Continuing my tour of mysteries the world over through the eyes of authors new to me, I came across Thomas Rydahl. Winner of a few Danish literary awards, I thought it worth a look, if only to compare it to some of the other Scandinavian work I have read over the past few years. Erhard Jørgensen enjoys the quiet life with his two goats. A Danish ex-patriot living on the Canary Islands, Jørgensen contradicts himself by driving his taxi around for tourists and tuning the odd piano when requested by locals. His isolated lifestyle has earned him the moniker The Hermit, though Jørgensen winces whenever he hears it, choosing to defend his lifestyle as one of a tranquil senior citizen. When the local authorities approach him for help on a case, Jørgensen throws himself into the investigation and turns this into his newest obsession. A baby has been found dead in a car, wrapped in the pages of a Danish news magazine, but no one can identify either the child or the vehicle in which he was found. As Jørgensen seeks to learn a little more, the police choose to take the easy way out and bribe a prostitute to take the fall. However, Jørgensen wants justice and and answers, even if he will have to do it alone. Where the investigation takes him, only Jørgensen knows for sure, but when he finds himself in the middle of a travesty, things take a definite turn for the worse. Now a man with secrets of his own to keep, Jørgensen struggles to keep from revealing too much while he continues to search for the truth. As things become clearer, the question remains as to whether Jørgensen will be able to convince anyone to believe him before he becomes the next victim. A superior noir mystery that takes many turns, Rydahl has a winner on his hands. Patient and diligent readers ought to take a look at this finely-crafted piece, if only to weigh-in on the discussion.

The art of reading a novel not in its original language is one that some readers may find difficult, as I have come to learn through numerous conversations and review analyses. I find that a writer cannot necessarily be held accountable for the flow and rhythm of a story when the reader is given something other than the original text, in which language has been put through some sort of sieve. While I love Scandinavian mysteries and find their stories so intriguing, they are not for everyone. This novel's content differs greatly from the British, Australian, or even North American publications that saturate the market, which has both positive and negative attributes. With a decent translator, a story can hold its foundation effectively, though a poorly penned novel cannot necessarily be resuscitated. I would venture to say that Rydahl's novel survived its linguistic metamorphisis, as the intricacies of the narrative work well. The great set of characters that emerge as the story flows prove highly entertaining and thoroughly captivating. Of course, Erhard Jørgensen remains the protagonist and his quirks prove both disturbing and very alluring to the attentive reader, especially his fiaxation on his life back in Denmark and the missing finger for which he metaphorically searched throughout. Rydahl develops Jørgensen slowly and pulls pieces of his backstory out throughout the narrative, as if to tease the reader into wanting more, but having to wait awhile before the full picture can be offered. The narrative is one that I would say remains uniquely Scandinavian, as it trudges along, but always gets to the key elements at just the right time. I recently read an Irish author who also enjoyed her 'pulling molasses in January' narrative, but Rydahl is perhaps even more methodical in his pacing. Detail is key and Rydahl certainly does that throughout, depicting the smallest thing with the most attention and pulling the reader closer to investigate. One major example is a depiction of a sexual encounter, which, while graphic in nature, is told in such frank terms with linguistic complexities that one could never feel that it is by any means smutty. I found Rydahl offering the reader doses of this detail, though no turning the entire novel into something gazed upon under a microscope, with minutiae filling the page. The symbolism is found throughout the story and the search for justice pushes the story and its protagonist forward from the opening paragraph, though there is also a keen banter in the dialogue, which peppers English, Danish, and forms of Spanish idiosyncrasies throughout. That being said, I am still not sure how I feel about the novel, Erhard Jørgensen, or the entire premise involved. Unique and memorable for sure, I am not ready to place Rydahl alongside some of my other favourite authors from the region. We shall see if time allows my thoughts to ferment a little more and for me to have an epiphany. Still, an interesting read that some who understand the noir mystery might find right up their alley.

