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Konrad Sejer #4
Дяволът държи свещта
В малък норвежки град е изчезнало момче на двайсетина години - всеизвестният красавец Андреас.
Ден преди това двама младежи са нападнали жена с бебешка количка, за да й откраднат чантата. Оказва се, че вследствие на удара при падането от количката, бебето е починало.
Между двете на пръв поглед независими едно от друго събития има връзка. Но дълго време никой в полицейското управление не я вижда, дори инспектор Сейер...
Карин Фосум, наричана "норвежката кралица на криминалния роман", е родена през 1954 г. и живее в Осло. Нейните книги за инспектор Сейер са преведени на десетки езици, а голяма част са и филмирани. Носителка е на скандинавската награда за криминална литература "Стъкленият ключ" и на наградата "Ривертон", а през 2005 г. бе номинирана за най-престижната крими награда в света - ,,Златният кинжал" на Британската асоциация на писателите криминалисти.
През 2007 г. романът ,,Дяволът държи свещта" получи в САЩ Наградата за най-добър европейски криминален роман.
Ден преди това двама младежи са нападнали жена с бебешка количка, за да й откраднат чантата. Оказва се, че вследствие на удара при падането от количката, бебето е починало.
Между двете на пръв поглед независими едно от друго събития има връзка. Но дълго време никой в полицейското управление не я вижда, дори инспектор Сейер...
Карин Фосум, наричана "норвежката кралица на криминалния роман", е родена през 1954 г. и живее в Осло. Нейните книги за инспектор Сейер са преведени на десетки езици, а голяма част са и филмирани. Носителка е на скандинавската награда за криминална литература "Стъкленият ключ" и на наградата "Ривертон", а през 2005 г. бе номинирана за най-престижната крими награда в света - ,,Златният кинжал" на Британската асоциация на писателите криминалисти.
През 2007 г. романът ,,Дяволът държи свещта" получи в САЩ Наградата за най-добър европейски криминален роман.
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
330 people are currently reading
2542 people want to read
About the author
Karin Fossum
60 books1,138 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 464 reviews
September 24, 2008
This is a Norwegian mystery with that particular existential, fatalist almost nihilist point of view. And also it is postmodern in that the detective doesn’t solve anything, although his circling the perpetuators of the crime helps bring resolution, which is karmic and not from the long arm of the law. I actually liked that part. The only sane people are Inspector Sejer, his sidekick, Skarre, Sejer’s huge dog and Sejer’s girlfriend. Sejer seems the persona of a stable Europe that is struck by the erosion of societal structures, his girlfriend has phone sex when he is not in the mood, his side kick wears an earring. He sees young adult men with no purpose, with mindless jobs or no jobs, drinking and easily almost naturally falling into violence against others, although there is mortification after the fact. They psychodynamic motivation of the childhood of the crazy killer, and the repressed homosexuality of another character without morals, is a bit simplistic and overdrawn. However the peak of town life in Norway is wonderful, and it is psychological evocative, but all in all a bit disturbing view of humans. Except the Inspector continues and finds some small joys in life, maybe he is who we are to identify with amidst lost people and meaningless violence around us.
October 19, 2023
I was totally surprised When the Devil Holds the Candle didn’t flow like Don’t Look Back, an Inspector Sejer police procedural of an investigation in progress. Fossum changed up and wrote a thriller in progress. And I’m glad she did, because sequels can become too predictable.
Fossum definitely knows twisted evil. I don’t mean she’s twisted or has first-hand experience in evil (does she?). What I mean is that she developed evil characters and, in a twist, put them at odds with each other.
Though we all know evil people, we often don’t know what made them that way. But, we have ideas. Brash alphas are often evil because they misuse their strengths. Meek people take all the shit the world shovels at them then suddenly crack.
It’s interesting that Fossum took those two types, characterized them evilly, and threw them at each other. Evil can beat evil just like good can overcome evil. When the former happens, the result is uglier than evil squared. It’s terrifying and Fossum couldn’t have written a better example.
Fossum creeps out and tosses a bit of cheese your way. You get the cheese and scamper back. Next, she doles out a bit more, but farther away so that you have to leave the cozy security of your nest. More cheese, further and further away. Again and again until you look up and she’s standing there smiling crookedly at you with her arms folded. You want to run except that your tiny pink feet are locked in the sticky trap!
Our Inspector Sejer doesn’t play a major role until it’s too late. Even so, he’s not the same Sejer as he was in DLB. He’s as astute in his patient, plodding way, there’s no doubt. He seems younger and livelier now that Sara is more in his life and bed. Skarre is there throughout and he’s learning to become a good investigator as well.
