The Final Days of Abbott Montrose by Sven Elvestad – Review

For as long as most of us can remember Scandinavian crime fiction has been huge. Many of us have devoured the works of Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson and Liza Marklund, to name but a few, with relish. Rather fewer genre fans, I suspect, have read the works of the Norwegian author Sven Elvestad, despite him being a foundational figure in the genre and one of the most popular writers of his era. But that might be about to change, due to a new English translation of one of his greatest novels brought into print by Kazabo publishing.

Originally published as Montrose, and written under the pseudonym Stein Riverton, The Final Days of Abbott Montrose features Elvestad’s signature character Asbjørn Krag, a Great Detective Elvestad’s envisioned to match Sherlock Holmes in terms of intuition and eccentricity. Krag will need all his wits to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Abbott Montrose. During a quiet May evening the police are called to the scene of Montrose Abbey after the sounds of shouting and violence alert onlookers. Krag, and his partner Sirius Keller, find a scene of chaos has replaced this traditional setting of religious order. There is broken furniture, a burnt carpet and the only sign of Abbott Montrose is a torn piece of his cassock. What follows is a mystery which is by turns gripping and witty. Has the Abbott been leading a secret secular life, or has his scholarly studies led him to uncover something dangerous? Only a detective as intellectual and indefatigable as Asbjørn Krag will find out.

The Final Days of Abbott Montrose is a wonderful mystery novel, and I hope this excellent translation by Kazabo publishing will introduce many readers to the writing of Sven Elvestad.