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Harry Kvist #1
Clinch
THE FIRST THRILLER IN THE STOCKHOLM TRILOGY
'A dark, atmospheric, powerful thriller, the best debut novel I've read in years' Lynda La Plante
'Ferociously noir... If Chandler and Hammett had really walked on the wild side, it would read like this' Val McDermid
The writing's on the wall for Harry Kvist. Once a notorious boxer, he now spends his days drinking, and his nights as an enforcer on the streets of 1930s Stockholm a city where the rich rule and the poor freeze. But one biting winter's night he's sent to collect from a debtor named Zetterberg, and when the man is found dead shortly afterwards, all eyes are on Kvist.
Kvist's struggle to clear his name will lead him from the city's criminal underworld to its opulent elite. It will bring him face to face with bootleggers and whores, aristocrats and murderers, and force him to confront his own darkness. It will be the biggest fight of his life.
Blending noir with gritty violence, Clinch is a visceral, compulsive thriller that packs a punch and leaves you reeling.
'A dark, atmospheric, powerful thriller, the best debut novel I've read in years' Lynda La Plante
'Ferociously noir... If Chandler and Hammett had really walked on the wild side, it would read like this' Val McDermid
The writing's on the wall for Harry Kvist. Once a notorious boxer, he now spends his days drinking, and his nights as an enforcer on the streets of 1930s Stockholm a city where the rich rule and the poor freeze. But one biting winter's night he's sent to collect from a debtor named Zetterberg, and when the man is found dead shortly afterwards, all eyes are on Kvist.
Kvist's struggle to clear his name will lead him from the city's criminal underworld to its opulent elite. It will bring him face to face with bootleggers and whores, aristocrats and murderers, and force him to confront his own darkness. It will be the biggest fight of his life.
Blending noir with gritty violence, Clinch is a visceral, compulsive thriller that packs a punch and leaves you reeling.
320 pages, Paperback
First published August 31, 2015
About the author
Martin Holmén
17 books59 followersBasic information: Swedish writer, based in Stockholm. Born in 1974. Teaches History, Swedish and History of Culture and Ideas at an upper secondary school in Stockholm two days a week. Author of the Harry Kvist trilogy (Sweden) or the Stockholm trilogy (UK/USA) or the Metropol series (France).
The first installment CLINCH is set in 1932 when the economic depression hits Sweden. It has been described as gritty, stylish, queer noir fiction with a unique Swedish flavour. Available, or soon to be released, in Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Here are three reactions to the english version - from some authorities in the field:
Lynda la Plante : "Clinch is a dark, atmospheric, powerful thriller, the best debut novel I’ve read in years"
Val McDermid: "If Chandler and Hammett had truly walked on the wild side, it would read like Clinch."
Kate Rhodes: "Martin Holmen’s debut novel is a real tour de force. His taut dialogue is reminiscent of early Hemingway and CLINCH is a fascinating race through 1930s Stockholm."
CLINCH was released in Sweden in 2015, DOWN FOR THE COUNT in 2016 and the final installment SLUGGER in 2017. Also a contributor to the anthology of short stories STOCKHOLM NOIR (Editors Nathan Larson and Carl-Michael Edenborg, USA 2016).
Influences span from pulp and film noir to classic hardboiled American fiction like Jim Thompson, to the autodidact writers of Swedens early working class movement like Jan Fridegård, to Russian realists and French naturalist authors, to vintage sleaze, action movies, video games, Frank Miller comics and great Americana like Hemingway, Faulkner or Steinbeck. I know - it's a somewhat contradictory list. Just doing my thing here. Please don't take me too seriously - I know I don't.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
March 10, 2016
1932 Stockholm, Sweden
Wheel of Fortune, for every one going up there's one going down.
Framed for murder Kvisten searches for the witness who can clear him. A cat and mouse game across the seedy side of interwar Stockholm ensues with Harry seemingly one step behind, all the time, until his luck turns. It's a probing look at the bottom half of the city's totem from the schemers to the scrapers to the desperate, and every so often there's a glimmer of hope.
Not pretty and not cozy, there's a visceral quality to the descriptions and tone that root this squarely in the noir genre. Noir is very much a fall from grace motif; doll comes into his life and suddenly everything goes to hell in a handbasket. All it takes is one meeting and everything changed for Harry Kvisten.
Brutish and self-centered, he's a great character. In real life I'd lock horns, but he really does have that larger than life attitude that gives him a charisma that his broken face doesn't. He also has moments of unvarnished restraint or charity that you wouldn't expect which makes him unequivocally flawed, but human, and not a sociopath. His code is different, honed by scarcity and need, but it is there.
It is a textural and palpable experience reading about Kvisten's life, a series of physical events and while they are often violent that concentration lends a sensuous quality. It's this ephemera, seductive, yet blunt instances that are here then gone again. Don't misunderstand, there's nothing romantic about it; it's coarse, earthy and visceral. That "ultra-gritty" tag in the blurb is not unwarranted. If one is uncomfortable with human bodily functions than the intrinsic crudity will be off-putting.
That said, this story is rooted in 1930s Stockholm. You have a real sense of the economic inequality, the struggle, and the disturbing rise of Nazi rhetoric whispering in. There is a definite sense of place and references that a local or one with great familiarity will get that others will not. Contextually, they're understandable, but the sub context for all the regional references are right over my head, which is hard to admit and has me feeling like this:
The ending is a splashy double-cross, emotionally fraught, yet in that noir aspect untouchable. Everything has changed and nothing has. Overall, I enjoyed the chase, the betrayals, and that cynicism. It was a win, and I'll probably reread it and I already have the perfect person to buy this book for.
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The cover was interesting, but the blurb--that grabbed hold, and I just couldn't resist. Swedish noir? Yes, please.
~~Copy provided by Netgalley~~
Wheel of Fortune, for every one going up there's one going down.
Framed for murder Kvisten searches for the witness who can clear him. A cat and mouse game across the seedy side of interwar Stockholm ensues with Harry seemingly one step behind, all the time, until his luck turns. It's a probing look at the bottom half of the city's totem from the schemers to the scrapers to the desperate, and every so often there's a glimmer of hope.
