Scan barcode
danchrist's review against another edition
3.0
While I enjoyed getting to know a little more aboute Sajer, this third book in the series focused almost solely on three improbably linked, flawed characters. I'm okay with suspending reality, but don't ask me to totally discount it. Disappointing.
dave37's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting angle on a mystery, with the vast majority of the book being spent with the interactions and thoughts of two likable people accused of separate crimes whose paths collide. Some solid, traditional police procedural elements surround these protracted character studies, and made for a nice variation and an enjoyable read.
snowflakeanddan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
theoneandonlyredrose's review against another edition
3.0
Quite liked it considering I don't read many thrillers. Enjoyed the interaction between the two main characters and Eerkii with his voices in his head but the whole thing descended into a bit of a farce. Not sure if it was supposed to be comical. Hardly a 'thriller'!
pattieod's review against another edition
4.0
A hot summer day in Norway, and bank robber takes a schizophrenic hostage who may or may not have just murdered an elderly widow, and go on the lam into the woods.
One of the best mysteries I read in a long time. Very character-focused, rather than plot focused. Even if you're not a fan of the genre, you might enjoy this one.
One of the best mysteries I read in a long time. Very character-focused, rather than plot focused. Even if you're not a fan of the genre, you might enjoy this one.
affiknittyreads's review against another edition
2.0
Eh, there were quite a few things that bothered me about this book. One could have been due to the formatting of the e-book. From one paragraph to the next, with nothing to indicate a transition, the point of view would change from one character to another. Strange and disorienting. A bigger problem was that there were no clues given about the solution to the mystery, no sense of an investigation progressing. At the end of the novel, Inspector Sejer seems to just guess at the solution and lo and behold, he’s right. That’s really disappointing when you are reading what you think is going to be a police procedural! Also there’s a subplot that seems to be entirely superfluous.
majkia's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting murder mystery, with the focus on the criminals rather than the detectives or their investigation. Psychological and complex.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘He who fears the wolf shouldn’t go into the forest.’
Chief Inspector Konrad Sejer and his team are called into investigate the murder of Halldis Horn, an elderly woman who lives alone in the woods near a small village. It seems that the chief suspect is Errki Johrma, a loner who is probably psychotic and has recently escaped from a mental institution. Many people fear Errki because bad things seem to happen around him, including the death of his mother. The only witness is Kannick Snelligen, a twelve year old boy with problems of his own and who lives at a nearby home for delinquents.
While police are seeking Errki for questioning, a nearby bank is robbed and a hostage is taken. The police need to track down the robber and his hostage. The two cases become linked as it becomes clear that Errki is the hostage. Errki and his kidnapper, Morten Garpe (Morgan), form a temporary but meaningful bond. This bond which is tested when Kannick Snellingen joins them, but by then Errki’s story has been slowly revealed and it is hard not to feel sorry for him rather than afraid of him.
This story is more about Errki than Sejer, but Sejer’s painstaking information-gathering is critical to solving the case and also in understanding how prejudice and disadvantage can play their own role. The ending is tragic, but probably inevitable. In this case, at least, the disadvantaged do not triumph.
Although ‘He Who Fears the Wolf’ is the third book in the Inspector Konrad Sejer series, it is first one I’ve read. It was recommended to me by a friend, and I’ll certainly be looking to read some more. As far as I can find out, the first book in the series has not yet been translated into English.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Chief Inspector Konrad Sejer and his team are called into investigate the murder of Halldis Horn, an elderly woman who lives alone in the woods near a small village. It seems that the chief suspect is Errki Johrma, a loner who is probably psychotic and has recently escaped from a mental institution. Many people fear Errki because bad things seem to happen around him, including the death of his mother. The only witness is Kannick Snelligen, a twelve year old boy with problems of his own and who lives at a nearby home for delinquents.
While police are seeking Errki for questioning, a nearby bank is robbed and a hostage is taken. The police need to track down the robber and his hostage. The two cases become linked as it becomes clear that Errki is the hostage. Errki and his kidnapper, Morten Garpe (Morgan), form a temporary but meaningful bond. This bond which is tested when Kannick Snellingen joins them, but by then Errki’s story has been slowly revealed and it is hard not to feel sorry for him rather than afraid of him.
This story is more about Errki than Sejer, but Sejer’s painstaking information-gathering is critical to solving the case and also in understanding how prejudice and disadvantage can play their own role. The ending is tragic, but probably inevitable. In this case, at least, the disadvantaged do not triumph.
Although ‘He Who Fears the Wolf’ is the third book in the Inspector Konrad Sejer series, it is first one I’ve read. It was recommended to me by a friend, and I’ll certainly be looking to read some more. As far as I can find out, the first book in the series has not yet been translated into English.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
jqnk210's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
chelsearm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0