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I Can See in the Dark
A brilliant stand-alone crime novel from Norway's original queen of crime.
Riktor doesn't like the way the policeman comes straight into the house without knocking. He doesn't like the arrogant way he observes his home.The policeman doesn't tell him why he's there, and Riktor doesn't ask. Because he knows he's guilty.
But it turns out that the policeman isn't looking for a missing person. He is accusing Riktor of something totally unexpected. Riktor doesn't have a clear conscience, but this is a crime he certainly didn't commit.
Riktor doesn't like the way the policeman comes straight into the house without knocking. He doesn't like the arrogant way he observes his home.The policeman doesn't tell him why he's there, and Riktor doesn't ask. Because he knows he's guilty.
But it turns out that the policeman isn't looking for a missing person. He is accusing Riktor of something totally unexpected. Riktor doesn't have a clear conscience, but this is a crime he certainly didn't commit.
250 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
108 people are currently reading
1219 people want to read
About the author
Karin Fossum
59 books1,137 followersKarin Fossum (née Mathisen) is a Norwegian author of crime fiction,often known there as the "Norwegian queen of crime". She lives in Oslo. Fossum was initially a poet, with her first collection published in 1974 when she was just 20. It won the Tarjei Vesaas' Debutant Prize. She is the author of the internationally successful Inspector Konrad Sejer series of crime novels, which have been translated into over 16 languages. She won the Glass key award for her novel "Don't Look Back", which also won the Riverton Prize, and she was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger in 2005 for "Calling Out For You".
Series:
* Inspector Konrad Sejer
* Eddie Feber
Series:
* Inspector Konrad Sejer
* Eddie Feber
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 239 reviews
July 16, 2020
2.5 stars
The main character in this Norwegian novel is Riktor, who works as a male nurse in a facility that houses elderly and chronically ill patients.
Riktor is a sadistic psychopath who mistreats his charges, flushes their food and pills down the toilet, and injects their medicine into the mattress.
He especially enjoys torturing an elderly, helpless woman named Nelly Friis.
When Riktor's alone with Nelly he pinches her and pulls out her hair, being careful not to leave obvious damage. Riktor, physically unattractive with odd pointy teeth, constantly bemoans the fact that he doesn't have a woman and has a crush on his fellow nursing home employee, Sister Anna.
In his off time Riktor enjoys sitting in a local park observing the people on the benches nearby, including a mother and her disabled daughter, an old woman who crochets, a big, strong refugee who can't get work, and an elderly, stumbling alcoholic. The alcoholic, named Arnfinn, accidentally leaves his flask behind one day and Riktor takes it, eventually using it to forge an unlikely comradeship with the old man.
As events proceed Riktor commits a terrible crime, after which he's on tenterhooks - fearing the appearance of the police at his door. The police show up soon enough, but instead of charging him with the crime he committed they accuse Riktor of killing Nelly Friis, which he didn't do. Riktor is remanded to await trial and continually frets and fumes over the injustice perpetrated on him.
Riktor has some ironic encounters in jail, goes to trial, and that's all that can be said without risking spoilers.
One thing that struck me while reading the book is now nice the Norwegian prison seems to be. Riktor has a nice view from his cell and the prison cook apparently prepares gourmet meals for the inmates.
I don't know how realistic this is but it seems much different than American prisons (as seen on TV).
The book has a fairly large array of characters but we get to know very little about each one. The story concentrates heavily on Riktor, who's a despicable man, hard to read about without cringing. I thought the story was interesting in it's depiction of a disturbed personality with a skewed view of reality but I can't say I really enjoyed the book. Still, I'd probably try another book by this author.
You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/
October 17, 2014
No other Scandinavian crime writer that has been translated into English impresses me as much as Karin Fossum, who is one of my favorite contemporary crime novelists. The crime itself is often less germane to the overall story than the psychological profiles of the people involved. In this book, there are definitely some straw characters (such as the police detective), which I accepted, because the main character, Riktor, a true loner, is so chilling and fascinating a protagonist that I was consumed with peeling away his layers.
Fossum not only created a riveting character, she borders on farce by having Riktor arrested for a crime he didn’t do, all the while the egregious crimes he has committed go undetected. We peer inside his head and gasp in horror at his indignation at being accused, and yet his umbrage is tragically comical in Fossum’s representation of Riktor’s sociopathology.
The less Riktor confesses to the reader, and the less insight he has about the world around him, the more we get to know him. When he does admit to us his crimes, we become horrified at his pervasive cognitive dissonance. He is a nurse working with geriatric patients in a nursing home, many who are close to death; his views on death are the clues to his pathology.
