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Harry Kvist #3
Slugger
I tredje bind af svenske Martin Holméns superseje stockholm-noir anno 1936 findes eksbokseren Harry ” Kvisten” Kvists ven, præsten Gabrielsson, brutalt myrdet på kirkens alter. For at opklare mordet må Kvisten endnu en gang bevæge sig ned i Stockholms skumle underverden, hvor Stockholms kriminelle kæmper om byens distrikter.
I trilogiens første bind, Clinch, var det Kvisten selv, som var anklaget for mord, i andet bind, Nede til tælling, måtte Kvisten opklare mordet på vaskekonen Beda, men i tredje bind, Slugger, er Anden Verdenskrig kommet et skridt nærmere, og mordet på præsten Gabrielsson viser sig hurtigt at trække tråde til det nationalsocialistiske miljø i Tyskland, Europas rådne hjerte.
Men hvorfor virker politiet ikke særligt interesserede i at opklare mordet? Det er op til Kvisten at regne ud i kampen for at fange en morder i tredje og sidste bind af trilogien om Harry ” Kvisten” Kvist.
I trilogiens første bind, Clinch, var det Kvisten selv, som var anklaget for mord, i andet bind, Nede til tælling, måtte Kvisten opklare mordet på vaskekonen Beda, men i tredje bind, Slugger, er Anden Verdenskrig kommet et skridt nærmere, og mordet på præsten Gabrielsson viser sig hurtigt at trække tråde til det nationalsocialistiske miljø i Tyskland, Europas rådne hjerte.
Men hvorfor virker politiet ikke særligt interesserede i at opklare mordet? Det er op til Kvisten at regne ud i kampen for at fange en morder i tredje og sidste bind af trilogien om Harry ” Kvisten” Kvist.
371 pages, Hardcover
First published September 22, 2017
5 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Martin Holmén
17 books62 followersBasic information: Swedish writer, based in Stockholm. Born in 1974. Teaches History, Swedish and History of Culture and Ideas at an upper secondary school in Stockholm two days a week. Author of the Harry Kvist trilogy (Sweden) or the Stockholm trilogy (UK/USA) or the Metropol series (France).
The first installment CLINCH is set in 1932 when the economic depression hits Sweden. It has been described as gritty, stylish, queer noir fiction with a unique Swedish flavour. Available, or soon to be released, in Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Here are three reactions to the english version - from some authorities in the field:
Lynda la Plante : "Clinch is a dark, atmospheric, powerful thriller, the best debut novel I’ve read in years"
Val McDermid: "If Chandler and Hammett had truly walked on the wild side, it would read like Clinch."
Kate Rhodes: "Martin Holmen’s debut novel is a real tour de force. His taut dialogue is reminiscent of early Hemingway and CLINCH is a fascinating race through 1930s Stockholm."
CLINCH was released in Sweden in 2015, DOWN FOR THE COUNT in 2016 and the final installment SLUGGER in 2017. Also a contributor to the anthology of short stories STOCKHOLM NOIR (Editors Nathan Larson and Carl-Michael Edenborg, USA 2016).
Influences span from pulp and film noir to classic hardboiled American fiction like Jim Thompson, to the autodidact writers of Swedens early working class movement like Jan Fridegård, to Russian realists and French naturalist authors, to vintage sleaze, action movies, video games, Frank Miller comics and great Americana like Hemingway, Faulkner or Steinbeck. I know - it's a somewhat contradictory list. Just doing my thing here. Please don't take me too seriously - I know I don't.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 13, 2019
Out with fists and guns ablazing.
Holmen closes his Kvist trilogy with Slugger, where an introspective Kvist goes over his life. A life lived like a game with an oppontent using loaded dice which always fall against our Kvist. Is he a hero, slugging away fist after fist, or is he a guy who chooses badly? In true noir fashion Holmen places the hero against all odds, against life itself. His setting in black, desperate and poor, our Kvist has only his fists and hope to feed him along.
Hopeful me, struggles against so despairing a life, I want to believe that we always have better choices, something better to get to. But Holmen did make me wonder if this is so, not just wishful thinking on my part. Can life really be so dark, or is this just a noir?
Good one Mr Holmen. Looking forward to your next offerings.
September 25, 2017
The wild finish of the Harry Kvist saga and I'm going out guns blazing.
February 3, 2019
For me, personally, it was THE BEST installment in the series. And of course, an admirable final of a great series. And...the one that drove me nuts THE MOST. No, not because of Kvist or a story-line. But because of Martin Holmén, or, better to say, his writing style, every now and then.
He has an affinity for A VERY DETAILED writing style: I HATED it and...I LOVED it of course. Do I need to know the exact detailed description of the people passing by, for example, who have nothing to do with a story AT ALL?! But otherwise...how could you create this fantastic historical atmosphere of 1930's Stockholm?!..Every detail counts.
The suspense in the last part of the book was hardly to endure . But it is not only the suspense, it is a lyrical prose, poetic language and irony, a fascinating character, an amazing Nordic Noir full of the deepest melancholy.
