Reviews

Hellfire by Karin Fossum

author_d_r_oestreicher's review against another edition

5.0

Hell Fire by Karin Fossum (Norwegian) is another (#12) Inspector Sejer mystery. Similar to the other books in this series, it includes psychotic killers, selfish people, children in jeopardy, desperate lives, dysfunctional mother-son relationships, and Inspector Sejer as a pillar of strength and tranquility. These books are not for the faint of heart. The story opens with the murder of a mother and her young son, by (presumably) a twenty-one-year-old son of another single mother. Both sons are excessively dependent on their indulgent mothers.

A psychological mystery with plenty of surprises and sympathetic treatment of all characters who are all flawed, but none evil.

For my expanded notes: https://1book42day.blogspot.com/2019/05/hell-fire-boy-by-karin-fossum.html
Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.

anye's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

stan_vdb's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

camel's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious slow-paced

3.0

bougainvillea's review

4.0

4.5

I was not crazy about the twist at the end, but Fossum can write! So well constructed!

melofgreengables's review

2.0

I do like a slow burn mystery, but this one was crawling at a glacial pace. There was no real suspense and inspector Sejer made only very brief appearances. I nearly gave up on the book several times. I read on only because, having read several books by this author over the years, I hoped the ending would make it worthwhile, but it was just as flat as the rest of the book.

fluffyturtle's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

fionaaaaaa's review

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. It has an intricate story. Karen Fossum has a way of writing stories that pulls you in, teasing you with each new snippet of information, adding drama and intrigue. I just love the way she writes, you never know what direction the story is going, keeps you hooked till the very end. This story was a bit like an onion, each layer revealed another layer and you weren't sure how it all pieced together, just brilliant, even to the final page.

eswee's review against another edition

3.0

It's a good in-between read. Even when you know real soon who will be the killer and how he murdered the two victims, you still keep on reading because you want to know why. Sejers investigation lines up beautifully with their tragic stories.

jessicaesquire's review against another edition

3.0

I love the Inspector Sejer series, it's been my favorite Scandinavian crime series by far. But in the last few years Fossum's gone in a different direction. She no longer wants to take you through a procedural, she wants to examine the killer in more detail. So there's no more question of who did it. (You figure it out pretty early here, since otherwise there's no reason for the character to exist in the story.) And just like last time with Bad Intentions, that's fine, but I still preferred the old Sejer novels and spending more time with Sejer himself.

Hell Fire and the more recent Fossum novels are a good fit for the person who enjoys knowing a crime has happened and then seeing the circumstances that led up to it play out in great detail. And this is a worthy effort in that way, especially because of the parallels between the killer and the victims' families, two single mothers with sons. It just wasn't quite the right fit for me.