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Konrad Sejer #8
The Water's Edge
A married couple, Reinhardt and Kristine Ris, are out for a Sunday walk when they discover the body of a boy and see the figure of a man limping away. They alert the police, but not before Reinhardt, to Kristine’s horror, kneels down and takes photographs of the dead child with his cell phone. Inspectors Konrad Sejer and Jakob Skarre begin to make inquiries in the little town of Solberglia. But then another boy disappears, and an explanation seems more remote than ever. Meanwhile, the Ris’s marriage starts to unravel as Reinhardt becomes obsessed with the tragic events and his own part in them.
A riveting portrayal of a community—its insiders, its outsiders, its fissures, and its secrets—from Norway’s "Queen of Crime," Karin Fossum.
A riveting portrayal of a community—its insiders, its outsiders, its fissures, and its secrets—from Norway’s "Queen of Crime," Karin Fossum.
227 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
297 people are currently reading
1869 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
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 424 reviews
July 10, 2016
This is the third time it's happened in the last three months. Each time I swear I'll never do it again. But something comes over me. The first one was Finders Keepers – ah, so sweet, so compelling, its pages so fresh and yet so depraved. The next one was Hate List – yes, yes, young adult. And now this. I'm supposed to be reading David Mitchell! I may have to face the truth that I'm developing a.. problem ... with crime thrillers which take 48 hours to hoover up. This is so out of character for me. But surely there's counselling I can get.
The Water's Edge is a gripper-rod of a crime novel which fixes your eyes to the page like a carpet to a stair. Karen Fossum uses ironed-flat prose – there might be three metaphors and one simile used in the whole book. Her two policemen are interchangeable cutouts – one's older with grey hair, the other has curly hair, that's about all the difference – and to call their dialogue stilted is an insult to stilt. There's a couple of terrible infodumps, beginning with one copper leaning back and beginning "Experts say…".
But this sad story of the hunt for a paedophile in a small Norwegian town is going to getcha.
One GR reviewer denounces this novel for its too sympathetic treatment of the paedophile. Along the lines that to try to understand is to justify or explain away. I disagree. Fiction shouldn't flinch from the disagreeable – even the very disagreeable - and in her ironed-flat way Karen Fossum never does. In this book banality and horror grow together in one terrible thornbush.
3.5 stars.
The Water's Edge is a gripper-rod of a crime novel which fixes your eyes to the page like a carpet to a stair. Karen Fossum uses ironed-flat prose – there might be three metaphors and one simile used in the whole book. Her two policemen are interchangeable cutouts – one's older with grey hair, the other has curly hair, that's about all the difference – and to call their dialogue stilted is an insult to stilt. There's a couple of terrible infodumps, beginning with one copper leaning back and beginning "Experts say…".
But this sad story of the hunt for a paedophile in a small Norwegian town is going to getcha.
One GR reviewer denounces this novel for its too sympathetic treatment of the paedophile. Along the lines that to try to understand is to justify or explain away. I disagree. Fiction shouldn't flinch from the disagreeable – even the very disagreeable - and in her ironed-flat way Karen Fossum never does. In this book banality and horror grow together in one terrible thornbush.
3.5 stars.
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August 20, 2021زوجان يتنزهان بالغابة ظهيرة يوم أحد وإذ برجل يتحرك بين الأشجار ، التقت عيناه بعيني المرأة لوهلة ، عندئذ واصل السير ولكنها استدارت ثانية ونظرت إليه...بينما هو كان يفكر كيف يمكن الاختباء في بيته بعيداً عن أعين الناس....
يعثر الزوجان في طريق عودتهما على جثة طفل عند حافة البحيرة...ومن هنا تنطلق سلسلة من التحقيقات بقيادة المحقق " كونراد سيير ".
النسخة المترجمة من الرواية بعنوان " جريمة على حافة البحيرة " ، تناقش الكاتبة النرويجية " كارين فوسم " عدد من القضايا الإجتماعية المختلفة ، اعتداء المنحرفين على الأطفال ، علاقة الآباء بصغارهم التي تقوم على الإهمال والعدائية والتهديدات الحانقة والعنف الجسدي ، حياة زوجين لا يسيرها إلا العادات وتفتقد الإحساس بالثقة والأمان...
كلها دوائر مغلقة من المعاناة المريرة التي تعذب أصحابها...
وأخيراً تدرك بأن هناك من يحاول التحكم بمعاناته بإلحاق الأذى بالآخرين دونما اكتراث ، والضحايا تموت كل يوم وإلى الأبد....
يعثر الزوجان في طريق عودتهما على جثة طفل عند حافة البحيرة...ومن هنا تنطلق سلسلة من التحقيقات بقيادة المحقق " كونراد سيير ".