The ending was not THAT surprising, though I honestly hoped to get another outcome.
If you want a different outcome, you can skip the epilogue. But I don't think you should do it.
Martin Holmén, you are on my radar. I am looking forward to your next book!
He has an affinity for A VERY DETAILED writing style: I HATED it and...I LOVED it of course. Do I need to know the exact detailed description of the people passing by, for example, who have nothing to do with a story AT ALL?! But otherwise...how could you create this fantastic historical atmosphere of 1930's Stockholm?!..Every detail counts.
The suspense in the last part of the book was hardly to endure . But it is not only the suspense, it is a lyrical prose, poetic language and irony, a fascinating character, an amazing Nordic Noir full of the deepest melancholy.
The ending was not THAT surprising, though I honestly hoped to get another outcome.
If you want a different outcome, you can skip the epilogue. But I don't think you should do it.
Martin Holmén, you are on my radar. I am looking forward to your next book!
March 10, 2019
This is the final part of the Stockholm Trilogy with ex-boxer Harry "Kvisten" Kvist back on the streets after another spell in prison and working as a debt collector. His life revolves around the worst criminal elements of 1930's Stockholm.
Sweden's capital not only has to contend with the powerful gangster syndicates which control the city but also the rise of National Socialism. As with Germany and other European countries at this time, there are street battles between Nazis and Communists. In the aftermath of one of these street fights, Harry is badly beaten by police, even though he was only a bystander.
One of his friends, a Catholic priest, Gabrielson, is found brutally murdered in his church and Harry decides to investigate, using his fists as a means of interrogating witnesses and possible suspects. The nature of the priest's death leads to a rise in anti-Semitism as Jews are blamed for his murder.
Kvist's closest friend is an elderly undertaker, Lundin, who he looks after as the man is slowly dying. Meantime he drinks and wanders the streets having occasional run-ins with the police who won't give him a break. He is approached by Ma - the female head of one of Stockholm's largest gangs - who tries to coerce Harry into working for her with the promise of helping him leave Sweden and travel to the USA where he has family.
Stockholm is in the grip of a heatwave which serves only to add to the sense of doom and gloom which permeates this tale. Harry's inquiries lead him to discover that a gang of smugglers may have been responsible for Gabrielson's murder or that the priest's anti-Nazi stance was the reason for his death. Harry becomes involved in a plot by Ma to destroy one of the city's big gangs. As the story moves forward to an extremely violent and bloody climax, he clings to his dream of escaping to America.
He has a pessimistic view of life. "You're born, you die. The rest is just numbers." is one of the book's memorable quotes and, despite the relentless mix of poverty and violence, the language of "Slugger" verges on the poetic in places. After finishing this book, I felt as if I'd gone 15 rounds in a boxing ring. This is a portrayal of the worst of life in a major European city during the years of the Great Depression - peopled by pimps, prostitutes, back street abortionists, petty thieves and murderous gangsters. It's an exhausting but also an exhilarating read and made me want to check out the first two books in this series.
Sweden's capital not only has to contend with the powerful gangster syndicates which control the city but also the rise of National Socialism. As with Germany and other European countries at this time, there are street battles between Nazis and Communists. In the aftermath of one of these street fights, Harry is badly beaten by police, even though he was only a bystander.
One of his friends, a Catholic priest, Gabrielson, is found brutally murdered in his church and Harry decides to investigate, using his fists as a means of interrogating witnesses and possible suspects. The nature of the priest's death leads to a rise in anti-Semitism as Jews are blamed for his murder.
Kvist's closest friend is an elderly undertaker, Lundin, who he looks after as the man is slowly dying. Meantime he drinks and wanders the streets having occasional run-ins with the police who won't give him a break. He is approached by Ma - the female head of one of Stockholm's largest gangs - who tries to coerce Harry into working for her with the promise of helping him leave Sweden and travel to the USA where he has family.
Stockholm is in the grip of a heatwave which serves only to add to the sense of doom and gloom which permeates this tale. Harry's inquiries lead him to discover that a gang of smugglers may have been responsible for Gabrielson's murder or that the priest's anti-Nazi stance was the reason for his death. Harry becomes involved in a plot by Ma to destroy one of the city's big gangs. As the story moves forward to an extremely violent and bloody climax, he clings to his dream of escaping to America.
He has a pessimistic view of life. "You're born, you die. The rest is just numbers." is one of the book's memorable quotes and, despite the relentless mix of poverty and violence, the language of "Slugger" verges on the poetic in places. After finishing this book, I felt as if I'd gone 15 rounds in a boxing ring. This is a portrayal of the worst of life in a major European city during the years of the Great Depression - peopled by pimps, prostitutes, back street abortionists, petty thieves and murderous gangsters. It's an exhausting but also an exhilarating read and made me want to check out the first two books in this series.
