He Who Fears the Wolf by
Karin Fossum
pbk out August 04
(Vintage)
at £6.99
The crime writing of Karin Fossum has for a number of years been highly regarded,
not just in her native Norway, but throughout Europe. Her books about Inspector
Konrad Sejer have been published in no fewer than 16 languages and at long last she
has started to gather a considerable following amongst British fans. This book was
originally published in 1997 and six years passed before a UK hardback edition
appeared, but it is not easy to understand why its merits were not appreciated here
sooner. There are two inter-related stories: the brutal murder of an elderly woman,
Halldis Horn, and a bank robbery. The common factor is that the prime suspect in the
murder is Errki Johrma, a troubled young man who hears voices, is taken hostage by
Morgan, the hapless robber. Fossum's plotting is adequate, but the emphasis is on
characterisation and in the evocation of a lonely and forbidding landscape. As tragedy
unfolds, Errki's whispered warning that 'he who fears the wolf shouldn't go into the
forest' is proved true. And it is Errki, rather than Morgan or Kannick, the boy who
links Errki to the crime scene, or even the patient and likeable Sejer, who lingers
longest in the reader's memory. Fossum's literary career began with published poetry,
and even in translation her writing has a distinctive and lyrical flavour. We are sure to
hear more about her in years to come.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
He Who Fears the Wolf by
Karin Fossum