The entire novel is told from Riktor’s point of view. The prose is lean and assured, and Rikto’s voice is subversive and contagious. As he finds himself in a cat-and mouse situation, the reader’s pulse quickens to match Riktor’s. The supporting characters, quirky--but far les dimensional, do enliven the plot. The only reason I gave 4 stars rather than 5 is because the novel is entirely interior to one character, and therefore confined. This is just a personal preference, and I want to convey that this is not a flaw in Fossum’s writing. However, my reading predilection is generally for a more expansive cast. For Fossum fans, this is a must. If you’ve never read her before, I highly recommend starting with THE INDIAN BRIDE.
Fossum not only created a riveting character, she borders on farce by having Riktor arrested for a crime he didn’t do, all the while the egregious crimes he has committed go undetected. We peer inside his head and gasp in horror at his indignation at being accused, and yet his umbrage is tragically comical in Fossum’s representation of Riktor’s sociopathology.
The less Riktor confesses to the reader, and the less insight he has about the world around him, the more we get to know him. When he does admit to us his crimes, we become horrified at his pervasive cognitive dissonance. He is a nurse working with geriatric patients in a nursing home, many who are close to death; his views on death are the clues to his pathology.
The entire novel is told from Riktor’s point of view. The prose is lean and assured, and Rikto’s voice is subversive and contagious. As he finds himself in a cat-and mouse situation, the reader’s pulse quickens to match Riktor’s. The supporting characters, quirky--but far les dimensional, do enliven the plot. The only reason I gave 4 stars rather than 5 is because the novel is entirely interior to one character, and therefore confined. This is just a personal preference, and I want to convey that this is not a flaw in Fossum’s writing. However, my reading predilection is generally for a more expansive cast. For Fossum fans, this is a must. If you’ve never read her before, I highly recommend starting with THE INDIAN BRIDE.
August 13, 2014
3.5 Riktor is not a nice man. Although he works in a caring profession, he uses the opportunity not to help but to terrorize those who are to weak to fight back. He has no friends, only people he sees at the park he frequents. The one time he tries to have a friendly r3elationship with someone, it ends up very bad for the other person. Riktor is a psychopath.
A psychologically twisty novel, a stand alone from Fossum who can induce feelings of dread in the staunchest of readers. She does it so very well. Although the ending was to be expected, the how and why of it or maybe the when of it was brilliant. Riktor finds himself so close to freedom and then.........
ARC from publisher.
A psychologically twisty novel, a stand alone from Fossum who can induce feelings of dread in the staunchest of readers. She does it so very well. Although the ending was to be expected, the how and why of it or maybe the when of it was brilliant. Riktor finds himself so close to freedom and then.........
ARC from publisher.
February 22, 2017
This stand-alone from the pen of Karin Fossum is an utter tour de force which manages to take readers through the whole spectrum of human emotion and whilst it is not an easy read it offers an insight into the disturbed perspective of a loner with a spiteful tendency to inflict his venom on those who place their trust in him. Riktor's primary outlet for his cruelty is the nursing home that he has spent his career of seventeen-years working within, exercising despicable acts on those that depend on him, all the while mimicking the behaviour of his colleagues and social norms in order to go unnoticed. His free-time is spent attempting to silence the noises that prevent his sleep and sitting on a bench at nearby Lake Mester, observing the eclectic cast that are drawn to the peaceful park.
When Fossum introduces her anti-hero in the form of Riktor, he is observing the comings and goings of the other regular attendees on the benches that surround the lake. His callous and contemptible internal monologue on the wheelchair confined and crippled child, Miranda, and her chain-smoking mother 'fettered to the chair' is typically caustic. Others such as the elderly knitter Ebba Neumann, the alcoholic Arnfinn with his ever present hip-flask, the Somalian refugee from the nearby reception centre and the young lovers, Eddie and Janne, come in for a less harsh treatment. However the darkness inside of him is given in to freely as he silently goes between the rooms of Løkka Nursing Home, secretly tormenting those that are most feeble and unable to protest, all the while attempting to ingratiate himself with his colleagues. Ward sister, Anna Otterlei, is what Riktor regards as an "exception to life's miseries", a self-sacrificing woman of mercy who soothes her charges in their final hours. His affection for Anna and indeed his 'want of a woman' is readily acknowledged. As he moves between the dependents in his care, alternately flushing pills down toilets, swapping medications, restricting food, pinching and hair pulling, he is the scourge of their dying days. All the while Riktor is aware of acting the consummate professional and maintaining standards with Anna, Dr Rischer and chef, Sali Singh. Existing in his spartan home he has no contact with his neighbours and he spends his time dwelling on his cold and emotionally reticent parents and childhood bullying, being cruelly nicknamed 'The Pike' and mocked mercilessly for his odd teeth and deep-set eyes. An outsider from his very early years, a lack of humanity and affection in his life has left Riktor bitter. Despite progressing to nodding terms with his fellow parkgoers he still cannot control his inherent nature, tormenting disabled Miranda when her mother's back in turned and failing to warn the skier that plunges below the surface of a barely frozen Lake Mester or call for assistance. It is a short step from this to murder and Riktor eventually crosses the line, but the victim is not in fact the frail patient, Nelly Friis, who he is accused of suffocating.