Kudos, Mr. Rydahl for impressing me in some places while also leaving me wondering in others. I will be sure to keep an open mind, though my first impression is surely one of an author deserving of the literary accolades that have been presented.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/audiobook50 s A.370 48

Erhard es un taxista danés que vive en las Islas Canarias. Vive solo con dos cabras. Es huraño, desconcertante y hace rato que no tiene sexo. Lo cual no guarda ninguna relación con las cabras, por si acaso. Un aciago día la policía encuentra el cuerpo sin vida de un bebé en un auto abandonado. Y por primera vez en mucho tiempo, Erhard se conmoverá lo suficiente como para salir del sopor y la bruma en los que ha envuelto su propia vida.

Un nordic noir morboso y de ritmo lento. El autor (danés también) espera lo suyo para ponernos en clima. Cuando se decide a plantear el nudo de la historia, nos deja perplejos con un par de situaciones “improbables” que, como mínimo, nos hacen dudar de la salud mental de nuestro protagonista. La resolución es buena, eso sí, y coherente con el hilo de la historia. Mención aparte, medalla y beso, para los apellidos elegidos para los personajes españoles (¿Tanto costaba investigar un poco, Thomas? ¿O es humor danés que no alcanzo a comprender?)

En fin, un policial escandinavo más reconocible por el morbo y la profundización en la psicología del protagonista que por su ritmo, tal vez demasiado cadencioso. Me gustaría haberme creído un poco más algunos tramos de la historia. Una última pieza que encaja bien, clave para aumentar la estima que merece un thriller. Recomendable para los que tienen paciencia.26 s Isabel1 review

I couldn't finish it. So strange! At first it seemed interesting but then became boring8 s Jay GreenAuthor 4 books251

DNF. Lots of detail to very little purpose and rather monotonous, but most frustratingly of all without any obvious connection to Fuerteventura, where I live for nearly half the year. If you're going to devote paragraph after paragraph to close description, it has to be believable, purposeful, and evocative of a particular place. This book reads it was originally set in Bilbao but the publisher wanted somewhere more exotic, so they changed the place names but left all the details the same. For instance, I'd love to know who the four or five guys in Corralejo are who a scrap every weekend, and I'm really curious to find out where the strip joints are. I mean, seriously? I'm no Hunter S. Thompson - or Anthony Bourdain - but I do at least know where to find the crazy and it isn't on an island of dope-smoking surfers, lobster boats and German pensioners. No-one on Fuerteventura refers to Corralejo as a city, and I'd be amazed to meet a taxi driver here who could find enough work to tire him out by the end of the day. Puerto del Rosario isn't exactly Manhattan, you know.

Maybe Rydahl's trying to pull off some kind of satire here, but in order to get the joke, you'd have to know the island first, and there are hardly enough people living here, let alone who read books, to keep him in sales for more than a fortnight. And the only Majorero I know who's read the book - the Spanish edition - didn't recognise the island from Rydahl's description of it either, so it isn't a translation issue. The book just doesn't ring true.

I guess you can enjoy the plot without knowing anything about the purported location, but if - God forbid! - anyone came here on a Rydahl pilgrimage in the hope of tracking down the real Erhard Jorgenson, they'd be in for an immensely disappointing time, a disappointment that I can only imagine would be rubbed in by the all-year-round sunshine, turquoise waters, spectacular food, and wonderful, wonderful people.
7 s Rosemary360 8

This book is translated from Danish. The Hermit is a mystery and at times a thriller. But sometimes, it meanders. These are nice breaks. It isn't slow or dragging, but more of a shift to describe the scene, the food, or the politics of the taxi business on a small island. The story is incredibilly intense in places. The main character, Erhard, is not that interesting in the beginning. Slowly the author let's us get to know him and by the end of the book (469 pages later) we know him much better, but there are still mysteries. He is trying to be a good guy and do the right thing, but he ends up making snap decisions that are terrible with dire consequences. I recommend this book to readers who have patience to let a story and it's characters unfold. mystery thriller4 s Anni549 81

Nordic noir in a warm climate? Living in self-exile on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, loner Erhard is an eccentric Danish taxi driver turned amateur sleuth, trying to solve a case the local police have closed down for fear of harming the resortÂ’s tourist trade. The slow paced plot leaves plenty of room for subtlety of characterisation and gritty local atmosphere. Expect violence and graphic sex scenes.

