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Norge, sommer og efterår 2010
Karsten og Lily Sundelin er unge og nygifte og har en lille pige, Margrete på otte måneder. En ondartet spøgefugl er på spil i området. Han fylder Margretes barnevogn med blod, men forældrene går inde i huset og Lily får et kæmpechok, da hun opdager det. Sejer
Faktisk er spøgefuglen en meget ung mand, Johnny Beskow, 17 år, bor ved sin håbløst fordrukne mor, Trude Beskow, har en Suzuki Estilete scooter og er bitter på livet, moderen og en far, som moderen ikke vil fortælle andet om end at han er over alle bjerge. Karsten Sundelin er kommet i tanken om at han hørte lyden af en scooter, der kørte væk. Han er rasende på spøgefuglen og ville gerne pille arme og ben af ham, hvis han fandt ham. Lily har helt tabt trygheden og er ængstelig over at slippe Margrete ude af syne et sekund. Imens indrykker Johnny en dødsannonce på Gunilla Mørk, der lige er fyldt halvfjerds. Han finder i det hele taget megen inspiration i lokalavisen. Han har en bedstefar Henry Beskow, som han sætter stor pris på, mens moderen mere tænker på at det ville være rart med en stor arv. Johnny finder ud af at Henry har 973.000 kr på kontoen. Næste stunt er at spraymale et får, så det får samme farve som en appelsin. Han lukker også alle led op, så der render får rundt over det hele. Han planlægger også at gøre noget ved en pige, der driller alt og alle. Hun hedder Else Meiner og spiller trompet. Johnnys mor slår hans marsvin ihjel og smider det i skraldespanden. Johnny køber en hamster til erstatning, men han er opfyldt af vrede og ligeglad med regler og hensyn til andre. Han kører en tur og lægger mærker til et midaldrende par, Astrid og Helge Landmark på 53 og 59. Manden har fået ALS og sidder lammet i en kørestol og ved at det snart er slut. Johnny ringer til en bedemand og der tropper to mand op med en kiste. Helge spiller bolden tilbage ved at bestille de to til at stå for det praktiske, når turen kommer for alvor. For deres rustvogn er en flot bil. Men det er stadig en usmagelig spøg. Johnny sprætter også lige dækkene op på Elses cykel, men det er ikke nok, kan han mærke. Henry kan godt lide Else Meiner. Johnny kan ikke lide at blive kaldt Tyttebærhue, Slingreskid, Skvatbanan eller Torsketryne. Han kan heller ikke se at det er Elses måde at tiltrække sig opmærksomhed på. Men i alt fald lægger han sig på lur iført en gorillahue og overfalder hende og skærer hendes flotte røde fletning af med sin kniv. Hun er på ingen måde skræmt og bider ham i armen. Da Sejer kommer forbi, nævner hun kun at hun forsøgte at bide ham, men kommer ellers med et fint signalement af ham. Sejer har fundet den Spar-købmandsbutik, hvor nogen købte en pose frosset blod. Jacob Skarre har kastet nettet ud blandt ekspedienterne og da Johnny glemmer sine seje scooter-handsker en dag ringer ekspedienten Britt til ham.
Konrad Sejer har også noget helbredsmæssigt at slås med. Han får svimmelhedsanfald af og til, men ignorerer dem for man skal jo ikke ulejlige lægerne. Johnny kommer og henter handskerne i butikken, men han er ikke på scooter for den er løbet tør. Det spolerer ekspedienternes plan om at notere registreringsnummeret, så det var jo heldigt nok for ham, men nettet er ved at blive strammet. Han har kaldt en Evelyn Mold til hospitalet med en historie om at det drejer sig om hendes datter Francis Emilie Mold på seksten. Hun tropper op på hospitalet i panik, men de har ikke noget om datteren. Et opkald til datterens mobil opklarer at hun er uskadt, men oplevelsen sætter sig i dem begge. Et ægtepar Wilma og Hannes Bosch har en lille dreng Theo Johannes Bosch på otte år, der er deres fælles øjensten. Han har et idol i Lars Monsen, som er en eventyrer og i stand til at klare sig i vildmarken uden hjælp af nogen. Theo får lov at gå en tur i skoven og lege vildmand. Desværre møder han en flok hunde og bliver flået i små stykker. Sejer og Skarre er på stedet, da forældrene dukker op for at lede efter drengen. Det er et mareridt uden lige for drengen er splittet ad i flere dele. Det er Bjørn Schillinger, der ejer hundene. Det er Lazy, Ajax, Marathorn, Bonnie, Yazzi, Attila og Goodwill, der her været på springtur. Det er grønlænderhunde og de er ikke nemme for Schillinger at få ind i løbegården igen. Han sværger på at de var lukket forsvarligt inde, mens han var til sin datters fødselsdag hos ekskonen. Nogle tror på ham, andre ikke. Wilma Bosch går bogstaveligt fra forstanden. Og Sundelins ægteskab går i stykker og hun flytter. Johnny har det fysisk skidt over at læse om Theo-sagen, men var det ham? Han har taget en hel pakke rottegift fra sin bedstefars bryggers og han blander den uden videre i en gryde sammenkogt, som hans mor har lavet. Han bliver skuffet da hun bare fryser retten ned i stedet for at spise den. Senere tør hun den op igen og tager med til Henry på et af sine sjældne besøg. Han begynder at bløde over det hele og til sidst finder hjælperen Mai Sinok ham siddende død med blod over det hele. Sejer og Skarre tager sig af sagen og retsmedicineren Snorrason finder store mængder bromadiolone i liget. Moderen bliver sigtet og fængslet mistænkt for giftmord. Hun er enearving, så hun har et oplagt motiv. Og giften findes i den beholder med gryderet, hun har givet faderen. Sejer og Skarre samler også Johnny op, for han matcher perfekt spøgefuglens signalement og han tilstår også med det samme. Men hundene vil han ikke tage skylden for. Og han lyder overbevisende, når han siger det. Sejer snakker meget med ham og er tilbøjelig til at tro på ham. Matteus kommer forbi og fortæller Sejer en stor løgn, som han sluger uden at blinke. Pointen er selvfølgelig at man nemmere tror på folk, man på et eller andet plan har sympati for.