When cocky detective Randers comes calling Riktor fails to even enquire why he is turned up, simply assuming he knows all about his transgression. When it is revealed that elderly Nelly Friis has been suffocated Riktor knows he knows he is innocent. He assumes Randers is talking about the victim who threw friendship back in his face and contrived to deceive him, who he really has killed. Placed on remand, bizarrely for the wrong crime, his court appointed lawyer, Philip de Reuter believes there are reasonable grounds for suspicion and that Riktor did not smother Nelly. As Riktor faces his day in court he is forced to defend his actions and plead his innocence, all the while knowing that he is guilty of a different and very brutal murder. Sympathy and pity do battle as Fossum draws a protagonist who sits on the horns of a dilemma and more than anything is misunderstood.
The beauty of what Fossum has captured with her lead character is the blurring of boundaries and managing to paint Riktor as neither black or white, but rather varying shades of grey. In some situations his poisonous and sadistic streak comes to the fore, but in others he shows his more humane side and yearns for friendship and contact beyond the four walls of his home. Indeed, during his spell in prison he learns how to connect to those around him, notably becoming fond of prison guard, Janson and cook, Margareth and beginning to envisage life being something other than an interminable endurance of misery and isolation.
Fossum's subtle observations on life for those on the margins of society are unparalleled and this compelling tale delivers a poignant rhetoric on the circle of life. The miseries of human life are depicted exquisitely in this very dark, often harrowing, work of psychological fiction.
October 31, 2014
As someone who has read every book by this author, this was my least favorite Karin Fossum book.
I didn't find this book as approachable or engaging as I have found others in her series. On that note, I will say as a true Fossum fan and the catalyst who led me into my love of Nordic Noir, her irony of writing on a criminal who was charged with a crime he didn't commit was hilarious.
On that note, if one is new to Nordic Noir, I would start with her Inspector Sejer series.
I didn't find this book as approachable or engaging as I have found others in her series. On that note, I will say as a true Fossum fan and the catalyst who led me into my love of Nordic Noir, her irony of writing on a criminal who was charged with a crime he didn't commit was hilarious.
On that note, if one is new to Nordic Noir, I would start with her Inspector Sejer series.
May 12, 2019
It soon becomes apparent that the narrator of this story is a highly disturbed and dangerous individual. Riktor works in a geriatric nursing home and is deviously contemptuous of both those under his care and his colleagues. He spends much of his spare time in a local park where his caustic gaze is turned on those who regularly visit.
After being privy to Riktor’s twisted thoughts it comes as no surprise when he eventually commits a murder. However, it isn’t as expected done in a cold-blooded and calculated fashion but rather in a fit of self-righteous indignation. A short while later he is arrested for murder; the irony being that it isn’t for the one he committed but one he is entirely innocent of.
This is a highly original psychological drama, made all the more chilling by being narrated by such a degenerate individual. There is a delightful twist at the end which I certainly didn’t see coming.
After being privy to Riktor’s twisted thoughts it comes as no surprise when he eventually commits a murder. However, it isn’t as expected done in a cold-blooded and calculated fashion but rather in a fit of self-righteous indignation. A short while later he is arrested for murder; the irony being that it isn’t for the one he committed but one he is entirely innocent of.
This is a highly original psychological drama, made all the more chilling by being narrated by such a degenerate individual. There is a delightful twist at the end which I certainly didn’t see coming.
September 20, 2014
I Can See in the Dark is not a mystery or whodunnit, and I think some negative reviews were written by people whose expectations were disappointed. Instead, the story is told through the perspective of a sociopath who has thus far managed to appear like the quintessential quiet guy next door. There's no huge drama, which is typical of most real-life crime. What grips the reader is observing how the protagonist's skewed moral compass conflicts with society's expectations of acceptable behavior. Though Riktor is a truly repugnant character, one reluctantly feels sympathy for him when he's falsely accused of one heinous crime, despite knowing that he's guilty of another equally horrible but unsolved crime. The irony is the conflict between Riktor's justified moral outrage versus his fear that his other guilty secret will be discovered. As he waits to be either exonerated or discovered, he builds up a hopeful vision of his future that the reader understands is doomed, but must watch helplessly as the events unfold.
January 2, 2021
I Can See in the Dark is a disquieting but skilfully-executed journey into the mind of a sociopath.
