Nitten røde roser

by Torben Nielsen

Negentien rode rozen liggen op de plaats waar een negentienjarig meisje bruut is doodgereden door een aangeschoten gezelschap: twee mannen met hun vriendinnen. De vriend van het slachtoffer neemt op meedogenloze 'idealistische' wijze wraak en - met gelijke munt terugbetalend - treft hij hen in wat hun het dierbaarst is. Het is aanvankelijk voor de Kopenhaagse politie vrijwel onmogelijk het patroon te herkennen dat achter een aantal schijnbaar los van elkaar staande moorden schuilgaat...

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Danish

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Heidi Nissov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute classic

[Chris Browning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting but also very flawed, this is a sort of nascent bit of scandinoir that doesn’t have the same intellectual rigour and care that Sjöwall and Wahlöö brought to their books but has a very jet black sensibility to the plot. It’s an inverted crime novel, so you’re playing catch up with the detectives who, for once, get their man through dogged plodding police work and some mental leaps that Nielsen actually talks us through believably.

Where it’s flawed is in the occasional flashes of uncomfortable racism - that I’m not sure are character based - and some plotting disasters: why does the victim’s family not know this boyfriend who we are told identifies her as a victim? And yes, I get that said boyfriend is meant to be going a bit mad and is all into symbolism and everything, but the plot doesn’t so much leap unexpectedly to an ending where the murderer decides to take his sweet fucking time, as absolutely collapse

It’s a real shame those elements aren’t tidied up, because the best moments are great: the toffees endlessly eaten by one of the detectives feels like that rarity, an affectation that feels honest and well observed; that a detective starts seeing patterns in the crime because he’s thinking about how shoes are paired and that leads him into thinking about same but different items; a woman policeman who is very keen to get involved in a trap towards the end because it gives her something to do that isn’t just bloody talking to bereaved families; and finally a detective ruefully complaining that he isn’t bloody Maigret

[Alfie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my absolute favourite book of all time, and that's saying a lot because I've read many books - and many books that are far more popular and successful. This is one I keep coming back to and always will. It holds me captive every time until I reach the last page, even though I already know what happens. It manipulates your emotions and your own morals masterfully. I can't say much more than I love this book, and I wish more people knew about it (but then again, considering how people treat books on here, maybe it's for the best that they don't...)

[Keld Yding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spændende og letlæst. Godt plot. God krimi.

[Luukas Lammi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dette var mit første forsøg at læse på dansk mens jeg prøver at lære mig sproget, og jeg synes at det gik godt. Bogen selv var kun ok.

[Henni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeg havde godt set filmen for mange år siden og husker dem som rigtig spændende. Men alligevel var jeg lidt skeptisk, det er jo alligevel en bog med nogle år på bagen.
Men tvivlen blev hurtigt fjernet, der er højspænding næsten lige fra starten og man har svært ved ikke lige at tage et kapitel mere.
Godt at det er en forholdsvis tynd bog..

[Mads Peter Rommedahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Danish thriller with a plot usually reserved for American movies. Surprisingly, it actually works here!

[Pippii · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another old Danish Crime classic......

[Christian Nielsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Denne bog er en påmindelse om, hvorfor folk der ikke kan forlade en bog ufærdige lider meget