Johnny er ikke fængslet, men har meldepligt. Sejer taler meget med ham og fortæller hvor meget ondt han har forvoldt med sine "spøgefuldheder". En dag kommer han ikke, men det er undskyldt, for han flyder rundt på Sparbodammen med hovedet nedad. Sejer og Skarre tænker at nogen måske har hjulpet ham, men at de aldrig vil kunne bevise det. Det er sikkert ikke rigtigt, for Else Meiner har stået i skjul og set Karsten Sundelin og Bjørn Schillinger gå væk fra steder og sætte sig i Schillingers Toyota Landcruiser og køre væk.
Facit er lidt slemt: Theo er død, Henry er død, Johnny er død. Helge er død af sin ALS. Wilma er gået fra forstanden. Trude er i fængsel, mistænkt for giftmord. Og Karsten og Bjørn står sikkert til en tur i fængsel for overlagt drab.
Kriminalkommissær Konrad Sejer og hans næstkommanderende Jacob Skarre har det fint som kollegaer. Deres afdelingschef hedder Holthemann og er en erfaren mand med mange år på bagen i politiet. Sejers barnebarn Matteus er adopteret fra Somalia og kom til Norge som fireårig. Nu er han atten og er en lovende danser på Operaens balletskole. Sejers datter Ingrid er gift med Erik, der er læge. Ingrid har fået de første grå hår. Sejer har en hund, en shar-pei ved navn Frank.
Den her historie mindede mig om "bombemanden fra Gladsaxe", gymnasieeleven Allan Steen Kristensen, der lagde bomber i telefonbokse og sandkasser. Han kom selv til skade, blev afsløret og fik en dom på fem år, men blev løsladt efter godt to år. Efterfølgende fik han en uddannelse, et job og familie og børn, men døde tidligt af et svagt hjerte (1958 - 1997).
Bogen her skildrer i detaljer hvordan den slags brud på trygheden påvirker ofrene og deres omgivelser. Sejer når også omkring familieforholds store betydning for børns trivsel under opvæksten. Og hans egne overvejelser om sygdom og død. Han er enkemand og har ikke giftet sig igen. Ingrid får ham til læge, men nogen konklusion hører vi ikke.
Karsten og Lily Sundelin er unge og nygifte og har en lille pige, Margrete på otte måneder. En ondartet spøgefugl er på spil i området. Han fylder Margretes barnevogn med blod, men forældrene går inde i huset og Lily får et kæmpechok, da hun opdager det. Sejer
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og Skarre tager sagen med det samme, for det virker meget planlagt og ondskabsfuldt. Sejer giver en kort orientering til pressen og samme aften kommer nogen forbi hans dør med en lille hilsen. Et kort med en jærv på og teksten "Helvede begynder nu." Gennem vinduet kan han se en ung mand løbe væk meget hurtigt. Sejer finder ret hurtigt butikken, hvor kortet er købt. Det er i Berkås og spøgefuglen er altså helt klart en lokal mand.Faktisk er spøgefuglen en meget ung mand, Johnny Beskow, 17 år, bor ved sin håbløst fordrukne mor, Trude Beskow, har en Suzuki Estilete scooter og er bitter på livet, moderen og en far, som moderen ikke vil fortælle andet om end at han er over alle bjerge. Karsten Sundelin er kommet i tanken om at han hørte lyden af en scooter, der kørte væk. Han er rasende på spøgefuglen og ville gerne pille arme og ben af ham, hvis han fandt ham. Lily har helt tabt trygheden og er ængstelig over at slippe Margrete ude af syne et sekund. Imens indrykker Johnny en dødsannonce på Gunilla Mørk, der lige er fyldt halvfjerds. Han finder i det hele taget megen inspiration i lokalavisen. Han har en bedstefar Henry Beskow, som han sætter stor pris på, mens moderen mere tænker på at det ville være rart med en stor arv. Johnny finder ud af at Henry har 973.000 kr på kontoen. Næste stunt er at spraymale et får, så det får samme farve som en appelsin. Han lukker også alle led op, så der render får rundt over det hele. Han planlægger også at gøre noget ved en pige, der driller alt og alle. Hun hedder Else Meiner og spiller trompet. Johnnys mor slår hans marsvin ihjel og smider det i skraldespanden. Johnny køber en hamster til erstatning, men han er opfyldt af vrede og ligeglad med regler og hensyn til andre. Han kører en tur og lægger mærker til et midaldrende par, Astrid og Helge Landmark på 53 og 59. Manden har fået ALS og sidder lammet i en kørestol og ved at det snart er slut. Johnny ringer til en bedemand og der tropper to mand op med en kiste. Helge spiller bolden tilbage ved at bestille de to til at stå for det praktiske, når turen kommer for alvor. For deres rustvogn er en flot bil. Men det er stadig en usmagelig spøg. Johnny sprætter også lige dækkene op på Elses cykel, men det er ikke nok, kan han mærke. Henry kan godt lide Else Meiner. Johnny kan ikke lide at blive kaldt Tyttebærhue, Slingreskid, Skvatbanan eller Torsketryne. Han kan heller ikke se at det er Elses måde at tiltrække sig opmærksomhed på. Men i alt fald lægger han sig på lur iført en gorillahue og overfalder hende og skærer hendes flotte røde fletning af med sin kniv. Hun er på ingen måde skræmt og bider ham i armen. Da Sejer kommer forbi, nævner hun kun at hun forsøgte at bide ham, men kommer ellers med et fint signalement af ham. Sejer har fundet den Spar-købmandsbutik, hvor nogen købte en pose frosset blod. Jacob Skarre har kastet nettet ud blandt ekspedienterne og da Johnny glemmer sine seje scooter-handsker en dag ringer ekspedienten Britt til ham.