Riktor has difficulty making social connections, but spends hours mulling over the lives of the people he observes every day in the park. He works as an aged-care nurse, and gets his kicks from covertly torturing those too frail to report him, and flushes his elderly patients' pain-relief medication down the toilet instead of administering it, feeding them vitamins or tic-tac lollies instead.
Early one morning, he observes a lone skier fall through the ice covering a lake, watches him drown, then calmly walks home, rather than reporting the accident to authorities.
A fortuitous find leads to him forming a tenuous relationship with the local drunk, which grows over a series of meetings at Riktor's house. A breach of trust prompts Riktor's anger to explode into violence, and he does all he can to hide the evidence. But one day, a tenacious policeman knocks at his door...
I can see how this book could be a step too far for many aficionadoes of Karin Fossum's more mainstream Scandi Noir. The plot, told entirely from the perspective of Riktor's internal monologue, goes to some pretty dark and socially-unacceptable places. I have to admit, I'm glad it's a relatively short work, at 250 pages, as it was an intense read. However, I found Fossum's ability to slip inside a mindset the majority of her readers will find completely alien really impressive. This was not a fun or pleasant read, but I found it immersive and stimulating.
Riktor has difficulty making social connections, but spends hours mulling over the lives of the people he observes every day in the park. He works as an aged-care nurse, and gets his kicks from covertly torturing those too frail to report him, and flushes his elderly patients' pain-relief medication down the toilet instead of administering it, feeding them vitamins or tic-tac lollies instead.
Early one morning, he observes a lone skier fall through the ice covering a lake, watches him drown, then calmly walks home, rather than reporting the accident to authorities.
A fortuitous find leads to him forming a tenuous relationship with the local drunk, which grows over a series of meetings at Riktor's house. A breach of trust prompts Riktor's anger to explode into violence, and he does all he can to hide the evidence. But one day, a tenacious policeman knocks at his door...
I can see how this book could be a step too far for many aficionadoes of Karin Fossum's more mainstream Scandi Noir. The plot, told entirely from the perspective of Riktor's internal monologue, goes to some pretty dark and socially-unacceptable places. I have to admit, I'm glad it's a relatively short work, at 250 pages, as it was an intense read. However, I found Fossum's ability to slip inside a mindset the majority of her readers will find completely alien really impressive. This was not a fun or pleasant read, but I found it immersive and stimulating.
February 9, 2017
I feel ambivalent about this one. There is no doubt about the writer's craft. This is a very good book, only it just is not my cup of tea.
The look into the mind of Riktor, a slightly psychopathic character, is very interesting. But it keeps going on for a little too long, I felt. The twist at the end is nice. I thought I could empathize with the main protagonist to an extent, but still found him to be a bit too weird. Had he not been the focus, perhaps it would have worked better for me.
The look into the mind of Riktor, a slightly psychopathic character, is very interesting. But it keeps going on for a little too long, I felt. The twist at the end is nice. I thought I could empathize with the main protagonist to an extent, but still found him to be a bit too weird. Had he not been the focus, perhaps it would have worked better for me.
October 26, 2023
Hoy os dejo por aquí me reseña sobre este libro que he leído gracias al reto #retotodoslocos2023 ya que me hacía falta un libro que empezase por la inicial de mi nombre y este lo tenía desde hacía tiempo en mi #kobo y además me apetecía leer algo de la autora, no sé por qué pero los títulos de sus libros me han llamado desde siempre la atención.
En este caso nos encontramos con Riktor, un hombre solitario que trabaja como enfermero en una residencia de ancianos y al que le gusta ir por las tardes al parque a observar a la gente. Un día la policía llama a su puerta y lo acusa de un asesinato que él dice que no ha cometido. ¿Pero, es realmente inocente? ¿Hay algo que quiere ocultar a la policía? ¿Se descubrirá la verdad?
Esta novela es algo perturbadora, y es que la novela se centra en la mente del asesino, una mente oscura y cruel, a través de la cual la autora nos muestra hasta dónde es capaz de llegar el ser humano. Nos presenta a un psicópata, un hombre que no es capaz de establecer relaciones, sin alma, sin principios y sin sentimientos. Todo un thriller psicológico en el que la tensión está garantizada.
Un libro no muy extenso pero con mucha concentración de maldad, a través de un personaje muy bien creado.
En este caso nos encontramos con Riktor, un hombre solitario que trabaja como enfermero en una residencia de ancianos y al que le gusta ir por las tardes al parque a observar a la gente. Un día la policía llama a su puerta y lo acusa de un asesinato que él dice que no ha cometido. ¿Pero, es realmente inocente? ¿Hay algo que quiere ocultar a la policía? ¿Se descubrirá la verdad?
