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Konrad Sejer #2
Don't Look Back
Een zesjarig meisje wordt vermist. Ze heeft zich laten overhalen om mee te rijden met een vreemde jongeman in een bestelwagen. Even later vindt de politie bij een bosmeertje het dode lichaam van de vijftienjarige Annie Holland. Ze werd toegedekt met een windjack, maar is daaronder volledig naakt. Annie was een knappe meid, op wie veel mannelijke buren blijkbaar een oogje hadden. Ze had echter verkering met Halvor, een stille jongen, wat ouder dan zij. Volgens Halvor was Annie het laatste halfjaar heel erg veranderd: ze leefde teruggetrokken en was zwaarmoedig geworden.
In een dorpsgemeenschap waar iedereen elkaar kent, gaan achter schijnbaar normale gezinsverhoudingen duistere geheimen schuil. Stukje bij beetje legt inspecteur Sejer de feiten bloot.
In een dorpsgemeenschap waar iedereen elkaar kent, gaan achter schijnbaar normale gezinsverhoudingen duistere geheimen schuil. Stukje bij beetje legt inspecteur Sejer de feiten bloot.
320 pages, Paperback
First published March 8, 2004
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About the author
Karin Fossum
59 books1,140 followersKarin 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
Series:
* Inspector Konrad Sejer
* Eddie Feber
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 858 reviews
May 18, 2025
'Don't look back' has all the characteristics of a perfect detective story - it's well-written, totally gripping, with well-developed psychologically deep characters, a very likable and intelligent detective and an almost unexpected ending. I didn't want to put it down to go to sleep. And even when I did, I kept wondering 'Who?' and 'Why?'
December 29, 2013
Rating: 3.5* of five
The Publisher Says: Don't Look Back heralds the arrival of an exotic new crime series featuring Inspector Sejer, a smart and enigmatic hero, tough but fair. The setting is a small, idyllic village at the foot of Norway's Kollen Mountain, where neighbors know neighbors and children play happily in the streets. But when the body of a teenage girl is found by the lake at the mountaintop, the town's tranquility is shattered forever. Annie was strong, intelligent, and loved by everyone. What went so terribly wrong? Doggedly, yet subtly, Inspector Sejer uncovers layer upon layer of distrust and lies beneath the town's seemingly perfect facade.
Critically acclaimed across Europe, Karin Fossum's Inspector Sejer novels are masterfully constructed, psychologically convincing, and compulsively readable, and are now available in the United States for the first time.
My Review: Herein we're introduced to Inspector Konrad Sejer, homicide detective in a Norwegian city, as he solves the murder of the popular, universally beloved young athlete and all-around good girl Annie Holland. Sejer can't crack the shell of acclaim and plaudits that surround the dead girl. No one, and I mean NO ONE, will admit that she was anything but beautiful and perfectly kind. Well, no one except her slow-top sexpot older sister...make that half-sister...who finally, in an unedited moment, admits that she found Annie a bit snide at times. No one else, from her horrible harpy of a mother to her convicted rapist of a sports coach to the neighbor whose dead toddler she was the only one who could handle, will give Sejer the way in to her life that he needs to discover her killer.
Since this is a mystery, not real life, Sejer and his newly minted partner Jacob Skarre do find the way in, and the killer is brought to justice barely in time to prevent a third needless death. Along the way, as really happens when police start turning over rocks in the search for evidence, lives are altered, lives are ruined, and even lost; in the end, does the guilt of the murderer being proved make up for the pace of destruction left in the wake of the search? Fossum provides no answer, or does she pretend that it's even of more than passing concern for her characters.
I began this book excited, if a little reluctant; I am always conflicted when starting a series of mysteries. It's nice to know that there are a few more pleasures to be had with an agreeable set of characters; my orderly side likes to know that justice will be served; but then, well, then there's that oppressive sense that *yet*more*books* have landed on the pile of material that, should I live to be 150, will never disappear, or even appreciably diminish. That feels a little depressing to me, to have a task (however much I love the task, and I do) that simply cannot be finished. Sort of like laundry, a Sisyphean labor of impossibly distant closure. (Unless you launder naked and don't put on clothes until you go outside your house, everything is always a little dirty, and therefore always laundry. It's just depressing.)
And then the trouble set in. We have dead children, never ever a favorite theme of mine. We have violent men, never ever a favorite theme of mine. We have a grouchy, isolated older detective, kind of overused. But then we have Norway as our backdrop, fresh and new to me. We have prose that, in English translation, feels immediate and grippingly suspenseful. We have characters limned against a bright background in sharp, dark strokes, like reverse film noir...hard to do, and done well here. But on balance, I really don't feel four-starry about the book. I'll read more, of course. I'll even enjoy them, provided we don't have more dead children. But the bright bloom of excitement dimmed a bit, as I suppose was inevitable, and it seems to me that it needn't have. Other choices could have been made. But they weren't, and so here I am, only pleased, not overwhelmed.
Welcome to life as an adult, I suppose.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Publisher Says: Don't Look Back heralds the arrival of an exotic new crime series featuring Inspector Sejer, a smart and enigmatic hero, tough but fair. The setting is a small, idyllic village at the foot of Norway's Kollen Mountain, where neighbors know neighbors and children play happily in the streets. But when the body of a teenage girl is found by the lake at the mountaintop, the town's tranquility is shattered forever. Annie was strong, intelligent, and loved by everyone. What went so terribly wrong? Doggedly, yet subtly, Inspector Sejer uncovers layer upon layer of distrust and lies beneath the town's seemingly perfect facade.
Critically acclaimed across Europe, Karin Fossum's Inspector Sejer novels are masterfully constructed, psychologically convincing, and compulsively readable, and are now available in the United States for the first time.
My Review: Herein we're introduced to Inspector Konrad Sejer, homicide detective in a Norwegian city, as he solves the murder of the popular, universally beloved young athlete and all-around good girl Annie Holland. Sejer can't crack the shell of acclaim and plaudits that surround the dead girl. No one, and I mean NO ONE, will admit that she was anything but beautiful and perfectly kind. Well, no one except her slow-top sexpot older sister...make that half-sister...who finally, in an unedited moment, admits that she found Annie a bit snide at times. No one else, from her horrible harpy of a mother to her convicted rapist of a sports coach to the neighbor whose dead toddler she was the only one who could handle, will give Sejer the way in to her life that he needs to discover her killer.