Interestingly, the voices are written in first person and third. That gives this well-written story a thrilling perspective. The plot, part of which might have been controversial when first published, produces a great beat.
Fossum definitely knows twisted evil. I don’t mean she’s twisted or has first-hand experience in evil (does she?). What I mean is that she developed evil characters and, in a twist, put them at odds with each other.
Though we all know evil people, we often don’t know what made them that way. But, we have ideas. Brash alphas are often evil because they misuse their strengths. Meek people take all the shit the world shovels at them then suddenly crack.
It’s interesting that Fossum took those two types, characterized them evilly, and threw them at each other. Evil can beat evil just like good can overcome evil. When the former happens, the result is uglier than evil squared. It’s terrifying and Fossum couldn’t have written a better example.
Fossum creeps out and tosses a bit of cheese your way. You get the cheese and scamper back. Next, she doles out a bit more, but farther away so that you have to leave the cozy security of your nest. More cheese, further and further away. Again and again until you look up and she’s standing there smiling crookedly at you with her arms folded. You want to run except that your tiny pink feet are locked in the sticky trap!
Our Inspector Sejer doesn’t play a major role until it’s too late. Even so, he’s not the same Sejer as he was in DLB. He’s as astute in his patient, plodding way, there’s no doubt. He seems younger and livelier now that Sara is more in his life and bed. Skarre is there throughout and he’s learning to become a good investigator as well.
Interestingly, the voices are written in first person and third. That gives this well-written story a thrilling perspective. The plot, part of which might have been controversial when first published, produces a great beat.
May 30, 2025
A couple of teenage friends, Andreas and Zipp, are bored, without much to do. They go around bullying immigrants, stealing purses from women going on a stroll with their babies and breaking and entering in old ladies' houses. One of the last goes wrong and silly things start to happen. All the while the police and its detectives do nothing.
That is basically the plot of lame and silly "When the Devil Holds the Candle" a novel just because the cover says it is a novel. It is 230-pages-long of stupid plot and character decision after stupid plot and character decision. None of the motives of the characters make much sense, and even if Karin Fossum tries to infuse them with lives and motives and justify bad decisions, it all ends up being risible, laughable, a bad joke. Even if the book is short, it could actually have been one fourth, because there is so much padding and stretching without end that it makes things crawl to a stop.
This is no crime/mystery novel. This is just a sad excuse of a book.
The best: how the author tries to make the characters human
The worst: everything else: it's a mess, the character's decisions make no sense, the plot is silly and worth of a rubbish bin, there is no mystery, there is no point to the whole proceedings
Other options: any other mystery novel; if you want one with actual character development you can have Agatha Christie and Miss Marple; if you want them from the cold, you can pick from Camilla Läckberg to Henning Mankell; you can go Japanese and pick Miyabe Miyuki or Natsuo Kirino... Anything else but this.
1/10
(English translation by Felicity David)
That is basically the plot of lame and silly "When the Devil Holds the Candle" a novel just because the cover says it is a novel. It is 230-pages-long of stupid plot and character decision after stupid plot and character decision. None of the motives of the characters make much sense, and even if Karin Fossum tries to infuse them with lives and motives and justify bad decisions, it all ends up being risible, laughable, a bad joke. Even if the book is short, it could actually have been one fourth, because there is so much padding and stretching without end that it makes things crawl to a stop.
This is no crime/mystery novel. This is just a sad excuse of a book.
The best: how the author tries to make the characters human
The worst: everything else: it's a mess, the character's decisions make no sense, the plot is silly and worth of a rubbish bin, there is no mystery, there is no point to the whole proceedings
Other options: any other mystery novel; if you want one with actual character development you can have Agatha Christie and Miss Marple; if you want them from the cold, you can pick from Camilla Läckberg to Henning Mankell; you can go Japanese and pick Miyabe Miyuki or Natsuo Kirino... Anything else but this.
1/10
(English translation by Felicity David)
Read
August 19, 2019I greatly enjoy Karin Fossum's writing and Konrad Sejer as her protagonist, but I was unable to finish this book due to the subject matter of torture. I couldn't endure reading about it, so have set this one aside. Undaunted, I look forward to her next book in this series.
April 26, 2023
This book featured one of the most disturbing characters I’ve ever encountered. Fossum writes mental illness incredibly well, in characters that evoke sympathy and others that do not. Wow.
January 24, 2010
It's hard to like a book this horrifying. It examines the intersection of casual petty crimes committed by bored, drunken young men with unintended, life-shattering consequences for them and their victims. As it is ofen said, "things get out of hand."