July 9, 2019
Slugger is the final volume in the Harry Kvist trilogy. If, like myself, this is your introduction to this work, you’ll do just fine. While the story might mistakenly be included in a list of Scandinavian crime fiction, that probably isn’t right. It’s noir in the sense of deep despair, desperation, bleakness, ennui. Whether set in the Florida swamps or the alleys of Philadelphia, noir paints a world of darkness and violence and that’s what you get here. Forget unicorns and elves and the like. The novel is filled with violence that never ends, of debauchery, of desperation.
The setting is Stockholm in the mid 1930’s. The civil war rages in Spain. The Communists and the Nazis are marching in the streets. Gangsters are struggling for power. Corruption and backstabbers are common.
Harry Kvist revels in violence, in viciousness, in base deeds. He was a boxer who was forced to leave the organized sport after being caught grappling in a locker room with another guy. He earned his keep thereafter fighting in pubs, street corners, drinking himself to oblivion. Now out of prison, he is a sort of detective, not above taking pay for dishing out a beating, not above doing whatever needs doing to get answers. Not above trying to stay alive and maybe has a glimmer of hope in going to America to see his daughter.
This is one of those novels that thrives on the prose which is rich and expressive. It creates a world in Stockholm which is unlike anything the tourist class ever saw. A world of viciousness and without mercy.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.
The setting is Stockholm in the mid 1930’s. The civil war rages in Spain. The Communists and the Nazis are marching in the streets. Gangsters are struggling for power. Corruption and backstabbers are common.
Harry Kvist revels in violence, in viciousness, in base deeds. He was a boxer who was forced to leave the organized sport after being caught grappling in a locker room with another guy. He earned his keep thereafter fighting in pubs, street corners, drinking himself to oblivion. Now out of prison, he is a sort of detective, not above taking pay for dishing out a beating, not above doing whatever needs doing to get answers. Not above trying to stay alive and maybe has a glimmer of hope in going to America to see his daughter.
This is one of those novels that thrives on the prose which is rich and expressive. It creates a world in Stockholm which is unlike anything the tourist class ever saw. A world of viciousness and without mercy.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.
April 12, 2019
Slugger is the third book in the Harry Kvist trilogy by Swedish author and teacher, Martin Holmén. It is flawlessly translated from Swedish by Annie Prime. It’s summer, 1936, a heatwave, and Harry Kvist, now almost forty, is wondering if he’s going soft: he has just surprised himself with an act of kindness. But his mood is immediately darkened when he learns that Reverend August Gabrielsson has been murdered. DCI Alvar Berglund lets him see his friend, crucified with 9-inch nails on the floor of Katarina Church, a star of David sketched in blood at his head.
Harry does not get involved in politics, but he knows Gabrielsson was strongly anti-Nazi, and has no faith in Stockholm’s Police Force to deliver justice, so it’s up to him to mete out punishment once he finds the killer. His enquiries point him in a certain direction, but he has other demands on his time: his boxing trainee, Hesse is due for a bout; his landlord is ailing and needs his care; a lover has materialised in his life; and a letter from America holds promise of a sort.
Most disturbing, though, is the demand from one of Stockholm’s gangster families for his cooperation in what looks like becoming a turf war. Kvist works alone, and is inclined to believe this can’t end well for him. Another stint in Långholmen prison? Going out with a bang would be preferable.
Once again, Holmén conjures seedy mid-1930s Stockholm with consummate ease: men in hats and suits, the scarcity of telephones, the mix of horse-drawn and petrol-driven vehicles. There’s lots of smoking (Harry is seldom without a cigar in his mouth); there’s lots of hard liquor, violence and gunplay. The heatwave means lice infestations, dust and public water so scarce there’s a bounty on stray dogs. The humour, too, is dry and often black, and it’s Harry Kvist, so the sex is not vanilla.
Holmén’s descriptive prose is often evocative: “We approach an old lady sitting on a wooden bench on the level of the secondary grammar school. Life has carved razor-sharp lines in her sunburnt face. She dunks an old crust of bread in milk and shoves it in her mouth. She holds out a cupped hand as we pass. A moist, slovenly sound comes from her toothless mouth, almost like when you poke some bastard’s eyeball.”
The plot is riveting, rushing the reader headlong to an exciting climax: a dramatic chase, plenty of dead bodies and a miraculous escape, all against the backdrop of the imminent Nazi menace. It’s dark and gritty, and a fitting end to this brilliant Scandinavian trilogy.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Pushkin Press.
Harry does not get involved in politics, but he knows Gabrielsson was strongly anti-Nazi, and has no faith in Stockholm’s Police Force to deliver justice, so it’s up to him to mete out punishment once he finds the killer. His enquiries point him in a certain direction, but he has other demands on his time: his boxing trainee, Hesse is due for a bout; his landlord is ailing and needs his care; a lover has materialised in his life; and a letter from America holds promise of a sort.
Most disturbing, though, is the demand from one of Stockholm’s gangster families for his cooperation in what looks like becoming a turf war. Kvist works alone, and is inclined to believe this can’t end well for him. Another stint in Långholmen prison? Going out with a bang would be preferable.
