If no one had said it before, I will: The Chestnut Man (book) would've been near perfection without the hinting at Hess x Thulin. The way the author did Hess' tragic backstory dirty is beyond my comprehension. ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ HE CAME UP WITH IT. WHY DID HE RUIN IT.
We're talking about a man who had lost his pregnant wife to a housefire and yet, the only time Hess actively considers her is at the very end of the book, for like four sentences. I get grief and suppressing hurtful memories, but whatever delusions the author had in mind in connection with Thulin and Hess absolutely ruined any impactful/authentic character development Hess could've had. I loved the way he was described and how he was made to be good with kids, why throw it all to the wind for an underdeveloped romance plotline?
Instead, I'd have LOVED to read something that rather dealt with Hess missing his late wife and unborn child and pondering at what could've been. The crime story itself was superb, but this really hindered everything for me. 😅😅