Konrad Sejer har også noget helbredsmæssigt at slås med. Han får svimmelhedsanfald af og til, men ignorerer dem for man skal jo ikke ulejlige lægerne. Johnny kommer og henter handskerne i butikken, men han er ikke på scooter for den er løbet tør. Det spolerer ekspedienternes plan om at notere registreringsnummeret, så det var jo heldigt nok for ham, men nettet er ved at blive strammet. Han har kaldt en Evelyn Mold til hospitalet med en historie om at det drejer sig om hendes datter Francis Emilie Mold på seksten. Hun tropper op på hospitalet i panik, men de har ikke noget om datteren. Et opkald til datterens mobil opklarer at hun er uskadt, men oplevelsen sætter sig i dem begge. Et ægtepar Wilma og Hannes Bosch har en lille dreng Theo Johannes Bosch på otte år, der er deres fælles øjensten. Han har et idol i Lars Monsen, som er en eventyrer og i stand til at klare sig i vildmarken uden hjælp af nogen. Theo får lov at gå en tur i skoven og lege vildmand. Desværre møder han en flok hunde og bliver flået i små stykker. Sejer og Skarre er på stedet, da forældrene dukker op for at lede efter drengen. Det er et mareridt uden lige for drengen er splittet ad i flere dele. Det er Bjørn Schillinger, der ejer hundene. Det er Lazy, Ajax, Marathorn, Bonnie, Yazzi, Attila og Goodwill, der her været på springtur. Det er grønlænderhunde og de er ikke nemme for Schillinger at få ind i løbegården igen. Han sværger på at de var lukket forsvarligt inde, mens han var til sin datters fødselsdag hos ekskonen. Nogle tror på ham, andre ikke. Wilma Bosch går bogstaveligt fra forstanden. Og Sundelins ægteskab går i stykker og hun flytter. Johnny har det fysisk skidt over at læse om Theo-sagen, men var det ham? Han har taget en hel pakke rottegift fra sin bedstefars bryggers og han blander den uden videre i en gryde sammenkogt, som hans mor har lavet. Han bliver skuffet da hun bare fryser retten ned i stedet for at spise den. Senere tør hun den op igen og tager med til Henry på et af sine sjældne besøg. Han begynder at bløde over det hele og til sidst finder hjælperen Mai Sinok ham siddende død med blod over det hele. Sejer og Skarre tager sig af sagen og retsmedicineren Snorrason finder store mængder bromadiolone i liget. Moderen bliver sigtet og fængslet mistænkt for giftmord. Hun er enearving, så hun har et oplagt motiv. Og giften findes i den beholder med gryderet, hun har givet faderen. Sejer og Skarre samler også Johnny op, for han matcher perfekt spøgefuglens signalement og han tilstår også med det samme. Men hundene vil han ikke tage skylden for. Og han lyder overbevisende, når han siger det. Sejer snakker meget med ham og er tilbøjelig til at tro på ham. Matteus kommer forbi og fortæller Sejer en stor løgn, som han sluger uden at blinke. Pointen er selvfølgelig at man nemmere tror på folk, man på et eller andet plan har sympati for.
Johnny er ikke fængslet, men har meldepligt. Sejer taler meget med ham og fortæller hvor meget ondt han har forvoldt med sine "spøgefuldheder". En dag kommer han ikke, men det er undskyldt, for han flyder rundt på Sparbodammen med hovedet nedad. Sejer og Skarre tænker at nogen måske har hjulpet ham, men at de aldrig vil kunne bevise det. Det er sikkert ikke rigtigt, for Else Meiner har stået i skjul og set Karsten Sundelin og Bjørn Schillinger gå væk fra steder og sætte sig i Schillingers Toyota Landcruiser og køre væk.
Facit er lidt slemt: Theo er død, Henry er død, Johnny er død. Helge er død af sin ALS. Wilma er gået fra forstanden. Trude er i fængsel, mistænkt for giftmord. Og Karsten og Bjørn står sikkert til en tur i fængsel for overlagt drab.
