Tre hundes nat

Peter Boutrup #1

by Elsebeth Egholm

På årets første nat, i isnende kulde, forsvinder 18-årige Nina Bjerre fra en nytårsfest i Grenå. Dagen efter - ved sin bopæl på en klint 13 kilometer derfra - finder Dictes Svendsens søn, Peter, liget af Ramses Bulai, en gammel kending af politiet. Til stede på klinten den dag er også Peters nye nabo, en mystisk ung kvinde ved navn Felix.

Peter selv forsøger at lægge sin fortid bag sig. Han benægter sit kendskab til Ramses, og senere forstår han, at også Felix holder noget skjult. Sammen forsøger de at kortlægge, hvorfor Ramses skulle dø, og hvorfor Felix skulle komme ud for en ulykke og lide et uerstatteligt tab. Pilene peger på en værdifuld last i et sænket skib et sted i Kattegat. En last, som nogen vil gøre alt for at finde.

Sideløbende må den lokale politimand, Mark Bille Hansen, acceptere, at hans tidligere elskerinde nu er chef for Efterforskningen. Holdet fra Århus sætter hovedkvarter op på Grenå Politistation. To dage efter Nina Bjerres forsvinden, finder dykkerpigen, Kir, liget af en ung pige i havnen: Hun er nøgen og fastgjort til et anker, og hendes ansigt er flået af.

Er liget i havnen Nina Bjerre? Havde hendes og Ramses' drab noget med hinanden at gøre? Peter Boutrup må sande, at svaret ligger et sted i den fortid, han forsøger at glemme.

Tre hundes nat er mere end en krimi. Elsebeth Egholm tager læseren med ind i miljøer på kanten af et kuldslået Danmark, til ludere, svinebønder, indsatte, pigebander og provinsens stille eksistenser. Hun præsenterer Dictes bortadopterede søn, Peter, som hovedperson. Som sin mor, Århus-journalisten, er han en overlever. Men et er at overleve - noget andet er at få det liv, man ønsker sig

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Denmark, Fiction, Danish, Thriller, Audiobook

391 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Bestselling Danish novelist Elsebeth Egholm began her career behind the keyboards of a piano. She was a student of music as a performer at The Royal Academy of Music and at the Department of Musicology at the University of Aarhus, before she changed instrument and enrolled at the Danish School of Journalism, also based in her hometown of Aarhus. She spent a few years working for a daily newspaper, but by 1992 she was living with future husband, the late British author Philip Nicholson, in the Maltese island of Gozo, working as a freelance writer.
Eventually she began making a name for herself as the author of a string of well crafted short stories published in women's magazines in both Denmark and the other Nordic countries. Her first novel had three long time friends mourning the death of a fourth and facing a mysterious stranger. ‘The Free Women's Club' was published in 1999 to unanimous acclaim. In ‘Scirocco' (2000) and ‘Opium' (2001) she moved into the darker corners of family and marriage, and combined a fullgrown plot with an engaging dose of international suspense.

Then, in 2002, she introduced full time journalist and part time sleuth Dicte Svendsen in ‘Hidden Errors', a novel about a dead baby found in a creek in the middle of big city Aarhus. By the second and third book in the series, ‘Own Risk' (2004) and ‘Personal Damage' (2005), both author and heroine were well known and highly treasured in her homeland. ‘Next of Kin' was published in 2006, dramatically outselling the previous novels, and Elsebeth Egholm found herself published, or about to be published, in Germany, Holland, Sweden and Norway. Afterwards, in 2008, the novel 'Life and Limb' reached the bookshelves followed by 'Against All Odds' i 2009. 'Three Dog Night' was published i 2011.

Currently Elsebeth Egholm divides her time between living in Aarhus, as does Dicte Svendsen, and on the Maltese island of Gozo.

Reviews

[Shankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A “humdinger” of a book if I may say so. I chanced upon quite by luck and was captivated by the opportunity to read a story about Denmark and its people. All the while inter mingling with crime and all its wont.

Yes it’s all about an ex prison inhabitant who wants to forget the past and lead a better life- alas it’s not to be. If it was to be this story would not have been 🙂.

As expected this twists and turns its way to the climax and I think I did enjoy the ending.