Once again, Holmén conjures seedy mid-1930s Stockholm with consummate ease: men in hats and suits, the scarcity of telephones, the mix of horse-drawn and petrol-driven vehicles. There’s lots of smoking (Harry is seldom without a cigar in his mouth); there’s lots of hard liquor, violence and gunplay. The heatwave means lice infestations, dust and public water so scarce there’s a bounty on stray dogs. The humour, too, is dry and often black, and it’s Harry Kvist, so the sex is not vanilla.
Holmén’s descriptive prose is often evocative: “We approach an old lady sitting on a wooden bench on the level of the secondary grammar school. Life has carved razor-sharp lines in her sunburnt face. She dunks an old crust of bread in milk and shoves it in her mouth. She holds out a cupped hand as we pass. A moist, slovenly sound comes from her toothless mouth, almost like when you poke some bastard’s eyeball.”
The plot is riveting, rushing the reader headlong to an exciting climax: a dramatic chase, plenty of dead bodies and a miraculous escape, all against the backdrop of the imminent Nazi menace. It’s dark and gritty, and a fitting end to this brilliant Scandinavian trilogy.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Pushkin Press.
August 4, 2019
4 1/2 stars. Great (and sad) ending to a trilogy. I hope to see more from this author in the future.
December 30, 2019
Harry Kvist... what can I say? You have touched me in a way that few characters do and I’m mourning the ending of this dark and gritty Stockholm noir series. You’ve taken me for an absolute wild ride of emotions throughout this series and the last pages of ‘Slugger’ had me on the edge of my seat, nail bitten, sighing with relief, and then gasping with disbelief. I’m going to miss you Harry.
Perhaps it’s because I felt like I got to know you... how you think, where you’re from, your vulnerabilities and pain hidden underneath coarse and abrasive exterior. Authentically human, authentically male, tough yet tender, victim yet victor, hopeless yet hopeful. What you see is what you get. I like knowing Harry’s thoughts ... there are a few that resonated for me...
“... something happened to me and I can find no peace; I bear my misery in a way no sensible man would. It is as though I am searching for something, but it’s not the sort of civil investigation I am used to. Before, all my other feelings used to stay inert inside me. I preferred it that way...”
For me, Harry represents the quintessential dilemma of not quite being able to be completely himself. It plays in his head... “one thing for sure; you cannot escape yourself”.
“Hideous memories blaze in my brain. It’s as if the insults sink down to the sludgy bottom of my consciousness and unearth recollections I thought I had drowned in schnapps years ago.”
“It is what it is. It isn’t something you can just force yourself to stop just like that.”
Harry you have been etched in my mind. And in the words of Gabrielsson, for whose death you would avenge, “every person you see is a human being doing their best to find their place in the world. Every single one”.
Thanks Martin for an amazing ride.
Perhaps it’s because I felt like I got to know you... how you think, where you’re from, your vulnerabilities and pain hidden underneath coarse and abrasive exterior. Authentically human, authentically male, tough yet tender, victim yet victor, hopeless yet hopeful. What you see is what you get. I like knowing Harry’s thoughts ... there are a few that resonated for me...
“... something happened to me and I can find no peace; I bear my misery in a way no sensible man would. It is as though I am searching for something, but it’s not the sort of civil investigation I am used to. Before, all my other feelings used to stay inert inside me. I preferred it that way...”
For me, Harry represents the quintessential dilemma of not quite being able to be completely himself. It plays in his head... “one thing for sure; you cannot escape yourself”.
“Hideous memories blaze in my brain. It’s as if the insults sink down to the sludgy bottom of my consciousness and unearth recollections I thought I had drowned in schnapps years ago.”
“It is what it is. It isn’t something you can just force yourself to stop just like that.”
Harry you have been etched in my mind. And in the words of Gabrielsson, for whose death you would avenge, “every person you see is a human being doing their best to find their place in the world. Every single one”.
Thanks Martin for an amazing ride.
January 10, 2019
Could not wait to find out how this trilogy wound itself up - absolutely does not disappoint.
Harry Kvist - the bisexual, ex boxer turned debt collector/detective.
Gives a great sense of place, 1930's Stockholm, with the threat of National Socialism looming.
Harry is a complete anti-hero but our hero nonetheless and I was completely rooting for him all the way.
We have murder, corruption ,gangsters, violence, Nazis.... and a completely unexpected love story.
Almost had to put it down near the end as I was getting nervous over Harry's fate.
Thank you Martin Holmen
Harry Kvist - the bisexual, ex boxer turned debt collector/detective.
Gives a great sense of place, 1930's Stockholm, with the threat of National Socialism looming.
Harry is a complete anti-hero but our hero nonetheless and I was completely rooting for him all the way.
We have murder, corruption ,gangsters, violence, Nazis.... and a completely unexpected love story.
Almost had to put it down near the end as I was getting nervous over Harry's fate.
Thank you Martin Holmen
November 6, 2017
Stockholm noir med fina miljöskildringar eller Raymond Chandler möter Per Anders Fogelström. Sista delen i en trilogi.
