The Unlucky Lottery (Inspector Van Veeteren 6)
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Review
'Beautifully crafted, the novel once again displays Nesser's trademark compassion and insight into human nature.'
--Sunday Times
'Nesser was dominating Swedish fiction before Stieg Larsson and has sold five million books worldwide. Here he has put together an intriguing plot that keeps twisting right to the very end...The Unlucky Lottery sees Nesser paint a colourful picture of police life and a gripping story of revenge served very cold indeed' --Edinburgh Evening News
'Nesser is one of the best of the Nordic Noir writers, unafraid of moral ambiguity and excellent at building a brooding atmosphere'
--The Guardian
`Nesser's typically quirky The Unlucky Lottery demonstrated that the author's idiosyncratic skills were still firmly in place.'
--The Independent
--Sunday Times
'Nesser was dominating Swedish fiction before Stieg Larsson and has sold five million books worldwide. Here he has put together an intriguing plot that keeps twisting right to the very end...The Unlucky Lottery sees Nesser paint a colourful picture of police life and a gripping story of revenge served very cold indeed' --Edinburgh Evening News
'Nesser is one of the best of the Nordic Noir writers, unafraid of moral ambiguity and excellent at building a brooding atmosphere'
--The Guardian
`Nesser's typically quirky The Unlucky Lottery demonstrated that the author's idiosyncratic skills were still firmly in place.'
--The Independent
Product Description
A dark family mystery from Hakan Nesser - ‘in the front rank of Swedish crime writers’ The Times
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
At the end of `The Inspector and Silence' we saw Chief Inspector Van Veeteren offering his services to the owner of an antiquarian book shop. The case had taken too much out of him and he is now on sabbatical, although right from the start of 'The Unlucky Lottery' I could feel his presence looming in the background. Meanwhile, Inspector Münster is assigned to a rather puzzling case. Four friends have just won the lottery and they go out to celebrate, but tell no-one that they have won. Hours later Waldemar Leverkuhn is stabbed to death in his home. Who would want to brutally murder this harmless old man who appears to have no enemies? Then another member of the syndicate goes missing as well as Waldemar Leverkuhn's neighbour. At this point Münster calls on Van Vetereen for help. Münster uncovers dark secrets about the Leverkuhn family which ultimately threaten his own life.
You may discover the murderer for yourself before the end but then Nesser does provide plenty of clues and his books are as much about character as the plot. He wants the reader to understand why the crime was committed and in doing so leaves us with a sense of moral ambiguity, we know that murder is wrong but ......
Once again Nesser has produced a compelling read with his trademark literary and humorous style. Having read the entire series I wouldn't say that this is his best but I still enjoyed it and look forward to discovering what Van Veeteren does next.
You may discover the murderer for yourself before the end but then Nesser does provide plenty of clues and his books are as much about character as the plot. He wants the reader to understand why the crime was committed and in doing so leaves us with a sense of moral ambiguity, we know that murder is wrong but ......
Once again Nesser has produced a compelling read with his trademark literary and humorous style. Having read the entire series I wouldn't say that this is his best but I still enjoyed it and look forward to discovering what Van Veeteren does next.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I love Inspector Van Veeteren and this novel is yet another in the series which ticks all the boxes. The characters are so well drawn and Nesser's books are a clever mix of humour and, at times, the macabre. I particularly liked the idea of lottery winners being targetted as gambling is not for me but the way the book builds to a fitting end is just sublime. Readers of Nordic crime and fans of Nesser will not be disappointed by this latest offering - enjoy!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Unlucky Lottery, once again set in Sorbinowo - a forested Swedish lake side town - is an enjoyable romp that explores not only murder but deeply hidden secrets, secrets that have stayed undiscovered and undisclosed for decades until one pivotal moment causes a ripple effect that changes the lives of all those around it.
In Håkan's previous book - The Inspector and The Silence - it was driven for the most part by Inspector Van Veeteren, a curious, colourful and enigmatic character that certainly carried the book. Towards the end of that book we discover that Van Veeteren has decided to take a sabbatical and work in an antique book store much to the chagrin of his fellow officers. The Unlucky Lottery follows on from this decision, months down the line in fact, and Van Veeteren is comfortable, relaxed and still enjoying the life of leisure, rolling his own cigarettes and sitting in a comfortable chair staring at antique books - getting to know his books he calls it.