Since this is a mystery, not real life, Sejer and his newly minted partner Jacob Skarre do find the way in, and the killer is brought to justice barely in time to prevent a third needless death. Along the way, as really happens when police start turning over rocks in the search for evidence, lives are altered, lives are ruined, and even lost; in the end, does the guilt of the murderer being proved make up for the pace of destruction left in the wake of the search? Fossum provides no answer, or does she pretend that it's even of more than passing concern for her characters.
I began this book excited, if a little reluctant; I am always conflicted when starting a series of mysteries. It's nice to know that there are a few more pleasures to be had with an agreeable set of characters; my orderly side likes to know that justice will be served; but then, well, then there's that oppressive sense that *yet*more*books* have landed on the pile of material that, should I live to be 150, will never disappear, or even appreciably diminish. That feels a little depressing to me, to have a task (however much I love the task, and I do) that simply cannot be finished. Sort of like laundry, a Sisyphean labor of impossibly distant closure. (Unless you launder naked and don't put on clothes until you go outside your house, everything is always a little dirty, and therefore always laundry. It's just depressing.)
And then the trouble set in. We have dead children, never ever a favorite theme of mine. We have violent men, never ever a favorite theme of mine. We have a grouchy, isolated older detective, kind of overused. But then we have Norway as our backdrop, fresh and new to me. We have prose that, in English translation, feels immediate and grippingly suspenseful. We have characters limned against a bright background in sharp, dark strokes, like reverse film noir...hard to do, and done well here. But on balance, I really don't feel four-starry about the book. I'll read more, of course. I'll even enjoy them, provided we don't have more dead children. But the bright bloom of excitement dimmed a bit, as I suppose was inevitable, and it seems to me that it needn't have. Other choices could have been made. But they weren't, and so here I am, only pleased, not overwhelmed.
Welcome to life as an adult, I suppose.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
August 3, 2011
I plan on giving all of my Karin Fossum reviews the same statement because I don't even want the hint of a spoiler on this woman's fantastic work. Fossum's writing gave me my love of Scandanavian mystery writers and I seek those writings out. Hands down,though, Fossum's work is the best nordic noir I have come across so far.
September 3, 2016
I recently read my first Karin Fossum novel, the eighth of the series, which introduced me to Inspector Konrad Sejer and his junior sidekick, Jacob Skarre. At The Water's Edge impressed me, largely because of its striking difference to the majority of crime fiction and indeed Nordic noir. Emotionally resonant, Fossum's novels not only deal with the whodunnit element but concentrates on the whydunnit, the motives behind each and every crime, the emotions that drive them and the guilt and regrets that remain.
Due to being translated out of order this was the first Karin Fossum novel to be published in the UK but in actual fact it is the second novel in the Inspector Sejer series. The serious and determined Inspector Konrad Sejer reminds me of Jørn Lier Horst's William Wisting; easy to work alongside, encouraging to colleagues and possessing excellent interpersonal skills which mean he is able to differentiate his approach to the characters he is interviewing. In common with Wisting, Sejer is a father to daughter, Ingrid and a grandfather and as a widowed man his settled and pleasantly mundane home life is pivotal to his ordered way of thinking. Sejer's enigmatic persona helps to squeeze the often unexpected details from those he speaks with and his unwavering belief that understanding the victim can only serve to enlighten his pursuit of the perpetrator is central to his character.
Karin Fossum takes readers to the small community of Krystallen where neighbours know each other and a pleasant sense of harmony pervades and introduces Irene Album, mother of six-year-old Ragnhild, who was seen leaving her friends home but is now missing. Readers see Ragnhild accompanying Raymond Låke, a Down's syndrome man on a short drive and from there many will feel they can write the script for Don't Look Back. The readers deep-seated prejudices race to the seemingly obvious conclusion, only for Ragnhild to return home safe and sound and with residents telling Sejer that anything untoward would never have crossed Raymond's mind. Just as Sejer is thinking of taking a few days off, a call from Ragnhild's mother the following day reveals that the little village could be holding other secrets. Ragnhild told her mother that when Låke was walking her home they saw the dead body of a young woman laid on the banks of Serpent Lake. Found amid a remarkably non-violent crime scene they discover her body covered by a blue anorak and she is swiftly identified as popular local student, Annie Holland. Struck by the distinct lack of disorder at the crime scene, Konrad Sejer is at first unable to decide what has become of this girl, a suicide or cry for help or a cold blooded murder or something in between? When it becomes clear that Annie drowned and the motive wasn't sexual the waters muddy further and Sejer thinks that the perpetrator is trying to mislead him into assuming their was a sexual element to the crime.
The first tentative steps in the investigative process of tracking down little Ragnhild Album are a clever way of introducing readers to the neighbourhood with an irrevocable shattering of the peace. Sejer's low-key style slowly pays dividends as the seemingly close knit community gradually learns that perhaps all of the neighbours held their own secrets very close to their chests. Pretty soon readers will realise that appearances are deceptive and that many of the seemingly respectable families in the community have kept their own counsel. As it emerges that Sølvi is in fact the half sister of Annie, that Annie's handball coach has a previous conviction for rape and her boyfriend, Halvor, has kept quiet about his own troubled history, further questions are raised, until Sejer and Skarre pin down exactly what happened to cause an outgoing and cheerful Annie to withdraw into her shell in the months preceding her demise.
The majority of the action takes the form of continued interviewing of those in the community, and Fossum allows her readers to see and hear her detectives and the community at close quarters. Sejer is a master at reading people and his questions lead into different areas and often reveal something enlightening. His interviewing style owes more to unplanned casual conversation than structured questions as people open up to him. Resilient and doggishly determined, the key for solving any crime is straightforward for Sejer, specifically a thorough understanding of the victim and the motives for a particular crime. I appreciated the way Karin Fossum lets her readers see the same facts as her investigators and make their own judgements rather than proscribe to her readers how she expects them to feel. The resounding feeling that has remained with me after now reading two of her novels is one of sympathy for all parties and a sadness for what a society has lost, rather than an overwhelming loathing of the perpetrator.
I was gratified that in what formed the introduction to the English readership, Fossum supplies more details about both Sejer and Skarre and I felt a growing familiarity and sympathy for both men, from Sejer's fondness for his dog, Kollberg to the multitude of jobs that Skarre has previously turned his hand to, including taxi driving is Oslo. However the most endearing discovery was undoubtedly that widowed Konrad Sejer's wedding band is made from the welding together of his and his wife's original rings. Sejer is a man who appreciates order and routine and whilst it is common to see antipathy for any form of bureaucracy in crime fiction, he appreciates the value of a different set of eyes being able to go back to police matters with an often different interpretation. Karin Fossum also provides a perspective on the case of Annie Holland, sketchily quantifying the crime statistics of Norway and the investigative capacity of the small community of Krystallen.