Not pretty and not cozy, there's a visceral quality to the descriptions and tone that root this squarely in the noir genre. Noir is very much a fall from grace motif; doll comes into his life and suddenly everything goes to hell in a handbasket. All it takes is one meeting and everything changed for Harry Kvisten.
Brutish and self-centered, he's a great character. In real life I'd lock horns, but he really does have that larger than life attitude that gives him a charisma that his broken face doesn't. He also has moments of unvarnished restraint or charity that you wouldn't expect which makes him unequivocally flawed, but human, and not a sociopath. His code is different, honed by scarcity and need, but it is there.
It is a textural and palpable experience reading about Kvisten's life, a series of physical events and while they are often violent that concentration lends a sensuous quality. It's this ephemera, seductive, yet blunt instances that are here then gone again. Don't misunderstand, there's nothing romantic about it; it's coarse, earthy and visceral. That "ultra-gritty" tag in the blurb is not unwarranted. If one is uncomfortable with human bodily functions than the intrinsic crudity will be off-putting.
That said, this story is rooted in 1930s Stockholm. You have a real sense of the economic inequality, the struggle, and the disturbing rise of Nazi rhetoric whispering in. There is a definite sense of place and references that a local or one with great familiarity will get that others will not. Contextually, they're understandable, but the sub context for all the regional references are right over my head, which is hard to admit and has me feeling like this:
The ending is a splashy double-cross, emotionally fraught, yet in that noir aspect untouchable. Everything has changed and nothing has. Overall, I enjoyed the chase, the betrayals, and that cynicism. It was a win, and I'll probably reread it and I already have the perfect person to buy this book for.
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The cover was interesting, but the blurb--that grabbed hold, and I just couldn't resist. Swedish noir? Yes, please.
~~Copy provided by Netgalley~~
October 8, 2016
Fuck me. This was amazing. Fuck. Wow. A coherent review may take some time. Geez, V; perfect pick for me. Thank you. So much thank you.
Six stars. I'm pre-ordering the second book as soon as there's a release date.
Six stars. I'm pre-ordering the second book as soon as there's a release date.
March 18, 2016
4,5 stars!
WARNING: This book is not romance.
It is very interesting, unusual and highly recommended gay mystery.
I think, I have never read anything more visually noir before!
Martin Holmén belongs to the biggest surprises of this year for me.
Stockholm in 1932. Swedish noir? Oh yes, please! It looks like the author wrote his debut novel with an old city map. I wish I could follow places, streets, names. (It's time to visit Stockholm.)
The settings are fantastic.
The plot:
Harry Kvist, an ex boxer, makes for living from collecting debts from the private persons.
Mostly it is just a bicycle business, but from time to time he has occasional job that brings good moneys. Like the one with Zetterberg. If Harry manages to collect two thousand kronor and sent money within five days, he can keep fifteen per cent. Everything seems to go according to plan: after ex boxer has taught Zetterberg a lesson in paying debts, he has just to come back next day and collect the money. The only problem is- Zetterberg has been murdered shortly after Kvist left his apartment and Harry Kvist is considered the prime suspect. There are two witnesses who can be his alibi: Sonja ,a bowlegged whore, with who he has a conversation, and a joyrider in a black sports car. But Harry has been already taken twice for the eighteenth paragraph, the antihomosexual paragraph. So, the young man is not an option. To clear himself of any suspicion he has to find Sonja.
Only he is not the only one who looks for her.
The mystery part is great, it spirals all the way through, with unexpected twists and turns, with a brilliantly thought-out ending, and is a good starting point for the future thrilling adventure of Harry Kvist. Because it is supposed to be a trilogy!
I'm definitively looking forward to reading more about this butch ex-boxer who beams with power and sexappeal.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
**Copy provided by the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
March 20, 2016
Best first novel I've ever written!
September 12, 2016
A very proper noir complete with a femme fatale and all that that usually entails. Our grizzled 'hero' tumbles through a rugged Stockholm where the cold and the snow and the poverty are an essential part of the noir feel, just like the heat and the sweat are part of the more southern noir.
With Kvist, Holmen creates a more than jaded complex man complete with a troubled past and an uncertain future. His words created this grimy world full of streets which would get me completely loss should I go there but which helped place me there and nowhere else. Like Kvisten, Holmen does not hold back his punches but writes quite a dirty fight, which thank God, Harry was able to survive. And yes I certainly want to read more........
July 22, 2016
Let me say this right up front: this is not your standard Nordic crime novel. Clinch would be right at home on a hardcore noir-reader's shelf. It's a very physical novel, a book where the term "gritty" doesn't even begin to cover how very dark it is. It's also a story that takes its readers into the streets and alleyways of Stockholm in the early 1930s where people are just trying to survive however they can, be it by pimping, prostitution, thievery, whatever. And even when the story moves into the better neighborhoods, even there things don't become any brighter.
for plot, etc., you can read my reading journal post. Don't worry -- absolutely no spoilers.
I offer major kudos to Mr. Holmén for bringing something new to the table and new to the genre. As just one example, his Harry Kvist is not meant to be your average crime solver -- he is sensitive, loves animals, cares about other people, is generous when he has the money. On the other hand, as I said earlier, this is a very physical novel, and Harry's sexuality both with men and women is writ large here, as is his propensity toward violence.
When it comes down to it, Clinch is an explosive novel, best enjoyed by readers who are at home with gritty noir that packs a major punch. There is absolutely nothing cutesy here, no angsty detectives, no hints of the sort of Scandinavian crime fiction that is on bookstore shelves -- this is something very, very different and well, frankly, in my opinion, it's time for that to be happening. Highly, highly recommended. I will have to try to remain patient until the next book comes out but after reading and loving this one, that's not going to be easy.
for plot, etc., you can read my reading journal post. Don't worry -- absolutely no spoilers.
I offer major kudos to Mr. Holmén for bringing something new to the table and new to the genre. As just one example, his Harry Kvist is not meant to be your average crime solver -- he is sensitive, loves animals, cares about other people, is generous when he has the money. On the other hand, as I said earlier, this is a very physical novel, and Harry's sexuality both with men and women is writ large here, as is his propensity toward violence.