Reviewed for Whichbook.net4 s Voluntarystress229 9

A hardback copy of this debut novel by Thomas Rydahl, translated from the Danish , sent by Realreaders in exchange for an honest revue. As this book opened I wondered what I was getting into. It wasnÂ’t what I expected. We were given descriptions of the main character, Erhart, an older taxi driver on the island of Fuerteventura. Originally from Denmark, he has lived there for twenty years after leaving his wife and family. He lives in a remote shack, with only goats for company. He is distinctly unprepossessing and I decided that if he were the protagonist of this tale, then I was going to struggle. ItÂ’s told in the third person and very much in the present tense which gives it a feeling of immediacy. There are no inverted commas around the spoken words which I found disconcerting. The writing style reminded me very slightly of Hemingway. I never did get on with Hemingway. There are nine chapters, each over fifty pages long and broken up into numbered sections which makes it more readable The fact that I was counting chapters and pages early on did not bode well.

As the story unfolds we gradually glean more snippets about Erhard.. He decided that he will discover how a three month old baby boy came to be found dead in a cardboard box in shredded Danish newspapers in a car, without number plates, washed up on a local beach. The police have drawn a blank and left the case. Erhard also, naively, allows himself to be drawn into the corruption of a local businessman who he thought was his friend

I soon found that you have to adjust to the style of writing. The action is very slow. Reading dragged. Occasionally I wanted to turn a page to see what happened next, but I had no sympathy or understanding of the hero. The prose was well constructed and there were many memorable phrases, e g “She leads a colourful but monotonous life”,” He whips up cream for a drink with a fork attached to his power drill”. There are funny bits, there are crude bits. In fact there is a very subtle humour underlying much of the story. I had a feeling that this might be a connoisseurs’ book rather than that of an ordinary reader. But I persevered. The end came about page 320 of 469, with a very detailed account of sex that Erhard indulges in with an older woman. It seemed to go on for several pages and I found it obscene. I just knew that I didn’t need to be reading it. It’s the first time that I have ever given up on a novel that I was given in return for a review. But I just couldn’t take any more of this book. Will I read any thing else by this authors ? Probably not.
3 s Sara Zovko356 80

Ovaj roman obe?ava puno na samom po?etku. Sjajni opisi, atmosfera otoka i njegovih stanovnika, glavni lik, pomalo neobi?an ?ovjek i njegova opsesija s djetetom koje je prona?eno mrtvo na plaži, zvu?i kao recept za vrhunski triler. Situacija se mijenja kako roman ide prema kraju. Vrlo predvidljiv kraj sa velikim brojem nelogi?nosti za mene je pokvario sve. 3 s Mientras Leo1,517 179

Una novela con un protagonista muy personal y una historia que avanza sin prisa pero sin pausa en una trama que se va ampliando
Más aquí3 s Laura245 97

Me ha gustado mucho! Muy descriptiva y el personaje es auténtico!
Hay cosas que pulir pero el libro está genial. 3 s Helena (Renchi King)337 16

Naporan roman.Ima zanimljivih ,obe?avaju?ih dijelova koji,nažalost,vode u razvodnjenu ,dosadnu pri?u-rješavanje nekih pomorskih kriminalnih radnji.Nije po mom ukusu..3 s Calzean2,646 1 follower

