Varsleren

Konrad Sejer #10

by Karin Fossum

En ung mor har lagt sitt lille barn til å sove under et tre i hagen. Hun føler seg helt trygg på at hun vil kjenne det om noen prøver å gjøre barnet noe vondt. Noen kommer ut fra skogen og river det heklede teppet av barnet, og den unge moren merker ingen verdens ting. Senere samme dag finner Konrad Sejer et kort utenfor døren hvor det står Helvete begynner nå! Varsleren er den tiende romanen med førstebetjent Konrad Sejer.

"Han kjørte rundt på den røde Suzukien overalt hvor det fantes mennesker, og han studerte dem med forskerens fascinasjon, som om de var eksotiske dyr. Han syntes de var underlige. Det var sensommer, og folk var ute i hagene sine. Han så småunger på trampoline, kvinner som lukte i bedene sine, mannfolk som vasket bil ute på gårdsplassen. En mann satt på huk og malte stakittgjerdet sitt, en kvinne plukket nyvasket tøy fra snorene. Og han likte det alt sammen. Han likte dette yrende livet, det kritthvite tøyet som blafret i vinden og lukten av maling. Han likte det, og han ville ødelegge det. Alle lever på en kant, tenkte han, og jeg skal vippe dem utfor."

En ung mor har lagt sitt lille barn til å sove under et tre i hagen. Hun føler seg helt trygg på at hun vil kjenne det om noen prøver å gjøre barnet noe vondt. Noen kommer ut fra skogen og river det heklede teppet av barnet, og den unge moren merker ingen verdens ting. Senere samme dag finner Konrad Sejer et kort utenfor døren hvor det står Helvete begynner nå!

Varsleren er den tiende romanen med førstebetjent Konrad Sejer.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Scandinavian Literature, Mystery Thriller, Nordic Noir

267 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Karin 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

Reviews

[Rachel (not currently receiving notifications) Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given I am neither particularly liberally minded or profound, I am surprised at my affection for the mesmering prose of Karin Fossum, an author whose intelligence and understanding transcends barriers and packs a hefty punch each and every time. Fossum is less concerned with apportioning blame and simply seeing the wrongdoer dealt with by the criminal justice system. Her concern is in exploring every aspect of a crime; from the motivation of the perpetrator to the effects on victims, communities and society at large. At just under 300 pages this is a chilling tale which might be relatively violence free but it evinces the psychological effects of an act can be just as brutal and shakes the very foundations of every life.

A sinister prank committed by an embittered and neglected teenager sets in motion a chain of events which torture the peaceful community of Bjerkås with far reaching consequences. The first being the discovery of a blood bathed baby asleep in her pram under the shade of a maple tree with parents, Karsten and Lily Sundelin, in earshot. As baby Margrete is rushed to casualty, her parents are relieved to discover that the blood is not coming from the child and is not even her own. Father Karsten is indignant; determined to avenge the perpetrator who has shattered their peace and security, but for his wife Lily, newly vulnerable and deeply emotional, her attitude is almost diametrically opposed. For Karsten, his scepticism of the police, the excuses they make for criminals and the very rights of criminals do little of lasting meaning to change their ways, whilst sensitive Lily appreciates that the very action will have its triggers and is worthy of trying to understand. As Inspector Konrad Sejer, a thoughtful and understanding man in his sixties broods on the incident he has just attended and the devastation of the innocent parents, a curious postcard of a wolverine is left on his doormat, delivering a sinister warning: Hell begins now.

This first prank is followed by further vindictive acts, from the fake obituary in the local paper, the hearse which is sent to the dying man's house and a distraught mother being summoned to hurry to casualty to be with her daughter. As these disrupt a communities life with significant repercussions, Fossum also offers her readers a direct link with the perpetrator, seventeen-year-old Johnny Beskow attempting to make the lives of others as unhappy as his has so far been. At the mercy of his drunken mother and dealt an admittedly poor hand in life, Johnny wants attention; to make a name for himself and get people to look up to him. Belittled and tormented by his mother he commits the pranks as an attention seeking cry for acknowledgement. Filled with bitterness the pranks are the very antithesis of Johnny's evident concern and love for his elderly grandfather, which is surely a testament to how misunderstood the young man is. The pranks continue through July to September and events begin to spiral out of control leaving some rather unintended consequences with marked significance on the lives of not just the harassed families, but an entire community.

