Customer Reviews

Calling Out for You

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Once again, Karin Fossum shines...I could not put this book down and finished it in two days. It did leave me wondering, who really did it! I would recommend this author, especially for anyone with an interest in Scandinavian countries. I have read all four of the books, and have enjoyed each one.

Karin Fossum is the best reason to read Scandinavian mystery novels. She creates an atmosphere that on the surface one would suspect to be plain and simple. We have Gunder, his sister, Maria, Einar a cafe owner and Linda, the local pretty girl. We have a small town and its case of characters. But Gunder breaks away from the everyday, the norm and goes to India and meets Poona at a restaurant. Things begin to shift.

Gunder and Poona get married. Gunder goes home to Norway, to get things ready for his bride. When his sister gets in a car accident on the day of Poona's arrival, the ominous approaches.

What I love about Fossum's approach is that answers are never clear, witnesses never provide solid descriptions and people don't answer questions the way we want them to. Even Sejer and Skarre, the two detectives have their flaws and throughout this book, are vulnerable in similar ways to the victims. You get the impression that life and the truth are not always best friends, and the people you know are not always the people you know.

By the end of this book, you struggle with its conclusion but accept it. Fossum's mystery is more than than just a mystery but a take on the subtleties of psychology. I would classify her work as closer to literature than genre writing.

I've read the majority of her novels - I have still Black Seconds and The Water's Edge to tackle. I'm beginning to wonder if there's someone else who writes Scandinavian mysteries with her depth and range. Also, I must give the translator of The Indian Bride, Charlotte Barslund credit for her incredible work - she is a great part of how accessible Fossum is to English readers.