There is a hypnotic rhythm in this book that is slow to gather pace, is full of detail and has been translated well. The ending probably let the book down as was the near 70 year old's ability to withstand and win various bashings/fights on his already alcohol ridden body.
Erhard has lived on the island of Fuerteventura for almost 20 years after leaving his wife and a finger back in Denmark. The fascination with the lost finger took up the first 100 pages which introduced Erhard as a strange, kindly taxi driver who reads classics and is a part-time piano tuner. He has a past that is never quite explained and a fixation with a car found on a beach with a 3 month child in box in the back seat.
I assume the mystery of Erhard means there will be more to come.author-denmark crime-thriller-mystery culture-canary-islands2 s Mai Laakso1,261 57

Kirja, joka pitkään tuntui siltä, että en kategorisoisi sitä jännityskirjallisuuden piikkiin. Vasta lopputapahtumat toivat siihen trillerimäistä jännitystä. Erakko aloittaa uuden sarjan, joka kertoo Erhard Jorgensenista, tanskalaismiehestä, joka asuu Kanarialla, ja ajaa työkseen taksia. Eräänä päivänä ollessaan ystäviensä kanssa huviretkellä, he näkevät rannalla auton ja auton sisällä laatikon, joka sisälsi vastasyntyneen vauvan ruumiin.
Erhard haluaa selvittää miksi vauva oli autossa ja joutuu kaikenlaiseen kieroiluun mukaan. Kirja oli mielestäni turhan pitkä, eikä homma pysynyt kunnolla hanskassa. Pienet pikkuasiat ärsyttivät, kuten naishenkilö, jolla oli samanaikaisesti housut ja minihame päällä. Jos vielä vilauttaa hameen alta jotakin, tämä oli häiritsevä töppäys.
Töppäyksiä enemmän oli tragikomiikkaa, joille nauroin ihan kippurassa, ja se oli mielestäni aika omituista, että jännäri, tai kuten takakannessa sanotaan rikoskertomus, naurattaa ihan älyttömästi. Oliko se kirjan tarkoitus vai oliko kirja jotain uutta tyyliä, onhan se saanut jopa vuoden 2015 Lasiavain-palkinnon vuoden parhaasta pohjoismaisesta rikosromaanista.adult-fiction crime male-writer2 s Richard Clarey15 Read

Not one for me. The story dragged, had no connection with the main character for in this or any of the people around him. They seemed fanciful. At times the surroundings had more colour and description
Not sure what 'the hermit' is doing or why he takes on the task he does in this story. It's slow, ponderous and at times dull. He starts looking for sex on New Year's Eve and ends up visiting numerous people, who mainly seemed fixated about a missing finger
Was hoping for a 'Nordic noir' but I got what appears to be a 1st novel 2 s Victoria 113 10

Todavía no entiendo por qué no lo abandoné. Aburrido. Se me hizo pesado, demasiado descriptivo. Los personajes son perfectamente olvidables. El protagonista insufrible por momentos. Gracias y hasta nunca Rydahl.2 s Tabuyo445 42

Una novela negra con un personaje principal un tanto peculiar. Muy entretenida.negra2 s HÃ¥kan Carlsson588 30

Detta är den danske författaren Thomas Rydahls debutbok, den kom ut på danska 2014 och på svenska 2016.

Det är en deckare men den skiljer sig en hel del från vad man kanske är van när det kommer till deckare. Den rör sig i ett långsamt, men säkert, tempo, så den som letar efter en deckare med full fart kanske inte skall läsa denna då man kommer att bli besviken. Det är en blandning av deckare och ett livsöde.

Vikten ligger inte på fallet utan på huvudkaraktären som vi följer väldigt nära i hans vardag. Denna person är ett stort mysterium för läsaren. Han är en dansk som av någon anledning har bosatt sig på Fuerteventura och nu kör taxi och lever isolerat i ett gammalt ruckel långt från andra. Vi får aldrig riktigt reda på vem han verkligen är och vad han har för bakgrund. Ändå målas bilden upp av honom på ett riktigt bra och djupt sätt i och med att vi får ta del av hans vardag och liv, vi följer honom när han kör taxi och när han även försöker ta reda på vad det var som hände med den döde pojken i bilen. Vi anar bara hans bakgrund i små hintar men inget sägs rakt ut.