When it comes down to it, Clinch is an explosive novel, best enjoyed by readers who are at home with gritty noir that packs a major punch. There is absolutely nothing cutesy here, no angsty detectives, no hints of the sort of Scandinavian crime fiction that is on bookstore shelves -- this is something very, very different and well, frankly, in my opinion, it's time for that to be happening. Highly, highly recommended. I will have to try to remain patient until the next book comes out but after reading and loving this one, that's not going to be easy.
May 16, 2016
This is the first in a proposed trilogy – the second book is titled, “Down for the Count,” and the third novel, planned next year (2017 at time of writing this review) is “Slugger.” The main character is the bi-sexual, ex-boxer, Harry Kvist, who lives in Stockholm. This is not the Stockholm we are familiar with though in Nordic Noir crime novels – although this book certainly ticks every other ‘noir’ box – but this is Sweden in 1932. Other crime novels, of course, have been set in 1930’s Europe and I immediately think of the Bernie Gunther novels, for example. Here though, Hitler is a story in the newspapers and, although the encroaching European upheavals are not yet affecting those in Sweden, it is obvious that people are more than aware of the early rumblings of unease in other countries.
Although Harry Kvist was once a successful boxer, he now spends his time collecting debts and doing other jobs which require the threat of his rather intimidating presence. One of the errands he has is collect a debt from a man called Zetterberg. Kvist visits him, roughs him up a little, then says he will be back the next day for the money. In his mind, he has already spent his payment on some boots, as the weather is getting better. However, on the next night, when he returns, there is a crowd outside Zetterberg’s apartment block and the man is dead. Harry feels cheated out of his new boots, but things get worse when he is accused of the murder, which sets him off on a search across the city to find out who is really guilty of the crime so he can clear his name.
This is a dark, gritty journey through a world of prostitutes, clubs and police cells of 1932 Stockholm. Harry Kvist is a very self contained character, although he does have a ‘sort of’ friend in his landlord; the undertaker, Lundin. This is a good combination of Scandinavian crime and historical fiction, which is something quite different from other Scandinavian fiction I have read. At times, it felt a little dry and distanced, but I enjoyed trailing Harry through Stockholm on his adventures and will continue with the trilogy. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
Although Harry Kvist was once a successful boxer, he now spends his time collecting debts and doing other jobs which require the threat of his rather intimidating presence. One of the errands he has is collect a debt from a man called Zetterberg. Kvist visits him, roughs him up a little, then says he will be back the next day for the money. In his mind, he has already spent his payment on some boots, as the weather is getting better. However, on the next night, when he returns, there is a crowd outside Zetterberg’s apartment block and the man is dead. Harry feels cheated out of his new boots, but things get worse when he is accused of the murder, which sets him off on a search across the city to find out who is really guilty of the crime so he can clear his name.
This is a dark, gritty journey through a world of prostitutes, clubs and police cells of 1932 Stockholm. Harry Kvist is a very self contained character, although he does have a ‘sort of’ friend in his landlord; the undertaker, Lundin. This is a good combination of Scandinavian crime and historical fiction, which is something quite different from other Scandinavian fiction I have read. At times, it felt a little dry and distanced, but I enjoyed trailing Harry through Stockholm on his adventures and will continue with the trilogy. Lastly, I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
Shelved as 'abandoned'
March 29, 2016This is a great idea, historical (early 1930s) noir with a bisexual anti-hero: an ex-boxer working as a debt collector & hired thug, who when he’s wrongly suspected of murder, sets out to find the real culprit.
Tough gay & bi men haven’t been that visible in mainstream popular culture (a recent notable exception being the character of Corky in the BBC adaptation The Night Manager). And in this setting of 80-odd years ago, Harry Kvist’s sexuality provides a lot of conflict in the story, with his history of arrest and imprisonment for beating up blackmailers and for just having a sex life with other men. Nor are his encounters prettified.
I can’t expect every debut crime/thriller novelist to write like Le Carré or Rankin, or be translated as well as Arnaldur Indriðason (whose earliest books haven’t even been put into English). That wouldn't be fair. But there are still workmanlike Nordic noirs, e.g. by Anne Holt, that I’ve devoured in a couple of days.
I also usually love historical detail; people-watching in 30s Stockholm sounds cool – but the numerous descriptions of passers-by and of objects in rooms slowed the story down, and distracted from the main action and the protagonist: these extras and props are often referenced for themselves, as part of the scenery, not for what Kvist (or another character) thinks about or experiences with them. I started to feel both bogged down by the set-dressing, and often jerked out of the thread of the story, when I'd gone to this ARC for a fast-paced, engrossing read that would be a break from some of the consciously literary and experimental novels I've also been reading. It wasn't working for me for that purpose, and I ended up abandoning a quarter of the way through.
I still wanted to know what would happen with Kvist. And I realise debut historical novels aren’t known for their subtle use of research material. I’m not saying I could do better, I get how fascinating social history & vintage artefacts can be in & of themselves, and there's no doubt the author has done his research thoroughly - but with a reader's detachment, I kept wondering what it would be like if maybe half these descriptions of people and things in the background were cut, more of those present directly related to the narrator, (they felt distant, as if they might fit better in a third-person narrative) and the lists of news stories shortened, the latter also bearing in mind that in 1932 people didn't know just how significant Hitler would become.
Clinch would, though, make a great screenplay, as all the visuals and incidental noises are present; the camera would sort them into foreground and background. I’d certainly watch this as a film or TV series. (Holmén is in pretty good company: I loved most of the Arne Dahl TV shows, but only needed a Kindle sample to figure out that the books weren't for me.)
The publisher of Clinch being Pushkin Press, I started with different expectations of the writing style than I would have with a mass-market imprint; but a GR friend who's read others from the Pushkin Vertigo vintage crime collection has since said that they weren't as "literary" as some of the publisher's other titles.