Some readers may find the head-hopping and swiftly changing perspectives disconcerting, as Fossum moves between the minds of her characters at will, however I found her transitions very intuitive. Do beware though, within chapters and even paragraphs, the characters point of view that readers are privy to can differ. This makes it sound like a complex read instead of the sheer pleasure it was; for the most part it seamlessly occurs and it only strikes the reader afterwards. Don't Look Back was an utterly fascinating view of the tranquility and calm within a small and friendly neighbourhood being shattered and the arduous task of making inroads could only have been achieved by somebody as tenacious as Inspector Konrad Sejer.
Due to being translated out of order this was the first Karin Fossum novel to be published in the UK but in actual fact it is the second novel in the Inspector Sejer series. The serious and determined Inspector Konrad Sejer reminds me of Jørn Lier Horst's William Wisting; easy to work alongside, encouraging to colleagues and possessing excellent interpersonal skills which mean he is able to differentiate his approach to the characters he is interviewing. In common with Wisting, Sejer is a father to daughter, Ingrid and a grandfather and as a widowed man his settled and pleasantly mundane home life is pivotal to his ordered way of thinking. Sejer's enigmatic persona helps to squeeze the often unexpected details from those he speaks with and his unwavering belief that understanding the victim can only serve to enlighten his pursuit of the perpetrator is central to his character.
Karin Fossum takes readers to the small community of Krystallen where neighbours know each other and a pleasant sense of harmony pervades and introduces Irene Album, mother of six-year-old Ragnhild, who was seen leaving her friends home but is now missing. Readers see Ragnhild accompanying Raymond Låke, a Down's syndrome man on a short drive and from there many will feel they can write the script for Don't Look Back. The readers deep-seated prejudices race to the seemingly obvious conclusion, only for Ragnhild to return home safe and sound and with residents telling Sejer that anything untoward would never have crossed Raymond's mind. Just as Sejer is thinking of taking a few days off, a call from Ragnhild's mother the following day reveals that the little village could be holding other secrets. Ragnhild told her mother that when Låke was walking her home they saw the dead body of a young woman laid on the banks of Serpent Lake. Found amid a remarkably non-violent crime scene they discover her body covered by a blue anorak and she is swiftly identified as popular local student, Annie Holland. Struck by the distinct lack of disorder at the crime scene, Konrad Sejer is at first unable to decide what has become of this girl, a suicide or cry for help or a cold blooded murder or something in between? When it becomes clear that Annie drowned and the motive wasn't sexual the waters muddy further and Sejer thinks that the perpetrator is trying to mislead him into assuming their was a sexual element to the crime.
The first tentative steps in the investigative process of tracking down little Ragnhild Album are a clever way of introducing readers to the neighbourhood with an irrevocable shattering of the peace. Sejer's low-key style slowly pays dividends as the seemingly close knit community gradually learns that perhaps all of the neighbours held their own secrets very close to their chests. Pretty soon readers will realise that appearances are deceptive and that many of the seemingly respectable families in the community have kept their own counsel. As it emerges that Sølvi is in fact the half sister of Annie, that Annie's handball coach has a previous conviction for rape and her boyfriend, Halvor, has kept quiet about his own troubled history, further questions are raised, until Sejer and Skarre pin down exactly what happened to cause an outgoing and cheerful Annie to withdraw into her shell in the months preceding her demise.
The majority of the action takes the form of continued interviewing of those in the community, and Fossum allows her readers to see and hear her detectives and the community at close quarters. Sejer is a master at reading people and his questions lead into different areas and often reveal something enlightening. His interviewing style owes more to unplanned casual conversation than structured questions as people open up to him. Resilient and doggishly determined, the key for solving any crime is straightforward for Sejer, specifically a thorough understanding of the victim and the motives for a particular crime. I appreciated the way Karin Fossum lets her readers see the same facts as her investigators and make their own judgements rather than proscribe to her readers how she expects them to feel. The resounding feeling that has remained with me after now reading two of her novels is one of sympathy for all parties and a sadness for what a society has lost, rather than an overwhelming loathing of the perpetrator.
I was gratified that in what formed the introduction to the English readership, Fossum supplies more details about both Sejer and Skarre and I felt a growing familiarity and sympathy for both men, from Sejer's fondness for his dog, Kollberg to the multitude of jobs that Skarre has previously turned his hand to, including taxi driving is Oslo. However the most endearing discovery was undoubtedly that widowed Konrad Sejer's wedding band is made from the welding together of his and his wife's original rings. Sejer is a man who appreciates order and routine and whilst it is common to see antipathy for any form of bureaucracy in crime fiction, he appreciates the value of a different set of eyes being able to go back to police matters with an often different interpretation. Karin Fossum also provides a perspective on the case of Annie Holland, sketchily quantifying the crime statistics of Norway and the investigative capacity of the small community of Krystallen.
Some readers may find the head-hopping and swiftly changing perspectives disconcerting, as Fossum moves between the minds of her characters at will, however I found her transitions very intuitive. Do beware though, within chapters and even paragraphs, the characters point of view that readers are privy to can differ. This makes it sound like a complex read instead of the sheer pleasure it was; for the most part it seamlessly occurs and it only strikes the reader afterwards. Don't Look Back was an utterly fascinating view of the tranquility and calm within a small and friendly neighbourhood being shattered and the arduous task of making inroads could only have been achieved by somebody as tenacious as Inspector Konrad Sejer.
October 28, 2022
Mi-a placut foarte mult stilul autoarei, scurt si la.obiect, fara bla-bla-bla de umplutura.
Primele pagini in care este prezentata disparitia unei fetite de 6 ani m-a tinut cu sufletul la gura.
Primele pagini in care este prezentata disparitia unei fetite de 6 ani m-a tinut cu sufletul la gura.
October 11, 2021
Un crimen sin artificios y una investigación clásica.
Disfrutable.
Disfrutable.
Read
November 18, 2022لقد اختفت الصغيرة " رانهيلد " ولم تعد إلى البيت ، هناك من خرج للبحث عنها في القرية ، بينما هى كانت قد قبلت عرضاً من سائق شاحنة على الطريق بتوصيلها ، تُسارع الشرطة بقيادة المحقق " سير " في التحقيق ، ولكن ما يثير الدهشة إنه بعد اصطحاب الصغيرة إلى منزل السائق سيعيدها إلى بيتها سالمة ، هنا قلت لنفسي كيف تنتهي القصة هكذا قبل أن تبدأ ؟!...