If the story had stuck to that it wouldn't have been so devastating a story, but complicating all the stories is the failure to help when it is critically needed. Teens who don't help themselves or each other when their lives depend on it. Adults, even close family friends, who knowingly watch extreme suffering of beautiful young people and don't say a thing; breaking under a lifetime of their own personal weakness and failure to act on their own behalf.
It's a contrast between people who break but live on, and young people in the process of breaking as they are faced with a vague adulthood.
If the story had stuck to that it wouldn't have been so devastating a story, but complicating all the stories is the failure to help when it is critically needed. Teens who don't help themselves or each other when their lives depend on it. Adults, even close family friends, who knowingly watch extreme suffering of beautiful young people and don't say a thing; breaking under a lifetime of their own personal weakness and failure to act on their own behalf.
It's a contrast between people who break but live on, and young people in the process of breaking as they are faced with a vague adulthood.
April 9, 2017
С тази си книга Карин Фосум вече окончателно ми се превръща в една от любимите скандинавски писателки. Изключително добре написан роман, интересна интрига (дори не само една!), чудесно изградени пълнокръвни образи, стегнат стил на писане (само 260 стр.), без нито едно излишно нещо!
Специално в тази книга много ми хареса психологическия подход при изграждането на образите, което присъства и в другите книги на Фосум. Но тази дори не бих могла да я опредея като криминална книга сама по себе си...
Давам 5 звезди, напълно заслужени! Да четеш тази авторка е като да ядеш белгийски шоколад по време на диета :)
Специално в тази книга много ми хареса психологическия подход при изграждането на образите, което присъства и в другите книги на Фосум. Но тази дори не бих могла да я опредея като криминална книга сама по себе си...
Давам 5 звезди, напълно заслужени! Да четеш тази авторка е като да ядеш белгийски шоколад по време на диета :)
July 23, 2022
Me gustó mucho. Muy angustioso. Los finales de esta saga son progresivamente, cada vez más deprimentes. Este fue particularmente desolador.
July 20, 2025
Twee jongens, Andreas en Zipp, hangen wat rond in hun auto op zoek naar geld om een biertje te kopen. Dan zien ze een jonge moeder wandelen met een kinderwagen. Andreas stapt uit en vraagt de weg aan de vrouw, dit echter met de bedoeling om haar tas te stelen. De vrouw laat eventjes de kinderwagen los en zet hem niet goed op de rem, want ze wil Andreas tegenhouden. De kinderwagen begint van de helling te bollen, botst tegen een kei, en de baby valt eruit.
Zip en Andreas maken dat ze wegkomen, ze rijden en lopen nog wat rond, voelen zich gefrustreerd, en komen in een stillere wijk terecht. Daar loopt een oudere vrouw op straat. Andreas volgt haar, en weet bij haar binnen te dringen. Maar de vrouw ontdekt hem, en het luik naar de kelder staat open. Andreas, geconfronteerd met de vrouw, stapt achteruit en valt in de kelder. Hij breekt zijn nek en kan zich niet meer bewegen.
Andreas wordt als vermist opgegeven. Ook Zipp begrijpt niet waar hij ineens gebleven is.
De oudere vrouw gaat naar het politiebureau en stamelt een paar onsamenhangende zinnen: Het gaat om iemand die vermist is en die niet lang meer te leven heeft...
De politieagent begrijpt haar niet en denkt dat ze het over haar man heeft, en dat die man ziek is. Hij stuurt haar weg met een smoesje.
Wat gebeurt er nu met Andreas? Wat zal Irma (de vrouw) doen? En Zipp, de beste vriend van Andreas? Die is radeloos, want hij heeft in de krant gelezen dat het babytje uit de kinderwagen overleden is. De politie verhoort hem enkele keren, maar Zipp zwijgt als het graf. Innerlijk wordt hij echter verscheurd...
Er zit veel meer psychologie in dit boek dan een misdaadverhaal.
Zip en Andreas maken dat ze wegkomen, ze rijden en lopen nog wat rond, voelen zich gefrustreerd, en komen in een stillere wijk terecht. Daar loopt een oudere vrouw op straat. Andreas volgt haar, en weet bij haar binnen te dringen. Maar de vrouw ontdekt hem, en het luik naar de kelder staat open. Andreas, geconfronteerd met de vrouw, stapt achteruit en valt in de kelder. Hij breekt zijn nek en kan zich niet meer bewegen.
Andreas wordt als vermist opgegeven. Ook Zipp begrijpt niet waar hij ineens gebleven is.