Språket är riktigt stabilt och målande. Det ligger en slöja av mystik över mycket i handlingen och det är inte allt man förstår till en början. Det är riktiga originella karaktärer vi möter på ön. Tankarna går till filmklassiker i stil med Chinatown och Postmannen Ringer Alltid Två Gånger, de puttrar på långsamt på ett bra sätt och man kanske inte förstår alla handlingar som karaktärerna gör.

Det är bra miljöbeskrivningar och det känns som att man nästan befinner sig där på plats. Det är en helt annan miljö på ön och det känns att man är långt från fastlandet, ibland är det som om man nästan är i en annan tid då det känns som att ön delvis har stannat upp lite och inte har riktigt alla moderniteter överallt. Om det nu är så i verkligheten eller inte vet jag inte, men det sätter sin prägling på berättelsen i alla fall.

Så vill man ha en välskriven berättelse i ett långsammare tempo med mystik- och spänningselement så är detta boken. Vill man ha en bladvändare med högt tempo och adrenalinpumpande spänning så kanske inte detta riktigt är boken man letar efter.

http://hakanshylla.blogspot.com1 Lyda Van Den Bos626 1 follower

Niet uitgelezen, hoofdpersoon absurde man. Boeit me helaas niet.1 Kirstine460 586

En helt elendig bog. Det er godt nok næsten ufatteligt.audiobooks mystery-and-crime nope ...more1 Giovanna Walker548 5

God knows I tried. A protagonist lusting after the hairdressers daughter (following her and knocking on her door), some dead guy's finger 'pleasures' him....ha, and that was all up to page 22. I couldn't go any further. Note to self, when the cover tells all the quotes of how 'remarkable' a book is, well, you should question. I had this on my list as a recommendation....from where I can't remember...if I could....grrr. Didn't care, and didn't want to. The writing, it meanders, SO slowly and hazily. More than 450 pages I just didn't have the energy to commit. I have many other books to read. did-not-finish1 Zelly860 22

Recension: ZellysBokhylla
1 Beth450 3

Erhard Jorgensen is a taxi driver and piano tuner living on the Canary Islands, an expat there for 18 years after leaving Denmark. Nearly 70 years old, he lives a life in the margins – driving his cab as much as he pleases while reading, living in a shack with goats for companions, drinking – he has the nickname the “Hermit” after living as a homeless person when first arriving in the islands. When a box with a dead child is found in a car on the beach, Erhard is compelled to find out what happened after the police drop the case after claiming the child belonged to a prostitute. Erhard is an unly detective and stumbles along gathering information bit by bit, and his life is threatened when he begins to tie the case to some powerful men on the islands. The book has a noir feel with unsavory characters and a view of the underside of a tourist destination. Erhard is not a typical protagonist and makes questionable decisions and finds himself in unusual situations, such as having to get rid of a body at one point. I found the book to be extremely well written and compelling.1 Karen Mardahl647 32