Kriminalkommissær Konrad Sejer og hans næstkommanderende Jacob Skarre har det fint som kollegaer. Deres afdelingschef hedder Holthemann og er en erfaren mand med mange år på bagen i politiet. Sejers barnebarn Matteus er adopteret fra Somalia og kom til Norge som fireårig. Nu er han atten og er en lovende danser på Operaens balletskole. Sejers datter Ingrid er gift med Erik, der er læge. Ingrid har fået de første grå hår. Sejer har en hund, en shar-pei ved navn Frank.
Den her historie mindede mig om "bombemanden fra Gladsaxe", gymnasieeleven Allan Steen Kristensen, der lagde bomber i telefonbokse og sandkasser. Han kom selv til skade, blev afsløret og fik en dom på fem år, men blev løsladt efter godt to år. Efterfølgende fik han en uddannelse, et job og familie og børn, men døde tidligt af et svagt hjerte (1958 - 1997).
Bogen her skildrer i detaljer hvordan den slags brud på trygheden påvirker ofrene og deres omgivelser. Sejer når også omkring familieforholds store betydning for børns trivsel under opvæksten. Og hans egne overvejelser om sygdom og død. Han er enkemand og har ikke giftet sig igen. Ingrid får ham til læge, men nogen konklusion hører vi ikke.
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Genres
Publication
[Kbh.] : Gyldendal, 2010.
Description
Inspector Sejer investigates the delivery of a threatening postcard that coincides with the discovery of a child who was found covered in blood but unharmed in her stroller.
Media reviews
The Globe & Mail, Canada
Ruth Rendell reads Karin Fossum. It makes sense. Both are mistresses of psychological suspense with talents for excellent police series. But while Rendell takes us into the darkest minds, Fossum peppers her plots with violence in the everyday. This tightly constructed story begins with a sleeping
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baby in her back yard in Oslo. Mummy is making dinner. Daddy is at work. Everything is perfect, until the parents discover their baby drenched in blood.
Fortunately, it’s not her blood. It’s a prank, stupid and horrible and life-changing. Inspector Konrad Sejer is on the case, with much press coverage, when he receives a note: “Hell begins now.”
More evil pranks follow, with equally horrible results. A woman reads her obituary in the paper; a cancer patient has a visit from the undertaker. The pranks are perpetrated by a miserably unhappy teenaged boy who lives with his alcoholic mother and survives on visits to his adored grandfather. I won’t give away any more of a clever plot but bad things happen. Fossum is among the best new voices in the genre. Show Less
Lecturalia
Un bebé aparece cubierto de sangre, pero sin ningún rasguño. Una anciana que acaba de celebrar su cumpleaños descubre su propia esquela en el periódico. Un matrimonio recibe atónito la visita de un trabajador de la funeraria que viene a recoger el cadáver del marido, todavía vivo. El
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inspector de policía Konrad Sejer encuentra una extraña nota: «¡El infierno empieza ahora!». La calma de una pequeña población se ve interrumpida: alguien se está dedicando a sembrar el terror con mensajes que presagian la muerte de quienes lo reciben. Un libro en el que lo importante no es saber quién lo hizo, sino los motivos que le impulsaron a hacerlo. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member smik
When you think about it, the main plot line of THE CALLER is simple enough. Someone is playing pranks. The list of pranks that begins with the baby covered in blood grows: a death notice in the paper for someone who is not dead, a prize sheep painted with orange paint, a funeral home requested to
The reader learns early on the identity of the person playing the pranks, and I think there is the possibility that at least one other person in the community knows who the "prankster" is. But the pranks are vicious acts, perpetrated by an adolescent in whom real anger boils as the result of a life time of neglect. And despite the fact that he is in his late teens he is incapable of seeing beyond the immediate consequences of his pranks. He can't see the sense of security that his pranks have removed from his victims, and he can't forecast their long term consequences. And then two of the pranks have serious consequences. Someone dies.
This is #8 in Fossum's Inspector Sejer series and a mark of her popularity with English speaking readers that there has been such a small time lapse since the original publication in Norwegian. If you've not read any of the series before, then you could start with this one. It will send you looking for the others. It presents Inspector Konrad Sejer in a kindly light: ageing, a little worried by health issues, and with great empathy for the victims of these crimes. But he even feels drawn to the prankster himself. He and his team look for the thread that binds the pranks together: how does the prankster select his victims?
There's an ambiguity to the ending which seems characteristic of Fossum stories. If what the prankster says is true, there is one prank that was not his doing. And what was Else Meiner doing at the Sparbo Dam?
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collect the body of a seriously ill man who has not yet died, tyres slashed. In themselves the pranks are not life threatening but they are malicious.The reader learns early on the identity of the person playing the pranks, and I think there is the possibility that at least one other person in the community knows who the "prankster" is. But the pranks are vicious acts, perpetrated by an adolescent in whom real anger boils as the result of a life time of neglect. And despite the fact that he is in his late teens he is incapable of seeing beyond the immediate consequences of his pranks. He can't see the sense of security that his pranks have removed from his victims, and he can't forecast their long term consequences. And then two of the pranks have serious consequences. Someone dies.
