of Bergen. With the clock ticking and the police on his tail, Varg takes on his hardest – and most personal – case yet.

Dark, emotive and compulsive, Wolves in the Dark is the absorbing, shocking next instalment in the addictive Varg Veum series, by one of the fathers of Nordic Noir.

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Praise for Gunnar Staalesen

'There is a world-weary existential sadness that hangs over his central detective. The prose is stripped back and simple … deep emotion bubbling under the surface – the real turmoil of the characters’ lives just under the surface for the reader to intuit, rather than have it spelled out for them’ Doug Johnstone, The Big Issue

‘Gunnar Staalesen is one of my very favourite Scandinavian authors. Operating out of Bergen in Norway, his private eye, Varg Veum, is a complex but engaging anti-hero. Varg means “wolf ” in Norwegian, and this is a series with very sharp teeth’ Ian Rankin

‘Staalesen continually reminds us he is one of the finest of Nordic novelists’ Financial Times

‘Chilling and perilous results — all told in a pleasingly dry style’ Sunday Times

‘Staalesen does a masterful job of exposing the worst of Norwegian society in this highly disturbing entry’ Publishers Weekly

'The Varg Veum series is more concerned with character and motivation than spectacle, and it’s in the quieter scenes that the real drama lies’ Herald Scotland

'Every inch the equal of his Nordic confreres Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbo' Independent

‘Not many books hook you in the first chapter – this one did, and never let go!’ Mari Hannah

‘With an expositional style that is all but invisible, Staalesen masterfully compels us from the first pages … If you’re a fan of Varg Veum, this is not to be missed, and if you’re new to the series, this is one of the best ones. You’re encouraged to jump right in, even if the Norwegian names can be a bit confusing to follow’ Crime Fiction Lover

‘With short, smart, darkly punchy chapters Wolves at the Door is a provocative and gripping read’ LoveReading

‘Haunting, dark and totally noir, a great read’ New Books Magazine

‘An upmarket Philip Marlowe’ Maxim Jakubowski, The Bookseller

‘Razor-edged Scandinavian crime fiction at its finest’ Quentin Bates

• Language: English
• Publisher: ORENDA BOOKS
• Release date: Apr 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781910633731

Gunnar Staalesen

One of the fathers of the Nordic Noir genre, Gunnar Staalesen was born in Bergen, Norway in 1947. He made his debut at the age of twenty-two with Seasons of Innocence and in 1977 he published the first book in the Varg Veum series. He is the author of over twenty-three titles, which have been published in twenty-six countries and sold over five million copies. Twelve film adaptations of his Varg Veum crime novels have appeared since 2007, starring the popular Norwegian actor Trond Epsen Seim, and a further series is currently being filmed. Staalesen, who has won three Golden Pistols (including the Prize of Honour) and the Petrona Award, and been shortlisted for the CWA Dagger, lives in Bergen with his wife.

Reviews for Wolves in the Dark

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The last four years of his life, since Karin's death, have been a nightmare, and now Varg Veum is entering an even worse one.The police have identified him as one of four men who are part of an international paedophile ring. His lawyer wants him to think over the last four years and try to work out who could be responsible. At first Varg can't think of anyone, and then he remembers various cases that he took on, none of which were successful, where someone may have come out harboring a grudge. For the reader it reveals just what Varg has been up to in the last four years and with him we begin to work out who may be responsible for his current situation.An excellent read that really gets you in.

[atticusfinch1048 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wolves in the Dark – The Darkest Underbelly of Nordic NoirIt is hard to believe that Gunnar Staalesen introduced the world to Varg Veum over forty years ago, and that even after all this time, his noir is just as fresh as the first. Never judge his books by the cover (under Orenda Books they are brilliant) or the thickness, what Staalesen delivers in just over two hundred pages others need five hundred. As a wordsmith he wastes nothing, and once again brilliantly translated by Don Bartlett a match made in heaven.Veum’s door bell is ringing and there is hammering at the door, he is still hungover from last night, when he opens the window to find Bergen’s local police force is outside his front door. He lets them in like the good citizen he is, but then finds himself promptly under arrest. He is confused, especially when they seize his computer and mobile phone.It is when he is sat opposite a police solicitor, who has no time for him, and a former contact in the police station, that he is shocked to find he has been arrested for owning and distributing abusive images of children and being part of an international paedophile ring. The police do not believe him when he tells them he has no idea how the images got on his computer, and that he is barely sober, especially since the death of his lover Karin.Even with his solicitors help and the expert he brings in the police simply do not believe Veum and he is forced to think of his more lucid moments as too who may dislike him enough to set him up, but being a private investigator that list is rather long. It is when he is left alone at the police station that the opportunity arises that he escapes and sets out to prove his innocence.Dodging the police around Bergen who are looking to arrest him, he delves in to his memory to think of people who may know there way around a computer who he had annoyed enough to be set up. Unfortunately, he found himself with a long list and he knew he would have to chase down every lead to find the truth. Veum knows that it is not just his reputation on the line but his liberty also.Once again Staalesen proves with this book why he is at the height of his powers, adapting Varg Veum to the age that story is set in. Once again, his gritty writing, conscious of the current fears of society as a whole, and touches the darkest parts of a person’s soul. His storytelling draws you in and leaves you breathless all the way to the end, and like a fine wine, always leaving you wanting more, but you know you blood pressure could not take it.