De oudere vrouw gaat naar het politiebureau en stamelt een paar onsamenhangende zinnen: Het gaat om iemand die vermist is en die niet lang meer te leven heeft...
De politieagent begrijpt haar niet en denkt dat ze het over haar man heeft, en dat die man ziek is. Hij stuurt haar weg met een smoesje.
Wat gebeurt er nu met Andreas? Wat zal Irma (de vrouw) doen? En Zipp, de beste vriend van Andreas? Die is radeloos, want hij heeft in de krant gelezen dat het babytje uit de kinderwagen overleden is. De politie verhoort hem enkele keren, maar Zipp zwijgt als het graf. Innerlijk wordt hij echter verscheurd...
Er zit veel meer psychologie in dit boek dan een misdaadverhaal.
November 25, 2017
Oduševljena sam! Nemam niti jednu zamjerku,samo pohvale.Majstorica!
June 25, 2023
https://knjigozderonja.wixsite.com/kn...
Koliko je napeto od 1 do 10? Opis na poleđini knjige je sličan (naravno, moj je bolji), ali svi odmah shvate da Andreas ostane u kući. Ostane sam u kući sa ženom koja nije u naponu svoje snage i naravno da se nešto loše dogodilo Andreasu. Neću vam reći što se loše dogodilo, ali ako uzmete knjigu u ruke, shvatit ćete za par minuta. Eto.
Sad se netko pita zašto knjizi nisam dala ocjenu 1. Ima dobrih citata. I ima jedan dio koji mi je nagoviještao potencijalno dobar zaplet. To su svi razlozi koje imam.
Isto tako, moram reći da mi naslov nije jasan nimalo. Nisam uočila neku poveznicu s radnjom.
Osim toga, ova knjiga bila je zadatak za čitateljski klub. Kad sam ju pročitala, malo sam istraživala i shvatila da je ovo četvrta knjiga u serijalu. Mislim da nema neke pretjerane poveznice, ali ima par stvari koje mi apsolutno nisu jasne. Da smo čitali prvu knjigu, možda bi dojam bio totalno drukčiji.
Koji vas je krimić razočarao?
Grickajmo knjige zajedno!
Koliko je napeto od 1 do 10? Opis na poleđini knjige je sličan (naravno, moj je bolji), ali svi odmah shvate da Andreas ostane u kući. Ostane sam u kući sa ženom koja nije u naponu svoje snage i naravno da se nešto loše dogodilo Andreasu. Neću vam reći što se loše dogodilo, ali ako uzmete knjigu u ruke, shvatit ćete za par minuta. Eto.
Sad se netko pita zašto knjizi nisam dala ocjenu 1. Ima dobrih citata. I ima jedan dio koji mi je nagoviještao potencijalno dobar zaplet. To su svi razlozi koje imam.
Isto tako, moram reći da mi naslov nije jasan nimalo. Nisam uočila neku poveznicu s radnjom.
Osim toga, ova knjiga bila je zadatak za čitateljski klub. Kad sam ju pročitala, malo sam istraživala i shvatila da je ovo četvrta knjiga u serijalu. Mislim da nema neke pretjerane poveznice, ali ima par stvari koje mi apsolutno nisu jasne. Da smo čitali prvu knjigu, možda bi dojam bio totalno drukčiji.
Koji vas je krimić razočarao?
Grickajmo knjige zajedno!
March 23, 2019
I did not finish this mess of a book. I am going to give Fossum the benefit of the doubt and ASSUME that the terrible convoluted story line was due to massive editing errors. Literally from one sentence to the next paragraph, with no ellipses in between to alert you to a change in character, there would be a "new voice" a new point of view with NO IDEA who was "speaking." This happened so many times and it WAS SO DAMN CONFUSING!! One moment you're in Zipp's head and the next you think he is being described as a girl (when actually it's another character) because there is NO BREAK in the page!!! Frustrating as hell. The mother with the baby? Again, the transition back to her is done in the same way. I got a headache and although I was sort of curious as to how Andreas finally meets his end I was not curious enough to continue reading when there are so many other books out there to be read!!!
September 22, 2011
The story is chilling because the characters are so believeable. It's not about a murderer with some strange fixation or obsession, no revenge that dates 40 years ago, or a murderer who derives joy from killing. It's not about who did it, but how did things end up like this? It is about how everyday people's lives can quickly spiral out of control, or descend to tragedy - through pure chance and even though inaction... It is about how close to the edge most of us are, without realising. It makes you feel that this could happen to anyone.. how we could end up being a killer, or a victim... or both, at the same time. It makes you question the sanity of everyone around you, and even yourself...
