The Caller

By: Karin Fossum

Narrated by: David Rintoul

One mild summer evening Lily and her husband are enjoying a meal while their baby daughter sleeps peacefully in her pram beneath a maple tree. But when Lily steps outside she is paralysed with terror. The child is bathed in blood. Inspector Sejer is called to the hospital to meet the family. Mercifully, the baby is unharmed, but her parents are deeply shaken, and Sejer spends the evening trying to comprehend why anyone would carry out such a sinister prank. Then, just before midnight, somebody rings his doorbell.

The corridor is empty, but the caller has left a small grey envelope on the mat. From his living room window, the inspector watches a figure slip across the car park and disappear into the darkness. Inside the envelope Sejer finds a postcard bearing a short message: Hell begins now.

©2011 Karin Fossum (P)2011 Random House Audio Go

Inspector Sejer on the case

Another good Inspector Sejer mystery. The series isn’t about mastermind serial killers. The crimes and murders are caused by relatively average people with compelling personal narratives. No SA or torture, but instead full of pathos.

great narration, not so great plot

What did you like best about The Caller? What did you like least?

The narrator was great. The social commentary was not subtle or nuanced and the plot lacked any unexpected twists.

What could Karin Fossum have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

More complex characters with a little subtlety in their development. Maybe a female character who does something besides take care of other people.

Have you listened to any of David Rintoul’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time with Rintoul, but he was grear.

Do you think The Caller needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Based on the flatness of this book, I don't think I will continue with the series.

Suspense in the Norwegian woods!

I chose The Caller because it received an excellent review in the Los Angeles Times, and it was well-deserved. I listen to my audiobooks while I walk every morning, and I could hardly wait for the next day to continue listening. Now I am disappointed that there are no more titles available on Audible. The Caller is enjoyable for its unusual plot, well-drawn characters, and details of life in what seemed to be an ordinary Norwegian town, with suburban housing tracts surrounded by farms and woods.

I hope that Audible adds more titles by Karin Fossum, and soon!

Good listen!

This is the second book of Karin Fossum that I've read. The first one was Broken, which I read in printed form and LOVED. This one isn't as successful as that, in my view, but I still liked it a lot. Fossum is a Norwegian author, but not as "dark" as Jo Nesb?? or as the Swedish Stieg Larsson. Some interesting plot twists, and the narration is quite good.

Another good narrator!

Would you listen to The Caller again? Why?

Yes. The story is compelling.

What about David Rintoul’s performance did you like?

His voice, British accent & the dramatic emphasis on certain sentences.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Beware the karma of revenge.