النسخة المترجمة من الرواية بعنوان " جريمة على حافة البحيرة " ، تناقش الكاتبة النرويجية " كارين فوسم " عدد من القضايا الإجتماعية المختلفة ، اعتداء المنحرفين على الأطفال ، علاقة الآباء بصغارهم التي تقوم على الإهمال والعدائية والتهديدات الحانقة والعنف الجسدي ، حياة زوجين لا يسيرها إلا العادات وتفتقد الإحساس بالثقة والأمان...
كلها دوائر مغلقة من المعاناة المريرة التي تعذب أصحابها...
وأخيراً تدرك بأن هناك من يحاول التحكم بمعاناته بإلحاق الأذى بالآخرين دونما اكتراث ، والضحايا تموت كل يوم وإلى الأبد....
May 27, 2015
I cannot rate this book. I cannot even tell if it is well written or not. I just kept wondering what the author was trying to do here.
My guess is that she is trying to elicit sympathy for a disgusting pervert, but I may be wrong because I cannot be rational when the lead detective, Inspector Sejer, says things like he needs to be unbiased and that he cannot understand why gay men are accepted but pedophiles will always be hated and later on tries to equate pedophilia (and one who ended with a dead child at that) with oral sex between adults. HINT: CONSENT, the issue is consent. Also, homosexual and oral sex don't end up with bleeeding, dead people and psychologically scarred for life victims.
I don't mind an author trying to get into the mind of the criminal, or in this case, the poor, misunderstood pedophile, poor man, his mom was a nag. In fact, this is my favorite part in crime books. But presenting the criminal's viewpoint is a far cry from trying to elicit simpathy for a disgusting pervert by the series heroes.
On to the next book in the series because I do like the way Ms. Fossum writes.
My guess is that she is trying to elicit sympathy for a disgusting pervert, but I may be wrong because I cannot be rational when the lead detective, Inspector Sejer, says things like he needs to be unbiased and that he cannot understand why gay men are accepted but pedophiles will always be hated and later on tries to equate pedophilia (and one who ended with a dead child at that) with oral sex between adults. HINT: CONSENT, the issue is consent. Also, homosexual and oral sex don't end up with bleeeding, dead people and psychologically scarred for life victims.
I don't mind an author trying to get into the mind of the criminal, or in this case, the poor, misunderstood pedophile, poor man, his mom was a nag. In fact, this is my favorite part in crime books. But presenting the criminal's viewpoint is a far cry from trying to elicit simpathy for a disgusting pervert by the series heroes.
On to the next book in the series because I do like the way Ms. Fossum writes.
July 27, 2012
A good read but not my favorite of Fossum's. While an interesting exploration of the nature of pedophilia, often the dialog between Sejer and Skarre, the central detectives of the series, feels forced, created merely to further the philosophical debate about pedophilia. For example,
"Why are they mainly men?" Skarre wondered.
"Well...I'm not expert but women are much better at initmacy and emotions than men. What we are dealing with here are men who arenet in touch with their own feelings...They try to solve the problem by developing paraphilia. Paraphila means 'to love something else'."
Really? The definition of paraphilia was necessary??
With too many lectures between the two detectives, I actually got much more caught up in the Reinhardt and Kristine, a couple of side characters who happen to find the body of the dead boy. Here we get the rich textured lives of a couple who are unable to communicate. Neither is wholly evil, in my reading, but both are flawed and these flaws are accentuated as they react in opposing ways to the discovery of the body--Kristine brilliantly recalls various details to the detective, but then wants to move on while Reinhardt becomes obsessed about the case, taking pictures the child's body with his cell phone at the scene and then reading every story in the newspapers.
Overall if you are looking for a good quick read (just over 200 pages) this book will work well for most mystery fans.
"Why are they mainly men?" Skarre wondered.
"Well...I'm not expert but women are much better at initmacy and emotions than men. What we are dealing with here are men who arenet in touch with their own feelings...They try to solve the problem by developing paraphilia. Paraphila means 'to love something else'."
Really? The definition of paraphilia was necessary??
With too many lectures between the two detectives, I actually got much more caught up in the Reinhardt and Kristine, a couple of side characters who happen to find the body of the dead boy. Here we get the rich textured lives of a couple who are unable to communicate. Neither is wholly evil, in my reading, but both are flawed and these flaws are accentuated as they react in opposing ways to the discovery of the body--Kristine brilliantly recalls various details to the detective, but then wants to move on while Reinhardt becomes obsessed about the case, taking pictures the child's body with his cell phone at the scene and then reading every story in the newspapers.
Overall if you are looking for a good quick read (just over 200 pages) this book will work well for most mystery fans.
August 21, 2016
The Water's Edge tackles the controversial topic of how suspicion in a small community can have very profound and very different consequences on all of those who it touches, and marked an impressive and intelligent first read from author, Karin Fossum. Although this is the eighth novel in the series featuring Inspector Konrad Sejer and Jacob Skarre, The Water's Edge works well as a standalone.