April 18, 2017
A cacophony of voices tell this story, some innocent, some perverted and the execution may have been successful in original language but definitely not in translation. Not for me. Just a taste: "My name is Irma. Now I'm the one who's doing the talking. I won't take much time, and I'm not saying that I have a monopoly on the truth. But what you're reading now is my version. A childhood memory comes back to me. I can summon it whenever I like...And I remember the feeling, a sweet pressure, like warm oil running through my body. The certainty that this was evil. My face in the bluish glass: the hideous, evil person you become when the Devil holds the candle."
Bad stuff happens, but there are no consequences. Twisted.
Bad stuff happens, but there are no consequences. Twisted.
November 12, 2017
Roman koje me oduševio i visoko je na ljestvici najboljih romana koje sam pročitala ove godine. Likovi su uvjerljivo dobro prikazani... i nemam gorak okus nakon čitanja.
Prvo me privukao sam naslov a i zanimljiva naslovnica. Priča o dvoje tinejdžera koji su u potrazi za uzbuđenjem. Prvo ukradu torbicu mladoj ženi koja gura kolica s djetetom (i dogodi se pizdarija)...Nesvjesni i nezadovoljni ishodom, odtumaraju na groblje gdje su dosta popili i između njih se odigra scena s kojom im sve ode k vragu (opet pizdarija). Da bi se obojica riješili gorkog okusa, odlučili su taj osjećaj ubiti novim "uzbuđenjem". Sretnu stariju babu koja živi sama. Jedan od njih uđe joj u kuću s nožem. I znate što? Nikad nije izašao (šok!!) Šta mu se dogodilo....
Prvo me privukao sam naslov a i zanimljiva naslovnica. Priča o dvoje tinejdžera koji su u potrazi za uzbuđenjem. Prvo ukradu torbicu mladoj ženi koja gura kolica s djetetom (i dogodi se pizdarija)...Nesvjesni i nezadovoljni ishodom, odtumaraju na groblje gdje su dosta popili i između njih se odigra scena s kojom im sve ode k vragu (opet pizdarija). Da bi se obojica riješili gorkog okusa, odlučili su taj osjećaj ubiti novim "uzbuđenjem". Sretnu stariju babu koja živi sama. Jedan od njih uđe joj u kuću s nožem. I znate što? Nikad nije izašao (šok!!) Šta mu se dogodilo....
January 8, 2012
I started reading mysteries by Karin Fossum, a Norwegian writer of psychological crime stories over the Christmas holiday. I enjoyed this so much I have now read four in the series .The detectives are Sejer and a younger policeman and friend,Skarre.
The stories are short and very tight with no wasted narrative. We get to know what is going on in the minds of the criminals and their victims early in the books. The mysteries are usually solved by the detectives interviewing people in the small town several times. Highly recommended. Can't wait to read some more in the series.
February 22, 2020
When the Devil Holds the Candle is an entry in the Detective Sejur series set in Norway. This book is more psychological thriller than police investigation as much of our time is spent with intricately drawn characters who have slid over the line from good to evil. One of the cover blurbs of the edition I read compares this book to Ruth Rendall's writing. I heartily agree, if you like Rendall this novel should appeal to you. Both writers were able to dig under the public facade of characters to reveal what they kept hidden.
July 22, 2025
Fossumin kerronta on psykologisesti paljon syvempää kuin tuoreempien skandidekkareiden, joita olen viime aikoina paljon lukenut. Pimeää ja kiehtovaa ihmismielen kuvausta. Asiat jäivät osin auki ja ymmärtämättä, mutta niinhän elämässäkin käy. Pidin lukemastani ja alan kaivella muitakin tbr-pinon Fossumeita esille.
March 14, 2012
Norwegian author Karen Fossum's WHEN THE DEVIL HOLDS THE CANDLE is another excellent entry into the Inspector Konrad Sejer series. I've read over half of the books in the series, and while they are very readable and offer fascinating looks into the minds of the deluded, criminal, and insane, they really don't feature the standard format of the cops looking for clues and catching the bad guys.
In this novel, Fossum looks at what happens when people considered normal give into evil, or evil overcomes them, and they committ horrendous crimes that they wouldn't normally consider. Most of the book follows Zipp and Andreas, two teenagers that wander around aimlessly drinking beer, looking at girls, and watching "Blade Runner" at Zipp's house. The boys occasionally rob women of their handbags for beer money. On one horrible day, they rob a woman pushing a stroller and set in motion a tragic train of events that lead to one boy missing, and one boy refusing to tell the police what he knows.
