We Shall Inherit the Wind

by Gunnar Staalesen, Don Bartlett (Translator)

Overview

Varg Veum takes on the perplexing case of a missing wind-farm inspector and gets more than he bargained for, as religious zealots, environmental terrorism and then murder take centre stage … The gripping next instalment in the award-winning Varg Veum series, by one of the fathers of Nordic Noir.

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

‘Mature and captivating’ Rosemary Goring, Herald Scotland

‘Moving, uncompromising’ Publishers Weekly

_________________

1998. Varg Veum sits by the hospital bedside of his long-term girlfriend Karin, whose life-threatening injuries provide a deeply painful reminder of the mistakes he’s made.

Investigating the seemingly innocent disappearance of a wind-farm inspector, Varg Veum is thrust into one of the most challenging cases of his career, riddled with conflicts, environmental terrorism, religious fanaticism, unsolved mysteries and dubious business ethics. Then, in one of the most heart-stopping scenes in crime fiction, the first body appears…

A chilling, timeless story of love, revenge and desire, We Shall Inherit the Wind deftly weaves contemporary issues with a stunning plot that will leave you gripped to the final page. This is Staalesen at his most thrilling, thought-provoking best.

_________________

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‘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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781910633076
Publisher:	Orenda Books
Publication date:	11/01/2015
Series:	Varg Veum Series , #17
Pages:	300
Sales rank:	546,753
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

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.

Editorial Reviews

02/22/2016
Set in 1998, Staalesen’s moving, uncompromising 17th novel featuring Bergen, Norway, PI Varg Veum (after 2013’s Cold Hearts) finds Varg, a former missing-child investigator for a government agency, sitting by the bedside of Karin Bjørge, whom he has recently asked to be his wife. The two met in 1971, when Karin’s 14-year-old sister disappeared; they became romantically involved in 1987. Karin is now at death’s door, and Varg believes that he’s responsible. In a flashback to a week earlier, Karin asks Varg to help a friend locate her missing spouse, Mons Mæland. Mons, a developer, vanished just days before a survey to explore the feasibility of constructing a wind farm on the island of Brennøy. The case quickly becomes a murder investigation, with the crime’s roots possibly connected to the disappearance of Mons’s first wife. The plot, which contains multiple emotional gut punches, will satisfy fans who enjoy seeing noir themes play out in other countries. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"A Norwegian Chandler."  —Jo Nesbo, author, The Bat



"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, author, Resurrection Men


"The plot [...] will satisfy fans who enjoy seeing noir themes play out in other countries." —Publishers Weekly, 2/22/2016


"Varg...is an affecting example of the tragic hero outlined by Raymond Chandler's famous essay on hard-boiled fiction."  —International Noir Fiction, 5/12/2016

From the Publisher