The Whisperer by Karin Fossum

2 min read

Captivating.

It was a great pleasure to read Karin Fossum's 'Inspector Sejer' mysteries, of which this is the 13th. One of my favourite writers, I think this is her most accomplished novel. Although there is mystery, it is more a portrait of a woman whose life is unravelling, and the excellent writing gripped from the very first page. Many times I reread a page or passage to fully enjoy it.

Ragna Riegel is questioned for several days by Sejer in connection with a heinous crime. Alone in his office - with the exception of his dog Frank Robert - she talks about her life as a cashier in a discount store, her son who has left Norway for Berlin to manage an upscale hotel, and the threatening letters she has been receiving. "You are going to die".

So quiet and assuming as to be invisible, she lives with the damage of a botched surgery that injured her vocal cords, causing her to speak in a whisper and creating a lonely existence. Each day she commutes in the same seat on the bus, walks the same steps to the local shop, but as the threats continue (even being placed inside her home) she contacts the police and buys a beware of dog sign. Dumbfounded who could have singled her out for this mean prank, she cannot contact her absent son, or even speak with coworkers - her rage growing into a scream she can never release.

"I'm watching you."

Sejer plays a minor role, as do most of those around Ragna. It is her story and Fossum slowly reveals all her aspects. It takes almost 300 pages for the mystery around the crime to surface so this character study is not about solving the action. We know from the start she was involved as she admits her role and it is up to Sejer to piece the events together. Stoic and without judgement, his simple questions bring out the hidden stories of victims as well as the accused.

Writing a modern mystery without forensics or serial victims is a challenge Fossum has risen above. Relying on the psychological aspects of being victimized and the fragility it can create, Ragna emerges as a complete portrait of a woman, with her qualities and flaws, her trepidations and above all her dreams.

Such a pleasure that my high anticipation in reading the new Karin Fossum novel was surpassed. Ragna now sits alongside Poona from Fossum's The Indian Bride as my favourite of her characters.

My other reviews for Karin Fossum:

I Can See In The Dark

Hellfire (Inspector Sejer #12)

The Drowned Boy (Inspector Sejer #11)

The Caller (Inspector Sejer #10)

Bad Intentions (Inspector Sejer #9)

The Water's Edge (Inspector Sejer #8)

The Murder of Harriet Krohn (Inspector Sejer #7)

Black Seconds (Inspector Sejer #6)

The Indian Bride (Inspector Sejer #5)

When The Devil Holds The Candle (Inspector Sejer #4)

He Who Fears The Wolf (Inspector Sejer #3)