Given that each and every community has their own unspoken rules and morals which individuals respect and adhere to in order to smoothly function, can there be anything worse than being robbed of their faith in humanity and fleeing behind closed doors? As Sejer explains to a group of local children, for a society which functions on trust, a breakdown in this has detrimental effects for not just the individuals involved, but also wider society. As animosity ripples through the community and more start to believe that the one rotten apple philosophy spreads through the whole batch, it gives rise to many things, not least of these being vigilante justice.

Every Karin Fossum novel is an enriching experience, replete with significant life lessons, but in The Caller she has once again delivered a powerful thriller with a throbbing social conscience. Fossum is surely the unparalleled reigning queen of Norwegian crime. Translated into British English by K. E Semmel, this is another a powerful novel than leaves a resounding feeling of pity and stands as a lesson to society.

[Lukasz Pruski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norway's Karin Fossum is one of my most favorite authors. She writes about things that interest me, and she writes in a way that is close to perfect for my taste. I do not care much about plot, and do not need fast action. Ms. Fossum writes about Little Things That Are Important In Life, and she writes about them beautifully.

"The Caller" is another lovely, little, quiet book, where seemingly nothing much extraordinary happens for the most part. And yet, people get sick, divorce, and die, because of little things happening. "The Caller" is not a masterpiece, like "Black Seconds" or "The Indian Bride", but I still loved reading this short book. (Incidentally, why do books have to be about 400 pages long, which seems to be industry standard, if 200 pages would suffice? Business reasons, I guess.)

"The Caller" is another book in the detectives Sejer and Skarre series. I do not like series much, because at some point they become minor rewrites of the same book. But when one ignores the two detectives, Ms. Fossum's incisive, mature, and compassionate observations of people's behavior and motivations are the real value of her books. And her wonderfully simple writing.

[Lisa Beaulieu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't think it is the book, or I should say, the writing, that merits one star. Karin Fossum is who she is - she writes offbeat quiet books about oddballs with compassion and yadayadayada ... I think I am just done with the oddball genre. Halfway through this book I found myself flipping to get back to the parts about Sejer and Skarre, the 2 detectives, who are delightful characters. I just couldn't take any more mopey pov from the nut case(s)(there's always more than just the one). I realized that Fossum is actually a close cousin to Ruth Rendell - I plowed through Rendell for a while until I realized, one nut is much like another nut - the inverse of Tolstoy's happy family truism. They (the nuts and I guess the happy families, I don't know any) are rather just boring, one after the next. One thing Fossum has going for her that Rendell doesn't is her 2 interesting detectives, but finally, in spite of the detectives, I just put the book down after skimming to the end to satisfy what sliver of curiosity I had left.

[E.T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A teenager plays dark pranks on people in his area - bathing an infant in blood, publishing false obituaries, calling ppl to inform them that a family member has been hospitalised etc. Finally a prank results in a death and the pranks stop. Khatam kahani.
Fossum seems to absolve perpetrators of crimes of any responsibility. I understand there can be some empathy but not for violent acts that destroy the lives of others.
The only mystery is how I have managed to read 4 books by d author despite deciding to stop again and again. Maybe teenagers/YAs could read this.

[Lucka · Rating 5 out of 5]

How would you feel at his place?

And here we go - another psychological thriller from cold north. I was impressed by the annotation, because I like crime stories with teenagers and doesn't matter if they're offenders or victims. Yes, so little it takes to happiness.

As we already know, the main ''provocateur'' (by the way, that's how they translated the name of this book in my country) is Johnny Beskow, who doesn't have enviable life. He never knew his father and his mother - alcoholic, doesn't care about him very much. It's a miracle when she once on a while cook for him. Johnny's only pleasure are his guinea-pig Bleeding Heart, his ill grand-father Henry and his moped.

Now, in his distorted mind, he set a new target - show all satisfied people his ''reality'' that danger is hiding everywhere. His first experimental rabbits are married couple Lily and Karsten Sundelin, who find their little daughter covered with blood one day.