This is #8 in Fossum's Inspector Sejer series and a mark of her popularity with English speaking readers that there has been such a small time lapse since the original publication in Norwegian. If you've not read any of the series before, then you could start with this one. It will send you looking for the others. It presents Inspector Konrad Sejer in a kindly light: ageing, a little worried by health issues, and with great empathy for the victims of these crimes. But he even feels drawn to the prankster himself. He and his team look for the thread that binds the pranks together: how does the prankster select his victims?
There's an ambiguity to the ending which seems characteristic of Fossum stories. If what the prankster says is true, there is one prank that was not his doing. And what was Else Meiner doing at the Sparbo Dam?
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LibraryThing member bfister
Karin Fossum is a quietly disturbing storyteller who sets her stories in ordinary small Norwegian communities where everything seems wholesome and well-0rdered but, when a crime is committed and the gentle, wise detective Konrad Sejer comes to sort it out with his sidekick, Jacob Skarre, we realize
In this case, a happy couple, having a pleasant meal together, assume their infant daughter is quite safe in her baby buggy parked in the back yard. When they finally begin to think it’s time they brought thechild indoors, they are horrified to find her covered in blood. After a frantic race to the hospital they learn it’s not her blood. Someone has played a cruel hoax, the first of many.
It’s a well-told story, and thought provoking (though there is some violence so awful that it makes me hesitate to recommend the book unreservedly). We get to see how the hoaxes affect their victims, including the strain it puts on the young married couple in the opening scenes. We learn who is likely responsible for them, and get a sense of how it gives an unhappy teenager with a difficult life a sense of power and control. The best character in the story, a girl with short red hair who shouts insults at passers by and notices everything, breaks out of this mold by being thoroughly aware, thoroughly herself, and instinctively good without being a goody two-shoes.
Fossum takes rather ordinary materials and, when putting them under a magnifying glass, brings out a lot of emotional texture and nuance that lends her books a kind of suspense that isn’t matched by thrillers with demonic killers and high body counts. Though acted out on a small stage and with few words, the impact is amplified. In part, it is the social pressure to support a communal appearance of normality and happiness that works against people taking responsibility for looking closer at things that really aren’t healthy in the community. And while evil is small-scale and human, truly awful things can grow out of a moment’s impulse.
Sejer is an unusual character in that he is thoroughly decent, a deeply kind and peaceful man, who acts more like a physician trying to heal a community than a crime fighter matching wits with villains. What Fossum finds so fascinating isn’t how evil people can be; it’s the way that small holes deliberately torn in the social fabric of a community can widen and unravel in ways that nobody can predict.
Not long ago, Maxine Clarke said something that I remembered when reading this book – that there is something “fabular” about Fossum’s books, and I felt that very strongly here, particularly in the opening scene when an idyllically happy couple live in a perfect little house beside a deep dark wood . . . and that fairy tale pattern is repeated later. It’s never a good sign in Fossum’s books when the language grows simple and the primary colors a bit too bright:
"The mother was in the kitchen. She couldn’t see the pram through the window, but she wasn’t concerned about her sleeping baby, not for an instant.
"Pottering about thoroughly content, she was light as a ballerina on her feet, not a single worry in her heart. She had everything a woman could dream of: beauty, health, and love. A husband, a child, a home and garden with rhododendrons and lush flowers. She held life in the palm of her hand."
There’s something almost vengeful in the way Fossum describes this image that is as glossy and false as an Ikea advertisement, as if contentment is for suckers. Her touch was a bit lighter in earlier books, the stories somewhat less schematic. It’s funny, because the parts that read like a fable seem a bit clumsy in contrast to the psychological nuance and acute observation of other parts of the book.
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that surface is deceptive, that in fact the mild-mannered and almost boringly normal residents have hidden depths and dark secrets. Though perhaps “secrets” is the wrong word. A lot of what’s wrong is perfectly visible; it’s just that people prefer to think their community is a better place than it really is.In this case, a happy couple, having a pleasant meal together, assume their infant daughter is quite safe in her baby buggy parked in the back yard. When they finally begin to think it’s time they brought thechild indoors, they are horrified to find her covered in blood. After a frantic race to the hospital they learn it’s not her blood. Someone has played a cruel hoax, the first of many.
It’s a well-told story, and thought provoking (though there is some violence so awful that it makes me hesitate to recommend the book unreservedly). We get to see how the hoaxes affect their victims, including the strain it puts on the young married couple in the opening scenes. We learn who is likely responsible for them, and get a sense of how it gives an unhappy teenager with a difficult life a sense of power and control. The best character in the story, a girl with short red hair who shouts insults at passers by and notices everything, breaks out of this mold by being thoroughly aware, thoroughly herself, and instinctively good without being a goody two-shoes.
Fossum takes rather ordinary materials and, when putting them under a magnifying glass, brings out a lot of emotional texture and nuance that lends her books a kind of suspense that isn’t matched by thrillers with demonic killers and high body counts. Though acted out on a small stage and with few words, the impact is amplified. In part, it is the social pressure to support a communal appearance of normality and happiness that works against people taking responsibility for looking closer at things that really aren’t healthy in the community. And while evil is small-scale and human, truly awful things can grow out of a moment’s impulse.
Sejer is an unusual character in that he is thoroughly decent, a deeply kind and peaceful man, who acts more like a physician trying to heal a community than a crime fighter matching wits with villains. What Fossum finds so fascinating isn’t how evil people can be; it’s the way that small holes deliberately torn in the social fabric of a community can widen and unravel in ways that nobody can predict.