August 8, 2019
The final instalment in the Harry Kvist series, SLUGGER, is again, brutal, unflinching, desperate, dark, sad, demoralising, and beautiful. Just like the rest of the series, only more so.
If you're new to these 3 novels (CLINCH, DOWN FOR THE COUNT and finally SLUGGER), then this is a series that can work as a set of standalone novels, but are much better in order. Harry Kvist is, on the face of it, a violent, dark and conflicted character. Ex-boxer, standover man, out homosexual in mid 1930's Stockholm. A Stockholm where he's always inhabited a dark, poor, tricky world, one now plagued by the rise of the Facists with Nazi's openly marching in the streets, and gangsters fighting a deadly turf war.
In this world Harry Kvist maintains an odd balancing act - part of the violence and the excess, he's also capable of extreme tenderness and kindness. In this novel he's caring for his landlord, and part-time boss Lundin, the undertaker who is obviously frail and dying. Then there's his dog Dixie, whose companionship and care remains a bright point in Kvist's otherwise dismal personal life. Although in this novel he's obsessed with the idea of getting to America, to his young daughter. The story of her birth, his relationship with her mother, and their parting of ways is expanded in short, reflective moments within the general hopelessness of a life that's meandering, and struggling. The desire to get to America is tempered by his desire for justice for his friend, and former lover, Reverend Gabrielsson who has been brutally murdered, and both those desires combine when Kvist pairs up with the gangster, Ma, head of one of Stockholm's largest gangs who promises him assistance to America for his help in the gangland wars.
These novels are dark, desperate and violent. They are explicit and unflinching. And they are amongst the most beautiful things I've read in a long long time. Kvist is fascinating. He's a series of massive contradictions in a suit and hat, but ultimately he's as human as human can be. Desperate for love, affection and purpose, his regard for Lundin, his love of Dixie are bright little lights in a world that's goes to shit on a regular basis. I can't tell you how transfixed I was with their combined fates - knowing that this is the end of this wonderful trilogy. Fates that physically jolted me, that hurt.
Slow and considered, the dance of life that Kvist commenced in CLINCH, speeds up and the fates align to end in exactly the way you'd hope it wouldn't, but could not imagine to have gone any other way.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
If you're new to these 3 novels (CLINCH, DOWN FOR THE COUNT and finally SLUGGER), then this is a series that can work as a set of standalone novels, but are much better in order. Harry Kvist is, on the face of it, a violent, dark and conflicted character. Ex-boxer, standover man, out homosexual in mid 1930's Stockholm. A Stockholm where he's always inhabited a dark, poor, tricky world, one now plagued by the rise of the Facists with Nazi's openly marching in the streets, and gangsters fighting a deadly turf war.
In this world Harry Kvist maintains an odd balancing act - part of the violence and the excess, he's also capable of extreme tenderness and kindness. In this novel he's caring for his landlord, and part-time boss Lundin, the undertaker who is obviously frail and dying. Then there's his dog Dixie, whose companionship and care remains a bright point in Kvist's otherwise dismal personal life. Although in this novel he's obsessed with the idea of getting to America, to his young daughter. The story of her birth, his relationship with her mother, and their parting of ways is expanded in short, reflective moments within the general hopelessness of a life that's meandering, and struggling. The desire to get to America is tempered by his desire for justice for his friend, and former lover, Reverend Gabrielsson who has been brutally murdered, and both those desires combine when Kvist pairs up with the gangster, Ma, head of one of Stockholm's largest gangs who promises him assistance to America for his help in the gangland wars.
These novels are dark, desperate and violent. They are explicit and unflinching. And they are amongst the most beautiful things I've read in a long long time. Kvist is fascinating. He's a series of massive contradictions in a suit and hat, but ultimately he's as human as human can be. Desperate for love, affection and purpose, his regard for Lundin, his love of Dixie are bright little lights in a world that's goes to shit on a regular basis. I can't tell you how transfixed I was with their combined fates - knowing that this is the end of this wonderful trilogy. Fates that physically jolted me, that hurt.
Slow and considered, the dance of life that Kvist commenced in CLINCH, speeds up and the fates align to end in exactly the way you'd hope it wouldn't, but could not imagine to have gone any other way.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...
December 24, 2017
Det här är nog faktiskt det bästa jag någonsin läst på svenska. Spännande, välskrivna karaktärer, fantastiska miljöbeskrivningar, men det bästa är nog språket. Varenda ord är perfekt, man vill bara stanna upp och smaka på dem samtidigt som man vill sträckläsa för att få veta vad som händer. Varför finns det så sorgligt få svenska böcker av den här kalibern??
April 23, 2020
This is the big novel that the trilogy has been building towards. Multiple cases for our former boxer turned something of a combination of a bill collector/heavy/private eye. Revenge, maybe love, maybe Nazis--you name it. The two earlier novels in the trilogy were short, taut sketches. This final book in the trilogy feels like a fully realized version of the other two. Highly recommended with some caveats: Kvist is a brutal guy who thinks with his fists or his cock. He even says this in a passage near the end. It makes for exciting reading. Not sure I would want to be on his bad side.