Esta novela es algo perturbadora, y es que la novela se centra en la mente del asesino, una mente oscura y cruel, a través de la cual la autora nos muestra hasta dónde es capaz de llegar el ser humano. Nos presenta a un psicópata, un hombre que no es capaz de establecer relaciones, sin alma, sin principios y sin sentimientos. Todo un thriller psicológico en el que la tensión está garantizada.
Un libro no muy extenso pero con mucha concentración de maldad, a través de un personaje muy bien creado.
April 6, 2015
Many thriller writers have attempted to take us inside the mind of a psychopath. Few have succeeded with such understated elegance as Karin Fossum does here.
This appalling yet enthralling stand-alone novel convincingly describes the inner landscape of the quiet man, the loner, the secret sadist, the malcontent misanthrope who knows himself to be superior to normal people. He delights in tormenting vulnerable patients who depend upon him for care and medication, while passing sinister judgment on those people he casually encounters in what passes for a life.
Inevitably, his disregard for human dignity ends in brutal, heartless murder… but not in the way you might expect from the opening chapters of the tale.
The writing and translation are atmospheric and disturbing, but easily accessible. The first few chapters are a little uneven and tricky to engage with as we’re introduced to the strange character through his opinions of other people, but rapidly the plot takes over and then the pages fly by. Several scenes are disconcertingly effective, like the moment when the central character dispassionately watches a drowning man in the same way a normal person might observe a dying fly…
(There's more thoughts on character and plot at
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress... )
It’s an accomplished, uncomfortable read. Brilliant, but not the type of thriller for light entertainment.
9/10
This appalling yet enthralling stand-alone novel convincingly describes the inner landscape of the quiet man, the loner, the secret sadist, the malcontent misanthrope who knows himself to be superior to normal people. He delights in tormenting vulnerable patients who depend upon him for care and medication, while passing sinister judgment on those people he casually encounters in what passes for a life.
Inevitably, his disregard for human dignity ends in brutal, heartless murder… but not in the way you might expect from the opening chapters of the tale.
The writing and translation are atmospheric and disturbing, but easily accessible. The first few chapters are a little uneven and tricky to engage with as we’re introduced to the strange character through his opinions of other people, but rapidly the plot takes over and then the pages fly by. Several scenes are disconcertingly effective, like the moment when the central character dispassionately watches a drowning man in the same way a normal person might observe a dying fly…
(There's more thoughts on character and plot at
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress... )
It’s an accomplished, uncomfortable read. Brilliant, but not the type of thriller for light entertainment.
9/10
October 3, 2014
Karin Fossum writes short, readable psychological thrillers, with insights into the hearts and minds of the characters.
Written and set in Norway, at no time did I feel I was reading a translation, which has happened in a few other Scandinavian books. Not really a mystery story, but a grim story narrated by a despicable male nurse,a psychopath, who tortures his elderly, defenceless patients. When he makes one friend, a derelict alcoholic he meets in the park, he plies him with liquor to bond with him. The friendship ends badly.
The reader should be aware that any potentially likeable characters play very small roles in the story.
Written and set in Norway, at no time did I feel I was reading a translation, which has happened in a few other Scandinavian books. Not really a mystery story, but a grim story narrated by a despicable male nurse,a psychopath, who tortures his elderly, defenceless patients. When he makes one friend, a derelict alcoholic he meets in the park, he plies him with liquor to bond with him. The friendship ends badly.
The reader should be aware that any potentially likeable characters play very small roles in the story.
August 16, 2015
Maybe I should have read some of the other books, but this just did not suit me.
Sorry, not for me.
Sorry, not for me.
August 12, 2019
Very dark and twisted
October 6, 2014
Norway's Karin Fossum is one of my favorite mystery authors. Her "Black Seconds" and "Indian Bride" are solidly five-star works, some of the best mysteries I have ever read in my life. "I Can See in the Dark" is not Ms. Fossum's best novel, although it is very readable. I do not like the term "page turner" as it implies inferior quality of writing - one just wants to turn the pages to follow the plot rather than savor the writing, but while "I Can See in the Dark" is a page turner, it is - as always with Ms. Fossum's work - beautifully written. The author uses short simple sentences, ably translated from Norwegian by James Anderson.
Riktor works as a nurse caring for elderly people at the Lokka nursing home. He is not a typical nurse, though, and he has dark secrets. He is accused of murder, but there is something deeply perverse about the whole set-up. The plot is really engrossing, but very, very dark. There is a passage, mid-novel, about Riktor's behavior with his patients that made my skin crawl.