Conrad Sejer, and his younger partner Jacob Skarr, work on the periphery of the investigation. They at first dismiss Andreas's mother's claim that her boy is missing. After all, boys will be boys. But soon they suspect something is wrong. They are basically right in the middle of everything, but the novel ultimately shifts back to Zipp and Andreas. This novel is about them and what happens to a person when the Devil holds the candle.
While the lack of action by Sejer and Skarre is disappointing, it doesn't take away from how much I enjoyed the novel. Fossum's novels are different, and she's a best seller in Norway, so I love exploring novels from other countries.
In this novel, Fossum looks at what happens when people considered normal give into evil, or evil overcomes them, and they committ horrendous crimes that they wouldn't normally consider. Most of the book follows Zipp and Andreas, two teenagers that wander around aimlessly drinking beer, looking at girls, and watching "Blade Runner" at Zipp's house. The boys occasionally rob women of their handbags for beer money. On one horrible day, they rob a woman pushing a stroller and set in motion a tragic train of events that lead to one boy missing, and one boy refusing to tell the police what he knows.
Conrad Sejer, and his younger partner Jacob Skarr, work on the periphery of the investigation. They at first dismiss Andreas's mother's claim that her boy is missing. After all, boys will be boys. But soon they suspect something is wrong. They are basically right in the middle of everything, but the novel ultimately shifts back to Zipp and Andreas. This novel is about them and what happens to a person when the Devil holds the candle.
While the lack of action by Sejer and Skarre is disappointing, it doesn't take away from how much I enjoyed the novel. Fossum's novels are different, and she's a best seller in Norway, so I love exploring novels from other countries.
April 10, 2012
A little different from her previous two books, featuring Sejer and Skarre, but equally as good. This one is about two 18-year old friends, Andreas and Zip, bored, broke and about to cross the line in a series of events that will leave several lives changed forever. Zip is led by Andreas into a purse snatching incident, involving a mother and her 4-month old baby, when Andreas takes the womans purse, she gives chase and does not secure the brake on the pram. The pram topples over a ledge at the seafront and the baby falls out. Although Zip tries to stop the pram from falling over, he does not reach it on time and is left shaken and horrified by what has happened. Andreas is also feeling guilty and so they then go on a drinking session to try and forget what happened. Later that night, Andreas follows and elderly woman home, with the intention of mugging her, having clearly not learned his lesson. He leaves Zip outside the house, goes in and is never seen again. It is a well told story, some parts in the words of the woman Andreas has followed to her home and this part makes for a very interesting perspective of the plot. It is distressing, without being graphic and gives the reader an insight into why people take certain decisions, which can only lead to disastrous consequences. There is a little touch of the Stephen Kings in this book, which provides us with some chilling moments, but yet it is written in a way that we can sympathize with the characters central to the plot at the same time. I would definitely recommend this series as a must for crime/mystery fans.
December 25, 2012
I normally give Karin Fossum's Inspector Sejer 5 stars, as they are so well crafted. This one is equally well-crafted but is amazingly depressing. [Guess I am a wimp :) ]
First paragraphs
Chapter 1 The courthouse. September 4, 4 P.M. Jacob Skarre glanced at his watch. His shift was over. He slipped a book out of his jacket pocket and read the poem on the first page. It's like virtual reality, he thought. Poof!—and you're in a completely different landscape. The door to the corridor stood open, and suddenly he was aware that someone was watching him, someone just beyond the range of his excellent peripheral vision. A vibration, light as a feather, barely perceptible, finally reached him. He closed the book. "Can I help you?" The woman didn't move, just stood there staring at him with an odd expression. Skarre looked at her tense face and thought she seemed familiar. She was no longer young, maybe about sixty, and wore a coat and dark boots. There was a scarf around her neck, just visible; he could see it above her collar. Its pattern offered a sharp contrast to what she most likely possessed in the way of speed and elegance: racehorses with jockeys in colorful silks against a dark blue background. She had a wide, heavy face, elongated by a prominent chin. Her eyebrows were dark and had grown almost together. She was clutching a handbag against her stomach.