During their regular Sunday afternoon walk as has become customary, married couple Reinhardt and Kristine Ris stumble upon the body of a young boy lying face down amidst a cluster of trees in the Linde Forest. Overbearing Reinhardt calls the police but Kristine is horrified when she sees him taking photographs of the boy's body with his mobile. That they noticed a suspicious looking man exiting the grounds is seized upon by the police and along with DNA evidence their description is seen as crucial in tackling a crime which has shocked the neighbourhood. Pompous and domineering Reinhardt dines out on the reflected spotlight of having seen the most likely suspect, whilst Kristine withers and realises just how much she wants a child of her own. As the marriage fragments under the strain of their horrific discovery, the investigation progresses and soon a second boy goes missing..
The investigators are the philosophical Konrad Sejer and his erstwhile sidekick Jacob Skarre and The Water's Edge serves as a mechanism for both of them to discuss their own views and thoughts on the topic of paedophilia. Whilst the usual reaction to crimes of this nature is revulsion, Sejer and Skarre are far more considered and The Water's Edge is marked by their discussions which show that an understanding of the demons which can drive a man to commit such atrocities is essential to making headway and solving the crime. Despite their discussions, this is no defence of paedophilia, but simply a thought provoking read that evidences that even this type of crime stems from desperation.
As Fossum takes readers between the investigators, the married couple who discovered the body and the families involved, she also provides an opportunity to hear from the perpetrator and perhaps emphasise a little with them too. The Water's Edge also conveys the scrutiny which falls upon gay teacher Alex, as the hunt goes on and the neighbourhood implodes. This is a portrait of just how the knowledge that a paedophile is at large can splinter a community and affect those in every walk of life.
My first Karin Fossum but I liked the investigative team and her attention to conveying a sense of the emotions that lie behind every crime.
During their regular Sunday afternoon walk as has become customary, married couple Reinhardt and Kristine Ris stumble upon the body of a young boy lying face down amidst a cluster of trees in the Linde Forest. Overbearing Reinhardt calls the police but Kristine is horrified when she sees him taking photographs of the boy's body with his mobile. That they noticed a suspicious looking man exiting the grounds is seized upon by the police and along with DNA evidence their description is seen as crucial in tackling a crime which has shocked the neighbourhood. Pompous and domineering Reinhardt dines out on the reflected spotlight of having seen the most likely suspect, whilst Kristine withers and realises just how much she wants a child of her own. As the marriage fragments under the strain of their horrific discovery, the investigation progresses and soon a second boy goes missing..
The investigators are the philosophical Konrad Sejer and his erstwhile sidekick Jacob Skarre and The Water's Edge serves as a mechanism for both of them to discuss their own views and thoughts on the topic of paedophilia. Whilst the usual reaction to crimes of this nature is revulsion, Sejer and Skarre are far more considered and The Water's Edge is marked by their discussions which show that an understanding of the demons which can drive a man to commit such atrocities is essential to making headway and solving the crime. Despite their discussions, this is no defence of paedophilia, but simply a thought provoking read that evidences that even this type of crime stems from desperation.
As Fossum takes readers between the investigators, the married couple who discovered the body and the families involved, she also provides an opportunity to hear from the perpetrator and perhaps emphasise a little with them too. The Water's Edge also conveys the scrutiny which falls upon gay teacher Alex, as the hunt goes on and the neighbourhood implodes. This is a portrait of just how the knowledge that a paedophile is at large can splinter a community and affect those in every walk of life.
My first Karin Fossum but I liked the investigative team and her attention to conveying a sense of the emotions that lie behind every crime.
August 17, 2014
A great detective mystery by a gifted writer. In all of Karim Fossum's novels she creates a story so realistic that terror, fear, and tension are created organically. Be sure to read any one of her novels. They are unforgettable!
March 11, 2019
I love Karin Fossum's books. (Full disclosure: my heritage is half Norwegian and I'm intrigued by the Skandinavian perspective.) They take the genre of murder mystery to a brilliant new level by focusing on the effects of the murder on all the different people involved instead of on figuring out whodunnit. So refreshing! With every new book Fossum explores a different dynamic, a different type of relationship and issue in society.
In Water's Edge, the relationship we follow is that of the couple who finds a young boy who was sexually abused and then murdered; the issue is abuse of all kinds. I found it fascinating to see how Fossum gradually revealed more and more about the characters...the couple, Sejer, Skarre, the people in the community...and how the murder and the elements of paedophilia and other types of abuse tapped into their personal values and experiences.
I like to read some books just for escapism, but Fossum's books feed my need for reflection and emotional inquiry into the human condition...as another reviewer said, "warts and all." And it amazes me how much Fossum accomplishes in such relatively short volumes. Her writing is rich yet economical...not a single unnecessary word. She captures a snapshot of an aspect of society that is at once harsh yet hopeful. No small feat. But I hate for her books to end: I'm addicted!
In Water's Edge, the relationship we follow is that of the couple who finds a young boy who was sexually abused and then murdered; the issue is abuse of all kinds. I found it fascinating to see how Fossum gradually revealed more and more about the characters...the couple, Sejer, Skarre, the people in the community...and how the murder and the elements of paedophilia and other types of abuse tapped into their personal values and experiences.
