The Water's Edge (6) (Inspector Sejer Mysteries)

Karin Fossum is one of the best mystery / suspense writers today. This book, with its multiple threads of murder, kidnapping, and the collapse of a marriage, is one you will have a hard time putting down. As the Norwegian community struggles to understand who is kidnapping children, and Inspector Sejer and his team race to find out, the marriage of one of the couples involved begins to collapse with ugly hints of trouble that may be very relevant to the kidnappings. The landscape is evocative of a dangerous sense of isolation from which one is protected only by small groups - the stand of trees where a dead body is brought because the trees together are "safe", the detectives working in pairs, the couples involved hang together out of fear. This is what separates an excellent mystery/suspense writer from a good one, and Fossum is one of the best. I cannot recommend this book any better. I would give it 6 stars if I could. And I cannot wait until her next one is translated. It's enough to make a man try to learn Norwegian just to have less time to wait for the next Fossum book.

While perhaps not the very best of Fossum's Sejer series, it is still a deeply gratifying read. Initially, I held off on reading this. I'm generally not a fan of books about crimes against children. I felt Fossum succeeded in not giving over to the temptation of the gruesome. What I find most fascinating is Fossum's complex psychology of children. The children in her books are not little adults, but are every bit as complex -- and interesting -- as adult characters. For me, it was another winner from Fossum.

On a sunday afternoon a married couple, Kristine and Reinhardt Ris, takes a walk in the park. Suddenly they see a man who walks fast to the park exit. He's limping and wears a blue anorak. He looks grim at the married couple. A few minutes later they find the dead body of a little boy. A few months later a fat boy disappears. They don't find the body in spite of extensive searches. Is he still alive? If not, where for Heaven's sake is the body? The principal characters are Kristine and Reinhardt and the two detectives Konrad Sejer and his assistant Skarre. Kristine is unhappily married. Most of her day's she dreams about a life of her own without Reinhardt. He has a dominant personality. He enjoys the fact that he was the first to find the body. He thinks he's important because the police starts the investigation based upon the information provided by Reinhardt. One day, when her husband is not at home, she finds the photo of a young girl in a drawer of his desk. This is an outstanding mystery novel and an easy read as well. Recommended.

The Water's Edge was even better, if possible, than the previous Sejer books. Her insight into the minds by all affected by the crime(s) is exquisite. This is by far the best book I've read in the last year. Her book BROKEN, a non-Sejer book, was equally as powerful and psychologically driven. She can't write fast enough for me.

In its brevity, Karin Fossum's newest work of fiction, "The Water's Edge," excels with smooth, poetic prose, fine storytelling, and well-drawn characters. A few red-herrings squirrel through the pages of this well crafted, smart, and haunting police procedural as well. The reader feels compelled to read further in this perplexing whodunit, where evil is exorcised in the last chapters. Inspector Konrad Sejer and his partner, Jacob Skarre, are back for another riotous conundrum in the small town of Huseby, Norway. Jonas August Lowe, an eight year old boy, naked, lays dead by the shore of Lake Linde. With no signs of physical abuse, struggle, or puncture wounds, the case becomes a zigzagged mystery in the utmost respect, with no reprieve in sight for the two main detectives. A handful of hindrances and foggy suspicions by the townspeople lead Sejer and Skarre down a maze of mystifying conclusions and observations. Meanwhile, another young lad, Edwin Asalid, goes missing, and the townsfolk become edgy, concealing evidence and wrongdoings, which is vital to solving both cases. The ambiance of the small community is infused with heartache and scandal, terror and suspicion. The characters seem real, as always, in Fossum's books, and the tight-knit community here is sketched in three-dimensional craftsmanship: a young married couple, Reinhardt and Kristine Ris, are in turmoil in their private life, and the discovery of a bizarre infatuation with dead bodies becomes troublesome for both Kristine Ris, and the Huseby's authorities. Alex Meyer, a teacher at Solberg School in Huseby, reveals his fascination with young boys, and he is visited and investigated by Inspector Sejer and Jacob Skarre, who are both roused by the man's peculiar pastime. Then there is a man who, according to Kristine Ris, resembles the writer, Hans Christian Anderson, who was seen fleeing the scene of the crime on that Sunday morning. A group of other shady characters make an appearance throughout the novel, but only to hurl a wrench into an already maddening case for both detectives. On the horizon, however, a personal victory shines in the storyline. Inspector Sejer has added a new addition to his family, a Chinese Shar Pei named Frank Robert. A nice touch to the story, if only to brighten the murderous air. For readers who have followed the series will know, Sejer's beloved dog, Kollberg, met the end of his life in the last outing, "Black Seconds," and he is never mentioned here. A disappointment for us animal lovers, but also a new beginning for the tall, gray-haired Inspector. Moreover, the personality of Sejer's counterpart, Jacob Skarre, is amusing to watch in this novel, unlike in past stories, where his workload on different cases had veiled his witty, extrovert persona that readers will find enjoyable in this book. With his curly hair and a luminous smile, Jacob Skarre is a delightful character, albeit fictional. At the conclusion of the story, the reader will be