Not long ago, Maxine Clarke said something that I remembered when reading this book – that there is something “fabular” about Fossum’s books, and I felt that very strongly here, particularly in the opening scene when an idyllically happy couple live in a perfect little house beside a deep dark wood . . . and that fairy tale pattern is repeated later. It’s never a good sign in Fossum’s books when the language grows simple and the primary colors a bit too bright:
"The mother was in the kitchen. She couldn’t see the pram through the window, but she wasn’t concerned about her sleeping baby, not for an instant.
"Pottering about thoroughly content, she was light as a ballerina on her feet, not a single worry in her heart. She had everything a woman could dream of: beauty, health, and love. A husband, a child, a home and garden with rhododendrons and lush flowers. She held life in the palm of her hand."
There’s something almost vengeful in the way Fossum describes this image that is as glossy and false as an Ikea advertisement, as if contentment is for suckers. Her touch was a bit lighter in earlier books, the stories somewhat less schematic. It’s funny, because the parts that read like a fable seem a bit clumsy in contrast to the psychological nuance and acute observation of other parts of the book.
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LibraryThing member Sheiladalton
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
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.
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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 comes 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.
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LibraryThing member austcrimefiction
One of the most exciting things about a new book from Karin Fossum is exactly where she's going to take the reader this time. The scenarios, the crimes, the individuals that Fossum incorporates in her books are always very thought provoking, and THE CALLER was certainly no different.
From the moment
THE CALLER takes the reader into the world of both victims and perpetrators - an unusual position in crime fiction where the victim is frequently necessarily silent. Whilst this provides a different perspective it is, as usual, Fossum's way of lighting the dark recesses of human behaviour that stand out in this book. Although there's nothing judgemental about the way that she does this - as in other books, it's a matter of the author drawing the picture, explaining the acts and describing the consequences, leaving the question of guilt or innocence, inexcusable acts and mitigating circumstances open to the reader to consider.
All of this is delivered in a simple, lyrical, extremely readable manner. THE CALLER is really another excellent entry in the ongoing series based around Inspector Sejer. The books, however, could easily be read as standalones or out of series order if needs must. But reading them all is no trial whatsoever.
From the moment
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that a young child is found in her pram, in the backyard of her parent's home, bathed in blood; through the mysterious delivery of a message to Inspector Sejer's door; into the story of Johnny and his drunken, irresponsible mother and the touching relationship he has with his grandfather; there's something very very different going on in this book. THE CALLER is very much about consequences. The acts of one irresponsible, foolish prankster who continues to cause havoc with practical jokes that annoy, frighten and discomfort. Even though the nature of the crime being committed as part of these jokes is sometimes obvious, sometimes a little obscure, Inspector Sejer does his best to find the perpetrator as the level of concern grows. The problem is that the perpetrator is clever, and very cool and collected, and you just know the outcomes are going to get worse.THE CALLER takes the reader into the world of both victims and perpetrators - an unusual position in crime fiction where the victim is frequently necessarily silent. Whilst this provides a different perspective it is, as usual, Fossum's way of lighting the dark recesses of human behaviour that stand out in this book. Although there's nothing judgemental about the way that she does this - as in other books, it's a matter of the author drawing the picture, explaining the acts and describing the consequences, leaving the question of guilt or innocence, inexcusable acts and mitigating circumstances open to the reader to consider.
All of this is delivered in a simple, lyrical, extremely readable manner. THE CALLER is really another excellent entry in the ongoing series based around Inspector Sejer. The books, however, could easily be read as standalones or out of series order if needs must. But reading them all is no trial whatsoever.
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LibraryThing member SamSattler
Scandinavian-authored crime fiction has taken the world by storm and, like many readers, I have read numerous crime fiction novels from that part of the world in the last two years. Of the several authors whose work I have sampled, Karin Fossum has emerged as my favorite – and her latest, The
Some of Fossum’s colleagues use such spectacular crimes and criminals in their books that they are, in the end, completely unbelievable because it is difficult to take some of their super-villains very seriously for an entire novel. Fossum’s books, on the other hand, have realistic settings that focus on the types of situation one is more likely to encounter in the real world – painting a truer picture of contemporary Norwegian life. Because her characters, both the bad guys and their victims, are believable and understandable, Fossum’s novels have a more ominous feel about them than the more incredible ones. And it does not hurt one little bit that her wonderful Inspector Sejer is at the heart of every story.
This time around, someone seems to be playing games with people’s minds in a series of vicious pranks that are leaving deep emotional scars on the chosen targets. It starts one summer day when a young mother goes outside to retrieve her napping baby and finds the child covered in blood. Thankfully, when Inspector Sejer arrives at the hospital, he learns that it is not the baby’s blood. The harm, however, has been done, and the emotional trauma suffered by the baby’s parents soon threatens their marriage. When Sejer receives a hand-delivered card promising that “hell begins now,” he understands just how important it is for him to stop the heartless prankster.
Fossum reveals the person behind all this criminal mischief early on in The Caller and, from that point onward, she uses alternating chapters to get inside the heads of the perpetrator and his victims. Eventually, the truly destructive impact of the “pranks” mounts up and the person behind them starts to be blamed for every odd little thing that happens in the area - whether or not he is actually responsible. When one of these odd events turns deadly, things begin to fall apart all around him.