فإذ بالإجابة تأتيني سريعاً ، لقد رأت الصغيرة برفقة سائق الشاحنة فتاة شابة ترقد عند البحيرة بلا حراك....
ينطلق المحقق " سيير " للكشف عن جريمة غامضة ويأخذك مجرى التحقيق إلى سماع الكثيرين من الشهود ، ومحاولة التعرف على ماضي الفتاة ، جليسة الأطفال اللطيفة التي تمارس رياضة الركض يومياً كانت هادئة متحفظة تدير حياتها بإحكام بالرغم إنها كانت تتمتع بالحيوية والإنطلاق فيما مضى ولكن هذا لم يمنع أن يحبها الجميع لمجالستها لصغارهم وقد افتقدوها كثيراً بعد موتها....
لكن يبدو أن ثمة شيء عزلها عن العالم " كجرة مغلقة " ، كيف يمكن التوصل إلى ما كان بداخل تلك الجرة من أسرار بعد فقد صاحبتها ، هذا ما ستقودك إليه تفاصيل التحقيق الدقيقة والتي كانت في اتجاهات كثيرة لا تدفعك للتشتت بل تأخذك إلى قلب الأحداث دون أن تفلتك...
الجميل في الكاتبة النرويجية " كارين فوسم " إنها تعتني بالمشاعر الإنسانية ، تجسدها في الملامح والإيماءات ، تراها ناطقة في أشد اللحظات صمتاً وسكوناً...
نبرات الأصوات تسمعها بوضوح تكاد تجزم بأنها تخاطبك أنت وحدك ، بينما الكلمات تراها تتأرجح ما بين القوة والوهن ، التحدي والاستسلام ، أنت لن تأبه للتعرف على القاتل بقدر إقترابك من دائرة الإتهام بما تضم من خبايا و أسرار تتوق للكشف عنها....
رواية جريمة جليسة الأطفال شيقة وآسرة...
كانت تركض فأوقفها وأخبرها : تبدين كمن يركض هارباً من روحه...فتضحك
سأعلمكِ كيفية التأمل ، فالركض في الشوارع وسيلة حمقاء لإيجاد السلام النفسي ، فتضحك أكثر ثم تواصل الركض....
فإذ بالإجابة تأتيني سريعاً ، لقد رأت الصغيرة برفقة سائق الشاحنة فتاة شابة ترقد عند البحيرة بلا حراك....
ينطلق المحقق " سيير " للكشف عن جريمة غامضة ويأخذك مجرى التحقيق إلى سماع الكثيرين من الشهود ، ومحاولة التعرف على ماضي الفتاة ، جليسة الأطفال اللطيفة التي تمارس رياضة الركض يومياً كانت هادئة متحفظة تدير حياتها بإحكام بالرغم إنها كانت تتمتع بالحيوية والإنطلاق فيما مضى ولكن هذا لم يمنع أن يحبها الجميع لمجالستها لصغارهم وقد افتقدوها كثيراً بعد موتها....
لكن يبدو أن ثمة شيء عزلها عن العالم " كجرة مغلقة " ، كيف يمكن التوصل إلى ما كان بداخل تلك الجرة من أسرار بعد فقد صاحبتها ، هذا ما ستقودك إليه تفاصيل التحقيق الدقيقة والتي كانت في اتجاهات كثيرة لا تدفعك للتشتت بل تأخذك إلى قلب الأحداث دون أن تفلتك...
الجميل في الكاتبة النرويجية " كارين فوسم " إنها تعتني بالمشاعر الإنسانية ، تجسدها في الملامح والإيماءات ، تراها ناطقة في أشد اللحظات صمتاً وسكوناً...
نبرات الأصوات تسمعها بوضوح تكاد تجزم بأنها تخاطبك أنت وحدك ، بينما الكلمات تراها تتأرجح ما بين القوة والوهن ، التحدي والاستسلام ، أنت لن تأبه للتعرف على القاتل بقدر إقترابك من دائرة الإتهام بما تضم من خبايا و أسرار تتوق للكشف عنها....
رواية جريمة جليسة الأطفال شيقة وآسرة...
كانت تركض فأوقفها وأخبرها : تبدين كمن يركض هارباً من روحه...فتضحك
سأعلمكِ كيفية التأمل ، فالركض في الشوارع وسيلة حمقاء لإيجاد السلام النفسي ، فتضحك أكثر ثم تواصل الركض....
February 16, 2013
I bought this book on sale for the Kindle back when it seemed like Norwegian crime fiction was a thing. Is it still a thing? I don't know, but it was a thing, right? Anyway, I thought it was a thing and so I bought this and in retrospect a silly number of other Karin Fossum books when they were on sale, and I remember thinking, "Boy, I hope these don't suck," as I clicked through and kept buying. Click. Click. Click.
I'm reading 52 books in 52 weeks for 2013, and I've weighted my reading list toward crime fiction and so I thought this would be a good one to work in early on: because if I liked Karin Fossum's books, I'd have something to look forward to when the next one came up on the list a month or so later. Alternately, if I didn't like, I'd have time to swap out the other books for something I would like.
Fortunately, I quite liked Don't Look Back. In fact, I can probably say I loved it. I mean, was I eager to dive back into the book whenever I had a free moment? I was. Did I feel affection toward the main characters? I did. Did I get that delicious aching tension that happens approximately two-thirds of the way through a book you're really enjoying, where you're torn between ripping through the remaining pages because you really want to know what will happen and lingering on each page so you can stay in the world of the book? I got that. So, yeah, let's say I loved Don't Look Back and give me another month or three to figure out if I'm not just flush with the pleasure of reading a very good book or not.
The review. Did you want the review? I guess that's what we do here, right? Give you the synopsis, the opinion, the telling detail, the almost-too-apt closing line?
Well, even if so, I'm going to skip the synopsis and you'll thank me for it later. Let's just say a police detective and his partner are investigating a crime in a small Norwegian town. Everyone in the town knows one another, has opinions about one another in their own semi-taciturn way. As the pair investigate, the omniscient narrator moves easily from the inside of one person's head to the next with a stylistic confidence I found exciting. (Fossum has more than one chapter start inside the head of a villager and then, as soon as the policemen are on the scene, she leaps right inside their POV.)
But once in their heads, Fossum hangs about not to plant clues for the reader but to illuminate the delicate processes of grief, loss, and shock. In a way, the book is about the reverberations left in the wake of death. A glib elevator pitch for Don't Look Back might be: it's like if Ross MacDonald had written a novelization of the Twin Peaks pilot.
