Yours Until Death

Great Scandinavian Mystery!

I've been listening to this series since "Where Roses Never Die" was a daily deal. Since Audible has been releasing these out of order, that's how I've been listening to them. Starting with ones set in the late nineties/early aughts, and moving to this one written in 1977 was very interesting. Still, the characters and plot were just as compelling as the more recent installments.

Varg Veum is a subtle character, but his light sense of humor is well portrayed. The stories are a little dark in general, though this one was less so. I wouldn't say that I was on the edge of my seat, but I certainly never lost interest. This was the second book in the series, and I think as they go on the mysteries become more complex, but I was still surprised by the ending.

In short, I would absolutely recommend this to a friend, and hope that Audible puts out more from this series soon!

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Likeable Varg . . . The Rest Not So Much

This just happens to be the second Varg Veum mystery I’ve listened to . . . and I’m glad. Where Roses Never Die was a FIVE STAR listen. This one was not. But as other reviewers have noted, I am going to trust that the author gets better and better. The redeeming quality for Yours Until Death is this: Varg Veum is a good guy. Honest, still trusting in a society where nothing is as it seems, and everyone is out to rip you off. In this book he is 36 years old, divorced and not yet ready to give up on love. I like that about him. And I like that he is always for the underdog . . . that is until they lie to him. What I did not like about this book is that there were few likeable characters other than Varg. It was a sad story about people who continuously make poor decisions based on selfish motives. I will probably try some more in the series, only because I loved Where Roses Never Die . . . oh, and I want to see what Varg will do to right things in a screwed up world.

Hammett meets Greene meets Rilke

Atmosphere like Maltese Falcon, Greene’s emotional characters and Rilke’s imagery. Not sure I’m moving forward with this series but if you love dark, moody and destitute - you’ll enjoy this.

Narrator is awesome.

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Another fine book by Gunnar Staalesen

This is the second book I've read featuring private detective Varg Veum. I don't know how I missed this outstanding writer in my search for Scandanavian writers. But I am hooked by his prose, skillful character development, and the ability to make me care and understand even the most minor characters.

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Excellent Writer

Truly a literary pleasure. I did have some trouble keeping the many characters straight in my mind, likely because the foreign names were long and unfamiliar, but aside from that, I really enjoyed the book

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