July 8, 2019
Fantastic!!!
I've really enjoyed the three books in this trilogy.What a great character Kvist is - a great change from most books with a gay central figure. He's attractive yet vulnerable , tough and uncompromising. I hope these books get made in to a film or tv series. I'd definitely watch. All in all I give this book 10/10
I've really enjoyed the three books in this trilogy.What a great character Kvist is - a great change from most books with a gay central figure. He's attractive yet vulnerable , tough and uncompromising. I hope these books get made in to a film or tv series. I'd definitely watch. All in all I give this book 10/10
February 14, 2020
A suitably dark and shuddering conclusion to the trilogy. If anything this book is the darkest and most chilling, a stunning ride to a very distinct end. The last 50 pages are a rollercoaster.
April 17, 2021
☹️☹️☹️
March 18, 2019
In this book by Holmén, he has taken his story of Kvist to meet his daughter in America. He has to make it with Ma, who's the boss of one of the head gangs, and find out what the other bosses were doing with Detective Chief Inspector Berglund once a week. His best friend, Gabrielsson, who was a priest had been laid out naked with rail spikes in his church and Kvist was out to get his killers. The whole thing is interrupted by Kvist's finding out that the bosses were getting guns from the Nazi's and also funding them with gold. It goes on to meetings with Ma to decide what was to be done with the other bosses. It has an interlude with a young boxer Kvist had taken under his wing and ends with a fight that the young man loses. They set a trap for the other bosses and Kivst gets away from them and sets off after his girl. I won't let you know anything else but its a heart stopper for sure.
January 8, 2019
4 Stars.
July 16, 2020
Third book in the series. Great read, and highly recommended. I read the norwegian translation. Good plot, great protagonist. The author has really done his research.and makes the setting come alive in a great way.
February 25, 2022
Mørkere enn de to første bøkene, men fortsatt meget bra.
Harry Kvist bøkene må bli TV-serie!
Harry Kvist bøkene må bli TV-serie!
Read
March 25, 2020Fin afslutning på skøn, dyster og stemningsfuld krimi fra mellemkrigstidens Stockholm 👍🏻
July 27, 2019
I will sum this up with a quote from the book and the character of Harry Kvist: " ... how in hell is one lonely man supposed to take on a whole conspiracy of gangsters, coppers and fuck knows what else ..."
Holmen certainly knows how to write gritty noir that is visceral, violent, memorable. The character of Harry Kvist (always refers to himself in the third person) is never forgotten, long after the final page has been turned.
Harry is an enigma, a contradiction, and yet - I don't want to say cliched - but he is your typical big old gorilla goon. However, underneath, this ex-con, ex-boxed, battle-scarred thug, a man not without friends or enemies, is a softee. He looks after his friends - and seek to settle things the old fashioned way - a man of few words but brutal action - "... hatred burns in my veins like petrol ..".
This is Harry's final job, told over the course of a number of days. Following the brutal murder of an old friend, Harry finds himself caught up in something much bigger than himself, a pawn in the hands or rival gangs and the police, who seek to use him to their own ends, often at odds with one another - and never in Harry's interests.
There will be no spoiler here - suffice to say ".. the last stretch is always walked alone .."
Holmen certainly knows how to write gritty noir that is visceral, violent, memorable. The character of Harry Kvist (always refers to himself in the third person) is never forgotten, long after the final page has been turned.
Harry is an enigma, a contradiction, and yet - I don't want to say cliched - but he is your typical big old gorilla goon. However, underneath, this ex-con, ex-boxed, battle-scarred thug, a man not without friends or enemies, is a softee. He looks after his friends - and seek to settle things the old fashioned way - a man of few words but brutal action - "... hatred burns in my veins like petrol ..".
This is Harry's final job, told over the course of a number of days. Following the brutal murder of an old friend, Harry finds himself caught up in something much bigger than himself, a pawn in the hands or rival gangs and the police, who seek to use him to their own ends, often at odds with one another - and never in Harry's interests.
There will be no spoiler here - suffice to say ".. the last stretch is always walked alone .."
September 23, 2020
”Slugger” er 3. bind af en trilogi. De første 2 bind hedder ”Clinch” og ”Nede til tælling”. Denne trilogi er forfatterens første udgivelser. Man må sige at det er temmelig imponerende at trilogien er solgt til adskillige lande. Det er bestemt ikke enhver debutant forundt.
Jeg må så indrømme at ”Slugger” er mit første bekendtskab med Martin Holmèn og ”Kvisten” som er trilogiens hovedperson. Slugger betyder egentlig en hårdtslående bokser. Det er i virkeligheden også det Kvisten er. Harry Kvist er navnet og han er en lidt usædvanlig hovedperson.
Kvisten er 39 år gammel. Tidligere bokser og sømand. Nåå ja, og så er han homoseksuel på en tid, hvor det var ulovligt. Vi er i midten af 1930`ernes Sverige, hvor Nazismen så småt er begyndt at vise sit ansigt. Kvisten har bestemt et vanskeligt liv, hvor hver eneste dag er en kamp om overlevelse.