Even if that allows you to guess at the contours of the plot and perhaps a certain amount of the theme, it doesn't give Fossum her due. Her work seduces you with its understated empathy for every character in the book. Even as much as I came to enjoy the interplay between kindly Inspector Sejer and his young assistant Skarre, you feel Fossum has no more affection for them than she does for all the other characters. That seems to me to be a rarity in the field of mystery fiction, where the investigator has an MVP status among the writer or (if it becomes a series) the readers, or both.
Although such maturity and poise is to be appreciated in its own right, it actually helps heighten the themes of Don't Look Back: because no character is too slight, no death goes unfelt...even as its aftershocks are impossible to predict. Don't Look Back is an enjoyable, touching, thoughtful read. I can't wait to get to the next.
I'm reading 52 books in 52 weeks for 2013, and I've weighted my reading list toward crime fiction and so I thought this would be a good one to work in early on: because if I liked Karin Fossum's books, I'd have something to look forward to when the next one came up on the list a month or so later. Alternately, if I didn't like, I'd have time to swap out the other books for something I would like.
Fortunately, I quite liked Don't Look Back. In fact, I can probably say I loved it. I mean, was I eager to dive back into the book whenever I had a free moment? I was. Did I feel affection toward the main characters? I did. Did I get that delicious aching tension that happens approximately two-thirds of the way through a book you're really enjoying, where you're torn between ripping through the remaining pages because you really want to know what will happen and lingering on each page so you can stay in the world of the book? I got that. So, yeah, let's say I loved Don't Look Back and give me another month or three to figure out if I'm not just flush with the pleasure of reading a very good book or not.
The review. Did you want the review? I guess that's what we do here, right? Give you the synopsis, the opinion, the telling detail, the almost-too-apt closing line?
Well, even if so, I'm going to skip the synopsis and you'll thank me for it later. Let's just say a police detective and his partner are investigating a crime in a small Norwegian town. Everyone in the town knows one another, has opinions about one another in their own semi-taciturn way. As the pair investigate, the omniscient narrator moves easily from the inside of one person's head to the next with a stylistic confidence I found exciting. (Fossum has more than one chapter start inside the head of a villager and then, as soon as the policemen are on the scene, she leaps right inside their POV.)
But once in their heads, Fossum hangs about not to plant clues for the reader but to illuminate the delicate processes of grief, loss, and shock. In a way, the book is about the reverberations left in the wake of death. A glib elevator pitch for Don't Look Back might be: it's like if Ross MacDonald had written a novelization of the Twin Peaks pilot.
Even if that allows you to guess at the contours of the plot and perhaps a certain amount of the theme, it doesn't give Fossum her due. Her work seduces you with its understated empathy for every character in the book. Even as much as I came to enjoy the interplay between kindly Inspector Sejer and his young assistant Skarre, you feel Fossum has no more affection for them than she does for all the other characters. That seems to me to be a rarity in the field of mystery fiction, where the investigator has an MVP status among the writer or (if it becomes a series) the readers, or both.
Although such maturity and poise is to be appreciated in its own right, it actually helps heighten the themes of Don't Look Back: because no character is too slight, no death goes unfelt...even as its aftershocks are impossible to predict. Don't Look Back is an enjoyable, touching, thoughtful read. I can't wait to get to the next.
January 1, 2024
رواية جديدة من سلسلة المحقق كونراد سيير و هي ثاني تجربة بالنسبة لي بعد جريمة العروس الهندية. بداية الرواية مع حادث اختفاء طفلة علي يد أحد سكان القرية و بدء البحث عنها و عن الخاطف في خوف و ترقب، هل ستجدها الشرطة حية أم ميتة؟ و بعد ترقب و قلق تطمئننا كارين فوسم، فالخاطف أعاد الطفلة إلي المنزل بسلامة بعد أن أخذها في نزهة إلي البحيرة. و لكن المفاجأة هي إن الطفلة رأت جثة عند البحيرة. و هي جثة شابة من سكان القرية يعرفها و يحبها الجميع، فهي كانت تجالس أطفالهم جميعًا. يبدأ كونراد سيير التحقيق و التقصي عن سكان القرية، و عن سبب تغيير الفتاة في آخر فترة و ميلها للعزلة و اكتئابها. يستجوب سيير السكان بعين فاحصة، ينبش في ماضيهم .. يستفز المشتبه فيهم.. يفسر كل ايماءة.. يدفعهم للوقوع في الخطأ.. ثم يترقب لحظة انهيار الأكاذيب و إعتراف المجرم.
استمتعت بالرواية جدا و حبيت المحقق سيير و اسلوبه جدا. شكرا لهبة صديقتي علي الاستعارة الجميلة دي و علي إختيارك الجميل للرواية❤️
October 20, 2015
Second in the Sejer series, this book was better than the first. Sejer and Skarre were front and center in this book, and as they became closer friends, I got to know them better. The plot involved the murder of a young girl, and the various people who might have done it. I had suspicions that kept changing and had lingering doubts almost to the end. Halvor and Raymond were two likable characters that I hope to see more of in future books, but that remains to be seen.
November 30, 2019
Mă așteptam la mai mult, dar fiind prima mea întâlnire cu Karin Fossum, mi-a plăcut.
"- Să alergi pe străzi e un mod dificil de a-ți găsi pacea."
"- (...). Pubertatea e ca un teren accidentat."
"- Să alergi pe străzi e un mod dificil de a-ți găsi pacea."
"- (...). Pubertatea e ca un teren accidentat."
November 13, 2011
I won't summarize the story, that's already been done. I enjoyed this book, although not as much as I wanted to. Since Stieg Larsson, everyone is looking for the next Scandinavian powerhouse. This author is one that has been touted as such, but I have to disagree. The story was compelling, a girl is murdered who seems like the least likely to suffer such a fate and very few clues are found. Still, rather early on I figured out who the murder was. The red herrings were so obvious I never once considered them. I also found the writing itself to be less than hoped for. There were many indications that a good editor was needed. The point of view changes abruptly with no warning. One paragraph it is from the perspective of one character and the next with no section break it is another character's perspective. What makes this more confusing is that the characters are usually the same sex, so there is no switch in pronoun. Additionally, a name is rarely used. You figure it out from context which can take a few sentences as you become more confused. I can see this being used intentionally for effect, but that isn't the case here. Many times, the dialogue from separate characters are contained in the same sentence or paragraph, a few times even within the same quotation marks. Again, this is done without warning. There are no phrases such as he replied, he answered, he retorted. Take this example. "'I don't like it that you're all alone,' she said. 'I have Kollberg, you know.'" The portion after "she said" is from another character in response to the first quoted portion. The location occasionally changes abruptly as well. Characters go from an interview room to the street with no indication until several sentences later when something like "stopped the car" is used.
