Gunnar Staalesen

Big Sister

Storesøster

Varg Veum receives a surprising visit at his office from a woman he has never met before. She presents herself as his half-sister. The woman has an assignment for Veum. Her god-daughter, a nineteen-year-old student nurse from Haugesund, moved out of her apartment in Bergen a couple of weeks ago. Since then, no one has heard from her. She has not left any new address. She does not answer her mobile phone. The police have not yet taken the case seriously.

Veum takes on the assignment. His investigations uncover half-repressed misdeeds and stored-up hatred. They lead Veum to confront an unscrupulous MC gang and to put him on the track of a community that carries out its highly dangerous activities in the murky anonymity of the Internet.

And the meeting with the elder sister also ends up showing Veum unknown facets of his own earlier history.

’ … one of Staalesen’s best plots ever.’

Varden (5 out of 6 stars)

‘Staalesen proves yet again that he is a premier league literary craftsman (…) Varg Veum is, to me, the most interesting character in Norwegian crime writing.’

Fædrelandsvennen, (5 out of 6 stars)

‘… more than enough to seize hold of both the bad guys and us. Yet again.’

Bergensavisen (5 out of 6 stars)
Photo: Helge Skodvin

Gunnar Staalesen was born in 1947 in the historical city of Bergen on the west coast of Norway. He took his M.A. at the Bergen University, studying English and French language and literature as well as comparative literature.
A new crime novel from the experienced hand of Mr. Staalesen is always an event in Norway – where he is one of the kings of the genre. His series featuring the hard-boiled but sympathetic PI Varg Veum from the historical city of Bergen, has sold more than 2 million copies, as well as 200,000 DVDs. 12 novels have been filmed.

Gunnar Staalesen’s books have been translated into 21 languages and been awarded numerous literary prizes.