Whisperer (Inspector Sejer Mysteries)

by Karin Fossum

Paperback, 2020

Status

Available

Call number

813

Publication

Mariner (2020), Edition: Reprint, 336 pages

Description

"In this tense and twisty latest from Norway's maven of crime, time shifts between Inspector Sejer's interrogation of the accused Ragna Reigel and the shocking events that led up to her arrest. How did this lonely, quiet woman come to kill a man--or did she?"--

User reviews

LibraryThing member cathyskye

Karin Fossum's The Whisperer is a fantastic character study that allows Inspector Sejer to do what he does best: listen. Ragna Riegel is a tough nut to crack, but the presence of Sejer's dog, Frank, helps lower some of the woman's defenses as the book alternates between the voices of Ragna and the

inspector.

It's really not crystal clear through most of the book exactly why Ragna is in jail, and while these two characters talk, the reader is asking himself questions. What did she do? Prison for life? Murder? Could she really kill anyone? The more I read, the more I felt as though I were falling down the rabbit hole with Ragna, and I think a little of her paranoia rubbed off on me, which is a mark of some excellent storytelling.

The only thing I have to complain about is that the story drags badly at about the half- to the three-quarters mark. The lag time may not bother anyone else and that's fine, but if you're the type of reader who likes everything to be resolved by book's end, you're probably not going to like The Whisperer because it has a twist at the very end that sends your mind off to the races again-- and you're left wondering. You're left with questions, not closure.

I loved that twist at the end. In fact, I think I was expecting it. Karin Fossum had me thinking about the madness that can be found in everyday life, and she reminded me to question assumptions-- and that is a valuable reminder.

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LibraryThing member carole888fort

The Whisperer by "Norwegian Queen of Crime" Karin Fossum is a Scandinavian mystery where the crime is only divulged towards the end of the book. This is the thirteenth Inspector Sejer novel but this title reads well as a standalone. The book alternates between Ragna Riegel's daily life and the

later interrogation of Ragna by Inspector Sejer about the crime she committed. Ragna, a middle-aged single mother, has a precise life. She lives alone, after her teenage son moved to Berlin. She lives in the home she grew up in, previously with her parents. She works in a store, commutes by bus where she always sits in the same seat and shops for her supper in the same shop every day. One day, she finds a threatening anonymous note in her mailbox, leading her to believe her life is in danger. Over time, more notes appear and Ragna's fear grows. Meanwhile, every other chapter has Inspector Sejer interviewing Ragna. The reader is kept in the dark as to why Ragna is being detained by the police and what crime she committed. This Scandinavian mystery is typically very dark but you will need to find out the hows and whys of this woman's life, no matter what.. Highly recommended. Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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LibraryThing member MarkusIrl

It starts with a quote by Georges Simenon and it continues that way. If you love Georges Simenon you'll love this book too

LibraryThing member delphimo

The Whisperer by Karin Fossum reminds of novels by Elizabeth George. But Karin Fossum story pivots on the mental stability of Ragna Riegel. The reader enters the mind of Ragna as she struggles with an unknown man leaving messages in her mailbox and seemingly stalking her. Not long after the story

begins, Inspector Konrad Sejer begins questioning Ragna, as we learn that Ragna has been arrested, but the details of the arrest are not disclosed. Ragna leads an uncomplicated life working and living alone. Through Ragna’s story we learn that she had an affair with an older man and had a son. Both Ragna and her son, Rikard Josef, lived with Ragna’s parents. After the death of her parents, Ragna and Rikard lived in the house until he moved to Germany at the age of 17. What causes the arrest of Ragna? Will Rikard Josef return home? The story moves quickly with little dialogue and action. Many of the feelings of Ragna bear feelings of women today. What does society see as normal reactions? A chilling look at mental health.

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LibraryThing member JulieStielstra

I've read all of Fossum's books that are available in English. I enjoyed most of them, finding them generally intelligent and psychologically interesting, and this one was no exception. What I found most interesting was the way this story unfolds. Fossum has carried off a neat trick: it opens with

Ragna, the main character, talking about her narrow, cautious life. We discover she is actually telling her story to our old friend Konrad Sejer and his dog Frank, who is snoring in the corner. Why? Well, it appears she is being questioned about a crime. What crime? What has happened? Who is the victim? Why is Ragna being asked about it? Does it have to do with the threatening notes this mousy, isolated, rather odd but harmless middle-aged woman has been finding in her mailbox? Bit by bit, chapter by chapter, Fossum builds our curiosity and tension as we try to figure out what is even being investigated... completely backwards from the usual structure of Crime First. Some readers found this boring; I didn't. Fossum does an impressive job of bringing to life one of those insignificant people riding the bus every day to their minimum wage job at the dollar store, unattached, in scuffed shoes and ill-fitting coats, schlepping sloppy shopping bags, perhaps with adult children off somewhere in the distance who don't keep in touch. There is an internal life and history there, more than we might imagine. Nicely done.

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