Munster's Case

An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery

By: Håkan Nesser, Laurie Tompson - translator

Narrated by: Simon Vance

For Waldemar Leverkuhn, a retiree living with his wife in a small unit in an unassuming block of apartments, the day couldn't begin more auspiciously. He, along with three friends, have won the lottery. It's a modest but healthy sum of money and the old men toast to their good luck with a celebratory dinner at their usual haunt. The day ends, however, with Leverkuhn drunk, stumbling, belligerent, and eventually dead in his bed, stabbed 28 times in the chest with a carving knife.

After a cursory investigation on Leverkuhn's few friends and irritable family members that leads to more questions than answers, Leverkuhn's quiet, weary wife incredibly confesses to her husband's murder. The case seems to have solved itself, but when the Leverkuhn's formidable neighbor, Else Van Eck, goes missing and is later discovered in gruesome fashion, Detective Münster and his team find themselves back in the fog and chasing after whisps of clues that indicate that the murders are inextricably linked.

©1998 Håkan Nesser. Originally published in Sweden as Münsters fall by Albert Bonniers Förlag of Stockholm. Translation © 2011 by Laurie Thompson (P)2012 HighBridge Company

Van Veeteren takes a break and it's a good thing.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I thought it was so interesting that Nesser completely set his main character aside (Detective Van Veeteren) and focused on Munster. It literally is Munster's Case. The story is really good and the narration superb.

What did you like best about this story?

Just an opportunity to see Munster fully developed. This is a really good series.

Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. I've read all of Nesser's work on my Kindle. This was my first Nesser audible download I believe. Vance does an amazing job of moving between characters. I look forward to his future work.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

None.

Any additional comments?

None.

not his best....

Rhe story was not as engaging as the previous 6, but still worth a read

An excellent edition to the Scandinavian mystery g

Four old men start the day by winning a modest sum of money which even split between them will be a nice little sum. They go out to celebrate. But, by the end of the day, one man is dead, murdered in his bed with 68 stab wounds. Another of the men has disappeared. And within a couple of days, the landlady from the apartment building of the murdered man also goes missing. Then, the man’s wife comes forward and confesses to the murder. She is convicted and hangs herself in jail. Munster and other officers don’t really believe the wife was strong enough to have inflicted the damage and Munster at least feels she’s protecting someone else, but who? And what happened to the other two people who disappeared? Are all these cases connected? A very good book.

Disappointed

The narrator gave a good performance. The police seemed to be lost, always asking people they questioned "who do you think did it"? Maybe the writer doesn't have a high opinion of the police. I usually enjoy the Nordic crime writers, but this was rather bland.

Boring

What disappointed you about Munster's Case?

It was predicable and although titled a Van Veeteren mystery he wasn't a major character. He has retired and was a consultant.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Jussi Adler-Olssen

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was not as bad as the story.

What character would you cut from Munster's Case?

Munster