I like to read some books just for escapism, but Fossum's books feed my need for reflection and emotional inquiry into the human condition...as another reviewer said, "warts and all." And it amazes me how much Fossum accomplishes in such relatively short volumes. Her writing is rich yet economical...not a single unnecessary word. She captures a snapshot of an aspect of society that is at once harsh yet hopeful. No small feat. But I hate for her books to end: I'm addicted!
September 18, 2012
This was my first-time read of Karin Fossum and not my last. The Water's Edge can be a difficult story as it deals with child abduction and pedophilia. If this is a "no no" for you, do not read this book. Ms. Fossum uncovers the layers of her characters flaws, hopes and fears, one-by-one. In some ways the plot of kidnapping and murder highlights the psychology of most involved. I found that very interesting how between the action and results we saw the person.
Reinhardt and his wife Kristine Ris see an odd man while out for their usual Sunday walk in a wooded area. Soon after they discover the small body of a boy about six, partially naked. It is sad and horrific to read this piece of crucial information. Stop there if you don't want anymore of this kind of crime.
Reinhardt becomes obsessed with the crime and Kristine more appalled at her brutish husband - she's already unhappy with the marriage. They are interviewed by detectives nspectors Konrad Sejer and Jacob Skarre.
We truly get an insight to both detective and how the crimes affect each one's personal life. Meantime, we meet the mother of the boy and later, another boy is missing, his mother and her issues.
It is a psychological mystery thriller and again, not for all readers. I did not find Ms. Fossum to write for the shock value alone but to give insight to a person that the majority of us can't understand why???? That being a pedophile. I cringed reading it and wished him to be burned to hell! But it is the storyline.
I will most definitely read another of Ms. Fossum's books. She is a very crafted storyteller.
My humble thoughts on The Water's Edge
City of Redemption
Reinhardt and his wife Kristine Ris see an odd man while out for their usual Sunday walk in a wooded area. Soon after they discover the small body of a boy about six, partially naked. It is sad and horrific to read this piece of crucial information. Stop there if you don't want anymore of this kind of crime.
Reinhardt becomes obsessed with the crime and Kristine more appalled at her brutish husband - she's already unhappy with the marriage. They are interviewed by detectives nspectors Konrad Sejer and Jacob Skarre.
We truly get an insight to both detective and how the crimes affect each one's personal life. Meantime, we meet the mother of the boy and later, another boy is missing, his mother and her issues.
It is a psychological mystery thriller and again, not for all readers. I did not find Ms. Fossum to write for the shock value alone but to give insight to a person that the majority of us can't understand why???? That being a pedophile. I cringed reading it and wished him to be burned to hell! But it is the storyline.
I will most definitely read another of Ms. Fossum's books. She is a very crafted storyteller.
My humble thoughts on The Water's Edge
City of Redemption
August 28, 2018
A young boys body is found in some woodland closed to a lake. Insp Konrad Sojer takes up the case with his partner Skarre. The couple who found the body had seen a man near the entrance to the path and reported this to police. Unfortunately there the plot falls apart as the police appear to do nothing except philosophise about their feelings regarding the type of person who would sexually assault and kill a young boy. The couple who found the body then see the man in a local supermarket and follow him but the police are tardy about following this up. Eventually another boy goes missing and there is much navel gazing about his obesity and his school life. It takes until the following year for his decomposing body to be found by some young people. Sejer then starts to talk to his school friends.
This was a quick reads, just as well as it might have been abandoned. There was nothing dark or scary about the story and nothing at all about police procedures. It does begin to examine relationships and how people feel but left me with a feeling of being short changed.
2 stars at a push. Not nearly as good as previous titles in this series.
This was a quick reads, just as well as it might have been abandoned. There was nothing dark or scary about the story and nothing at all about police procedures. It does begin to examine relationships and how people feel but left me with a feeling of being short changed.
2 stars at a push. Not nearly as good as previous titles in this series.
April 11, 2020
The Water’s Edge is dark and heartbreaking. There are two cases (tragedies) in this one and the content was so dreadful, it’s the first book by Fossum that I considered not finishing. She pushes the boundaries in her writing, but this was a bit far. I had to finish this one just to see how Inspector Konrad Sejer would deal with it.
Fossum can’t be blamed because she only reflects what’s going on in society. I can imagine it was difficult to put this work out knowing the subject matter would garner ill feelings from readers including those of us who are fans. This isn’t the first time she’s done that. The Water’s Edge reminds me of When the Devil Holds the Candle in that respect.
Still, Inspector Sejer in this work is the most plausible I’ve seen. He’s known for steadfast impartiality regarding a suspect’s motivation for crime and he goes to great lengths to remain unbiased. As usual, he’s careful that his investigation is ethical and will stand up in court. It was unusual yet appropriate however that he expected the case to be interpreted within the law by the harshest standards.
