When the Devil Holds the Candle, by Karin Fossum

November 13, 2008 by
Filed under: book review, crime book, Inspector Konrad Sejer, Karin Fossum, Main character, Norwegian writer, recommendation 

When the Devil Holds the Candle, by the Norwegian author Karin Fossum, won the Gumshoe award for best European crime novel published in the US in 2007.

When the Devil Holds the Candle, by Karin Fossum When the theft of a purse from a stroller results in an infant’s death, two teenagers are in trouble. Unaware of the enormity of their crime, Zipp and Andreas are intent on committing still another. They follow an elderly woman, Irma Funder, home, and Andreas enters her house with his ever-reliable switchblade. Motionless in the dark, Zipp waits for his friend to come out. However, he will never see him alive again. Irma Funder relates quite differently to the intrusion by Andreas than Andreas and Zipp expected.

When called in to investigate the crime, Inspector Konrad Sejer and his colleague Jacob Skarre see no connection between the infant’s death and the reported disappearance of a local delinquent. And so, while the confusion in the world outside mounts, the chilling truth unfolds inside the old woman’s home.

Unflappable as ever, Sejer digs below the surface of small-town tranquility in an effort to understand how and why violence destroys everyday lives.

When the Devil Holds the Candle is another brilliantly observed, precisely rendered psychological mystery from the highly acclaimed Karin Fossum, where she creates intensity by problematizing the roles of murderer and victim. A wonderful story by Fossum!

Order from amazon US: Karin Fossum’s When the Devil Holds the Candle (Inspector Sejer Mysteries), or her Black Seconds (Inspector Sejer Mysteries).

Or, if you prefer amazon UK, you can order Karin Fossums books When the Devil Holds the Candle (Inspector Sejer Mystery) or Black Seconds.

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