Fossum, Karin (2007-06-04). When the Devil Holds the Candle (Inspector Sejer Mysteries) (pp. 1-2). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
First paragraphs
Chapter 1 The courthouse. September 4, 4 P.M. Jacob Skarre glanced at his watch. His shift was over. He slipped a book out of his jacket pocket and read the poem on the first page. It's like virtual reality, he thought. Poof!—and you're in a completely different landscape. The door to the corridor stood open, and suddenly he was aware that someone was watching him, someone just beyond the range of his excellent peripheral vision. A vibration, light as a feather, barely perceptible, finally reached him. He closed the book. "Can I help you?" The woman didn't move, just stood there staring at him with an odd expression. Skarre looked at her tense face and thought she seemed familiar. She was no longer young, maybe about sixty, and wore a coat and dark boots. There was a scarf around her neck, just visible; he could see it above her collar. Its pattern offered a sharp contrast to what she most likely possessed in the way of speed and elegance: racehorses with jockeys in colorful silks against a dark blue background. She had a wide, heavy face, elongated by a prominent chin. Her eyebrows were dark and had grown almost together. She was clutching a handbag against her stomach.
Fossum, Karin (2007-06-04). When the Devil Holds the Candle (Inspector Sejer Mysteries) (pp. 1-2). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
November 9, 2007
I struggled a bit getting into this unconventional mystery novel, which doesn't really, in my mind, have any of the qualities that are typically associated with mysteries aside from the fact that there's a crime involved. One thing that I had to adjust to was the fact that the very interesting and likable Inspector Konrad Sejer is essentially a supporting character here, and I went in hoping to spend more time with him than the book provided. That's not to say that the characters we do spend most of our time with aren't interesting, because they are. There's Andreas, a beautiful and troubled 18-year-old who is obsessed with Blade Runner, and as a fan of the film myself I enjoyed the way that Fossum would occasionally work quotes from the movie into this book. And there's Irma, an older woman whose voice we hear in first-person, and not unlike the narrator of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," Irma's attempts to convince us of her sanity only show us how disturbed she is. Despite her actions, I found her a somewhat sympathetic character--after all, she did not choose to be mentally ill. And I like the way that her sense of isolation has a kind of counterpoint in Sejer's life, as he struggles to feel connected to a new girlfriend who is very different from himself. I felt that there were a few unlikely coincidences, and some frustratingly shoddy police work, but thanks to the psychologically complex and compelling characters I still enjoyed this book.
April 21, 2013
This book is purely genial. I don't think I have ever "encountered" such a improbable and sadly deranged "villain".
I am using brackets when I say villain because there is no black and white in this book, everything is grey, from atmosphere to characters.
We really get to like the two weird but not bad hearted loner sort of teens despite their somewhat hasty and unthoughtful actions we might condone, all of this is just an intro into the black void which will swallow Andreas halfway through the book, literally.
As with many other books, this was a pure chance which opened doors / trapdoors? to something sinister, malicious and indescribable, an eclipse of human nature.
This is a dark psychological masterpiece, depressing and shattering. Again not for those who prefer action packed novels or whodunnits.
I think I will be reading more of this one, it's hard to forget even details like the shopping list.
I would have deducted half a star only because I am really unsure what might have happened to the second youth and because I am not sure I understood completely why Irma's husband met his fate the way he did.
I am using brackets when I say villain because there is no black and white in this book, everything is grey, from atmosphere to characters.
We really get to like the two weird but not bad hearted loner sort of teens despite their somewhat hasty and unthoughtful actions we might condone, all of this is just an intro into the black void which will swallow Andreas halfway through the book, literally.
As with many other books, this was a pure chance which opened doors / trapdoors? to something sinister, malicious and indescribable, an eclipse of human nature.
This is a dark psychological masterpiece, depressing and shattering. Again not for those who prefer action packed novels or whodunnits.
I think I will be reading more of this one, it's hard to forget even details like the shopping list.
I would have deducted half a star only because I am really unsure what might have happened to the second youth and because I am not sure I understood completely why Irma's husband met his fate the way he did.
January 18, 2011
This is an odd book, not attributable entirely to a translation from Norwegian, I would imagine. As my obsession for Scandinavian mysteries moved from Sweden to Norway last year, I thought I should check out Fossum, who is listed by other obsessives as a must-read author in the sub-genre. There's a dream-like quality to the prose generated by the narrator, an aging and bitter woman who is both victim and perpetrator that reminds me of certain short stories and less-famous novels by Patricia Highsmith. We're meant, I think, to have ambivalent feelings about her, indeed, about all of the characters except the police, who are almost in the background, despite the fact that this is nominally a police procedural. We enter the story late in the game and go back and forth in time until catching up to the horrible situation, which is some ways more of a moral tale than a mystery. Until the very end, when the twist is revealed. Liked, not loved it.