It’s a good read. Really.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Elsebeth Egholm is a bestselling Danish author and this is the first of her books translated into English. Often novels translated for the UK market tend to be published out of series order, but the blurb on the back of this book said it was "the start of a thrilling new crime series featuring ex-convict Peter Boutrup" and it certainly read like a first novel (introducing characters and places), so I am hopeful that the publishers have taken note of readers wishes for once.

Set in the small town of Grena in East Jutland, Denmark, this book is set in the middle of a freezing winter - and having experienced winter in Denmark that is very cold indeed. The novel begins on New Years Eve, with Peter Boutrup returning from a party. Having recently been released from prison, he is endeavouring to get his life back to normal - working for builder Manfred, living in his tiny house with his dog and only his reclusive new neighbour Felix (Felicia) nearby, and enjoying his hobbies of reading and painting. Intruding into his new peace comes ex-con Stinger, an old face from Horsens Prison. Stinger was meant to be meeting up with Ramses; the two plotting to finding the stash of a drug smuggler who died in prison. Then, Stinger goes missing and Peter's dog finds the body of Ramses on the beach. The same night a local girl goes missing on her way home from a party and, before long, any hope of a peaceful new life has been put on hold.

This is a novel with many characters; Peter and Felix, who are thrown together to try to solve the mystery, Mark Billie Hansen, the head of the East Jutland Police, relocated to a rural area after eight years in Copenhagen, his old lover and superior Anna Bagger and diver Kir among them. Almost every character has secrets and most of those secrets are dark - from childhood traumas to illness and beyond. However, before long you will be so involved in the novel that you will find you are able to easily identify with the characters and the bleak, freezing place in which it is set. That's a good thing because, as we know this is the start to a series, and it will be one that you will want to follow. It just makes me wonder how many other excellent authors there are to be discovered yet to be translated into English, but I am glad that I have found this one. Another great addition to Nordic Crime fiction has arrived.

[Bruce Hatton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of the action in this novel takes place in the small town of Grenå on the coast of Jutland, Denmark in the grips of a severe winter.
Recently released from prison, Peter Boutrup is now trying to lead a quiet, law-abiding life whilst making a modest living as a carpenter. However, it seems Peter's past has a way of catching up with him. First he discovers the dead body of a former prison acquaintance on the shore near his home; then his home is ransacked and another prison acquaintance is viciously assaulted. Also, how does his mysterious new neighbour, Felix Gomez fit into all this?
As if often the case with small isolated communities, there are frequent and numerous interconnections between the lives of the residents. It is discovering where these connections lie and why that drives this intriguing story forward, culminating in a thrilling dual-finale where two women are separately abducted by brothers from a highly dysfunctional family.
As well as Peter and Felix, there is a whole cast of deeply troubled characters. Couple this with the remote location and unforgiving weather and we have all the main ingredients for a classic example of Scandinavian Noir. The nearest comparison I can think of are the novels of Swedish author Åsa Larsson, which is no bad thing.
This is a novel which ticked all the boxes for me and I look forward to reading more in the series.

[Hannelore Cheney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book, so much so I ordered the 2nd in the series. Those are the only 2 books by Elsebeth Egstrom in English. She's also the author of the Dicte series, which I sincerely hope will be translated into English sooner rather than later. So pleased to have discovered her.

[Helen Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the (mostly broken) characters and the plot. All the intricacies of the interrealations between them are finely spun, perfectly elaborated. Plus, while reading this winterly murder mystery, there was quite a scorcher outside. So it was also refreshing to read about the lower degrees. ;)

[Miki Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this! I picked it up because I enjoyed the Dicte series which she also wrote, but sadly those aren’t translated.
This kept me guessing.

[Dagmar T. Jensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bogen startede ret forvirrende ud, da det var som om det var en fortsættelse af en serie, selvom det er den første bog i en serie. Så det var som om man manglede noget information i denne bog, hvis man, som i mit tilfælde, ikke har læst serien om Dicte.

Længere inde i bogen begyndte den at blive lidt mere spændende, da man gerne vil vide hvordan Kir og Peters forhold udvikler sig gennem bogen, og hvordan hver deres fortid hænger sammen.