My impressions:



Breathtaking story that you don't defer until you read it. Even if you know the offender all the time, the story will constantly surprise you! Don't know if it's weird, but I was sorry for Johnny until his story ended. The author just confirmed to us that locution ''Like father, like son'' is true.

I have to admit that this author eluded me until now, because there's a lot of great Norwegian authors, but I found my soulmate, finally!:-)

Recommend!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

notes to self - not a perfect book as some things were left unresolved. This had as focus a disturbed young man who lived with alcoholic mother who wanted to stir things up, and he managed that in various forms of torture that many referred to as pranks. Dripping blood all over an infant in pram in her backyard whilst the mother was in house preparing meal; after observing a husband in wheelchair with his wife sitting next to him he called for a hearse, pretending to be a doctor reporting a death; slashing bicycle tires of young girl and chopping off her long braid, etc. Eventually one of his plans backfires and his grandfather becomes a victim. "They can't even catch me in dreams. Because I'm faster, he thought. I'm Johnny Beskow, and I'm invincible."
Eventually another death is added to the toll when someone unlock the kennel of 7 dogs. The dogs tear apart a young boy in the woods.
"Nice gloves," Sejer said. "With skulls. You slipped between our fingers, Johnny."
"You can ask me whatever you like," Johnny said. "You can put me in handcuffs, and we can talk until tomorrow. We can talk as much as you like, and I'll admit to everything. But I wasn't at Shillinger's place. I didn't let those dogs out."

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book takes you deep into the hearts and minds of both victims and perpetrators, and, as in other Karin Fossum novels, the mystery is not who did it, but what made them do it. Fossum is no apologist for criminal behaviour, and never makes light of the consequences of her characters' villainous actions. Nevertheless, she can make you understand them in ways no other writer can. She shows a depth of compassion and insight rare not only in crime literature, but any literature. It's as if she's saying, "what this person did is atrocious; this is how they think; this is what happened to them", and we end up taking the complicated and uncomfortable stance that she seems to be taking herself - that is, that there is no excuse for the crimes done, but that the criminal is coming from a place where he or she could not have acted otherwise, given their psychology and twisted thought processes.
Her writing style is superb. The similes and metaphors are enlightening, and ring true. It's no surprise to me that she is also a poet of some standing.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both Karin Fossum and Barbara Vine have that gift of creating characters who leap off the page and into full realization from the first time they appear. Their ability to build empathy for their most troubled creations which makes their novels especially rich and affecting.

In "The Caller" someone is playing cruel pranks in the neighborhood. These tricks are of the sort that undermine the victims' basic sense of safety and trust in the world, no one is hurt, but their lives will never be the same. For example, a baby is found in her pram drenched in blood. The baby turns out to be unharmed; the blood belongs to an animal. The mortuary comes to collect the body of a man with ALS only to discover the man is still alive.

We know who is doing this, and why. Inspector Sejer is close to finding out, too, if only he can before these pranks take on a new level of menace, leaving desolation in their wake.

I read this is one setting. Karin Fossum is a master and translator K. E. Semmel deserves recognition for a flawless job.

--Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 2.5
Fossum is such a good writer. How could this happen? The book suddenly dropped off a cliff.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Norwegian mystery by Karin Fossum - one of the best authors. She writes poetic sentences. Like most Norwegian authors, she is brief and to the point. It is also interesting to see how police work is done in Norway. One of the most fascinating points is how criminals are viewed and approached. They are people to be pitied, people who need help. There is no anger, revenge, or hatred towards them. Instead, the police seek to understand them and help them 'recover'. It is difficult for me to comprehend how the victims of the crimes and the police are so gentle and understanding. If you are going to read Karin Fossum's books, though, I recommend starting at the beginning. She is an amazing writer!

This story is about a 'prankster' who finds ways to hurt people psychologically. For instance, he pours blood on a baby left outdoors. He calls in a fake obituary and has it published in the paper in order to scare an old lady. He finds out about a man living with ALS. So he calls the funeral home and has a hearse sent to the house to collect his body - in order to terrify the man and his wife. He calls another woman and tells her that her daughter has been in a terrible accident and to come to the hospital right away even though the daughter is fine. Then he watches their horror and distress and it makes him happy.

This is another Inspector Sejer novel, and him and his junior partner Jacob Skarre are entertaining characters. Sejer is stoic and stately, and Skarre is young and honest and friendly.