December 10, 2012
This is the second book I’ve read of Fossum’s Norwegian mysteries. If these two are typical, her work tends more to psychological studies than traditional who-dun-its. Fossum’s insights can be penetrating as in this example of Inspector Sejer on the death of his aged mother who had been comatose for years—“Mother—he murmured. How strange to say that word out loud and never to hear an answer again. He sank back in the chair, thinking that he ought to go home. He stood up, but left the chair where it was as if it might yet keep her company. He happened to look at his watch again. It was 12:52. He did the arithmetic in his mind. Seven minutes. That’s how much time he had granted her, to thank her for everything. Seven minutes to say thank you for a whole lifetime. Take all the time you need.
He started shaking. His shoulders hunched in shame. He turned around and went back to the bed, sat on the edge, picked up her gaunt hands and held them tight. For a long time.”
He started shaking. His shoulders hunched in shame. He turned around and went back to the bed, sat on the edge, picked up her gaunt hands and held them tight. For a long time.”
July 21, 2012
My first Fossum book, so it's hard to draw any conclusions, but I was struck by the difference in emphasis on the part of the cops. In most US crime novels and police procedurals the cops are tough guys, macho men, avenger types. Criminals don't just do evil deeds, they are evil men, or women.
Fossum's cops are just as efficient at solving crimes, which in some instances is not very efficient, but their attitudes are much less anger/vengence-laced. The criminals are not inherently evil, they're mentally disturbed. When apprehended, they're treated with more dignity than I'm used to seeing in the USA. I'm not suggesting that this is a good thing or a bad thing - it's just interesting to take note of. I'm sure I'm not the first person to notice this difference in tone, and I would be interested to hear the perspective of others.
Fossum's cops are just as efficient at solving crimes, which in some instances is not very efficient, but their attitudes are much less anger/vengence-laced. The criminals are not inherently evil, they're mentally disturbed. When apprehended, they're treated with more dignity than I'm used to seeing in the USA. I'm not suggesting that this is a good thing or a bad thing - it's just interesting to take note of. I'm sure I'm not the first person to notice this difference in tone, and I would be interested to hear the perspective of others.
April 29, 2015
This book is the third book in the Inspector Sejer mystery series. This book is much spookier and creepier than the previous two. It also differs from the previous two in that you know who the murderer is from the beginning. A young man goes missing. Where could he be? Is he alive or dead? Fossum is a brilliant writer and makes you think deeply about insanity, and the strange things that happen in life. Her characters live and breathe. I love how she has many different people and stories that all come together brilliantly, slowly, to form a colorful tapestry. I can't wait to read her next book. I highly recommend this book. Translated into English from Norwegian.
August 4, 2019
Two teenage boys rob a new mother, then an older confused woman - but...
Another very good read from Fossum, in this, the fourth book in her Detective Sejer series. It's the getting into the mind of a character that I always love with Fossum's books, and here, being that the character is a confused and frightened older woman, she is often prone to rantings and ravings. There are echoes of this in her later book 'The Whisperer.'
As with many of the books in this series, and unlike many other authors, Fossum is quite happy to give her detective a back seat and just let things ride. Fossum is different and I can't recommend her books highly enough.
Another very good read from Fossum, in this, the fourth book in her Detective Sejer series. It's the getting into the mind of a character that I always love with Fossum's books, and here, being that the character is a confused and frightened older woman, she is often prone to rantings and ravings. There are echoes of this in her later book 'The Whisperer.'
As with many of the books in this series, and unlike many other authors, Fossum is quite happy to give her detective a back seat and just let things ride. Fossum is different and I can't recommend her books highly enough.
July 15, 2023
I can’t decide whether this was a bad book or just a very unusual one. It doesn’t read like a typical crime novel. Times and perspectives are all over the place, the police are mentioned but hardly have any role in the story, and nothing is really resolved or explained in the end.
None of the characters are very likable and every single one of them is constantly wondering about the point of existence, in a very nihilistic and depressing way. The book is also very dated.
However, I did want to keep reading, like watching a train wreck you cannot look away from. The perspective of the disturbed older woman was particular fascinating.
None of the characters are very likable and every single one of them is constantly wondering about the point of existence, in a very nihilistic and depressing way. The book is also very dated.
However, I did want to keep reading, like watching a train wreck you cannot look away from. The perspective of the disturbed older woman was particular fascinating.
June 9, 2010
I plan on giving all of my Karin Fossum reviews the same statement because I don't even want the hint of a spoiler on this woman's fantastic work. Fossum's writing gave me my love of Scandanavian mystery writers and I seek those writings out. Hands down,though, Fossum's work is the best I have come across so far
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