Han lever af at inddrive gammel gæld, lidt detektivopgaver og hvad han nu ellers bliver tilbudt af småjobs. Kvisten træner den unge mand Hasse op til at lære at bokse. Kvisten drømmer om, at Hasse skal få den succes i bokseringen, som Kvisten aldrig selv fik.
Egentlig er Kvisten en god mand på bunden. Indimellem er bunden bare lidt mudret. Kvisten bor ved en anden af sine venner, bedemanden Lundin som vel egentlig er en sølle stakkel uden ret mange lig at begrave. Kvisten har en 16-årig datter i USA og drømmer om at få råd til, at rejse til Amerika for at tage sig af Ida, som datteren hedder.
Kvisten har meget få virkelige venner. Èn af dem er præsten Gabrielsson. Gabrielsson bliver myrdet på den mest bestialske og grusomme måde, man kan forestille sig. Politiet gør ikke meget for at opklare mordet. Faktisk mener de bare at det er nogle Jøder der har myrdet præsten.
Derfor beslutter Kvisten sig for, at han selv må finde ud af, hvem morderen er og hvorfor en from og god mand som Gabrielsson skulle myrdes så grufuldt. Der findes adskillige forbryderbander rundt omkring i byen og Kvisten har sit hyr med at navigere rundt imellem de forskellige gangstere.
Jeg fik næsten et flashback til et mindre Chicago og diverse mafiafilm. Det ville helt sikkert have været en fordel, hvis jeg havde læst de første 2 bind af trilogien. ”Slugger” har en skrivestil, der betød, at jeg virkelig skulle koncentrere mig for at få det fulde udbytte af handlingen i bogen.
”Slugger” er bestemt velskrevet og i en skrivestil som man ikke møder ofte. ”Slugger” er i en anderledes liga med sin hovedkarakter, der er noget ud over det sædvanlige. Man møder et mini Amerika i Norden. Det er altid forfriskende at man kan dykke lidt dybere ned i et miljø, som man ikke møder ofte i nordiske thrillere.
Jeg giver bestemt ”Slugger” alle de bedste anbefalinger med på vejen. Men anbefaler samtidig at man læser de første 2 bind også. ”Slugger” er en thriller der lover godt for Martin Holmèns videre forfatterskab. Jeg er spændt på hvor hans forfatterskab vil føre læseren hen næste gang.
Dermed sagt at jeg ser meget frem til at forfatteren får inspiration til mange flere udgivelser.
Vurdering: 3/6 Roser
Krimiormen.dk
Jeg må så indrømme at ”Slugger” er mit første bekendtskab med Martin Holmèn og ”Kvisten” som er trilogiens hovedperson. Slugger betyder egentlig en hårdtslående bokser. Det er i virkeligheden også det Kvisten er. Harry Kvist er navnet og han er en lidt usædvanlig hovedperson.
Kvisten er 39 år gammel. Tidligere bokser og sømand. Nåå ja, og så er han homoseksuel på en tid, hvor det var ulovligt. Vi er i midten af 1930`ernes Sverige, hvor Nazismen så småt er begyndt at vise sit ansigt. Kvisten har bestemt et vanskeligt liv, hvor hver eneste dag er en kamp om overlevelse.
Han lever af at inddrive gammel gæld, lidt detektivopgaver og hvad han nu ellers bliver tilbudt af småjobs. Kvisten træner den unge mand Hasse op til at lære at bokse. Kvisten drømmer om, at Hasse skal få den succes i bokseringen, som Kvisten aldrig selv fik.
Egentlig er Kvisten en god mand på bunden. Indimellem er bunden bare lidt mudret. Kvisten bor ved en anden af sine venner, bedemanden Lundin som vel egentlig er en sølle stakkel uden ret mange lig at begrave. Kvisten har en 16-årig datter i USA og drømmer om at få råd til, at rejse til Amerika for at tage sig af Ida, som datteren hedder.
Kvisten har meget få virkelige venner. Èn af dem er præsten Gabrielsson. Gabrielsson bliver myrdet på den mest bestialske og grusomme måde, man kan forestille sig. Politiet gør ikke meget for at opklare mordet. Faktisk mener de bare at det er nogle Jøder der har myrdet præsten.
Derfor beslutter Kvisten sig for, at han selv må finde ud af, hvem morderen er og hvorfor en from og god mand som Gabrielsson skulle myrdes så grufuldt. Der findes adskillige forbryderbander rundt omkring i byen og Kvisten har sit hyr med at navigere rundt imellem de forskellige gangstere.
Jeg fik næsten et flashback til et mindre Chicago og diverse mafiafilm. Det ville helt sikkert have været en fordel, hvis jeg havde læst de første 2 bind af trilogien. ”Slugger” har en skrivestil, der betød, at jeg virkelig skulle koncentrere mig for at få det fulde udbytte af handlingen i bogen.