[Arwen56 · Rating 2 out of 5]

È il secondo romanzo “giallo” che leggo di Karem Fossum e condivide con il precedente il senso della misura e la sobrietà espressiva, che non prevede l’uso di scenari esageratamente cruenti e motivazioni al limite del credibile. Si tratta più di una “quieta anormalità”, che finisce per colpire proprio per la sua banale e realissima possibilità di verificarsi. C’è una fondamentale amarezza che permea tutto l’insieme, che offre al lettore il senso di una sconfitta che accomuna colpevoli e vittime, chi resta in vita e chi muore, chi offende e chi viene offeso.

Letteratura d’evasione, certo, ma non priva di pregi.

[Andy Weston · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways this is typical Fossum, with Sejer playing a key but small role, and set in a small and ordinary Norwegian town where everything seems on the face of it to be in order. Somebody is playing nasty practical jokes on helpless victims, and they get steadily worse. There is that sense that something much more nasty is about to occur.
She’s a great writer, always able to build up tension and enthral, with that dark quality to her work that gives a sense of unease. But this isn’t one of her best. It’s into the last quarter before the novel really comes alive, the build-up is a slow one. Certainly the ordinariness of the town is made clear, but a bit too much so, and some passages in the first half read like a soap opera. There’s a rare element of morality being enforced also, a cautionary tale, if you like. I wasn’t expecting that, and don’t think it really fits the gradual amplification of tension.
Frustratingly also, several keys issues are left unresolved.

[Mark Rubinstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay, this is a Norwegian mystery, one of the many Scandinavian novels flooding the market since the success of the Millennium trilogy.

The premise is interesting. A 17 year-old boy with a deprived homelife sets about playing malicious pranks on people in and around his village. Some of them have dreadful consequences. Kids can be really vicious, for sure.

The novel's problem is simple: there is very little suspense or tension. Much of it is written from the POV of the boy and you know his motivation and his objective. After a while, the only question is whether or not his pranks will escalate to something more serious.

I found the writing to be simplistic and naive, and have trouble understanding Marilyn Stasio's good review in the NY Times. There was little to sustain my interest, and I think this novel proves the old saying that sometimes, less is more.

There is far more tension (at least for me) when the true culprit is unknown or unknowable, which is not the case here. This novel suffers from what is often called these days TMI (too much information). Two stars.

[Ava Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great Inspector Sejer mystery; however, a little slower paced than most of Fossum's novels. Overall, a great read. The ending is sublime.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

La mayoría de historias policíacas empiezan con el crimen. La catástrofe es el principio y la historia versa sobre la investigación. Hay novelas de Higshmith que, en cambio, terminan con la catástrofe en lugar de empezar con ella, y la historia es la espiral que lleva al crimen. "Presagios" es una de esas novelas en las que la tensión crece hasta hacerse insostenible. La explosión, cuando sucede, no es algo controlado, como en las demoliciones profesionales, sino salvaje e impredecible. Muy pocos bucean a la profundidad de Fossum, donde no llega ninguna luz.

[Matina Pamia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for the unexpected turn of the plot.

Most times the issue with crime novels is that they start in a very dynamic way which is challenging to keep up. However, here it starts pretty low-key (considering you already know from the book summary that the blood is not the baby's blood) and escalates entirely out of the blue to something quite macabre.

Well-played. ;)

[Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diverso dalla solita logica del giallo/thriller.
Solitamente non amo i libri dove sappiamo fin dall'inizio l'autore del/dei crimine/i, ma in questo caso l'ho trovato molto interessante. Durante il libro viene approfondita la storia e la vita del criminale, anche dal punto di vista emotivo e psicologico che fa capire al lettore il perché di questi atteggiamenti criminosi.

[Mark Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Caller” lives in a world of slow-grinding cruelty, of mean neighborhood streets. The stakes aren’t high, unless you’re one of the rattled victims of the mean pranks and cruel tricks, but Karin Fossum shows how much mental destruction is possible even from low-grade violence.

“The Caller” didn’t really work that well for me because there wasn’t a whole lot of detection and uncovering going on by Inspector Konrad Sejer.