Jeg havde lidt svært ved at starte bogen. De første sider introducerede Erhard Jørgensen, også kaldet Eremitten af de lokale på Fuerteventura, hvor historien finder sted. Her virkede han ikke så tiltalende, og jeg spekulerede på, hvad der var der fik mig til at tage denne bog med hjem. Jeg læste de første sider for et par måneder siden, og så lagde bogen til side. Jeg fornyede lånet på biblioteket et par gange, og så vil jeg endelig giv mig i kast med den. Senere hen i bogen blev jeg klar over at opstarten var en del af det, der skulle præsentere hovedpersonen til læserne. Han er fyldt med fejl, men han er et menneske. Du skal kende ham, for at forstå hvorfor han gør som han gør. Som historien udvikler sig, og han roder sig ud i nogle komplekse situationer, kom jeg til at håbe for det bedst for ham. Han er drevet af en sans for retfærdighed. Når politiet dropper en sag om en død baby fundet i en papkasse på bagsædet af en bil på stranden, tager han opgaven på sig - for retfærdighedens skyld. Nok også for at vise respekt og omsorg for et væsen der mødte så hård en skæbne efter kun 3 måneder af livet. Måske også for at få lidt selvværd for sig selv - at vise (i hans tanker) hans eks-kone og døtre - som han ikke har haft kontakt med i 17 år - at han kan gør noget godt for nogen.

Bogen er lidt langsom, men på en måde der holder spændingen igang. Erhard spekulerer længe over diverse hændelser og ting han skal foretage sig, og det gav en realism til historien. Jeg kan forestille mig, at denne ender på det store lærred een dag, men så vil det være mere tju-bang, sikkert, fordi det er altid svært at gengive tankeprocesser på en troværdig og interessant måde i film. Måske kunne bogen trimmes en smule, men nok på en måde der vil være svært at redigere. Jeg læste 4/5 del færdigt på een dag, så jeg kunne sagtens komme igennem uden at springe noget over. Bogen ender med at han er tilbage i sit gammelt skur af et hus. Jeg tror han er mere glad - han har fundet en slags ro nu, modsat af hvordan han var i starten af bogen. Cirklen slutter. Og jeg er meget glad for at se Hardy komme tilbage. Jeg var bange for, at han var spist af hundene!

Det er længe siden jeg har læst en decideret krimi. Da har det nok været mest Agatha Christie, som jeg læser for atmosfæren mere end noget andet. Jeg foretrækker personer med lidt kød på i mine bøger, og krimier har tit kun 2-dimensionelle personer, fordi de skal bare bære historien/plottet frem. Her var Erhard klart 3-dimensionelt. Jeg har ikke analyseret de andre fuldt ud, men de må have haft den fylde de skulle have, for at hamle op med Erhard. Alt i alt, nød jeg at bruge en hel fridag i denne bogs selskab, fri fra alle andre tanker og forpligtelser. 1 Simone Hagemann806 123

Jeg havde ikke rigtig nogen forventninger til, hvad jeg ville synes om denne bog. Det er forfatterens debut, og jeg havde derfor ingen idé om, hvordan han skriver. Desuden fik jeg bogen en del tid før den udkom, og havde derfor heller ikke læst nogen anmeldelser af den, før jeg påbegyndte min læsning. Bogen lød dog ret god, og lidt ’specielle’ krimier kan jeg altid læse.

Bogen tog mig virkelig lang tid at læse (virkelig lang tid betyder at jeg læste den fra august til december), og den var desværre mest af alt en kamp at komme igennem for mig. Ikke fordi den ikke var god. Nej, jeg kunne nemlig ret godt lide både historien og bogens hovedperson. Men fordi jeg simpelthen synes, den var så tung og langtrukken at komme igennem. Og jeg skulle virkelig tage mig meget sammen, stort set hver gang jeg skulle læse i den. Den fik nemlig virkelig min læselyst til at dale.

Historien i bogen kunne jeg som sagt godt lide. Det var ikke hæsblæsende action, men det var en ret god historie om en enkelt mands kamp for sandheden. Og jeg kunne virkelig godt lide at læse om hans vej til at finde ud af, hvad der egentlig var sket. Desuden synes jeg, historien bandt sig rigtig fint sammen. Jeg sad i hvert fald efter læsning med en følelse af, at jeg havde fået opklaret alle spørgsmål.