Jeg har endt med at give bogen 2 ud af 5 stjerner.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished reading the nordic noir in the lovely bright sunshine this Sunday afternoon. This is the first of a series featuring Peter Boutrup, recently released from prison for killing the man who killed his dog- I approve! This one has a gang war between men and women, the mystery of a plane crash and the search for a missing stash. I enjoyed the characters and the investigation was described on 3 fronts- police, civilian and mother. Good read!

[Kaylan Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It hooked me from the start, with well-developed characters and engaging storytelling. I really enjoyed reading a Danish author and noticing the different sayings and expressions compared to what we use in the U.S. As a dog lover, I especially appreciated the main character’s love for his four-legged companion. The last few chapters dragged a bit—by then I was already thinking, okay, we get it, who did it?! Still, I’m glad I randomly picked this book based on the title 😅

[Brahmjoth Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good read overall! The ending was a bit rushed in my opinion which is why I rated it three stars. I
enjoyed the setting and the character development. I like the different POVs of different characters and the storytelling was excellent. However, the ending was too rushed. Hope this review helps! :)

[Sheila Howes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Took way too long to get going and far too many characters, but once it eventually did get going it was pretty good. Not sure if I would read another.

[Lynn Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Hal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the Dicte TV show (at least the first 2 seasons). This book was significantly bleaker.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Fayellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good page turner. I had to go back and reread a few chapters because I missed some clues, but overall it was tense and captivating.

[Barb Wisniewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danish writer, very much enjoyed this murder mystery; would read more by her

[Jhona Flor · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was very slow and also, I gagged reading the inside the sheriff's mind, I didn't like how women were depicted as sex objects in the first half.

[Ian Mapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Through the power of Scandi-Noir, I dive headfirst into the Danish Underbelly of society with this crime novel, that promises to be the start of a series featuring Peter Boutrup. This is not a policeman, or a detective but an everyman that has been previously done time for manslaughter. You have to pay attention to this book - I think it was something to do with someone shooting his dog.

And in Peter, you cannot help but think that Elsebeth Egholm has put to page her blueprint for her dream man. Quiet, loving, kind to animals, knows how to have a fight when its required. Can build furniture with his bare hands. He's alright as a character but quite how we get a crime series out of a Danish Furniture maker with some dodgy friends, I don't know. I sense he is going to have a knack of being in the wrong place at the wrong time an awful lot of times.

The first 100 pages of the book are confusing as we are introduced to a lot of characters quickly. There's been a couple of murders (as you would expect) but quite why we delve into the backstory of the police frogwoman who is searching the harbour for a body is not immediately apparent.

I can only urge you to pay attention to get into the rhythm of the book. A lot goes on quickly, but the characters (including a prostitute visiting policeman) are all interesting and their secrets or meaning to the story are not immediately apparent or revealed.

Massive echos of the Stig Larsson trilogy - including some very over the top violence towards the end - cannot be ignored. Its well enough written, with punchy short chapters but nothing will make it live in the memory after consumption.

It remains to be seen if I will progress to the next book in the series.

[Liz Barr · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a bit of Scando-noir. If crime fiction reflects the fears and concerns of a society, then the Scandinavian offerings raise an interesting paradox: these countries with international reputations for being egalitarian, democratic and transparent tend to produce fiction that confronts the failures of these ideals.

Danish novel Three Dog Night attempts to continue this trend, with a protagonist who grew up in state institutions and spent time in prison for manslaughter committed under complex circumstances. But the social concerns it reflects are straight out of a news.com.au comments page — what the average Dane fears, the author seems to suggest, are criminal motorcycle gangs, Muslims and women. The central plot, dealing with the murder of an ex-convict and the disappearance of a local teenager, is gripping, if driven by a series of unlikely coincidences, but the subtext is altogether unpleasant.

Egholm is a seasoned crime writer, but her narrative is let down by a stilted translation that keeps the reader at arm’s length. The female body count climbs higher and higher, and the climax depicts graphic animal cruelty and sexual violence against women. There’s a last-minute attempt to frame the whole affair as a fight against misogyny, but that’s a bit hard to take seriously when there are nipples flying about.

