Karin Fossum

An inventively twisted psychological thriller from “a master of the slow build, the controlled burn” (Chicago Tribune).
In the middle of the night, a man breaks into a woman’s house, finds her bedroom, and wakes her up. She’s the author who could save his soul by telling his story. He’s one of many characters waiting their turn—except now he’s cut the line. After all, she could die soon,...

Inspector Sejer is investigating the brutal murder of a woman who lived alone in the middle of the woods. The chief suspect is another loner, a schizophrenic recently escaped from a mental institution. The only witness is a twelve-year-old boy, overweight, obsessed with archery, and a resident at a home for delinquents. When a demented man robs a nearby bank and accidentally takes the suspect hostage, the three mistfits are drawn into an uneasy alliance....

"Riktor doesn't like the way the policeman storms into his home without even knocking. He doesn't like the arrogant way he walks around the house, taking note of its contents. The policeman doesn't bother to explain why he's there, and Riktor is too afraid to ask. He knows he's guilty of a terrible crime and he's sure the policeman has found him out. But when the policeman finally does confront him, Riktor freezes. The man is arresting him for something...

A missing child mystery drives this "dark, intense . . . impossible-to-put-down investigation. . . . Essential reading for fans of Scandinavian crime fiction" (Booklist, starred review).
Ida Joner gets on her brand-new bike and sets off toward town. A good-natured, happy girl, she is looking forward to her tenth birthday. Thirty-five minutes after Ida should have come home, her mother starts to worry. She phones store owners,...

"A truly great writer and explorer of the human mind." — Jo Nesbø
"What grips readers is the enormous amount of emotion [Fossum] works up as we get closer and closer to reliving the murderous event in question . . . Hell Fire is close to heartbreaking, and there are not many novels, thrillers or otherwise, you can say that about." — Los Angeles Times

A gruesome tableau awaits Inspector...

"[A] penetrating tale of a falling-out among conspirators" from the author of The Water's Edge and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Kirkus Reviews).
In the wake of Stieg Larsson's bestselling novels, readers are discovering the rich trove of modern Scandinavian crime fiction. If you've devoured the Millennium trilogy and are looking for your next read, Karin Fossum and her bone-chillingly bleak psychological...

“An intelligent thriller . . . [a] slim-but-dense marvel of a mystery” from the award-winning author of The Murder of Harriet Krohn (The Washington Post Book World).
Reinhardt and Kristine Ris, a married couple, are out for a Sunday walk when they discover the body of a boy and see the figure of a man limping away. They alert the police, but not before Reinhardt, to Kristine’s horror, kneels down and takes...

In this tense and twisty latest from Norway's maven of crime, time shifts between Inspector Sejer's interrogation of the accused Ragna Reigel and the shocking events that led up to her arrest. How did this lonely, quiet woman come to kill a man—or did she?
How did a lonely, quiet woman come to kill a man—or did she?

Ragna Riegel is a soft-spoken woman of routines. She must have order in her life, and...