I’ve read one other translation by Henning Koch, A Man Called Ove. It was one of those books that sounds cute with a slight accent. But in a novel like Clinch that doesn’t work so well: the uneven use of British and US slang (e.g. “bloke”, but then "goons” to mean brutal police) and the jarring shifts in register prompted me to look at the translator’s bio – he’s not a native English speaker and has spent a lot of time living on the Continent, more than in English-speaking countries. This sort of story in the first person needs a really good ear for the right genre and era in the target language: it needs to be decided from the first page whether it’s going for Cockney gangster or Bogart PI, and to stick to that effectively. (And if there had been some palare there too alongside a clearly positioned British English narrative, that would have been amazing.)
Noir is classically first-person, but a third-person narrative would be more robust to the challenges of translation and register, as well as being a good format for all those background descriptions. (William McIlvanney's superb Laidlaw trilogy used third person for the first two books, then moved to first for the final one, when character and authorial voice were well established.)
Many of Kvist’s mannerisms, his blend of hard-nosed slang with quite literary description (needless to say he’s a bit of a reader of classics despite having left school very young), his habit of addressing himself by name or in the third person, and his snappy wardrobe, brought to mind Bill Naughton’s now-underrated Alfie books – and the contrast with such well written novels in full command of the tones of their narrative frustrated me by emphasising what this book could have been. For all I know, the author may have a great ear for the tones of Swedish gangsters of decades past, but for this reader it sadly didn't emerge in the English version.
Having seen that the author is active on Goodreads, I've tried to be constructive rather than cutting in this post, and the best way I could find was to think of what I might have suggested if this were a manuscript by someone I knew.
But yeah, sorry, man.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher Pushkin Press, from whom I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Tough gay & bi men haven’t been that visible in mainstream popular culture (a recent notable exception being the character of Corky in the BBC adaptation The Night Manager). And in this setting of 80-odd years ago, Harry Kvist’s sexuality provides a lot of conflict in the story, with his history of arrest and imprisonment for beating up blackmailers and for just having a sex life with other men. Nor are his encounters prettified.
I can’t expect every debut crime/thriller novelist to write like Le Carré or Rankin, or be translated as well as Arnaldur Indriðason (whose earliest books haven’t even been put into English). That wouldn't be fair. But there are still workmanlike Nordic noirs, e.g. by Anne Holt, that I’ve devoured in a couple of days.
I also usually love historical detail; people-watching in 30s Stockholm sounds cool – but the numerous descriptions of passers-by and of objects in rooms slowed the story down, and distracted from the main action and the protagonist: these extras and props are often referenced for themselves, as part of the scenery, not for what Kvist (or another character) thinks about or experiences with them. I started to feel both bogged down by the set-dressing, and often jerked out of the thread of the story, when I'd gone to this ARC for a fast-paced, engrossing read that would be a break from some of the consciously literary and experimental novels I've also been reading. It wasn't working for me for that purpose, and I ended up abandoning a quarter of the way through.
I still wanted to know what would happen with Kvist. And I realise debut historical novels aren’t known for their subtle use of research material. I’m not saying I could do better, I get how fascinating social history & vintage artefacts can be in & of themselves, and there's no doubt the author has done his research thoroughly - but with a reader's detachment, I kept wondering what it would be like if maybe half these descriptions of people and things in the background were cut, more of those present directly related to the narrator, (they felt distant, as if they might fit better in a third-person narrative) and the lists of news stories shortened, the latter also bearing in mind that in 1932 people didn't know just how significant Hitler would become.
Clinch would, though, make a great screenplay, as all the visuals and incidental noises are present; the camera would sort them into foreground and background. I’d certainly watch this as a film or TV series. (Holmén is in pretty good company: I loved most of the Arne Dahl TV shows, but only needed a Kindle sample to figure out that the books weren't for me.)
The publisher of Clinch being Pushkin Press, I started with different expectations of the writing style than I would have with a mass-market imprint; but a GR friend who's read others from the Pushkin Vertigo vintage crime collection has since said that they weren't as "literary" as some of the publisher's other titles.
I’ve read one other translation by Henning Koch, A Man Called Ove. It was one of those books that sounds cute with a slight accent. But in a novel like Clinch that doesn’t work so well: the uneven use of British and US slang (e.g. “bloke”, but then "goons” to mean brutal police) and the jarring shifts in register prompted me to look at the translator’s bio – he’s not a native English speaker and has spent a lot of time living on the Continent, more than in English-speaking countries. This sort of story in the first person needs a really good ear for the right genre and era in the target language: it needs to be decided from the first page whether it’s going for Cockney gangster or Bogart PI, and to stick to that effectively. (And if there had been some palare there too alongside a clearly positioned British English narrative, that would have been amazing.)
Noir is classically first-person, but a third-person narrative would be more robust to the challenges of translation and register, as well as being a good format for all those background descriptions. (William McIlvanney's superb Laidlaw trilogy used third person for the first two books, then moved to first for the final one, when character and authorial voice were well established.)
Many of Kvist’s mannerisms, his blend of hard-nosed slang with quite literary description (needless to say he’s a bit of a reader of classics despite having left school very young), his habit of addressing himself by name or in the third person, and his snappy wardrobe, brought to mind Bill Naughton’s now-underrated Alfie books – and the contrast with such well written novels in full command of the tones of their narrative frustrated me by emphasising what this book could have been. For all I know, the author may have a great ear for the tones of Swedish gangsters of decades past, but for this reader it sadly didn't emerge in the English version.
Having seen that the author is active on Goodreads, I've tried to be constructive rather than cutting in this post, and the best way I could find was to think of what I might have suggested if this were a manuscript by someone I knew.
But yeah, sorry, man.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher Pushkin Press, from whom I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 21, 2016
Gritty and gruesome, Clinch is a great mystery with an unpleasant but fascinating main character, Harry Kvist, whose only positive side is his affection for pets.
Despite the total lack of romance and (too) many gross moments, I found this read greatly mesmerizing. The sex scenes (unfortunately only a couple), both gay and het, were incredibly hot and felt very real. The last chapter was a true blast!
Minor complaint: there’s a very detailed description of 1932 Stockholm which at times feels like reading an historical street guide.. not my favorite kind of read :)
Can’t wait for the next installment in the series
November 21, 2017
Clinch is the first book in the Harry Kvist trilogy by Swedish author and teacher, Martin Holmen. It is flawlessly translated from Swedish by Henning Koch. It’s 1932 and life in depression-era Stockholm is no easier than anywhere else. Ex-boxer, ex-sailor, ex-con Harry Kvist is just trying to survive. He uses his skills for vehicle repossessions, for finding missing or runaway country girls, and for roughing up those who need it: “A country girl is worth more than a bicycle, but less than a car or a thrashing.”
