A book about Varg Veum, the Bergen version of the hard-boiled private investigator: poor and frustrated but with a heart of gold - and a bottle of aquavit to prevent himself from feeling lonely.

Mrs Samuelsen is worried about her son Arni, who works on an oil rig in the North Sea. He usually writes a short letter to her whenever he is on land but this time she hasn’t heard a word. The hostess in Stavenger hasn’t seen him for days either. Varg Veum goes to Stavanger. But nobody takes the issue seriously: Arni Samuelsen is a steady and intelligent guy, he will show up again when it’s time to back to the rig.

The hostess does not have much to report apart from some disturbance in his lodgings a few nights ago. In Arni’s flat everything seems to be in order as well.  

That is until Varg Veum opens the refrigerator …