Big Sister by Gunnar Staalesen

Author : Gunnar Staalesen
Title : Big Sister
Published : 21/06/2018
Pages : 276
Genre : Crime / Mystery
Publisher : Orenda 











     Varg Veum receives a surprise visit to his office. A woman introduces herself as his half-sister, and she has a job for him. Her god-daughter, a 19-year-old trainee nurse from Haugesund, moved from her bedsit in Bergen two weeks ago. Since then no one has heard anything from her. She didn't leave an address. She doesn't answer her phone. And the police refuse to take her case seriously. Veum's investigation uncovers a series of carefully covered-up crimes and pent-up hatreds, and the trail leads to a gang of extreme bikers on the hunt for a group of people whose dark deeds are hidden by the anonymity of the Internet. And then things get personal…

     By the time I got around to buying a copy of this book I had to see so many great things written about it, I was starting to get a little nervous. I'm a big fan of private detective story's, some of my first forays into the world of crime fiction where in this genre, all be it mostly Philip Marlowe stories. The plot did strike me that it could easily have come from one of those greats in the genre and it felt like it hit all those key points you would hope to see. I did, however, have the thought that I have yet to come across a truly bad Scandinavia noir book. 

      This was my first introduction to Varg Veum and his world, mostly down to no realizing this is book number twenty in the series. He felt to me like someone very at home in his world, He has more than likely seen most of what the world can throw at him and it feels like it would take a lot to push him off balance. It was great to see such a well-established character in his full stride as he makes his way from one clue to the next. He is someone who understands human nature and it allows him to quickly size up people. In a departure from most of his counterparts, Varg doesn't seem completely miserable with life. He is a man who has comes to terms with his lot in life so there is little to distract him from the job at hand. 

     Throughout the book the biggest theme is that of family, be it the ones we a born to or those we choose. He dissects the familiar relationship and boils them down to there worsts aspects. But it is through these actions we get to see deeper truths and the realization that we have no control over people especially our parents. He sees that as children we forgo the thought that they had lives before we came along, each carrying actions that live long after we come along and sometimes can impact on our own lives. Much like his forebears in this genre, this book is not a fasted pace affair. While they do have moments of actions they are not the prime focus. Here I felt that the author is looking to ask questions of the reader along his path to solving the mystery. I suppose by the time you get to writing the twentieth book in a series you have well established what you a going to give your readers. He is clearly an author who is great at doing his job, Throughout his writing, I realized he doesn't wast a single word or sentence. He brings you in and constructs a world around you, one that is so familiar that it allows you to get lost in his story. This comes as a relief as it gave the chance to get lost in his story all the while trying to pick apart the things the characters say in an attempt to be Veum and solve the case.

     In many ways, this book feels like a stand-alone novel. By the time I got to the end, I felt happy with not only the tale but also the way in which the mystery was constructed. He also gave me a new lead in which to invest some more of my time. It comes across a lot like the books that started this genre back in the day. This is never a bad thing and gives me hope for the future of the genre. In the hands of people like Staalesen, it may long continue.