He seems kind of la-dee-dah about the whole situation, even though he’s clearly rattled by the most violent attack of them all (which comes near the end of the book). It felt too me like too much time was spent with the perpetrator than we are with Inspector Sejer. I don’t mind full-on suspense and don’t need a cop or other detective or investigator to keep the story going, but Sejer at times felt like a minor character and not the one who was pushing the story forward. My other complaint was that one last key element of the plot was revealed—something we had a hunch was likely the case all along—in the very end of the epilogue. (The last couple words.) That seemed too tricky to me.

Bottom line: I never really felt suspense in part because Inspector Sejer didn't seem to be all that fired up, either.

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
I have read and enjoyed 4 of Karin Fossum's books in the last couple of weeks, and was so impressed that I will be reading the rest of her fine mystery series. The books are set in a Norwegian town, and feature a patient, perceptive and kind older detective, Inspector Sejer and a younger policeman and friend, Skarre.
The books are short, tightly and well written with no wasted narrative,and you do not feel that you are reading a book in translation.
Someone is playing nasty, practical jokes on some of the town's residents. We know early on the identity of this person who is causing fear and suspicion, and we get inside his mind. The psychological effects on his victims are also portrayed. The crimes seem to be escalating from practical jokes to dangerous crimes, and the detectives work to solve the identity of the perpetrator before further damage can be done.
Highly recommended to anyone who likes psychological crime stories.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book that I’ve read by Karin Fossum.

The Calling starts when a mother finds her baby covered in blood while it was sleeping in the backyard. Of course, I couldn’t understand why anyone would leave their baby unattended like this while eating dinner and enjoying time with her husband. But, anyway…. The baby is fine, but this is just the beginning of some terrible and disturbing things that are going to occur in the town. While well into the second half of the book, I actually became so overwhelmed and upset by what was happening that I had to stop reading for a while. The ending, I thought, was excellent.

This book kept my attention from the first page. I must say that Inspector Sejer did seem a little slow getting to the bottom of things. But it was still very good. I look forward to reading more of Fossum’s books.

[Rebecca Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was between a 4 and a 5 for me. It's very unusual, in that we are pretty sure from the outset who is behind the upsetting doings in the small Norwegian town. This book features the detective work of Inspector Sejer but it is really a character study and a study of human relationships. What small thing can tear a seemingly very happy nuclear family apart? What is most frightening to those who know they are near death by disease? How strong is the bond between humans and the animals in their lives? What do dysfunctional parents do their children? Can a child who seems to be a "bad seed" be understood? sympathized with? brought into the social fold? This is a thoughtful and, as chapters go by, increasingly intense study of both the evil that men do and the power of compassion. Where is the balance between these two at the end of the book? That's for you to find out!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of cruel pranks and hoaxes disturbs a Norwegian community, and while to begin with at least nobody is actually harmed there are consequences for the victims, some of whom are unable to settle back into their previous secure lives. We get to know the perpetrator and see something of his motivation (mainly the lack of love and security at home). Eventually Sejer and his team begin to get some information about him, but the events comes to an unexpected and tragic conclusion, and not everything is resolved tidily (we still end up knowing more than the police). Psychological thriller.

[Carinae L'etoile · Rating 2 out of 5]

Billed as a thriller, it did anything but. Maybe I need to re-visit it later on, but for now it was just ok. Ok enough for me to let you know it was ok, but not enough for me to write a full blown review.

To be honest, the blurb was far more interesting than the book itself.

[Hapzydeco · Rating 3 out of 5]

A prankster keeps Inspector Sejer and Sharre on their toes. This novel might not be Karin Fossum best but it is a good read. The ending may disappoint readers who want their lose ends tied neatly.