All in all, I enjoyed the characters, who were well rounded and real. The mystery wasn't mysterious, but I liked watching the characters figure it out. The writing problems never confused me for long, but did bump me out of the narrative. An easy weekend read.
All in all, I enjoyed the characters, who were well rounded and real. The mystery wasn't mysterious, but I liked watching the characters figure it out. The writing problems never confused me for long, but did bump me out of the narrative. An easy weekend read.
March 23, 2023
کتاب پرکششی بود
میشه گفت تم داستان جنایت و خشم علیه کودکان بود
فقط تعلیق آخر داستان رو دوست نداشتم
میشه گفت تم داستان جنایت و خشم علیه کودکان بود
فقط تعلیق آخر داستان رو دوست نداشتم
November 30, 2024
"إذا كنت مستاء من شيء .. فأنت مازلت تأمل بشيء أفضل.
لكن إن استسلمت .. سيغمرك الحزن تماماً"
لكن إن استسلمت .. سيغمرك الحزن تماماً"
May 7, 2009
A five year-old girl goes missing in a small Norwegian village and witnesses report seeing her get into acar with Raymond, a local recluse who has Down's syndrome. Just when the police are about to publicly concede that she has been murdered, she walks out of the woods into her back yard. She is unharmed.
Later that same day, her mother calls the police with a strange story. Little Ragnhild says that when she and Raymond were up at a mountaintop lake near the village, they saw a womanwith nothing on but a windbreaker, slee-ping in the water near shore. The police are soon baf-fled and flummoxed. Inspector Sejer persists, though and by huge amounts of slog work and even more inordinately detetermined patience, they solve the case.
DON'T LOOK BACK introduced Norwegian Inspector Konrad Sejer to America. He's tough and serious, but fair and, when you get to know him, possessed of a great store of good humor. Along with him, we meet a whole imagined world of fellow officers, ordinary citizens and criminals.
Fossum writes carefully crafted police procedural myste-ries in which the tension ratchets up step by step, ever so slowly, ever so methodically, until it bursts and the case is closed. While she is equally adept and brilliant at writing fast-paced action scenes that have your adre-naline pumping overtime, they are not what Fossum relies on to carry her story along. By the time you finish, it feels as if you have crawled inside the heads of every single character in the book. Much of what you found is disquieting; some of that, deeply disturbing, but you understand it. Fossum's books could be called "psycholo-gical thrillers" like those of P.D. James and Ruth Ren-dell. In contrast with Ms. James,though, I think that she writes a leaner, sparer, more streamlined story. If James's books are street legal corvettes, then Fossum's are highly customized racing motorcycles. And in con-trast with Ms. Rendell's, non-Inspector Wexford books, Ms. Fosum's don't completely freak me out with the minutely detailed depravity of their villains.
Later that same day, her mother calls the police with a strange story. Little Ragnhild says that when she and Raymond were up at a mountaintop lake near the village, they saw a womanwith nothing on but a windbreaker, slee-ping in the water near shore. The police are soon baf-fled and flummoxed. Inspector Sejer persists, though and by huge amounts of slog work and even more inordinately detetermined patience, they solve the case.
DON'T LOOK BACK introduced Norwegian Inspector Konrad Sejer to America. He's tough and serious, but fair and, when you get to know him, possessed of a great store of good humor. Along with him, we meet a whole imagined world of fellow officers, ordinary citizens and criminals.
Fossum writes carefully crafted police procedural myste-ries in which the tension ratchets up step by step, ever so slowly, ever so methodically, until it bursts and the case is closed. While she is equally adept and brilliant at writing fast-paced action scenes that have your adre-naline pumping overtime, they are not what Fossum relies on to carry her story along. By the time you finish, it feels as if you have crawled inside the heads of every single character in the book. Much of what you found is disquieting; some of that, deeply disturbing, but you understand it. Fossum's books could be called "psycholo-gical thrillers" like those of P.D. James and Ruth Ren-dell. In contrast with Ms. James,though, I think that she writes a leaner, sparer, more streamlined story. If James's books are street legal corvettes, then Fossum's are highly customized racing motorcycles. And in con-trast with Ms. Rendell's, non-Inspector Wexford books, Ms. Fosum's don't completely freak me out with the minutely detailed depravity of their villains.
October 13, 2011
DON'T LOOK BACK, by Karen Fossum, is a really good book, and it is made even better by the journey it took for me to read it. I picked up her novel BAD INTENTIONS. It's the 7th in the Konrad Sejer detective series. I went back and found this book, the first in the series, to get a little back ground, and found myself captured by the riveting mystery of a murdered teenager. This novel was written in 1995, translated to English some 9 years later, and only now have I heard about it. There are so many great authors out there that I'll never hear about, so I'm glad when I find one.
This is tight story. Nothing is wasted. While I got confused at times over locations and the multiple Norweigian names, I breezed through each chapter as Det. Sejer workes his way through the mystery of who killed Annie Holland. Annie was an athletic 15 year old who loved baby sitting the kids in her neighborhood. When her murdered body is found by a lake by a mentally challenged man, Sejer and partner Jacob Skarre are faced with making sense of many suspects in a tiny town where everyone knows everyone, and many secrets are hidden behind the veneer of respectability.
This novel is easy to read, and has little bad language, violence, sex or intense scenes. Still, it is at times creepy, and the haunting conclusion will stay with you for awhile.
This 16 year old novel by a Norweigian author is a must read. I'm so glad I found this title and can't wait to read the rest of Fossum's works.
This is tight story. Nothing is wasted. While I got confused at times over locations and the multiple Norweigian names, I breezed through each chapter as Det. Sejer workes his way through the mystery of who killed Annie Holland. Annie was an athletic 15 year old who loved baby sitting the kids in her neighborhood. When her murdered body is found by a lake by a mentally challenged man, Sejer and partner Jacob Skarre are faced with making sense of many suspects in a tiny town where everyone knows everyone, and many secrets are hidden behind the veneer of respectability.
This novel is easy to read, and has little bad language, violence, sex or intense scenes. Still, it is at times creepy, and the haunting conclusion will stay with you for awhile.
This 16 year old novel by a Norweigian author is a must read. I'm so glad I found this title and can't wait to read the rest of Fossum's works.