Ms. Fossum is younger than me, but still, at 60 she is quite mature. This is a book for old people, for people who understand the vagaries and randomness of life. This is also a painful book about dying. "I often think about the old people in their beds at Lokka. Those cavernous faces, those bony hands always groping for something to hold on to. They, who have seen and understood about life and how it should be lived. I know so much more now, they think; I understand things at last, but it's too late. Now the greenhorns are coming to take over, and they won't listen to us, lying here twittering like birds." Yes, now I understand things, but it is way too late.
A very good mystery, but one that does not transcend the genre.
Three and a half stars.
Riktor works as a nurse caring for elderly people at the Lokka nursing home. He is not a typical nurse, though, and he has dark secrets. He is accused of murder, but there is something deeply perverse about the whole set-up. The plot is really engrossing, but very, very dark. There is a passage, mid-novel, about Riktor's behavior with his patients that made my skin crawl.
Ms. Fossum is younger than me, but still, at 60 she is quite mature. This is a book for old people, for people who understand the vagaries and randomness of life. This is also a painful book about dying. "I often think about the old people in their beds at Lokka. Those cavernous faces, those bony hands always groping for something to hold on to. They, who have seen and understood about life and how it should be lived. I know so much more now, they think; I understand things at last, but it's too late. Now the greenhorns are coming to take over, and they won't listen to us, lying here twittering like birds." Yes, now I understand things, but it is way too late.
A very good mystery, but one that does not transcend the genre.
Three and a half stars.
January 9, 2015
Riktor is a strange man. He has no family, no friends and lives a very lonely existence. Working as a nurse in a care home for the elderly, he is surrounded by pain and death. Having a secret crush on his boss makes the days go a bit faster. When a problem with trust causes Riktor to lose his temper, death finds its way into his own home. A visit from the police may not have been totally unexpected, but what does surprise Riktor is the fact that they are accusing him of a crime that he knows nothing about. He may be a strange man, but should he be punished for something he didn't do? Will it balance out the other crime?
Nordic crime thrillers have been growing in numbers over the past decade. Are they any better than the standard American thriller? Can English/Irish crime writers compete with Jo Nesbo and can Nordic authors hold their own against Lee Child? Translated works can sometimes lose something before it hits the page, but this one didn't. The story is dark, the protagonist is a despicable man who could give the reader the shivers. Written in the first person narrative, the author gives us access to Riktors thoughts, which are bleak and dour. Knowing his childhood story gives a bit of insight into his odd personality, but it is only when he meets Margareth that we can see how things could have been different for him.
This is not a light read. It is short and without decoration. It is the story of a disturbed soul, a child who grows up without love and the withdrawal of life by another's hands. A Nordic crime thriller which is less on thrill and crime, more inner dialogue and character development.
Nordic crime thrillers have been growing in numbers over the past decade. Are they any better than the standard American thriller? Can English/Irish crime writers compete with Jo Nesbo and can Nordic authors hold their own against Lee Child? Translated works can sometimes lose something before it hits the page, but this one didn't. The story is dark, the protagonist is a despicable man who could give the reader the shivers. Written in the first person narrative, the author gives us access to Riktors thoughts, which are bleak and dour. Knowing his childhood story gives a bit of insight into his odd personality, but it is only when he meets Margareth that we can see how things could have been different for him.
This is not a light read. It is short and without decoration. It is the story of a disturbed soul, a child who grows up without love and the withdrawal of life by another's hands. A Nordic crime thriller which is less on thrill and crime, more inner dialogue and character development.
August 30, 2014
This standalone novel from Norwegian author, Karin Fossum, feels quite different from her Inspector Sejer series. I have read a few of those, so this one immediately appealed to me. And though it is certainly well-written and smoothly translated, Riktor borders on too skillfully drawn for this to be an enjoyable read. He’s unapologetic about the terrible things that he has done - and as a nurse in a care facility for the elderly, there are a number of terrifying possibilities for him to perform his awful actions. To be so immersed in his stream-of-consciousness makes this book relatively easy to set aside despite its fast-pace. It’s an unpleasant and uncomfortable read, with a steadily mounting horror and how much worse his actions can be. I guess from the description, I hoped for more of lovable anti-hero, more like Dexter... but Riktor feels like a true predator. And though at first the conclusion offers the hope of salvation, this is, predictably, snatched away from both Riktor and the reader.
Like the title suggests, this does give a clear window into the darkness, but I think it may be too dark for some readers and certainly not mysterious enough for others. I think that discussion groups may have fun with this very distinct portrait of a character. I prefer her series novels, but this one is perhaps too well done.
Like the title suggests, this does give a clear window into the darkness, but I think it may be too dark for some readers and certainly not mysterious enough for others. I think that discussion groups may have fun with this very distinct portrait of a character. I prefer her series novels, but this one is perhaps too well done.
August 2, 2019
A male nurse at a nursing home taunts and causes pain to patients, then does something even worse.
