The Final Days of Abbot Montrose: An Asbjørn Krag Mystery by Sven Elvestad

Synopsis
Before there was Nordic Noir, there was Sven Elvestad.

It is an evening in early May when the quiet of Montrose Abbey is shattered by the sounds of shouting and broken glass. When the police arrive, they find the abbey library ransacked and bloodstained. Broken furniture and a burning carpet bear witness to a violent struggle. And the abbot himself, the scholarly Abbot Montrose, is missing. Only a torn fragment of his cassock remains, caught in the wrought-iron fence surrounding the abbey.

The police, the press, and citizens of this northern city fear the worst. What could have befallen the missing abbot? Has he been murdered? Abducted?

As world-renowned Detective Asbjørn Krag and his partner, Detective Sirius Keller, begin to unravel the tangled knot of clues left behind, they find themselves in the city’s infamous Krydder District, “where the dark doorways are as close together as rat holes in an old warehouse.” The more answers they find, the more questions seem to pop up.

My Review
The Final Days of Abbot Montrose is the second book I have read from Kazbo Publishing, whose aim is to bring bestsellers from around the world and publishing them in the English Language. The Final Days of Abbot Montrose was origionally written in 1917, but I felt it had a timeless feel to it. The book’s eponymous character is a scholar and man of the Church, and when police find the library in Montrose Abbey ransacked, their only lead is bloodstains on the carpet and piece of the Abbot’s cassock on a fence. No one seems to know who did this, why they did it and what there reasons were. Detective Asbjørn Krag, a famous detective and his partner Sirius Keller find themselves trying to unravel a complex web of secrets and lies as they try to find answers. This is a fast paced novel and took me out of my comfort zone in the way that I may not have read it without Kazabo Publishing offering it to me to read.

Author Sven Elvestad is said to be the founder of the mordern Scandinavian Thrillers that are so popular today, and has a literary prize named in his honour. Detective Asbjørn Krag is one of his most famous creations and appears in many of his books. Where as Detective Keller is methodical in his work, following the leads, Krag is a thinker, looking outside the box so to speak. Although I hadn’t read any other books featuring Krag I was still able to appreciate his character, his quirks and unique way of tackling the investigation of both the missing Abbot and subsequent murders that may or may not be connected. Krag reminded me of Agatha Christie’s Poirot in his musings and interaction with people, suspects and others whom he and Keller come across.

Although written in 1917, I felt that this had a timless feel as there are no historical events to anchor this book in a particular time. I did feel that the book had at times a surreal feel to it, with setting and characters. Part of the book are set in Krydder District, a less salubrious part of what I presume was the city of Oslo, a place of winding streets that you can get lost in and home to the Gilded Peacock Hotel. The Gilded Peacock felt like another world, with it’s rooms in no particular order, the artistic clientele like the Lion Tamer, contortionists, etc and mythical creatures painted on the walls; it reminded me of Twin Peaks in part. As for the investigation itself it is complex, twisted with so many changes of direction that I felt dizzy thinking about it. I always like trying to work out the culprit of myself in crime and thriller reads but here I had no idea until all was revealed. I wondered at times if maybe parts of the story were lost in translation, there were parts that I had to re-read several times to make sure I understood, but this didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.

I really enjoyed reading The Final Days of Abbot Montrose, it was fast paced, quirky and kept my attention throughout. The characters were fabulously drawn and in many cases memorable for their uniqueness, included was a character called Hans Christian Anderson, and one known as Prison Face. I really support what Kazabo are doing in bringing world literature to a new audience, and I look forward to reading more of their titles. So why not give something new a try, and like me step out of your comfort zone with this compelling and unique thriller.

I would like to thank Kazabo Publishing for my copy of this book in return for my honest review.