I was glad Sejer expressed (finally) strong revulsion of the crime. Any decent human would be expected to do the same. The crime cannot be forgiven. It destroys too much of the victim’s family. They’ve already given so much, there’s nothing left to give.
Two characters represent the sort of evil that makes this story so gut wrenching. One learned to forbear his desires while the other couldn’t help himself. Sejer is the moral compass and says people must obey the laws no matter how unfulfilled their evil needs are. When he finds the one who couldn’t hold out, he tells them not to ask for his sympathy.
I was heartened to see with Sejer’s help restoration begin in one of the cases. People often heal regardless of how much to resist. Happiness is difficult to accept knowing how desperately unhappy your loved one must have been. Sejer doesn’t always strongly state his empathy but he demonstrates it in his wise manner.
Fossum provides explanations of what motivates the criminal mind featured in this story. As usual, compassion is a bridge to understanding. A very long bridge. One as long as the Mackinac Bridge. She describes the type as one who’s psychology needs more study and communication if we’re ever to prevent it.
I’ve learned that Sejer is pronounced say-yer. Fossum informs us via one of the characters that in the case of Inspector Jacob Skarre, Sejer’s junior, the r’s are rolled. So, I guess Skarre is pronounced scod-dah.
Fossum can’t be blamed because she only reflects what’s going on in society. I can imagine it was difficult to put this work out knowing the subject matter would garner ill feelings from readers including those of us who are fans. This isn’t the first time she’s done that. The Water’s Edge reminds me of When the Devil Holds the Candle in that respect.
Still, Inspector Sejer in this work is the most plausible I’ve seen. He’s known for steadfast impartiality regarding a suspect’s motivation for crime and he goes to great lengths to remain unbiased. As usual, he’s careful that his investigation is ethical and will stand up in court. It was unusual yet appropriate however that he expected the case to be interpreted within the law by the harshest standards.
I was glad Sejer expressed (finally) strong revulsion of the crime. Any decent human would be expected to do the same. The crime cannot be forgiven. It destroys too much of the victim’s family. They’ve already given so much, there’s nothing left to give.
Two characters represent the sort of evil that makes this story so gut wrenching. One learned to forbear his desires while the other couldn’t help himself. Sejer is the moral compass and says people must obey the laws no matter how unfulfilled their evil needs are. When he finds the one who couldn’t hold out, he tells them not to ask for his sympathy.
I was heartened to see with Sejer’s help restoration begin in one of the cases. People often heal regardless of how much to resist. Happiness is difficult to accept knowing how desperately unhappy your loved one must have been. Sejer doesn’t always strongly state his empathy but he demonstrates it in his wise manner.
Fossum provides explanations of what motivates the criminal mind featured in this story. As usual, compassion is a bridge to understanding. A very long bridge. One as long as the Mackinac Bridge. She describes the type as one who’s psychology needs more study and communication if we’re ever to prevent it.
I’ve learned that Sejer is pronounced say-yer. Fossum informs us via one of the characters that in the case of Inspector Jacob Skarre, Sejer’s junior, the r’s are rolled. So, I guess Skarre is pronounced scod-dah.
February 19, 2022
جريمة على حافة البحيرة ل كارين فوسم
ترجمة هند عادل
يعود إلينا المفتش سيير وهذه المرة في جريمة قتل لطفل في الثامنة من عمره وإلقاء جثته في الغابة بدون ملابسه السفلية. ابلغت أمه عن احتفاءه منذ الصباح واكتشف الجثة زوجان يتمشيان كل يوم أحد في نفس المكان.. زوج متحدث مغرور يرفض الإنجاب لانشغاله بالعمل وزوجة خانعة صامتة تحبه أحيانًا ولا تحبه أحيانًا أخرى ولكنها تعيش معه في سكوت..
ينتشر خبر الجريمة حتى أن اثنان من المساجين يستمعا إلى الخبر فيقرر أحدهما:
"سيقبضون عليه ويحضرونه إلى هنا. وحين يأتي سنريه ماذا سنفعل به".
فيرد عليه زميله:
"- أنت محق. سنريه.
وهكذا تمضي بنا الرواية بأحداثها ومفاجئاتها حتى النهاية ..
أعجبتني كثيرًا أول رواية قرأتها للكاتبة:
جريمة العروس الهندية وكانت حبكتها قوية وممتعة أكثر من الروايتان ، هذه وجريمة في الظلام ..
#نو_ها
ترجمة هند عادل
يعود إلينا المفتش سيير وهذه المرة في جريمة قتل لطفل في الثامنة من عمره وإلقاء جثته في الغابة بدون ملابسه السفلية. ابلغت أمه عن احتفاءه منذ الصباح واكتشف الجثة زوجان يتمشيان كل يوم أحد في نفس المكان.. زوج متحدث مغرور يرفض الإنجاب لانشغاله بالعمل وزوجة خانعة صامتة تحبه أحيانًا ولا تحبه أحيانًا أخرى ولكنها تعيش معه في سكوت..