”Slugger” er bestemt velskrevet og i en skrivestil som man ikke møder ofte. ”Slugger” er i en anderledes liga med sin hovedkarakter, der er noget ud over det sædvanlige. Man møder et mini Amerika i Norden. Det er altid forfriskende at man kan dykke lidt dybere ned i et miljø, som man ikke møder ofte i nordiske thrillere.
Jeg giver bestemt ”Slugger” alle de bedste anbefalinger med på vejen. Men anbefaler samtidig at man læser de første 2 bind også. ”Slugger” er en thriller der lover godt for Martin Holmèns videre forfatterskab. Jeg er spændt på hvor hans forfatterskab vil føre læseren hen næste gang.
Dermed sagt at jeg ser meget frem til at forfatteren får inspiration til mange flere udgivelser.
Vurdering: 3/6 Roser
Krimiormen.dk
August 14, 2019
This is the third and final instalment in Martin Holmen's trilogy featuring ex-boxer turned 'detective' Harry Kvist. Set in the 1930's during a sweltering hot summer in Stockholm, where the lice are infesting all the homes, the Nazis's and the Communists are taking to the streets and Harry is questioning his ability as an enforcer, as his conscience and his ageing body start to get the better of him. Lundin, the elderly undertaker and Harry's landlord is at death's door, as Harry takes on the role of his carer and is also mentoring young Hasse, a boxing protege, that Harry has taken under his wing. On top of all this Harry's old friend and lover Reverend Gabrialsson is murdered in his own church and Harry decides to investigate the circumstances, as the local Police don't seem to be too bothered. Harry is also approached by Ma, a local crime family boss, to come and work for her. Although at first he resists her offer, he sees that the opportunity can further advance his investigation and also fulfil his dream of reuniting him with his estranged daughter in America, he takes her up on her offer.
This is a great climax to the Harry Kvist series and although it starts off as a bit of a slow burn it reaches a tense and thrilling finale with a car chase and gun fight through the streets of Stockholm. Holmen paints a vivid picture of the heatwave that engulfs the city and how it affects its citizens both rich and poor, during these turbulent political times. He also gives us a great insight into Harry's state of mind, where he is trying to come to terms with his body and his mind starting to slow down as a result of his boxing. Harry is also struggling to cope with the pressure of looking after Lundin and the constant homophobia that he encounters on a daily basis, although strangely he does find 'love' in the most unlikeliest of partners. As the story unfolds we can picture a bright future for Harry with his daughter in the U.S.A. but there are obstacles to be overcome and a couple of twists in the tail before Harry's dream can come true.
This is a great climax to the Harry Kvist series and although it starts off as a bit of a slow burn it reaches a tense and thrilling finale with a car chase and gun fight through the streets of Stockholm. Holmen paints a vivid picture of the heatwave that engulfs the city and how it affects its citizens both rich and poor, during these turbulent political times. He also gives us a great insight into Harry's state of mind, where he is trying to come to terms with his body and his mind starting to slow down as a result of his boxing. Harry is also struggling to cope with the pressure of looking after Lundin and the constant homophobia that he encounters on a daily basis, although strangely he does find 'love' in the most unlikeliest of partners. As the story unfolds we can picture a bright future for Harry with his daughter in the U.S.A. but there are obstacles to be overcome and a couple of twists in the tail before Harry's dream can come true.
December 5, 2024
Äntligen fick jag tummen ur. Har länge suktat efter att läsa denna sista del i trilogin om Kvisten. Älskade de två första så förväntningarna var höga.
Det har tagit lite tid att läsa denna gång. Språket finns där. Underbart språk. Men Kvisten är risigare än någonsin och det märks av i dialogerna. Hans dialoger är ofta osammanhängande och han ger ofta konstiga svar. I början störde jag mig på det. Men när poletten föll ner så tycker jag att det är genialiskt.
Den tredje delen som heter Slugger kunde hetat förfallet.
Stockholmsskildringarna sitter som en smäck. Älskar att vistas i Holméns beskrivning av Stockholm.
Actionskilldringen i slutet är en fröjd att läsa och slutet kunde inte sluta på något annat sätt.
Det har tagit lite tid att läsa denna gång. Språket finns där. Underbart språk. Men Kvisten är risigare än någonsin och det märks av i dialogerna. Hans dialoger är ofta osammanhängande och han ger ofta konstiga svar. I början störde jag mig på det. Men när poletten föll ner så tycker jag att det är genialiskt.
Den tredje delen som heter Slugger kunde hetat förfallet.
Stockholmsskildringarna sitter som en smäck. Älskar att vistas i Holméns beskrivning av Stockholm.
Actionskilldringen i slutet är en fröjd att läsa och slutet kunde inte sluta på något annat sätt.
February 4, 2020
I read this book whilst on holidays in Vietnam, part of the Harry Kvist trilogy it’s gritty , dirty and goes at a furious pace ,not for the faint hearted! Highly recommended for open minded readers of noir
July 27, 2019
Could not get into this book. Gave up!
April 17, 2020
Find anmeldelsen på bloggen, hvis du har lyst - https://titlen.dk/boganmeldelse-slugger/
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