[Simon Boom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit is het tiende boek in de reeks over moordinspecteur Konrad Sejer, maar je kan het boek ook als zelfstandig deel lezen. In de reeks vormen Sejer en zijn collega Skarre de hoofdpersonages. Hun persoonlijke leven loopt als een rode draad door de boeken heen. In elk boek apart lijken de daders en slachtoffers echter op de voorgrond te treden.
Wat mij meteen aansprak, is dat er van in het begin al spanning wordt opgebouwd. In het eerste hoofdstuk maak je kennis met enkele personages die een traumatische ervaring meemaken. Lily en Karsten Sundelin zitten nietsvermoedend binnen te eten terwijl er een aanslag gepleegd wordt op hun baby, die in de wieg buiten te slapen ligt.
Het meervoudig vertelperspectief geeft de schrijfster de mogelijkheid om de gevoelens en karaktertrekken van de verschillende personages weer te geven op een interessante manier. De lezer voelt hierdoor al snel een sterke connectie met zowel de dader als de slachtoffers.
Er wordt vooral focus gelegd op het psychologische aspect van de misdaad. Veel aandacht wordt besteed aan de motivatie van de dader: waarom begaat hij deze misdaden, en hoe voelt hij zich nadien? De misdaden zijn fysiek eerder beperkt, maar hebben een groot psychologisch effect op de slachtoffers en de hele gemeenschap. Het doel van het boek is niet om de dader te vinden, maar om zijn motivatie weer te geven.
Door de vlotte schrijfstijl lijken de hoofdstukken voorbij te vliegen. Met een verrassende wending wordt de lezer tot op de laatste bladzijde in spanning gehouden.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He's probably inadequate in many ways, deprived of experience and companionship. Perhaps his motive is fairly modest, and it's all about the need every human shares. He just wants attention."

Inspector Sejer describes the bold prankster terrorizing a small Norwegian town in this 10th book in a remarkable series. Fossum is skilled at shaping depth in her characters so that no one is all bad and none are perfect, including our hero, the perceptive investigator. These books never cease to surprise me with their insight and the questions they surface that evade easy answers as Sejer seeks justice in an unfair world.

[Netta · Rating 3 out of 5]

אלמוני שולח למפקח סאייר מכתב בו הוא מודיע לו שהגיהנום התחיל, ומרגע זה ואילך פוקדים את העיירה הקטנה שרשרת מעשי קונדס אכזריים במיוחד, שגובים מחיר כבד וכואב מכל אחד מהקורבנות.
עד שמעשי הקונדס מתחילים לגבות חיים, ואנשי העיירה מחליטים להפסיק לשתוק.
בסך הכל רעיון מעניין, אבל הבחירה של פוסום לגלות לנו כבר בתחילת הספר מי הנבל שמבצע את הפשעים הורסת את כל המתח והכיף.
מלבד זאת, הדמות של המפקח סאייר נשחקה והתעייפה, וחסר בה הניצוץ שהיה בה בספרים הקודמים. חבל.

המבשר/קרין פוסום

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very disturbing book about the damage that is done by a young man who reacts to his bad upbringing by deciding to make people face their worst fears. In so doing he inflicts more damage than he ever meant to. The conclusion of the book is not clear and leaves, in my option, too much to the imagination of the reader.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!! Couldn’t put this one down. Definitely called to me when not reading. One of Karin Fossum’s best in this series. Can read this as a stand alone.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karin Fossum: The Caller (originally "Varsleren" in Norwegian; read a Finnish transl.)

I have read several of Karin Fossum's, a Norwegian crime writer's, novels. This was as good as her novels are, though a bit different in the plot. In many a usual crime novel the crime/murder happens in the beginning, and the rest is about solving the case. Not this time.

The book starts with a baby sleeping peacefully in the family garden while the parents happily eat in their house. They find their little girl in her pram covered with blood. Rushed to the hospital, the baby girl is found totally unharmed. Someone just has played a bad joke on them.

This and other sinister pranks, or crimes, occur in the usually quiet countryside community. Those targeted lose their sense of security, which is one of the themes in the book. Fossum varies the viewpoints: she shares the thoughts and motivations of the culprit behind the cruel pranks and then, in the next moment, reveals the inner reasonings of the police hero, kind and calm Konrad Sejer, who sets to solve the cases with his colleagues.

Fossum's books are psychological crime novels where the crimes are not the main focus, but people are and their life circumstances that lead them to desperate deeds. Like the young boy who masterminds the sinister pranks in this novel. He is not a charming fellow, but it is hard not to feel sympathy towards him when one is allowed a peek to his home where he lives with his alcoholic mother, is bullied and has only one friend, his crippled grandfather.

I like Fossum's writing and her way of understanding people. Her books are not violent, though this one had a scene with dogs that was a bit too much. She is a master in keeping the suspense and surprise to the very last page of the book.