ينتشر خبر الجريمة حتى أن اثنان من المساجين يستمعا إلى الخبر فيقرر أحدهما:
"سيقبضون عليه ويحضرونه إلى هنا. وحين يأتي سنريه ماذا سنفعل به".
فيرد عليه زميله:
"- أنت محق. سنريه.
وهكذا تمضي بنا الرواية بأحداثها ومفاجئاتها حتى النهاية ..
أعجبتني كثيرًا أول رواية قرأتها للكاتبة:
جريمة العروس الهندية وكانت حبكتها قوية وممتعة أكثر من الروايتان ، هذه وجريمة في الظلام ..
#نو_ها
May 14, 2018
Eerste boek van haar en ben verkocht!
October 30, 2009
This is a terrible book. I don't know if it missed something in the translation, but it spent way too much time trying to rationalize and make the reader feel sympathy for a child molestor! The parts from the molestor's POV are simply grotesque, and the speculations from Skarre are terrible. So what if the molestor feels he can't get help because he is too ashamed! Or they had a bad childhood and so do terrible things to other people! And I don't believe that child molestors are born and "just grow up that way", I think they are created. This book is just wrong! and my interpretation of what Skarre was saying was that they should have lenient punishment for these crimes and lower the age of consent. And the pedophile who is cast so amusingly as so charming and entertaining and has such a wonderful face, no wonder small boys would be caught by him....that whole chapter is so distasteful...yech! And the husband and wife relationship is so terrible and the way it all ends is horrible as well.
October 28, 2009
This wasn't a bad book, but I think I'm done with the pedophiliac subgenre of police procedurals. Especially the ones where the author goes inside the perv's head and writes chapters from his perspective, as the perv inhales the delicious scent of the victim's tiny shorts - a combination of urine, seawater, and sweet apples. I read mysteries to escape from reality, not to dig around in rapists' heads.
May 18, 2017
not my favorite - definitely not a book to enjoy while on a hiking vacation in the mountains of California...a lot of psycho/creepy regarding children and psycho/immature adults - Had to finish as library loan period was looming and wished I could be reading another book I preferred!
February 14, 2018
Oh, I wasn't quite prepared for a creepy and sad story, nor the conversation about men who like little boys. I did admire how the information was presented though.
This is my third Inspector Sejer story. I felt that the writing style was quite cold and stark at first, but I think it has to do more with the translation to English more than anything else. I am learning to care more for the Inspector and his partner Skarre with each book read. I was quite taken with their compassion and professionalism in this story, especially.
From the book: "That night Sejer lay awake staring at the ceiling. He was scared of making a mistake, of overlooking or forgetting something. He was scared of relaxing or, for that matter of falling asleep, because he could achieve nothing while he slept and he could not bear that. He lay awake imagining the man he was hunting. I'm coming after you, he thought, and I'm persistent. Even if it takes the rest of my life, I will find you and hold you accountable, because you have not only violated Edwin and Jonas August, you have violated our entire society."
This is my third Inspector Sejer story. I felt that the writing style was quite cold and stark at first, but I think it has to do more with the translation to English more than anything else. I am learning to care more for the Inspector and his partner Skarre with each book read. I was quite taken with their compassion and professionalism in this story, especially.
From the book: "That night Sejer lay awake staring at the ceiling. He was scared of making a mistake, of overlooking or forgetting something. He was scared of relaxing or, for that matter of falling asleep, because he could achieve nothing while he slept and he could not bear that. He lay awake imagining the man he was hunting. I'm coming after you, he thought, and I'm persistent. Even if it takes the rest of my life, I will find you and hold you accountable, because you have not only violated Edwin and Jonas August, you have violated our entire society."
May 24, 2018
So happy to have Hoopla pick up several of Karin's books. Procedural police work descriptions are so honest in this tale of the search for the killer of a young boy by a pedophile. The study of the couple who found the body was a revelation on how little we can know about those we are with every day. Look forward to more of Karin.
November 15, 2011
The Water's Edge by Karin Fossum
Karin Fossum
I think Karin Fossum is the most emotionally interesting of crime writers. She moves you and makes you think about our relationships to one another in our communities. Regional Norway becomes a crucible of the rest of our existence and what assumptions may rule our perceptions. Her stories aren't so much about Inspectors Konrad Sejer and Jakob Skarre but about us. These coppers are mere conduits to confronting underlying conundrums. This story has a lot to say about the relationships mothers have with their young sons and sons have with their carers; about the yearning to have children and the struggle of child rearing.
The criticism levied at this novel -- that it indulges pedophilia is bunkum. In Fossum's universe there is no strict separation between good and evil. The medley of humans existing, of growing up and ageing in cohabitation with one another -- in the communities bequeathed to us -- is far more complex and engaging that the simple rule of law. Law, after all won't explain brutality -- it serves at best only as a means to assuage it.