Bogens hovedperson, Erhard, kunne jeg virkelig også godt lide. Faktisk tror jeg, han var den største grund til, at jeg egentlig godt kunne lide bogen. Han er nemlig en ret perfekt antihelt, som dog alligevel er ret let at holde af. Desuden kunne jeg virkelig godt lide hans personlighed. Han tager ikke altid de bedste beslutninger, men han har uden tvivl hjertet på det rette sted.

Sproget var nok det, der hovedsageligt fik mig til at føle, at bogen var tung at komme igennem. For mig virkede det nemlig ret beskrivende, hvilket jeg ikke er helt så stor en fan af. Desuden følte jeg ofte, at sproget lidt overskyggede historien for mig. Netop fordi jeg kom til at lægge alt for meget mærke til det pga. dets tyngde. Der var dog en ret god og underspillet humor i bogen, hvilket jeg godt kunne lide.

Jeg havde perioder i bogen, hvor jeg kun kunne læse et par sider, før jeg blev nødt til at lægge bogen fra mig, fordi jeg simpelthen kedede mig for meget, men samtidig havde jeg også steder i bogen, hvor jeg ikke rigtig kunne få nok, da jeg bare måtte vide, hvad der nu ville ske.

Alt i alt var det desværre en ret blandet fornøjelse for mig, og selvom både bogens historie og hovedperson var ret god, så var det bare ikke en bog for mig. Men jeg er ret sikker på, man vil finde den ret interessant, hvis man godt kan lide lidt langsommere krimier.1 Ingrid Hansen322 13

Det har taget mig hele 14 dage at få læst denne her moppedreng af en krimi af Thomas Rydahl. Det har været gange hvor jeg har været lige ved at kaste håndklædet i ringen og ganske simpelt nægte at læse videre fordi bogen frustrerede mig.

Jeg indrømmer at jeg har det svært med denne her bog. At bruge 521 sider på at opklare en lille drengs død på 3 måneder er på en måde for mange sider. På den den positive side så kommer man helt tæt ind på livet af vores danske hovedperson Erhard, eremit, taxachauffør og klaverstemmer på vej mod 70 år, med en mission der fører ham tilbage til livet med diverse krumspring.

Bogen er ligesom et træ. Handlingen hopper fra gren til gren uden at man ved hvor den ender. Bogen er tung at komme igennem og meget langsom om at komme i gang. Men når den endelig kommer i gang så er den ok god. Man kunne godt have kortet bogen ned uden det havde gjort noget for den drukner nogen gange i lange passager som intet har med plottet at gøre.

Erhard Jørgensen har sat sig i hovedet at opklare drengens død da han bliver sat til at kigge på og oversætte en dansk avis der er fundet i en papkasse på findestedet. Senere prøver politiet og andre magtfulde mennesker på øen at stoppe Erhard for de vil bare gerne lukke sagen, men uden synderligt held.

Da han bliver direktør i det konkurrerende taxaselskab får han flere muligheder for at finde de oplysninger og mennesker som han har brug for i sin efterforskning. Samtidig ved alle på øen hvad han laver og de ryster lidt på hovedet af den gamle mand.

Erhard kommer vidt omkring og med fare for sit liv så bliver han ved med at efterforske drengens død. Man kan ikke bare lade sådanne noget ligge fordi det vil skade turistindustrien på øen mener han. Det er ikke fair overfor barnet at ingen ved hvad der skete med ham.

En ting der virkelig genere mig er brugen af store bogstaver. Midt i en sætning er det der. F.eks. på side 288 linie 22 "..., og dem omkring ham nikker og siger Ja"
Side 290 linie 14: "Charles siger Tak for i aften og ..." Side 295 linie 13 "gætter, at bilforhandleren er Stjernen,"

Det forekommer i hele bogen. Først troede jeg at det var en slåfejl og sætternissen havde været på spil, men des længere jeg kom i bogen så indså jeg at det skulle være sådanne. Det er ganske irriterende for mig som læser for det ødelægger min læseoplevelse af bogens historie.