[This review first appeared at readingkills.com]

[Lind0463]

Så skulle man tro at Elsebeth Egholm har været på ferie i Grenå ;-) Med sine sædvanlige meget præcise og minutiøse miljøbeskrivelser har hun nu skriftet scenen i Århus ud med Grenå og Djursland som omgivelserne for sin seneste krimi. Det er da også kun forhærdede Dicte Svendsen-fans der ser sammenhængen i persongalleriet - i det en af hovedpersonerne: Peter, er Dictes bortadopterede søn. Men det har i sig selv ikke den store betydning for bogen. Det er en udemærket, underholdende krimi, der dog ikke går over i historien. Slutningen er med så mange løse ender, at man næsten skulle tro, at der ville komme en opfølgning - hvilken jeg jo så sikkert også læser.

[Ad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an atmospheric Nordic Noir thriller, set in a snowy remote, rural eastern Denmark. There are four main characters (in a novel which centers on character development). Peter has recently been released from prison and wants to make a clean start on life and leave his past behind him. His neighbor Felix has given up on life and is literally a shell of what she was previously. Mark Bille Hanson is a policeman who has returned to his local town with the intention for him to recuperate from an illness. Finally, Kirsten Rojel is a diver who is caught in between her passion for diving and the expectations of her father as to what is a suitable job for a woman.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three Dog Night is an acceptable read but there isn't anything particulalry special about it. I didn't find it atmosphereic and I wasn't so gripped by suspense that I was unhappy to put it down at night. If you pay attention to the psychology of the people, it isn't too difficult to predict the end twist either. Also, I work in aviation and the remarks about the events leading upto a helicopter crash just wouldn't happen, such inaccuracies I always find irritating. It isn't a bad book though so I'd encourage anyone who is interested to give it a go.

[Astrid Johanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Tre Hundes Nat er det lykkes Elsebeth Egholm at ryste posen godt og grundigt.
Tre Hundes Nat er utrolig spændende, især fordi det er en tidligere krimminel som prøver at rede sig selv.
Tre Hundes Nat er en rigtig god krimi, som slet ikke minder om noget som Elsebeth Egholm har skrevet.
Den eneste person fra bøgerne om Dicte som har overlevet i denne nye serie er Dictes søn, ellers er alle nye hovedpersoner.
Tre Hundes Nat er en fantastisk krimi.

[Leonard Makin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy the novel, but was a little confused with the many twists and turns.
The Danish names made it require extra concentration, as I had to check that I was
with the right character a few times - peculiar to me probably and not to another
reader.

Overall. a good read and I would certainly like to read more of the Peter Boutrup
crime series when they are published.

[Louise TM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dicte Svendsens bortadopterede søn, Peter, bor for sig selv i Grenå. En dag under en gåtur finder han tilfældigt en gammel “ven” myrdet, og politiet såvel om Peters nabo, Felix, bliver indblandet i opklaringen.

Jeg har aldrig været stor tilhænger af Elsebeth Egholm, og denne krimi har da heller ikke formået at omvende mig. Krimien er ok, men så heller ikke mere.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Peter is an ex-con trying to lead a new life when a former acquaintance is found murdered near where he lives. He gets sucked into the investigation despite wanting to keep a low profile. In this novel we see some of the underbelly of Danish society. It was an okay crime novel, not as gritty as I was expecting but still readable.

[Carol Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly standard Scandi-crime. I felt the drawing-together of plot strands was a bit rushed at the end. I quite liked Peter, and would have liked more of Mark Bille. I found myself getting annoyed with Felix, who was supposed to be an intelligent woman. Maybe there was something lost in translation. I really wanted to like this, and it was okay, but I probably won't pursue this author.

[Gitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

The absolute Best book so far in her crime serie about Dicte and her son. In this book only about the son, and he is now A very sensitive Young man and A very good friend to have. he helps his freinds and Care A lot for Them. So i Got A total different sight about Him in this book.

[Tine Willer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Godt plot, svært at gætte hvem der egentlig er morderen. Dog fangede den ikke helt og jeg lagde den fra mig, men jeg læste en anden bog. Fik den dog afsluttet.

[Claus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meget velskrevet og en velkomponeret historie med mange facetter.