In that sense Fossum isn't a very noir novelist. Darkness isn't as pervasive as the over bearing complexity that we have to deal with every day especially among the other humans with whom we co-exist.
But then Fossum is always open to lightness (and being! if you want to be truly empathetic) , to hope and the pleasures that we can obtain through knowing others -- including, it needs to be said, faithful dogs! We need to celebrate these pleasures because when we lose them -- such as through murder -- the loss is the more difficult to bear.
Pain is given absolute respect by Fossum. It is never a plot device. Pain and anguish, rather than murder and sin, are the most human of our collective existence. It is what enriches our humanity. It's not the dirty deeds --- dirty and brutal as they may be -- but that with must all learn to live with the of their dead hand.
So for Fossum the prospect of loss -- of having loved ones brutally taken from us -- is the most painful of what we may have to bear.
The funeral described in the novel captures that anguish so very well. After a ritualised, highly theatrical ceremony, the facade falls apart:
"Then something happened. No one was prepared for it. The vicar was shocked, everyone could see that. Some people clasped a hand over their mouth in fear, and Sejer felt an icy chill shoot down his back. Elfrid Løwe started to scream. The service had helped her maintain her composure, she had clung to the vicar's voice, but now she was screaming uncontrollably heartbreakingly, a protest which made people jump in their pews. The screams came from deep within her and pushed their way out with a force no one would have believed such a tiny woman possessed. For the best part of an hour the vicar had built a fragile construction of comfort and resignation. Now she tore it down. She screamed and she demolished it and people could no longer mourn with dignity."
Mourning with dignity? Evil doers will be punished (if not by us then by some god)? Law and coppers can make it all better again?...that's what society asks of us, or at least, asks us to believe in.
That's not how Karin Fossum tells it.
July 20, 2011
If one didn't know better, one would assume from reading Fossum's crime mysteries, that murderers and paedophiles run amok in Norway.
A couple, taking their weekly Sunday walk through Linde Forest, are brushed past by a man stumbling through the woods and later discover the body of a 7 year old boy under a tree, clad only in his t-shirt. The couple alert the police and provide a description of the man they saw as well as the car they saw him get into. As Inspector Sejer and Jacob Skarre begin their inquiries, they discover that a white car has been noticed by the children at a school to be slowly driving past every time the children are let out at the end of the school day. Notices are sent to parents to pick their children up rather than letting them make their own way home until the killer is found.
In the course of their investigation, another child goes missing, and the pressure to find the killer mounts for Inspector Sejer.
Without many clues to go on, except the DNA from semen from the dead boy, Inspector Sejer's investigation proceeds frustratingly slowly. They research paedophilia and consider previously convicted child sex offenders in the area.
In the meantime, the relationship between the couple who found the dead boy starts to undergo a change.
Fossum has great talent in subtly weaving in shorter intrigues about other characters without losing focus on the main plot and story. In this book, there is an unexpected twist at the end, making it a very satisfying read.
A couple, taking their weekly Sunday walk through Linde Forest, are brushed past by a man stumbling through the woods and later discover the body of a 7 year old boy under a tree, clad only in his t-shirt. The couple alert the police and provide a description of the man they saw as well as the car they saw him get into. As Inspector Sejer and Jacob Skarre begin their inquiries, they discover that a white car has been noticed by the children at a school to be slowly driving past every time the children are let out at the end of the school day. Notices are sent to parents to pick their children up rather than letting them make their own way home until the killer is found.
In the course of their investigation, another child goes missing, and the pressure to find the killer mounts for Inspector Sejer.
Without many clues to go on, except the DNA from semen from the dead boy, Inspector Sejer's investigation proceeds frustratingly slowly. They research paedophilia and consider previously convicted child sex offenders in the area.
In the meantime, the relationship between the couple who found the dead boy starts to undergo a change.
Fossum has great talent in subtly weaving in shorter intrigues about other characters without losing focus on the main plot and story. In this book, there is an unexpected twist at the end, making it a very satisfying read.
July 9, 2010
So, I read these three mysteries at the same time. This was definitely the best of the three. The other two were horrible. Horrible writing, horrible story plot, gratuitous swearing-definetly not books I would recommend. They threw me off reading for a while-I was that disappointed. Anyway, this book was a decent mystery, probably not even in the good category, in the okay category. I think it seemed better than it really was because of the other two. The author, I am still not sure what she was trying to say about pedophiles. I felt that she was trying to say that it isn't their fault that they are pedophiles. The author went of her way, I felt, to justify the pedophile behavior. Granted, she did not, in any way, make it okay to act on those pedophile tendencies. She simply tried to create, maybe an understanding?, of why people are pedophiles. A little too weird for me. I did semi-enjoy the alternative viewpoint. It is always good to walk around in someone else's shoes for a while.