Karin Fossum is possibly my favourite living writer and this is perhaps my favourite of her books.
In the way that Alfred Hitchcock often spoke of Psycho as being a very dark comedy, there's a part of me wonders whether Karin Fossum sometimes also has tongue in cheek - especially when she uses that internal voice for her characters. Here, the perpetrator is one nasty and evil piece of work, but I was often laughing at the outrageous things he says to himself. For all its darkness, I found it very funny at times. As I've stated before, Fossum is not one for those who like their thrillers to race along with scenes of action, convoluted plots and illogical twists; hers are darkly believable thrillers involving depth of characterisation and analyses.
The book is also short and straightforward in plot (a relief after a recent convoluted, never ending Michael Robotham I can tell you - whose work I hasten to add I normally like!).
Karin Fossum is possibly my favourite living writer and this is perhaps my favourite of her books.
In the way that Alfred Hitchcock often spoke of Psycho as being a very dark comedy, there's a part of me wonders whether Karin Fossum sometimes also has tongue in cheek - especially when she uses that internal voice for her characters. Here, the perpetrator is one nasty and evil piece of work, but I was often laughing at the outrageous things he says to himself. For all its darkness, I found it very funny at times. As I've stated before, Fossum is not one for those who like their thrillers to race along with scenes of action, convoluted plots and illogical twists; hers are darkly believable thrillers involving depth of characterisation and analyses.
The book is also short and straightforward in plot (a relief after a recent convoluted, never ending Michael Robotham I can tell you - whose work I hasten to add I normally like!).
August 26, 2014
I am a sucker for a good thriller/serial killer story. That is when I can find a good thriller/serial killer story. This sadly was not one. In fact, I don't really know what all happened in this book. While it was a fast read, it felt slow. This is probably because I found nothing engaging about Riktor. Yet I kept reading trying to understand his motivation for why he kills. Even that was boring. Like the time he watched a guy drown in a frozen hole in the lake. It was painfully slow to watch and did not really leave me satisfied. After about a third of the way in which was not that hard to get there as this is one of the shorter books I have read at 210 pages. Anyways, I skipped to the last two chapters of the book to see how it all ended. Not a good ending. You may want to skip this book if you are a fan of thriller/serial killers like me and are looking for your next victim...ahem book.
September 12, 2014
Riktor, Riktor, Riktor....is the narrator of this book. His life is depressing. He is ordinary, works in a nursing home where the patients have nothing to look forward to other than death. He is compassionate to a point....but still does not like his job. Depressing.....until he is accused of killing one of the patients. Then Riktor continues to tell his story from jail, ...where his story is Depressing.
When I completed this book I just wanted to shake Riktor....and tell him life is full of choices, stop complaining ... you are depressing me.
When I completed this book I just wanted to shake Riktor....and tell him life is full of choices, stop complaining ... you are depressing me.
September 3, 2014
Reminiscent of the works of Ruth Rendell in which the reader is plunged into the often twisted psyche of the guilty rather than the victimized, Fossum has written a mesmerizing psychological study. No whodunnit here -- Ricktor, the self delusional first person narrator, sees his actions as the result of being totally justified and does not feel either responsible or reprehensible. Let us all hope we do not see his face as our caretaker in our waning days. A true tour de force in holding interest while presenting a central figure so unsympathetic.
December 31, 2015
I'm not sure this is a crime novel, and certainly it isn't in that 'cozy' category.
Rather than cozy, it is deeply disturbing, and quite unique. There is always something very appealing about reading a novel that is so unique. It is 'noir' I think, and has a wonderful black humour occasionally that makes it so special.
This is my first Fossum, and I certainly will read more.
If you enjoy this vaguely similar are books by Pascal Garnier, and All Quiet on The Orient Express, by Magnus Mills.
Rather than cozy, it is deeply disturbing, and quite unique. There is always something very appealing about reading a novel that is so unique. It is 'noir' I think, and has a wonderful black humour occasionally that makes it so special.
This is my first Fossum, and I certainly will read more.
If you enjoy this vaguely similar are books by Pascal Garnier, and All Quiet on The Orient Express, by Magnus Mills.
April 8, 2020
From the first page you know you're on a journey with a character so dark and twisted that anything is possible. There is a vulnerability to that knowledge that makes you turn the page even though you're a little afraid of what you'll find. This quick read brought memories of Crime and Punishment in a Scandanavian landscape where the protagonist is also the antagonist. It's so unique and wonderfully written. This was the first book I've read of Karin Fossum, but it will not be my last. I highly recommend this one if you can handle dark characters whose thoughts make your eyes flair.