Gunnar Zetterberg owes 2100kr on his car, and Harry’s there to collect, but before Harry can return for the money, Zetterberg is murdered. The cops eventually let him go, but Harry isn’t going to wait for those goons to find the killer. He’s no cop or PI but reckons he can track down the witness who can clear him of suspicion. Except that’s not quite as straightforward as he hopes.
In the first instalment of this trilogy, Holmen sets up his protagonist and plunges him into the action. Even though he’s obviously carrying some emotional baggage, Harry’s got friends and neighbours who look out for him, so he must be an OK guy. He’s no saint, though, so he doesn’t knock it back when sex is offered on a silver platter.
What can the reader expect? It’s 1932, so there’s lots of smoking. It’s Scandinavia, so there’s lots of hard liquor. It’s the seedier areas of town, so there’s lots of violence. It’s December, so there’s lots of ice and snow. And it’s Harry Kvist, so there’s lots of sex, and it’s not vanilla. There’s a bit of black humour, especially in the banter between Harry and Lundin, and there’s an exciting climax (or two). Holmen has created a great plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing right up to the final pages.
A familiarity with Swedish politics of the 1930s is not essential or even necessary, but may enhance the reader’s enjoyment. Holmen’s rendering of the cold and wet Stockholm December is so expertly done that he even has readers in balmy climes shivering. Many reviewers have called this tale gritty, and that is certainly the most succinct and apt descriptor. A brilliant debut novel that is Scandinavian noir at its best. More please!
With thanks to Bonnier Publishing for this copy to read and review
Gunnar Zetterberg owes 2100kr on his car, and Harry’s there to collect, but before Harry can return for the money, Zetterberg is murdered. The cops eventually let him go, but Harry isn’t going to wait for those goons to find the killer. He’s no cop or PI but reckons he can track down the witness who can clear him of suspicion. Except that’s not quite as straightforward as he hopes.
In the first instalment of this trilogy, Holmen sets up his protagonist and plunges him into the action. Even though he’s obviously carrying some emotional baggage, Harry’s got friends and neighbours who look out for him, so he must be an OK guy. He’s no saint, though, so he doesn’t knock it back when sex is offered on a silver platter.
What can the reader expect? It’s 1932, so there’s lots of smoking. It’s Scandinavia, so there’s lots of hard liquor. It’s the seedier areas of town, so there’s lots of violence. It’s December, so there’s lots of ice and snow. And it’s Harry Kvist, so there’s lots of sex, and it’s not vanilla. There’s a bit of black humour, especially in the banter between Harry and Lundin, and there’s an exciting climax (or two). Holmen has created a great plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader guessing right up to the final pages.
A familiarity with Swedish politics of the 1930s is not essential or even necessary, but may enhance the reader’s enjoyment. Holmen’s rendering of the cold and wet Stockholm December is so expertly done that he even has readers in balmy climes shivering. Many reviewers have called this tale gritty, and that is certainly the most succinct and apt descriptor. A brilliant debut novel that is Scandinavian noir at its best. More please!
With thanks to Bonnier Publishing for this copy to read and review
June 10, 2016
I received an ARC of this title from Pushkin Press.
Harry Kvist is an former boxer who lives in the decrepit, dirty and seedy city of Stockholm in the 1930’s. The city is full of tramps, prostitutes, and bootleggers as well as poor and destitute citizens who have been affected by the economic collapse of this decade. Kvist himself leads a hard life by serving as a collector of debts to those who have defaulted on payments. His specialty is repossessing bicycles which is easy money for him. When the novel begins Kvist is collecting on a debt from a man named Zetterberg who owes a few thousand kronor. Kvist scares Zetterberg by giving him a good beating that is not enough to kill him, but enough to leave him with a few scars as a “reminder” to pay the money he owes. When Zetterberg is found dead the next day, Kvist is the prime suspect and he is immediately picked up by the police.
Kvist spends a few rough nights in a disgusting jail cell covered in urine and lice. He is given a working over by the detectives and after they don’t get any information out of him he is released. He spends the next few days hunting downs leads about Zetterberg’s murder and trying to find a prostitute named Sonja who is the only person who can provide him with an alibi for the time of the murder. Kvist’s detective work takes him to bars, gangster hideouts, slums and brothels. The best part of the book is the author’s ability to fully capture the squalid, dingy and oftentimes dangerous city. The streets are an interesting mix of pre-industrial Europe and the slow progress towards modernization. Horse carts still plow the streets and deliver coal, but cars are also driven through the crowded and dirty city.
The plot about the murder is slow to advance throughout the course of the book. However, Kvist’s contact with the seedy underbelly of the city make for some thrilling scenes. His always has a desire to use his boxing skills and he gets into several fist fights with other gritty characters. He is also shot at and chased after and there is rarely a dull moment in Kvist’s life. But even though there is an undercurrent of violence throughout the book, Kvist is not a murderer or a psychopath. He can be sensitive to the needs of others, especially women who are in a tough spot or emotionally distraught. He is even nice to animals and feeds the starving strays on the streets of Stockholm. All of these details give us a multi-dimensional character with whom, even when he is violent, we can sympathize.
Kvist’s sexuality and his experimentation with both males and females gives the book an added layer of interest and sophistication. Kvist has several encounters with different men at the beginning of the book which is very dangerous for him since any type of homosexual act is illegal at the time. But Kvist’s sexual preferences are not an “either, or” choice. He also hints at the fact that he has a daughter and makes comments about the type of woman that attracts him. He spends quite a bit of time in the second part of the book sleeping with an actress who was trying to contract him for his collection serves. The exploration of his sexuality, which is not usually done in Noir fiction, adds another brilliant dimension to his character.
I am excited that this is supposed to be the first book in a trilogy about Harry Kvist and I am eager to read the next two installments which are coming out in the next year. This is noir writing as its best and you won’t want to give this book a miss if you are a fan of this genre.
