Varg Veum is back with a cold case that has strange ties to the present. It’s been almost 25 years since 3 year old Mette Misvaer went missing from her yard. With the statute of limitations looming, her mother Maja asks Veum to take one final crack at finding the truth. It would be a welcome paycheque but before he signs on, Veum will need to make a few changes to his lifestyle. In the 3 years since his partner died, his only relationship has been with a bottle. If he can put the Aquavit back on...

Where Roses Never Die – Another Nordic MasterpieceGunnar Staalesen’s storytelling never fails to grip the reader and with his Private Investigator Varg Veum we have the ultimate defective detective. Staalesen’s stories and setting never fail to impress and his descriptive prose is crisp and clear like the air over the Fjords. The story is set in 2002 when he is asked to investigate a case that is nearly 25 years old and not far from reaching Norway’s statute of limitations for any charges to be

I'm somewhere between 3 - 3.5 stars on this one! I'm still processing my thoughts on it.... back soon with a little review :)

Where Roses Never Die is a crime thriller that had me hooked from the start.Veum is an alcoholic that is struggling to function. When the mother of a girl who went missing years before comes in it gives Veum a purpose in life.I really liked Veum, he is battling his own demons but he is someone that you want to cheer on and see him do well for himself. There are quite a few books out already featuring the character which I’m not quite hundred per cent if this is part of a series or a stand alone

I profess I love Nordic thrillers, so was very excited to “accidentally” discover this series when scrolling through monthly deals on Amazon – and what could be more intriguing than an old cold case nobody has ever been able to solve? Even though I entered the series at #18 I had no problem at all connecting with the characters or following the story. Initially, PI Varg Veum appeared like your stereotypical flawed detective – a loner who drinks too much and struggles with his demons. I found out...

Suspenseful, intriguing and chilling - words that come instantly to mind when describing this gripping book - I thoroughly enjoyed "Where Roses Never Die" the 18th instalment in the Norwegian series featuring private investigator Varg Veum. This series has been around for many, many years and is obviously very successful to get to book number 18! Quite easily read as a standalone too, as this was my first venture into the series, I had no problems grasping Varg's history and with individual stor...

Averse as I am to gushing, with some authors it’s difficult to remain completely objective when you have genuinely loved every single book that they have ever produced. Such is my problem- but a nice problem- with the venerable Mr Staalesen, and Where Roses Never Die, which merely compounds my adoration of this series to date.As there is a deliciously dark twist in this book, I will not tarry long on the plot, but needless to say Staalesen once again employs his tactic of making the reader belie...

Gunnar Staalesen, the godfather of Nordic Noir, is on exemplary form with his eighteenth novel in the Varg Veum series and our protagonist is as dogged as ever and his social conscience just as much in evidence. The death of his long time partner Karin three years ago is still very much an open wound for Veum, and his descent into a state of alcohol fuelled morass is threatening to overwhelm him. Living from one bottle of aquavit to the next, "on the longest and darkest marathon of my life", it

Nearly twenty-five years ago toddler Mette Misvaer disappeared from the sandpit in which she'd been happily playing. Although the police have never officially closed the case, it's safe to say it's no longer active; besides, almost all of the cops who were involved in the case have since retired, so there's no one left with a personal interest in it. Accordingly, with the crime's statute of limitations about to expire, Mette's mother comes to PI Varg Veum and asks him to investigate the disappea...

Sometimes, all you need is a good one whodunit in the form of a cold case and an investigation done the good old way. The title attracted me first. Where Roses Never Die; poetic, tragic, and beautiful. Then the cover made me quiver with its cold colors. The mix definitely catches the eye and intrigues.That's what the book is about: an intrigue. Poor Mette disappeared from a sandpit decades ago and as the case is about to get closed for good, her mother needs answers. PI are usually interesti

Actual rating 4.5*Where Roses Never Die is the 16th Varg Veum novel but this is the first I’ve read – in fact it’s the first proper Scandi-crime novel I’ve read! I know some people who are currently giving me a virtual slap for that comment! But you'll be pleased to know I'm sold! I've got a few Scandi-crime books sat patiently waiting on my kindle so I'll try not to put off reading them for too long. I loved seeing the Norwegian letters ø and å scattered through the novel. Admittedly I have no

Last year, I met Varg Veum. He was in the wonderful Nordic We Shall Inherit the Wind. Time has passed. Varg is back in When Roses Never Die. It is like the return of an old friend.The Varg Veum series is written by Gunnar Staalesen, translated into English by Don Bartlett.Varg Veum, the self titled lone wolf, is a bit of a mess. We last saw him in 1999, when his long term girlfriend was dying. It is now three years later. Varg is in need of a kick up the backside. He is a barely functioning alco...

slower paced mystery with flawed but very likable detective...review coming soon!

9/10A pleasant surprise,new series for me

I won 'Where Roses Never Die' by Gunnar Staalesen through Goodreads Giveaways. This is #18 in the Varg Veum series translated by Don Bartlett. It's the first book I've read in this Nordic Crime series about private investigator Veum and it was a great story.

If you had asked me this time last year if I was a fan of Scandinavian crime fiction or Nordic noir then I would have responded with a "hell no!" even though I really liked tv shows such as The Killing and Wallender. But 2016 has opened my eyes to great examples of this genre that I would have kicked myself for missing out on otherwise, one of them being Where Roses Never Die. I am rather late to the party for this one though as 2017 will mark 40 years since this series began! Thankfully I don't...

Great story. The story picks up a couple of years after the last novel. Varg Veum is recovering - and drinking too much. When a mother comes into his PI office to have him find out what happened to her daughter who went missing 25 years earlier. The time limit is almost up and she wants one last chance to find out what happened.As Varg begins his investigation, coincidences seem to pop up. And Varg begins to ask questions that some people don;t want to answer. The mother is heartbroken and has n...

September 1977. Mette Misvaer, a three-year-old girl disappears without a trace from the sandpit outside her home. Her tiny, close middle-class community in the tranquil suburb of Nordas is devastated, but their enquiries and the police produce nothing. Curtains twitch, suspicions are raised, but Mette is never found. Almost 25 years later, as the expiry date for the statute of limitations draws near, Mette's mother approaches PI Varg Veum, in a last, desperate attempt to find out what happened

PI Varg Veum solves a 25 year old case of a missing girl. Much was concealed over the years to allow this to happen with a bit of wife swapping and young children observing the results and getting ideas of their own. This was a very difficult mystery to solve and thus more rewarding as the solution was probed and brought to light. Varg earns his own well deserved sense of satisfaction at the end with a resolution to remain sober despite his own losses. Aquavit remains untouched.I have the 19th b...

Gunnar Staalesen did an outstanding job in his latest translated book in English called Where Roses Never Die. Varg Veum seem to go after all the right people to get answers. He solved a jewel robbery when the police didn't have any clues while working on a 25 year old kidnapping. Things seem to go his way even when he was confronted by thugs as he was on the phone with a policeman. Never ending mishaps. Its a good book to curl up with and I highly recommend it.Having had 2 strokes, nothing stay...