June 14, 2019
I've read good things about Karin Fossum's novels. I'm happy to say I concur with the many positives I came to expect.
The characters are a diverse group, but each one comes to life in a realistic way. The story's momentum is steady and forward-moving; the suspense likewise. All in all, a great reading experience.
The characters are a diverse group, but each one comes to life in a realistic way. The story's momentum is steady and forward-moving; the suspense likewise. All in all, a great reading experience.
May 9, 2012
There is a certain joy experienced by a mystery lover who has just discovered a brand new (to her) series that she knows she will become a favorite. There is a certain glee born of finding that the series already has about eight books to it, and that there will be no waiting one to two years for the next installment...when she can devour them at her leisure. (Mwahahahahaha!)
I loved this book. The head detective is a gentle man, yet passionate about police work. There were moments of sheer poetry in this book and curious little detours that added texture and provided a sense of changing pace that I found delectable.
I also have a thing for Scandinavia, Norway in particular, and enjoyed the cultural feel of the small town characters as described by the author.
How to know if you'll like it too:
I'm a huge fan of PBS Mystery, Inspector Morse's replacement and the new protege...dang it, what are their names?? Ah, Inspector Lewis and DS Hathaway! I like them better than Morse actually (Lewis' Predecessor). But I digress.
I also enjoyed Wallander (played by Keneth Branagh) but couldn't get into Aurelio Zen .
My point is, this series by Karin Fossum stars Inspector Sejer, widowed, introspective and committed. He adopts the young officer Skarre, also multilayered, as a protege and finds a friend in spite of himself.
This series is *made* to be developed into a series for PBS, and as such is sort of a cross between Wallander and Lewis.
Enjoy!
I loved this book. The head detective is a gentle man, yet passionate about police work. There were moments of sheer poetry in this book and curious little detours that added texture and provided a sense of changing pace that I found delectable.
I also have a thing for Scandinavia, Norway in particular, and enjoyed the cultural feel of the small town characters as described by the author.
How to know if you'll like it too:
I'm a huge fan of PBS Mystery, Inspector Morse's replacement and the new protege...dang it, what are their names?? Ah, Inspector Lewis and DS Hathaway! I like them better than Morse actually (Lewis' Predecessor). But I digress.
I also enjoyed Wallander (played by Keneth Branagh) but couldn't get into Aurelio Zen .
My point is, this series by Karin Fossum stars Inspector Sejer, widowed, introspective and committed. He adopts the young officer Skarre, also multilayered, as a protege and finds a friend in spite of himself.
This series is *made* to be developed into a series for PBS, and as such is sort of a cross between Wallander and Lewis.
Enjoy!
July 14, 2023
Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum is a standalone installment in the Inspector Sejer series that delves into the complexities of human nature and the repercussions of our choices. Inspector Sejer is tasked with investigating the disappearance of a young girl, which unravels another mystery involving the death of a 15-year-old named Annie.
Fossum expertly weaves a web of interconnected characters with their own secrets and motives, leaving readers guessing until the very end. While the pacing is fast despite the slow-burn nature, some may yearn for more suspense. Nonetheless, Fossum's exploration of psychological depth adds depth to the narrative, making it a worthwhile read for fans of character-driven mysteries.
Read the detailed review here - Books Charming
Fossum expertly weaves a web of interconnected characters with their own secrets and motives, leaving readers guessing until the very end. While the pacing is fast despite the slow-burn nature, some may yearn for more suspense. Nonetheless, Fossum's exploration of psychological depth adds depth to the narrative, making it a worthwhile read for fans of character-driven mysteries.
Read the detailed review here - Books Charming
November 6, 2014
If you like mysteries that really make you think, Karin Fossum has definitely done that in this novel. A psychological mystery that really digs into the characters of both the victim and the suspects, this book is riveting as you see why each of the suspects could possibly have been the murderer. As Chief Inspector Sejer and his partner discover more and more about each of the suspects along with the personality of Annie, the young murder victim, the potentiality of "who done it" increases. I really enjoyed the depth of the characters in this particular mystery. I wouldn't call it cozy, but it definitely was not grizzly either.
July 9, 2011
I thought this was great. Sejer is a great inspector, and refreshingly not a grumpy alcoholic. Don't get me wrong, I love my grumpy alcoholic police inspectors, but it was a nice change of pace. Fossum treats her characters in a very humane way. I even found myself getting a little misty-eyed at the cemetery scene.
August 20, 2017
Although some of the narrative seemed to have been lost in translation and editing, I thoroughly enjoyed this compelling novel - my first but not my last of the Inspector Sejer series. The surprise ending blew me away and caused me to re-think the entire story. An enjoyable fast read - perfect for sultry summer weather when it's difficult to concentrate on much of anything.
July 14, 2013
Inspector Konrad Sejer is unyielding and determined in his pursuit of truth. He can be tough but he is not strident. His MO includes considering other people's feelings. He is a likable sleuth. A widower, he cherishes the memories of his wife. He loves his grandson and he pampers his dog. He doesn't sleep around or go on alcoholic binges. He doesn't abuse or belittle those below him in the chain of command.
In this book by Karin Fossum, Sejer pursues the killer of a beautiful young woman who was known to be smart, caring, orderly, conscientious, devoted and athletic. But his investigation reveals that something had changed her habits and outlook some months before her dead body was discovered naked by the side of a lake. What was it that changed her? And, had she, whom everybody in her small community seemed to like, met with tragedy because her trusting nature had allowed someone she knew to silence her forever?
This mystery is remarkable for its sustained tension. The narrative consists mostly of investigative dialogue rather than dramatic action. The language style is simple but has emotional and psychological depth. There are almost no lags or pauses in how the author has Sejer, and his young assistant Skarre, build layer after layer of informational evidence, much of which may seem incidental and unrelated to discovering the perpetrator or a motive but which nevertheless holds the reader's attention page after page. The ending is shocking but credible. Most mystery fans would agree that Fossum is one of the best new writers in the genre.
In this book by Karin Fossum, Sejer pursues the killer of a beautiful young woman who was known to be smart, caring, orderly, conscientious, devoted and athletic. But his investigation reveals that something had changed her habits and outlook some months before her dead body was discovered naked by the side of a lake. What was it that changed her? And, had she, whom everybody in her small community seemed to like, met with tragedy because her trusting nature had allowed someone she knew to silence her forever?