Harry Kvist is an former boxer who lives in the decrepit, dirty and seedy city of Stockholm in the 1930’s. The city is full of tramps, prostitutes, and bootleggers as well as poor and destitute citizens who have been affected by the economic collapse of this decade. Kvist himself leads a hard life by serving as a collector of debts to those who have defaulted on payments. His specialty is repossessing bicycles which is easy money for him. When the novel begins Kvist is collecting on a debt from a man named Zetterberg who owes a few thousand kronor. Kvist scares Zetterberg by giving him a good beating that is not enough to kill him, but enough to leave him with a few scars as a “reminder” to pay the money he owes. When Zetterberg is found dead the next day, Kvist is the prime suspect and he is immediately picked up by the police.
Kvist spends a few rough nights in a disgusting jail cell covered in urine and lice. He is given a working over by the detectives and after they don’t get any information out of him he is released. He spends the next few days hunting downs leads about Zetterberg’s murder and trying to find a prostitute named Sonja who is the only person who can provide him with an alibi for the time of the murder. Kvist’s detective work takes him to bars, gangster hideouts, slums and brothels. The best part of the book is the author’s ability to fully capture the squalid, dingy and oftentimes dangerous city. The streets are an interesting mix of pre-industrial Europe and the slow progress towards modernization. Horse carts still plow the streets and deliver coal, but cars are also driven through the crowded and dirty city.
The plot about the murder is slow to advance throughout the course of the book. However, Kvist’s contact with the seedy underbelly of the city make for some thrilling scenes. His always has a desire to use his boxing skills and he gets into several fist fights with other gritty characters. He is also shot at and chased after and there is rarely a dull moment in Kvist’s life. But even though there is an undercurrent of violence throughout the book, Kvist is not a murderer or a psychopath. He can be sensitive to the needs of others, especially women who are in a tough spot or emotionally distraught. He is even nice to animals and feeds the starving strays on the streets of Stockholm. All of these details give us a multi-dimensional character with whom, even when he is violent, we can sympathize.
Kvist’s sexuality and his experimentation with both males and females gives the book an added layer of interest and sophistication. Kvist has several encounters with different men at the beginning of the book which is very dangerous for him since any type of homosexual act is illegal at the time. But Kvist’s sexual preferences are not an “either, or” choice. He also hints at the fact that he has a daughter and makes comments about the type of woman that attracts him. He spends quite a bit of time in the second part of the book sleeping with an actress who was trying to contract him for his collection serves. The exploration of his sexuality, which is not usually done in Noir fiction, adds another brilliant dimension to his character.
I am excited that this is supposed to be the first book in a trilogy about Harry Kvist and I am eager to read the next two installments which are coming out in the next year. This is noir writing as its best and you won’t want to give this book a miss if you are a fan of this genre.
September 19, 2017
I wish I knew Swedish well enough to enjoy the book in its original language as I had a few issues here and there with the translation. Nevertheless, the book is great. I was never a huge fan of noir, but I simply couldn't put it down. Definitely gonna order the next one.
February 18, 2016
Clinch was witten by Martin Holmén and it told the story of a boxer (Harry) who turned to being a collector of debts. One day he accosted a man who supposedly bought a car from a farmer and didn't pay. It goes on to tell how he thinks a prostitute could be a witness that he didn't kill the man. He goes on to have an tryst with a young man and then with a women. He didn't know that they were brother and sister. He manages to get hauled into jail a couple of times. He finds the prostitute while she is being killed by a German. This is all taking place in 1932. The German goes after him and they end up in a closed kitchen where he kills the German. There is action in this tail, and I think you'll be surprised in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 26, 2016
"Hatred issues from their mouths like smoke & violence is no longer pretty this night, violence is nothing more than a blessed jumble of feet & fists & sobbing. The boys claw & hiss desperately at each other, like a litter of kittens in a jute sack on their way to the river."
A very impressive example of Swedish Noir, set in 1930's Stockholm. This is the first book in a proposed trilogy. Fans of Hammett, looking for a Dash more sleaze should check this out.
This gritty, grimy narrative won't appeal to everyone. But then, what does?
Highly recommended. 4 stars from this reader.
A very impressive example of Swedish Noir, set in 1930's Stockholm. This is the first book in a proposed trilogy. Fans of Hammett, looking for a Dash more sleaze should check this out.
This gritty, grimy narrative won't appeal to everyone. But then, what does?
Highly recommended. 4 stars from this reader.
September 15, 2019
The seedy side of Stockholm in the 1930s is the setting for this dark mystery. The protagonist is an ex boxer working as an enforcer for people owed money. One of his targets is murdered and he has to clear his name. The author gives us a tour of living condition in the city prior to the outbreak of WW II which is populated with prostitutes, homosexuals, gangsters and all kinds of petty thieves. The main character is well developed as are some of the others. The plot is good but I found the translation a little rough and confusing at times. I also found found some of the sex scenes a tad crude.
March 8, 2018
Holmen’s gritty and violent novel won’t help Stockholm’s tourist industry. Set in 1932 it is narrated by ex-boxer Harry Kvist, now down on his luck and debt-collecting To makes ends meet. His is a well-known face from his fighting days though, everywhere he goes people know him, which is not always a good thing. The streets of the city that Kvist inhabits are shared by junkies, prostitutes and gangs out for trouble. It is a very different Stockholm to these days.
Kvist visits a man and demands the money he owes the next day. However, the following day the man is found murdered and Harry is the number one suspect. This is Swedish ‘hard-boiled’ noir. There are few laughs in the dark society Harry inhabits.
The French, Americans, English and Scottish have very much there own styles of noir writing, perhaps the Swedish are finding theirs.
Just a note also, that it is published by the wonderful Pushkin Vertigo. Pretty much all of their novels (crime) are worth reading.
Kvist visits a man and demands the money he owes the next day. However, the following day the man is found murdered and Harry is the number one suspect. This is Swedish ‘hard-boiled’ noir. There are few laughs in the dark society Harry inhabits.
The French, Americans, English and Scottish have very much there own styles of noir writing, perhaps the Swedish are finding theirs.
