- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Mariner Books; Rep Tra edition (July 29 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0156034042
- ISBN-13: 978-0156034043
- Product Dimensions: 20.1 x 13.2 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 249 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #572,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Gumshoe Award–winner Fossum (When the Devil Holds the Candle) once again wraps a blanket of methodical police work and infectious psychological tension around a relatively quiet crime in her fifth Inspector Sejer mystery to be made available in the U.S. When nine-year-old Ida Joner takes off for town (never named) on her new bike one afternoon and is never seen again, suspicion falls on Emil Johannes Mork, a silent, simple man. Emil, however, doesn't appear to have the heart of a killer. The narrative shifts smoothly among those affected by the tragedy: Emil's beleaguered mother, a good woman with little life of her own; a male cousin of the missing girl who may suffer some secret guilt; and, of course, Insp. Konrad Sejer and his younger colleague, Jacob Skarre. Sejer is a beautifully created character, a thoughtful, lonely man with great empathy. As he investigates Ida's disappearance, it's not so much the facts of the case as the impact of it on the people who surrounded the girl that fuel the story. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
Gumshoe Award–winner Fossum (When the Devil Holds the Candle) once again wraps a blanket of methodical police work and infectious psychological tension around a relatively quiet crime in her fifth Inspector Sejer mystery to be made available in the U.S. When nine-year-old Ida Joner takes off for town (never named) on her new bike one afternoon and is never seen again, suspicion falls on Emil Johannes Mork, a silent, simple man. Emil, however, doesn't appear to have the heart of a killer. The narrative shifts smoothly among those affected by the tragedy: Emil's beleaguered mother, a good woman with little life of her own; a male cousin of the missing girl who may suffer some secret guilt; and, of course, Insp. Konrad Sejer and his younger colleague, Jacob Skarre. Sejer is a beautifully created character, a thoughtful, lonely man with great empathy. As he investigates Ida's disappearance, it's not so much the facts of the case as the impact of it on the people who surrounded the girl that fuel the story. (Publishers Weekly )
"Possibly the most popular foreign crime writer in translation, the Norwegian Karin Fossum is an intelligent author who delivers more than a smart plot by way of psychological insight and clear-eyed characterization."
(Daily Mail )
"Fossum is a clever writer; this is her most cunning tale yet." (Daily Express )
"Possibly the most popular foreign crime writer in translation, the Norwegian Karin Fossum is an intelligent author who delivers more than a smart plot by way of psychological insight and clear-eyed characterization."
(Daily Mail )
"Fossum is a clever writer; this is her most cunning tale yet." (Daily Express )
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
great writing but not a great mystery,
By Gustav (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Black Seconds (Mass Market Paperback)
In previous novels, Fossum has created startlingly fresh, and eerie characters. And in novels like Don't Look Back and He Who Fears the Wolf, there are times when the suspense is very intense and the reader burns through pages wanting to find out what will happen next. Black Seconds is not quite in their league. There is brilliant writing here, and the author's always impressive ability to enter the minds of others and take on the voice of several different characters is on display. Being with Inspector Sejer as he works through an intervew with a suspect is always pleasurable, and Fossum pulls off a cool trick by having an inspector with so little actual page-time seem so present throughout the story. But the remaining characters are not as intesting as in her other novels. They are convincingly real, but that is not enough to make a great suspense novel. Fossum has taken a risk in the way she lays out this story. Very early in the novel, it is easy to guess at events which it takes the inspector far too long, in my opinion, to deduce and share with us. I found myself racing ahead of the police investigation time and again thinking: but this is so obvious, what kind of surprises does Fossum have in store? Not many as it turns out. So although I read this character study with respect and fascination, this time I am a little let down by the absence of surprise or of much real suspense.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews) 55 of 56 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling,
By A. Butterfield - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Black Seconds (Paperback)
Henning Mankell introduced me to the wonders of Scandinavian crime writing, and led me to Karin Fossum, who is even better at it than our venerable Swedish friend. She's a little bit different in approach though: Mankell, who we all know, sticks, in his Wallander books at least, to the police procedural style. Perhaps that's his weakness. Fossum takes some elements of the procedural and mixes them with psychological drama.For comfort she holds on to a common central character or two; Inspector Sejer is the reassurring anchor-man and his junior, Jacob Skarre, the device through which we learn how clever Sejer is. It all works beautifully. Often in her books (and 'Black Seconds' is no exception), there is an 'oddity', an outcast in society on whom suspicion naturally falls. Perhaps this method of revealing society's simplistic reactions is overused in her novels, but it is effective, and usually quite creepy. Here, a middle-aged outcast of childlike intellect is involved in the disapppearance of a child. Fossum once again manages the clever trick of fooling us into believing that what seems obvious isn't. Actually it is. What's really clever is the way the second plot revolves around the first. In fact it's the second plot (about a teenager who crashes his car) is really the most interesting part of the novel. It throws up all kinds of questions about ideal and actual morality. Nothing is clear cut (another theme of Fossum's). The way these two strands are pulled together is beautifully done in the author's unpretentious but stylish hand. In a way, not much happens, but the way it happens is absolutely compelling. In just a few well-chosen words, Karin Fossum creates a world you care about, people you can see and feel, and an atmosphere you can touch. I don't know anybody who does this kind of thing better. 24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
More Konrad Sejer and Jacob Skarre, please!,
By T.B. Grant - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Black Seconds (Hardcover)
Creepy is an understatement when talking about Karin Fossum's detective series featuring Inspector Konrad Sejer and his colleague Jacob Skarre. In "Black Seconds," readers get a glimpse into a dark world not too many authors can create as powerful and troubling as Fossum.From the beginning of the series in "Don't Look Back" until now in "Black Seconds," Fossum knows how to create a believable and realistic sketch of her characters and their aging lives. As evidence, Konrad Sejer is not the same man we have seen in "Don't Look Back" or even in "The Indian Bride." He is more vulnerable, in private and in public life. Behind closed doors, we see his beloved dog Kollberg struggle with the aging process. He can hardly walk anymore, or find his cozy surroundings comfortable. Late one night, while Sejer comes home from work, he sits in his favorite chair by the window and stares across the room at his dog, who walks in circles a few times until he collapses on the floor. His hind legs hit the floor first, then his paws, and finally his heavy head falls in front of him. It is too difficult for Sejer to look his dog in the eyes. At work, Sejer deals with a case that he finds most puzzling to date. As he interviews Emil Mork and his mother, Elsa, Sejer discovers how rewarding and debilitating his line of work really is. At one point in the novel when Sejer questions Elsa about her son's anger management problems, Sejer is seen as weak and scared for the first time. He sees Kollberg in her story, I think, and takes her confession personally. The end of the story is Fossum at her best with the writings of nature and the human condition. Wonderful and haunting at the same time. I look forward to more Inspector Sejer and Skarre mysteries and hope we get a better look at Skarre's personality and private life. I really like these characters and pray we get more cases soon. T.B. Grant 5/25/08 15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Enjoyable,
By Stephen McHenry - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Black Seconds (Hardcover)
Characters that are real, not forced or overdrawn. Plot development that is believable and deceiving, with a style that smoothly involves the reader mentally, laying clues that may be clues or not, always with unexpected plot finishes that are satisfying. Read one of her books and you immediately want to start another. A detective mystery writer of the highest order.If you haven't read any Fossum I would recommend starting with The Indian Bride. The British TimesOnline named her one of the 50 greatest crime writers. If you like anything in this genre you will love this author. |
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