This mystery is remarkable for its sustained tension. The narrative consists mostly of investigative dialogue rather than dramatic action. The language style is simple but has emotional and psychological depth. There are almost no lags or pauses in how the author has Sejer, and his young assistant Skarre, build layer after layer of informational evidence, much of which may seem incidental and unrelated to discovering the perpetrator or a motive but which nevertheless holds the reader's attention page after page. The ending is shocking but credible. Most mystery fans would agree that Fossum is one of the best new writers in the genre.
January 28, 2015
I had all kinds of questions and objections when reading this book, but have this niggling sense that my concerns are embedded in cultural differences and the in-exactitude of translation.
It is likely that the Norwegian society is very different from mine, but right off the bat I had a problem with the opening paragraphs describing a 6 year old girl walking home alone from a sleep over. I like to think that I am a fairly laid-back parent, no helicoptering for me, but there is something very wrong about a child of six wandering the streets by herself.
I also wondered about the following: why law enforcement wouldn't charge a parent for leaving a small child alone in a high chair and, would they not question the intact nature of the pancakes, as opposed to them being cut up in bite sized pieces? (I'm trying not to be a spoiler so this might not make much sense). Also, I could be wrong because once again, maybe things are different in Norway, but is it really possible to sit at a computer for days on end, trying to crack the code and discover the password that fits. Don't you just get a few chances before you are blocked out?
I must admit, that I do appreciate the spare language of the Nordic writers; it is blunt, yet insightful. I just find I have some problems with the mechanics of the story itself - it seems a bit primitive, but as I said, that could be a cultural phenomenon. Lost in translation as they say.
And then it ends - and I can't decide if the ending is sweetly optimistic or terrifying.
It is likely that the Norwegian society is very different from mine, but right off the bat I had a problem with the opening paragraphs describing a 6 year old girl walking home alone from a sleep over. I like to think that I am a fairly laid-back parent, no helicoptering for me, but there is something very wrong about a child of six wandering the streets by herself.
I also wondered about the following: why law enforcement wouldn't charge a parent for leaving a small child alone in a high chair and, would they not question the intact nature of the pancakes, as opposed to them being cut up in bite sized pieces? (I'm trying not to be a spoiler so this might not make much sense). Also, I could be wrong because once again, maybe things are different in Norway, but is it really possible to sit at a computer for days on end, trying to crack the code and discover the password that fits. Don't you just get a few chances before you are blocked out?
I must admit, that I do appreciate the spare language of the Nordic writers; it is blunt, yet insightful. I just find I have some problems with the mechanics of the story itself - it seems a bit primitive, but as I said, that could be a cultural phenomenon. Lost in translation as they say.
And then it ends - and I can't decide if the ending is sweetly optimistic or terrifying.
September 30, 2012
Don’t Look Back
By Karin Fossum
4 stars
pp. 324
This was the first book which I had read of Karin Fossum’s Inspector Sejer series and for me it was a promising start. I found myself drawn to the introspective Inspector Sejer and his methods of questioning suspects and following the loose ends.
A frantic search for a missing child is successful however the search uncovers the body of a local teenager, Annie Holland. Through questioning it is uncovered that Annie is kind, considerate, she possessed an ability to work with even the most difficult and was athletically gifted, being constantly on the run. It seems she should have been able to defend herself. I was impressed that this book developed such a sympathetic picture of the victim, something that happens rarely. The reader was infused with a sense of sorrow for her passing.
I also appreciated getting a feeling for the setting a small village in Norway, in which neighbors are well aware of the comings and goings. It has its share of characters to make the community even more interesting.
I look forward to reading more of this series.
By Karin Fossum
4 stars
pp. 324
This was the first book which I had read of Karin Fossum’s Inspector Sejer series and for me it was a promising start. I found myself drawn to the introspective Inspector Sejer and his methods of questioning suspects and following the loose ends.
A frantic search for a missing child is successful however the search uncovers the body of a local teenager, Annie Holland. Through questioning it is uncovered that Annie is kind, considerate, she possessed an ability to work with even the most difficult and was athletically gifted, being constantly on the run. It seems she should have been able to defend herself. I was impressed that this book developed such a sympathetic picture of the victim, something that happens rarely. The reader was infused with a sense of sorrow for her passing.
I also appreciated getting a feeling for the setting a small village in Norway, in which neighbors are well aware of the comings and goings. It has its share of characters to make the community even more interesting.
I look forward to reading more of this series.
January 1, 2012
Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum is the second in a series by the Norwegian author (although the first I've read), featuring Inspector Konrad Sejer. Sejer is another member of the Scandinavian police force-strong, hardened, immensely attractive. This story begins as a little girl is reported missing, having last been seen getting into the car of a local eccentric. The characters are vividly rendered as is the setting.
I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading the next in the series.
I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading the next in the series.
July 30, 2016
Karin Fossum is known as the Queen of Nordic Noir and I was quite excited to read her books, especially the series featuring Inspector Konrad Sejer. Although Don't Look Back is her second novel in the series, I did not find it difficult to pick up in the story line. Fossum describes each of her characters in depth, filling out each of their personalities perfectly. Sejer is meticulous and thorough but not ever to the point of becoming redundant or boring which often is found in crime novels. There is a reason that Fossum is famous world wide for her crime writing - she really is "that good." If you enjoy crime fiction or nordic noir then I highly recommend this series.
March 15, 2023
I'm becoming hooked on Karin Fossum and Inspector Sejer. I find her stories engrossing, rich, and clever, with endings that knock the wind out of you. I like the way she changes character perspective in the narrative - it gives me a feel for the situation and the characters that I haven't run across before. She keeps so many fires burning in the story that it feels rewardingly twisty, without using cheap tactics or ridiculous endings that I've encountered frequently of late. Regarding the ending here, Onto #3 in the series!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 15, 2019
Don’t Look Back is part of a crime series by the Norwegian author Karin Fossum. It features Inspector Sejer who is widowed, very committed and introspective. It takes place at the foot of the Kollen Mountains of Norway.
It is a compelling story of a 15 year old girl who is murdered and about the various people who might have done it. The characters are described in great depth. I really like the character of Inspector Sejer and the setting and will continue to read more books in this series. The ending is a unexpected twist. I recommend this book if you enjoy crime fiction and especially Nordic noir.
It is a compelling story of a 15 year old girl who is murdered and about the various people who might have done it. The characters are described in great depth. I really like the character of Inspector Sejer and the setting and will continue to read more books in this series. The ending is a unexpected twist. I recommend this book if you enjoy crime fiction and especially Nordic noir.
February 26, 2015
Disappointed in the ending of this book. The story kept me turning the pages, but I don't feel that the writer wrapped up all loose ends.
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