Just a note also, that it is published by the wonderful Pushkin Vertigo. Pretty much all of their novels (crime) are worth reading.
February 11, 2016
I quite enjoyed reading this book. It was captivating, dark and gritty. Mark Holmen’s style reminds me of the American Author Richard Price, who is also very good. There’s a lot to like about the main character Harry Hvist, an ex –boxer. There’s plenty of depth to this story and it moves along at a good pace. It is also quite unique reading a story based in the 1930’s and picturing what life would have been like back then. I will definitely keep an eye out for Marks next book, as this one is worth a read.
May 10, 2019
I’ve not read Scandinavian Noir quite like Martin Holmen’s ‘Clinch’ before and I’ve got to say I really loved it. Holmen introduces us to Harry Kvist, a most intriguing character who is dark, broody, at times violent and provocative. He’s described as kind of an antihero in some reviews and that is probably quite apt. And while he’s actually kind of unlikeable I found myself really liking him. He’s a character who appeals to our darker side in some respects.
Holmen is powerfully descriptive in his writing and spends a lot of time giving the reader a strong picture of 1930s Stockholm. It’s dark, cold, dreary and stark but yet utterly intriguing and drew me right in. Holmens descriptions are in no way superfluous.
The story comes together quite rapidly in the last few chapters building quite slowly throughout.
I’m definitely keen for more of Harry Kvist.
Holmen is powerfully descriptive in his writing and spends a lot of time giving the reader a strong picture of 1930s Stockholm. It’s dark, cold, dreary and stark but yet utterly intriguing and drew me right in. Holmens descriptions are in no way superfluous.
The story comes together quite rapidly in the last few chapters building quite slowly throughout.
I’m definitely keen for more of Harry Kvist.
Shelved as 'dnf'
July 22, 2017I don't read noir (I think? I read some thrillers, some crime novels but I don't think I have ever read something that could be said to be noir) so from what I have seen, I am not the audience for this book.
I didn't find the main character interesting and the way he treated everyone else was pretty boring (he could have been called D*ck Hardboiled, the toughest detective, and I would have believed it). At least he doesn't abuse dogs? That's something, at least.
I didn't find the main character interesting and the way he treated everyone else was pretty boring (he could have been called D*ck Hardboiled, the toughest detective, and I would have believed it). At least he doesn't abuse dogs? That's something, at least.
January 15, 2019
Swedish noir set in 1930's. A well balanced pace. I didn't have to fight with the prose. Most of the characters were intriguing, easy to sympathize with, and not one dimensional. The plot was believable and not full of ridiculous twists and turns. I found myself reading 'in the moment' and not trying to guess where it was going. A very good read. I highly recommend it.
March 14, 2022
Rep: bi mc, gay side characters
CWs: gore, violence, murder
CWs: gore, violence, murder
August 14, 2018
If you have ever wondered why Scandinavian noir is so glum given the excellent social net and general Hygge imagine what it would be like if the Scandinavian countries were run as callously as elsewhere. Reading Clinch provides the answer. Unmitigated relentless bleakness.
The (anti) hero is vividly depicted, the plot a little shaky and the descriptions of the milieu don't despite the blurb meet the impossible standards of chandler. I enjoyed it but did not love it.
The (anti) hero is vividly depicted, the plot a little shaky and the descriptions of the milieu don't despite the blurb meet the impossible standards of chandler. I enjoyed it but did not love it.
Read
August 28, 2017DNF at page 125.
This one really isn't for me even though to all intents and purposes it is a great book. The visual noir feel the author brings to this is second to none - evoking a different time and place and putting a hugely divisive and to me unlikable main protagonist into the centre of it.
My problem is I'm just not finding the story that interesting and every time I pick it up I feel like I'm reading it just because it is it's turn on the currently reading pile. That tells me I'm not enjoying it and despite the great writing the author just hasn't got me this time. Harry Kvist is just not anyone I want to follow anywhere. It happens.
Recommended though for people who like an anti-hero who is much more anti than hero and lovers of tense atmospheric historical settings.
This one really isn't for me even though to all intents and purposes it is a great book. The visual noir feel the author brings to this is second to none - evoking a different time and place and putting a hugely divisive and to me unlikable main protagonist into the centre of it.
My problem is I'm just not finding the story that interesting and every time I pick it up I feel like I'm reading it just because it is it's turn on the currently reading pile. That tells me I'm not enjoying it and despite the great writing the author just hasn't got me this time. Harry Kvist is just not anyone I want to follow anywhere. It happens.
Recommended though for people who like an anti-hero who is much more anti than hero and lovers of tense atmospheric historical settings.
February 6, 2016
While I couldn't relate directly to the protatgonist, I enjoyed the gritty feel of the story and the earthiness of the characters. It felt like this was a world that the writer really knew something about (which is quite a disturbing thought).
October 5, 2015
Om detta är riktningen för Swedish crime, då är jag med till 110 %.
Smutsigt, stinkande, hårt och väldigt väl genomfört hela vägen. Tänk dig Sin City möter Stockholm 1932.
Smutsigt, stinkande, hårt och väldigt väl genomfört hela vägen. Tänk dig Sin City möter Stockholm 1932.
Read
August 13, 2019Precis som Martin Holmén är jag svag för gammal amerikansk noir. Alltså originalet, de tunna tragiska historierna där hjälten alltid kör fast i slutet, tänk livstid, elektriska stolen eller fallet från en skyskrapa, och först på vägen ner får hela bilden klar för sig. Att han blivit spelad. I regel av en slug förförisk kvinna.
Kan inte låta bli att tänka att det i Holméns dator vilar ett alternativt slut, där den före detta boxaren och sjömannen Harry Kvist går ett mer definitivt öde till mötes. Och under läsningens gång hoppas jag att den upplagda linan ska löpa hela vägen ut. Det gör den inte.
Men det är egentligen en skitsak. Clinch är fartfylld underhållning som lyckas vara någonting mer än en dussindeckare. Miljöerna, Harry Kvist och det rasande tempot samspelar effektivt och bjuder på en omtumlande resa genom det tidiga trettiotalets Stockholm där lössen bokstavligt talat hoppar från sidan.