In fact, Van Veeteren plays but a cameo role in this book which in turn allows another character to step forward and bask in the limelight - Inspector Münster. Although out of sight, Van Veeteren is never out of mind and the police officers often refer to the great master and comment on how he would approach a particular suspect and pondering what he would do in their shoes.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this book - apart from being a very quick read - was the storyline. Waldemar Leverkuhn is out celebrating a lottery win with his fellow winners and the next day he's found brutally stabbed to death in his bed. That same day another member of his small syndicate - and close friend - mysteriously goes missing. It's all very baffling for the police and they never quite get to grips with the curious events. I have to admit that I never saw the twist coming at the end and the way Nesser crafted this story out of seemingly nothing was terrific. I did find myself wondering where he was going with the story but it all made sense in the end. Nesser has this seemingly natural ability to tie things up with consummate ease.
Another plus for me was the way he portrayed the police officers. They come across as amateurish and as with his previous book I wondered if they would ever catch those responsible for the crimes committed. I'm not sure if these scenes are supposed to come across as humorous but they did make me chuckle at their ineptitude and lack of urgency.
So there we have it, another cracking title from the Swedish master Håkan Nesser, it just goes to prove that there's something other than Swedish Meatballs being exported out of Sweden worth getting your teeth around. Roll on his next title!
In Håkan's previous book - The Inspector and The Silence - it was driven for the most part by Inspector Van Veeteren, a curious, colourful and enigmatic character that certainly carried the book. Towards the end of that book we discover that Van Veeteren has decided to take a sabbatical and work in an antique book store much to the chagrin of his fellow officers. The Unlucky Lottery follows on from this decision, months down the line in fact, and Van Veeteren is comfortable, relaxed and still enjoying the life of leisure, rolling his own cigarettes and sitting in a comfortable chair staring at antique books - getting to know his books he calls it.
In fact, Van Veeteren plays but a cameo role in this book which in turn allows another character to step forward and bask in the limelight - Inspector Münster. Although out of sight, Van Veeteren is never out of mind and the police officers often refer to the great master and comment on how he would approach a particular suspect and pondering what he would do in their shoes.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this book - apart from being a very quick read - was the storyline. Waldemar Leverkuhn is out celebrating a lottery win with his fellow winners and the next day he's found brutally stabbed to death in his bed. That same day another member of his small syndicate - and close friend - mysteriously goes missing. It's all very baffling for the police and they never quite get to grips with the curious events. I have to admit that I never saw the twist coming at the end and the way Nesser crafted this story out of seemingly nothing was terrific. I did find myself wondering where he was going with the story but it all made sense in the end. Nesser has this seemingly natural ability to tie things up with consummate ease.
Another plus for me was the way he portrayed the police officers. They come across as amateurish and as with his previous book I wondered if they would ever catch those responsible for the crimes committed. I'm not sure if these scenes are supposed to come across as humorous but they did make me chuckle at their ineptitude and lack of urgency.
So there we have it, another cracking title from the Swedish master Håkan Nesser, it just goes to prove that there's something other than Swedish Meatballs being exported out of Sweden worth getting your teeth around. Roll on his next title!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Is life a gamble? Take a chance on this book
Some readers may feel cheated in that Van Veeteren is not the lead detective in this latest story, number 6 in this series. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Richard Latham
Back on track
I didn't particularly like the subject matter in the previous book in the series, The Inspector and Silence, and hoped that Hakan Nesser would be back to his best with this one and... Read more
Published 7 days ago by Yorkshire Rose
Worst of the series
I have read this series of books in order & this was the worst.The major flaw for me was the absence of Van Veeteren through most of the book. Read more
Published 10 days ago by J. Harris
Another good read
I have read the entire series and I have to be honest and say that I have enjoyed them all, his books are not really the types that keep you guessing 'who done it' to the end but... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. S. N. Pattison
not his best
Five elderly men win the lottery, they go out to celebrate then later that night one of them is found dead in his bed with almost 30 stab wounds to his body. Read more
Published 5 months ago by S. J. Mackenzie
Hakan Nesser --The Unlucky Lottery
Although this is the sixth Inspector Van Veeteren novel to
be published in English,Van Veeteren only makes a cameo
appearance. Read more
be published in English,Van Veeteren only makes a cameo
appearance. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Simon Clarke
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