May 21, 2013
Hur det än slutar upp, så lyckas Riktor komma med oskyldiga ursäkter till alla de hemska saker han gör, vilket jag tyckte var väldigt fascinerande att läsa. Första tredjedelen av boken var definivit min favorit, eftersom då var det mycket mer tankebanor som beskrevs. Sedan tycker jag att det hände för mycket, och det beskrevs för lite av hans tankar. Gillar hur boken är skriven, språket fångade lätt upp intresset.
December 5, 2018
4⭐️
Karin Fossum - Ik kan in het donker zien
In het begin moeilijk in te komen, ietwat langdradig en veel herhaling.
Ik ben normaal gezien geen fan van boeken in de ik-vorm.
Toch na een 50-tal pagina’s word je volledig meegezogen in het verhaal en wil je kostte wat kost weten hoe dit gaat aflopen!
Uitgelezen op 1,5 dag, en 4 sterren waard!
Karin Fossum - Ik kan in het donker zien
In het begin moeilijk in te komen, ietwat langdradig en veel herhaling.
Ik ben normaal gezien geen fan van boeken in de ik-vorm.
Toch na een 50-tal pagina’s word je volledig meegezogen in het verhaal en wil je kostte wat kost weten hoe dit gaat aflopen!
Uitgelezen op 1,5 dag, en 4 sterren waard!
January 7, 2016
the perspective was awesome. very fossum in style.
the protagonist is strongly on asperger side of the spectrum and with some other issues. murder/killing happens, and ... everything happens around the protagonistʻs world.
the protagonist is strongly on asperger side of the spectrum and with some other issues. murder/killing happens, and ... everything happens around the protagonistʻs world.
November 6, 2014
The story was a bit odd but it did make sense in a way. You were always in the first person, the criminal.
January 21, 2022
Great psychological crime fiction...similar to Ruth Rendell books. Wish I had discovered Karin Fossum earlier.
August 28, 2025
Well written, and thoughtful.
I felt like I was reading Dostevsky, Crime and Punishment.
Impactful.
I felt like I was reading Dostevsky, Crime and Punishment.
Impactful.
June 24, 2013
I strangely disturbing story of madness that is mostly concealed and controlled until one day the control is lost and anger and rage rule.
This is a very sad story about man who has no emotional connection with people, with life, with his actions. On the surface he appears to function well; to hold a job, a person who is reliable, quiet and conservative. But appearances can be deceiving and he has worked hard to deceive.
Fossum paints the picture of this sad and desperately lonely individual with bleak colours. His life is grey; there is no light, there is no laughter, there is cynicism, pain, sleeplessness and no purpose until ironically he ends up in remand for a crime he did not commit. In prison he finds comfort in routine, support from the prison officers and purpose and potential working in the prison kitchen. He starts to envisage a better life, a life that has the potential to include others and in his own mind and delusion, develops a relationship with the prison cook. Upon his release his schemes and desires unravel spectacularly. There is no optimism, just more grey.
A remarkably sad story that does not sit easily with your psyche; it will not leave you in a hurry, after you turn the last page you will be left haunted by the lonely image of despair and madness that is Riktor. It is a depressing life that Riktor leads, and it is sad that he has passed through all the “systems” without being diagnosed or assisted in any way. Even the prison psychiatrist fails him – he diagnoses his illness and many psychoses but does not offer any assistance (perhaps I am too hard, perhaps his job was only to diagnose) but somebody should have helped, society needed to do more.
Haunting, sad and disturbing – it has all the elements that Karin Fossum exploits so well.
This is a very sad story about man who has no emotional connection with people, with life, with his actions. On the surface he appears to function well; to hold a job, a person who is reliable, quiet and conservative. But appearances can be deceiving and he has worked hard to deceive.
Fossum paints the picture of this sad and desperately lonely individual with bleak colours. His life is grey; there is no light, there is no laughter, there is cynicism, pain, sleeplessness and no purpose until ironically he ends up in remand for a crime he did not commit. In prison he finds comfort in routine, support from the prison officers and purpose and potential working in the prison kitchen. He starts to envisage a better life, a life that has the potential to include others and in his own mind and delusion, develops a relationship with the prison cook. Upon his release his schemes and desires unravel spectacularly. There is no optimism, just more grey.
A remarkably sad story that does not sit easily with your psyche; it will not leave you in a hurry, after you turn the last page you will be left haunted by the lonely image of despair and madness that is Riktor. It is a depressing life that Riktor leads, and it is sad that he has passed through all the “systems” without being diagnosed or assisted in any way. Even the prison psychiatrist fails him – he diagnoses his illness and many psychoses but does not offer any assistance (perhaps I am too hard, perhaps his job was only to diagnose) but somebody should have helped, society needed to do more.
Haunting, sad and disturbing – it has all the elements that Karin Fossum exploits so well.
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