Min enda egentliga invändning är att texten bitvis tyngs ner av ständigt återkommande tidsmarkörer, som om Balladen om det stora slagsmålet på Tegelbacken går på repeat i bakgrunden.
Ser fram emot att läsa mer om Harry Kvist i de två uppföljarna, och räknar kallt med att det slutar bistert för v��r oborstade antihjälte.
Kan inte låta bli att tänka att det i Holméns dator vilar ett alternativt slut, där den före detta boxaren och sjömannen Harry Kvist går ett mer definitivt öde till mötes. Och under läsningens gång hoppas jag att den upplagda linan ska löpa hela vägen ut. Det gör den inte.
Men det är egentligen en skitsak. Clinch är fartfylld underhållning som lyckas vara någonting mer än en dussindeckare. Miljöerna, Harry Kvist och det rasande tempot samspelar effektivt och bjuder på en omtumlande resa genom det tidiga trettiotalets Stockholm där lössen bokstavligt talat hoppar från sidan.
Min enda egentliga invändning är att texten bitvis tyngs ner av ständigt återkommande tidsmarkörer, som om Balladen om det stora slagsmålet på Tegelbacken går på repeat i bakgrunden.
Ser fram emot att läsa mer om Harry Kvist i de två uppföljarna, och räknar kallt med att det slutar bistert för v��r oborstade antihjälte.
March 10, 2019
1930’s Stockholm is on the edge of darkness. Poverty, rising dark politics and brutal truths about life at that point in history. In this world we find Kvist an ex boxer, a part time extortionist, full time drinker and smoker and a suspect in the death of a debtor. His previous prison record and occupation make him an open and shut case for the police except for a witness who puts him in the clear. He’s good at finding people amongst the debtors, prostitutes and pimps he just needs to find them before the real murderer. It’s all very ‘real’ fiction that as you walk the streets with Kvist you are drawn into this world.
July 5, 2020
Egentlig er romanen spændende nok, men samtidig også bare en irriterende roman. Noir stemningen fungerede ikke for mig, som den ellers gør i andre romaner, og hovedpersonen blev aldrig min kop te, han er for meget, kort og godt.
July 13, 2018
God, historisk krim, unødvendig mye vold trekker ned for meg.
May 16, 2016
Time for some crime. I’ve read and enjoyed quite of a lot of Scandinavian crime fiction. I’ve also read and enjoyed quite of lot of historical fiction. The promise of a novel that successfully combines the two certainly piques my interest. Clinch is the debut novel from Martin Holmen featuring ex-boxer Harry Kvist.
Kvist remains a bit of an enigma throughout. Though there are a few snippets about his time in the ring, as well as his time in the armed forces, for the most part he is a mystery. I rather like this approach. You’re not always one hundred percent sure which way he is going to jump in any given situation. The added bonus is that there is certainly plenty of scope left to explore the gaps in his past in further adventures.
Overall, I enjoyed Martin Holmen’s writing. It has a direct, uncomplicated quality that suits the crime genre well. Kvist is a both tenacious and pugnacious, so his actions could never be described as dull. You kind of get the impression that he views most other people as nothing more than an inconvenience. He certainly isn’t averse to letting his fists do the talking. He stomps around the dark underbelly of Stockholm’s streets always focused on his goal. Kvist’s years in the ring have left him a little punch drunk. It’s a nice touch. The odd memory lapse here and there is not the best trait to have when you find yourself becoming a fledgling detective. The good news however is that any forgetfulness is offset by a desire to learn the truth. He will stop at nothing to learn exactly what happened, and who is responsible for all his woes.
The choice of historical time period and location adds some additional depth to the narrative. The rise of the right wing and Nazism has a direct effect on Kvist. Sweden is feeling the effects of political upheaval elsewhere in Europe and it is noticeable. On a more personal level, Kvist has a preference for the company of both men and women so is viewed as indecent by many. It is pleasing to note that he is completely indifferent to any potential moral outrage.
Clinch does a good job of setting the tone for further Harry Kvist adventures. I admit I’m curious to see what will become of him as his timeline marches forward towards the rise of Hitler and the Second World War. I rather suspect there are interesting times in store for our protagonist.
Dark, adult and just a little bit seedy, Clinch is a great example of historic crime noir executed well. This is a solidly entertaining novel and I look forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future.
The English language release of Clinch is published by Pushkin Vertigo and is available now.
Kvist remains a bit of an enigma throughout. Though there are a few snippets about his time in the ring, as well as his time in the armed forces, for the most part he is a mystery. I rather like this approach. You’re not always one hundred percent sure which way he is going to jump in any given situation. The added bonus is that there is certainly plenty of scope left to explore the gaps in his past in further adventures.
Overall, I enjoyed Martin Holmen’s writing. It has a direct, uncomplicated quality that suits the crime genre well. Kvist is a both tenacious and pugnacious, so his actions could never be described as dull. You kind of get the impression that he views most other people as nothing more than an inconvenience. He certainly isn’t averse to letting his fists do the talking. He stomps around the dark underbelly of Stockholm’s streets always focused on his goal. Kvist’s years in the ring have left him a little punch drunk. It’s a nice touch. The odd memory lapse here and there is not the best trait to have when you find yourself becoming a fledgling detective. The good news however is that any forgetfulness is offset by a desire to learn the truth. He will stop at nothing to learn exactly what happened, and who is responsible for all his woes.
The choice of historical time period and location adds some additional depth to the narrative. The rise of the right wing and Nazism has a direct effect on Kvist. Sweden is feeling the effects of political upheaval elsewhere in Europe and it is noticeable. On a more personal level, Kvist has a preference for the company of both men and women so is viewed as indecent by many. It is pleasing to note that he is completely indifferent to any potential moral outrage.
Clinch does a good job of setting the tone for further Harry Kvist adventures. I admit I’m curious to see what will become of him as his timeline marches forward towards the rise of Hitler and the Second World War. I rather suspect there are interesting times in store for our protagonist.
Dark, adult and just a little bit seedy, Clinch is a great example of historic crime noir executed well. This is a solidly entertaining novel and I look forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future.
The English language release of Clinch is published by Pushkin Vertigo and is available now.
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