The Caller is not a book about a horribly violent crime. It is more a psychological crime thriller reminding me of the work of Ruth Rendell, especially when Rendell writes under her Barbara Vine pseudonym. The bad things that happen are, in a way, accidents resulting from carelessness on the part of a young man who does not bother to think about the consequences of his decisions. He is clever, but naïve about the ways of the world – and his victims pay a much steeper price than he ever imagined for them.
Fans of Karin Fossum will be pleased to hear that many (I agree with the assessment) consider this to be the author’s best work since The Indian Bride - and that one is a masterpiece of its type.
Rated at: 4.0
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Caller, reminds me why that is so.Some of Fossum’s colleagues use such spectacular crimes and criminals in their books that they are, in the end, completely unbelievable because it is difficult to take some of their super-villains very seriously for an entire novel. Fossum’s books, on the other hand, have realistic settings that focus on the types of situation one is more likely to encounter in the real world – painting a truer picture of contemporary Norwegian life. Because her characters, both the bad guys and their victims, are believable and understandable, Fossum’s novels have a more ominous feel about them than the more incredible ones. And it does not hurt one little bit that her wonderful Inspector Sejer is at the heart of every story.
This time around, someone seems to be playing games with people’s minds in a series of vicious pranks that are leaving deep emotional scars on the chosen targets. It starts one summer day when a young mother goes outside to retrieve her napping baby and finds the child covered in blood. Thankfully, when Inspector Sejer arrives at the hospital, he learns that it is not the baby’s blood. The harm, however, has been done, and the emotional trauma suffered by the baby’s parents soon threatens their marriage. When Sejer receives a hand-delivered card promising that “hell begins now,” he understands just how important it is for him to stop the heartless prankster.
Fossum reveals the person behind all this criminal mischief early on in The Caller and, from that point onward, she uses alternating chapters to get inside the heads of the perpetrator and his victims. Eventually, the truly destructive impact of the “pranks” mounts up and the person behind them starts to be blamed for every odd little thing that happens in the area - whether or not he is actually responsible. When one of these odd events turns deadly, things begin to fall apart all around him.
The Caller is not a book about a horribly violent crime. It is more a psychological crime thriller reminding me of the work of Ruth Rendell, especially when Rendell writes under her Barbara Vine pseudonym. The bad things that happen are, in a way, accidents resulting from carelessness on the part of a young man who does not bother to think about the consequences of his decisions. He is clever, but naïve about the ways of the world – and his victims pay a much steeper price than he ever imagined for them.
Fans of Karin Fossum will be pleased to hear that many (I agree with the assessment) consider this to be the author’s best work since The Indian Bride - and that one is a masterpiece of its type.
Rated at: 4.0
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LibraryThing member DowntownLibrarian
Not just a good mystery, but interesting social analysis as well. Definitely worth reading.
LibraryThing member cameling
What's a teenage boy living with an alcoholic mother who is passed out on the couch most of the time, and who feels neglected and invisible to society to do? Surely a few pranks on strangers to entertain himself didn't matter? Parents shouldn't leave their sleepy baby in a pram under a tree while
While the newspaper carry stories of these malicious pranks, Inspector Sejer and Skarre are both at a loss as to the identify of the prankster. What they are aware of, though, is the devastating effects these pranks have on their victims, that their victims' lives have all been changed as a result of the shocks they've received at the hands of this cruel person.
It takes one prank gone wrong that allows Inspector Sejer his final clue to the identity of the culprit, but will there be enough evidence to bring him to justice?
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they're inside having dinner after all. So what if funeral directors drive a hearse to a home expecting to receive a body, and are actually early when they realize the dying man is still alive? It's not a crime, surely, to chase a little girl while wearing a gorilla mask, and then the pin her down and cut her hair off, just because she has been taunting him with insults? And the man who owns 7 possibly illegal dogs should pay better attention to his kennels in case someone accidentally releases the latch and sets the vicious dogs free. While the newspaper carry stories of these malicious pranks, Inspector Sejer and Skarre are both at a loss as to the identify of the prankster. What they are aware of, though, is the devastating effects these pranks have on their victims, that their victims' lives have all been changed as a result of the shocks they've received at the hands of this cruel person.
It takes one prank gone wrong that allows Inspector Sejer his final clue to the identity of the culprit, but will there be enough evidence to bring him to justice?
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LibraryThing member gbelik
This is the story of an unhappy teenager who begins to play "pranks" on people he notices in the newspaper. Though to him they are just creative ways to disrupt their too comfortable world, to the victims they are devastating. Things beomce more complicated with unhappy results for all. Though his
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actions have cruel consequences, the youth receives a sympathetic portrayal, as he copes with an uncaring, alcoholic mother and as he kindly tends his handicapped grandfather. Show Less
LibraryThing member juli1357
The New York Times called this one of the most disturbing mystery/crime fiction books of 2013. Aside from the final "prank, " I found this book pretty mild by comparison to most of what I've read in this genre.
