The Chestnut Man (Book Review): Netflix makes me Read It

Sometimes life just doesn’t work out the way you’d hoped

I have heard many good reviews about this story and it has been on my to-be-read list for a long time. Until the series on Netflix has come out and I was hoping to watch the series as there is a lot of positive feedback about it. However, I have the preference in finishing the book before watching the series, therefore I immediately pull out this book from the to be read pile.

After a year since the day that daughter had gone missing and was considered dead, the minister of childcare Rosa Haltung returned to work. When she tried to focus on her work and forgot the catastrophe in her life. A woman found dead in her garage, with her hand was amputated and placed next to the dead body. In addition to that, a chestnut man doll was beside the body.

Thulin and Hess are the officers responsible to investigate the case. Out of their expectation, the fingerprints found on the chestnut man doll belongs to Rosa’s daughter. It is something impossible to happen as her daughter had not been making a chestnut man doll before going missing and the Swedish police had already arrested the murderer of Rosa’s daughter, so technically the case is closed.

While Thulin and Hess suspected the victim’s boyfriend despite he has an alibi, there was another victim who appear in the same way being murdered and again a chestnut man doll is left there. Indeed, this time both hands were amputated. As the previous suspect has a perfect alibi that means he could not be the killer. At the same time, before this murder case appeared, he received a parcel that belong to the previous victim.

After analyzing the details of both cases, Hess finds out there is a common between the victims that they were both being accused as irresponsible mothers. However, in the end, due to insufficient evidence, it will not have further follow-up action. Through those complaint emails, Hess suspects they were written by the killer, and from one of those emails, Thulin and Hess deduced the killer’s next target.

To protect the safety of the next potential victim, Thulin decided to pretend as the potential victim and live in her house that tries to attract the…