Jeg har virkelig prøvet at være positiv overfor bogen og nu da jeg har sovet på den i et par dage synes jeg den er ok, selv om den er lang og tung.

Kasper fra Forlaget Bindslev sendte mig et kort over Fuerteventura med et par markeringer af centrale steder. Det var en sjov detalje.1 Ned Frederick705 19


Looking, as I was, for a different voice to listen to, I was, at first, pleased to stumble upon Thomas Rydhal's The Hermit. Here was an old guy of a certain age, an age I could identify with, self-exiled to the Canary Islands from Denmark. At first, it spoke to me. Maybe it's the old-guy angst of protagonist Erhard Jørgensen, taxi driver with a past, and not-so-dormant volcano of guilt and other afflictive emotions under his coat of insouciance.
He has exiled himself to depressed Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco, although we don't know the why behind his self-flaggelation. There's a sensibility about Erhard's life as a penitent. On top of that there's the exotic atmospherics and island attitude. Sure the Hermit turns out not to be playing with a full deck, and he is full of pent up peculiarities.
But for a man who has chosen a simple monk- life, it's astonishing to watch how adept he is at making it infinitely more complicated. There is a snowballing narrative, darkly farcical but decidedly without anything amusing to lift the reader. Then there is the boring taxi stuff. At times The Hermit reads the diary of an assistant manager in training at the local Wendy's. Yes, just that riveting. Hard to figure why the reader needs to have the hum drum of Erhard's life drummed into his head. A few pages would have been enough to establish his credentials as a man punishing himself for whatever, but also a victim of his obsessions. Erhard is a strange, horny, old dude who rides these obsessions a bronco rider hellbent on staying on until the end. This was interesting for a few hundred pages, but I soon grew tired of the island's sub-tropical shabbiness, and its frequently desperate people. As I endured the last 300 pages, I was often confused by the frequent tangents our twisted friend chose to pursue. In the end this turned out to be another poorly edited book with 100 too many pages, and not much to show for all the too and fro of its protagonist. 1 Angie Rhodes765 23

Taxi driver , Erhard has lived on Fuerteventura, for a long time, and is happy going about his business in his own merry little way, picking people up and dropping them off, having a drink with his friends, and keeping as far away from his wife as he can, though he misses his daughter.
Everything is going well, until a car is found, and to Erhard's disgust, the body of a small boy is found in a cardboard box.
The last thing the Island needs is a murder, the bar;s never full and they need the tourist trade, being under this pressure. the local police want it cleared up. fast,, they don;t care who they name, as long as it is cleared up quick!
What they haven't bargained for , is Erhard, he is not letting it go, someone killed that poor little boy, shoved his body in a box, and dumped in the car, and he will find out , who, no matter what it takes.
Winner of three awards, and taking the publishing world by storm, having read and reviewed it for RealReaders, it is easy to see why,, Not your usual crime thriller it has one of the most wonderful character's you could wish to meet, I can;t wait for the next one!owned1 Catherine89

The Hermit
I received this book from goodreads.com Giveaways.
It is a big read, in every sense of the word - 469 pages of tense prose translated from the Danish original.
Although definitely of the "Scandi Noir" genre, this book is set on Fuerteventura which makes a very interesting background for this complex story,
I had rather mixed feelings about the main character Erhard (Hermit) He is not particularly able, but he is intriguing (a piano tuner cum taxi driver), and his character grew on me as the story developed.
In fact, none of the characters are particularly able.
I was impelled to read on because I did want to find out how the car with the dead baby inside came to be found on the beach.
There are a lot of red herrings before the mystery is plausibly resolved.
I enjoyed reading this book, but I must admit I would not go out of my way to recommend it.1 Katie5

I got this book in a Goodreads giveaway, it's the uncorrected, advanced copy and I loved every second of the book. I read it to and from work (and in work when I had spare time). I honestly don't think I can recommend this book enough! 1 Lutgard19

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