LibraryThing member -Eva-
A young man, whose home life leaves much to be desired, takes his aggression out on random people with cruel "pranks" that end up having serious repercussions. I really liked how we got to follow all the victims and the perpetrator and get their backstories - it made for a multi-dimensional read
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that kept the stakes high. Sejer's story and his physical health (or rather its deterioration) also works to raise the stakes. Very interesting installment in a high-quality series I would recommend to any and all mystery-readers. Show Less
LibraryThing member ffortsa
This entry into the Inspector Sejer series is unusual in that we see very little of Sejer and his fellow police detectives. Instead, the narrative focuses on the victims and the perpetrator, and tracks the effects of even what seem to be harmless pranks on those who are their targets. It's not
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unusual for a book to be written from the perspective of the villain, but it doesn't serve as a police procedural. Rather, it enlists the reader in sympathy for each of the characters, with one possible exception. Show Less
LibraryThing member lauralkeet
One fine summer afternoon, a mother leaves her baby outdoors, asleep in her pram, and when she goes to check on her, finds the baby covered in blood. It turns out the baby is fine, and it’s not even her blood, and someone has played a cruel joke on the family which takes a severe emotional toll.
Karin Fossum has taken the Inspector Sejer series from traditional “whodunnit” murder mysteries to psychological thrillers where the criminal is identified early, and suspense is created through the orchestration of their downfall. In The Caller, Johnny’s pranks become more elaborate and he takes more chances. But eventually his actions have horrific consequences (possibly one of the most grueling scenes I’ve read this year), and things begin to unravel. Justice is served, as it always is, but even this happens in an unusual way. Good stuff.
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Inspector Sejer begins his investigation, and soon realizes someone is orchestrating a string of pranks. Meanwhile, we meet Johnny Beskow, a young man living with his alcoholic mother. There is no doubt Johnny is the prankster, but the reader knows this well before Sejer figures it out.Karin Fossum has taken the Inspector Sejer series from traditional “whodunnit” murder mysteries to psychological thrillers where the criminal is identified early, and suspense is created through the orchestration of their downfall. In The Caller, Johnny’s pranks become more elaborate and he takes more chances. But eventually his actions have horrific consequences (possibly one of the most grueling scenes I’ve read this year), and things begin to unravel. Justice is served, as it always is, but even this happens in an unusual way. Good stuff.
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Language
Original language
Norwegian
Original publication date
2009
Physical description
255 p.; 22 cm
ISBN
9788702084634
Local notes
Omslag: Lise-Lotte Holmbäck
Omslaget viser et sløret billede af en ung mand, måske i vand
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra norsk "Varsleren" af Poul Bratbjerg Hansen
Konrad Sejer, bind 10
Side 84: Den, der ikke gør gengæld, gør ikke det rette.
Side 107: Kom nu og sæt dig ned. Store dele af verden er i krig. Vi kan ikke sidde her og beklage os.
Side 117: Kåben var ældgammel, lavet af tynd snydepels og var gråbrun med nogle mørkere pletter.
Side 175: Der var nogen, der hævdede, at man ikke kunne give mødrene skylden, hvis deres børn havde det skidt. Men det var han meget uenig i. Man kunne give mødrene skylden for en hel del. Barnet var prisgivet sin mors luner, hendes raseri og hendes fortvivlelse, hendes bitterhed og hendes mangler. Og barnet var prisgivet sin fars fortvivlelse, hans fravær og hans manglende deltagelse.
Side 208: Sådan tænker kvindfolk. De går rundt og bekymrer sig om gulve. Om møbler, tæpper og tapeter. Guderne må vide, hvordan de er skruet sammen. De fokuserer jo ikke på de ting, der er vigtige, men hele tiden kun på det ydre, hvordan tingene ser ud.
Side 222: Snorrason, retsmedicineren, havde ringet, og de havde talt sammen længe. Han havde i detaljer gjort rede for de skader, som Theo var blevet påført. Det her kunne jeg godt have været foruden, sagde han. Du skal ikke sige det til nogen, men jeg tror, at det er det værste, jeg har set. Selv knoglerne har fået en hård medfart.
Omslaget viser et sløret billede af en ung mand, måske i vand
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra norsk "Varsleren" af Poul Bratbjerg Hansen
Konrad Sejer, bind 10
Side 84: Den, der ikke gør gengæld, gør ikke det rette.
Side 107: Kom nu og sæt dig ned. Store dele af verden er i krig. Vi kan ikke sidde her og beklage os.
Side 117: Kåben var ældgammel, lavet af tynd snydepels og var gråbrun med nogle mørkere pletter.
Side 175: Der var nogen, der hævdede, at man ikke kunne give mødrene skylden, hvis deres børn havde det skidt. Men det var han meget uenig i. Man kunne give mødrene skylden for en hel del. Barnet var prisgivet sin mors luner, hendes raseri og hendes fortvivlelse, hendes bitterhed og hendes mangler. Og barnet var prisgivet sin fars fortvivlelse, hans fravær og hans manglende deltagelse.
Side 208: Sådan tænker kvindfolk. De går rundt og bekymrer sig om gulve. Om møbler, tæpper og tapeter. Guderne må vide, hvordan de er skruet sammen. De fokuserer jo ikke på de ting, der er vigtige, men hele tiden kun på det ydre, hvordan tingene ser ud.
Side 222: Snorrason, retsmedicineren, havde ringet, og de havde talt sammen længe. Han havde i detaljer gjort rede for de skader, som Theo var blevet påført. Det her kunne jeg godt have været foruden, sagde han. Du skal ikke sige det til nogen, men jeg tror, at det er det værste, jeg har set. Selv knoglerne har fået en hård medfart.
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Pages
255
DDC/MDS
| 839.82 |