Reviews for Black Seconds (Inspector Sejer Series #6)

The average rating for Black Seconds (Inspector Sejer Series #6) based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-09-16 00:00:00 Asdf Adsdf Black Seconds, is the sixth instalment in Karin Fossum's outstanding series featuring Inspector Konrad Sejer and Jacob Skarre and begins with every parent's worst nightmare: a missing child. Released in Norway in 2002 and only available in English translation in 2007, this novel is a police procedural, although its immense power stems from some breathtaking psychological insights and the compassion of the investigators. The crime itself is very simple, and sadly an everyday occurrence, yet Fossum's sensitively observed and painstakingly precise recounting is heartfelt and truly compelling. The unhurried and measured pace of the novel means that Black Seconds will not appeal to readers who demand pulse-pounding action, especially since the perpetrator is fairly apparent from the early pages. In the novels of Karin Fossum, the crimes are never open and shut cases and assigning blame is not the sole focus. Her realistic characters are very much seen as a product of their circumstances, and empathetic and assured Inspector Konrad Sejer is a man who understands the futility of attempting to examine an event in isolation. For life is never so easy to unravel and Inspector Sejer recognises that sensitivity is needed as he gently probes and gives the involved parties an opportunity to speak, whilst never judging. Readily sympathising with predicaments that might not have been instigated by any malevolent intent and yet had hideously unfortunate repercussions, Inspector Konrad Sejer fosters a rapport with almost all of those he encounters in the course of his work. Black Seconds focuses on the disappearance of angelic looking, cheerful and rather precocious nine-year-old, Ida Joner, as she counts down the days until her tenth birthday. She sets off on her distinctive yellow bicycle to buy a magazine and chewing gum and mother, Helga, watches her from the window as she turns left on route to town and Laila's Kiosk. Ida's mother, forty-nine-year-old Helga, is an nervous and overprotective parent and her beautiful daughter means everything to her. Helga's anxiety at the void created by Ida leaving the house immediately sees the first prickles of fear settling in the pit of her stomach and long after Ida should have returned home she clings to a fragile hope. After pacing back and forth to the window, making plea bargains with God and promising to allow Ida the pet she craves if only she returns home safe and well, Helga finally has to acknowledge that Ida neither arrived at Laila's Kiosk or has made it home safely. Calling first her sister, Ruth Rix, five-years her junior and a mother of two, and subsequently alerting the police, Fossum captures the harrowing search for Ida from the motivations of those that turn out for the search parties to the sudden implosion of a mother's world. As the search labours onwards and days pass without any sign of Ida, Ruth is relieved of her obligations to watch over Helga by Ida's father, Anders, and returns to her home and her eighteen-year-old son, Tom Erik (Tomme) and twelve-year-old daughter, Marion. However, Ruth is distracted by her son's low mood, his reluctance to talk about Ida and his car prang on the very same night as her disappearance. The news that Willy Oterhals, an older boy with a disreputable past and suspected links to drug dealing intends to aid the repair of the dented and scratched Opel does nothing to stem her feeling of disquiet. Simultaneously, Fossum also introduces mentally handicapped Emil Johannes Mork, a fifty-two-year-old man whose gruff appearance, strange three-wheeled vehicle and stubborn refusal to engage in conversation beyond saying 'no' is well-known locally. Despite living on his own with his African grey parrot, Henry, Emil is marshalled by his seventy-three-year-old mother, Elsa, who cleans his home and handles matters that she feels are beyond his comprehension. As Sejer is losing hope of successful resolution, the discovery of Ida's body dressed in a beautiful nightie and ensconced in a white duvet provides two vital clues that point the way forward. As Inspector Konrad Sejer refuses to automatically rush to assign the blame at the door of Emil, a man practically incapable of conveying his side of the story, his diligent observation of a community in shock reveals that there could be more to the situation than meets the eye. Inspector Sejer is a earnest man with a lifetime of detective work behind him and he realises that rather than frightening or bullying suspects, there is a lot more to be said for reassuring and patient exchanges which can create a bond. Most importantly of all, he strives to understand the underlying reasons for a crime by placing himself in the situation of all the involved parties. His comprehension of how people can often act on impulse and subsequently be left in the awkward position of justifying their actions retrospectively is behind his humane approach to both Emil Johannes, his mother, Elsa, and Tomme Rix. Fossum's powerful psychological character study show the burdens of guilt, the toll they can take on a person and the implications of a future bound in lies. For sensitive and thought-provoking police procedurals with an emphasis on the psychological insights, Fossum is in a class of her own! Black Seconds is another marvellous example of both her eloquence, the benefits of delving deeper into the origins of a realistic crime and the thought processes of a detective intent on understanding. Despite learning a great deal about Ida, readers never actually meet her but her presence looms over every moment of this heartbreaking and simply exquisite story.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-08-03 00:00:00 Lance Morehead Karin Fossum knows well the edginess and anticipation her readers feel as they plunge into extraordinary crime. She drives them to continue reading. How and why did the event happen? Who did it? What are the inescapable feelings of the family and the accused? Inspector Konrad Sejer continues to thrill me with his probing questions. Mild and assuming, he puts a subject at ease. He waits for them to fill the silence. Then, he pounces on their statements. Not proud, but correct and professional. He's moralistic and will always tell the subject what they did was wrong. Not satisfied with a conviction, he wants only the truth. If not to settle the case, but to complete his searching curiosity. Something terribly wrong was done and there must be an answer. Fossum equips Sejer with an intellect and ingenuity that are astounding in their simplicity. It's very satisfying reading another Fossum mystery and I look forward to reading more.