August 26, 2021
This is my 8th read in this series and I have yet to be bored or tired of Fossum's style or plots. I think she excels in building believable characters and in particular her villains/antagonists. It's not the superficial cauldron of pure evil often portrayed in fiction but a more nuanced inspection of their internal struggle between what remains of their humanity and their subsequent attempts to rationalize their behavior and their ongoing struggle between obsession and guilt. She doesn't attempt to justify their behavior she allows you to be your own judge, she just presents a picture of troubled individuals and does it well. And, she always presents an interesting story and puzzle in the process. I would classify her stories as a combination psychological suspense stories and police procedural. But regardless how you to chose to classify them for me ...I can simply say with no hesitation ...one of my favorite authors.
March 22, 2016
Da anni leggo crime novels provenienti un po' da tutto il mondo. Ritengo che, più di altri tipi di letteratura, mettano in contatto che la società che li ha prodotti, perché la reazione di fronte a un certo tipo di crimine descrive meglio di altre cose i sentimenti di fondo di quella società.
Questo è particolarmente vero in questo libro della Fossum, autrice forse meno celebrata di altri scandinavi, ma che a me piace molto.
E nel suo libro c'è tutta la società norvegese così come io la conosco, una società che ancora non si è resa conto che siamo tutti in balia del peccato originale e del delitto di Caino, e che reagisce a un crimine orrendo come lo stupro e l'omicidio di un bambino con infinita pietà.
Questo è particolarmente vero in questo libro della Fossum, autrice forse meno celebrata di altri scandinavi, ma che a me piace molto.
E nel suo libro c'è tutta la società norvegese così come io la conosco, una società che ancora non si è resa conto che siamo tutti in balia del peccato originale e del delitto di Caino, e che reagisce a un crimine orrendo come lo stupro e l'omicidio di un bambino con infinita pietà.
March 22, 2016
Fossum has a thing about crimes against children and crimes committed by children. She also has a theme of children going missing and being picked up by nasty men, or by men who are different. Her books often have two crimes were at the end we find there has been two different perpetuators. So while this is an OK book, this series is becoming a bit formulaic.
February 3, 2024
الروايه تدور عن وجود جثه لطفل تم الاعتداء عليه جنسيا ويتم البحث عن الجانى ولا اعلم اذا كان فى مشكله فى الترجمه او هذه وجهه نظر الكاتبه بتعاطفها مع متحرشى الاطفال وأكثر جمله اغاظتنى على لسان المفتش سييرا أن كل إنسان له مطلق الحريه فى التعبير عن غرائزه ولكن فى ظل القانون ما هذا العبث ناهيك عن الحبكه الضعيفه وبعض الحوارات لبس لها اى داع
December 25, 2012
I began reading this Friday morning (I believe it will be a good book), but when I heard about the horrific events in CT had to put it down for a while as it is too close to real-life events.
This book had a nice twist.
This book had a nice twist.
November 21, 2019
No es la mejor de sus novelas, pero Fossum no baja de notable. Incluso abordando una temática ya tratada hasta la saciedad, ella es capaz de darle una vuelta más al asunto y, sobre todo, humanizar a los personajes, hasta los que hacen lo más imperdonable (un poco a lo Joker 2019).
January 11, 2022
Un libro con algunos momentos entretenidos pero que en ningún momento me ha enganchado. Para leerle rápido y olvidarle si no fuera porque se intenta convencer de que la pedofilia debería de ser una opción sexual más, lo que me parece que, ni en ficción, la autora debería de haberse permitido.
November 24, 2017
One of this author's best.
March 29, 2018
Weer een heerlijk boek!!!
April 5, 2020
The Water's Edge by Karin Fossum is a character driven novel about the search for a pedophile after the body of a school aged boy is discovered with evidence of abuse. Inspectors Sejer (wonderful series character) and Skarre begin to make inquiries into the quiet small town of Huseby. Meanwhile, a couple who found the body and saw what they believe to be a suspicious man in the area, begin to move onto divergent paths after the husband cannot let the investigation lie.
The story unfolds deliberately and the writing is sharp. However, there are some antiquated thoughts (granted this book is from 2007, but still) about pedophilia that stopped me on a few occasions in the book. Things along the line of (and I'm paraphrasing) men who have such proclivities just need to control their urges. And their obvious liking of a known pedophile whom they interview. The man just has an infectious way and makes the inspectors smile. Hmmm, not so much.
That affected my overall enjoyment of the book but the plot, subplots and results were all very well done. Also, The Sejer series remains strong and I will definitely continue to read them.
The story unfolds deliberately and the writing is sharp. However, there are some antiquated thoughts (granted this book is from 2007, but still) about pedophilia that stopped me on a few occasions in the book. Things along the line of (and I'm paraphrasing) men who have such proclivities just need to control their urges. And their obvious liking of a known pedophile whom they interview. The man just has an infectious way and makes the inspectors smile. Hmmm, not so much.
That affected my overall enjoyment of the book but the plot, subplots and results were all very well done. Also, The Sejer series remains strong and I will definitely continue to read them.
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