He Who Fears The Wolf [Paperback]

He Who Fears the Wolf is the second novel in translation; I've no idea where in the series it comes, as so little information about that has filtered into English. One suspects it might not matter - both books I've so far read have been complete within themselves. Possibly, we are missing development of Inspector Konrad Sejer, but I'm not sure that matters: he's pretty much an archetype, which could be considered either a good thing or a bad. On the one hand, we've met his like before (there are definite touches of Rendell's Wexford about him, as well as P.D. James's Dalgleish, and other of the more genteel elder detectives) and so know pretty much what we're in for, but, on the other hand, we've met his like before, and so he's nothing hugely original. That doesn't really matter, though - after all, we've met the likes of Rebus and Bosch many times before as well, and yet all-too-willingly lap up more. What matters is how he's put in the story, and the story itself.

One morning, an old woman is murdered outside her cottage in the woods. A young boy finds her, and rushes to the police station, where he also reports seeing the neighbourhood loon lurking around among the trees. That same morning, a young man robs a bank. Panicked when escaping, he snatches a hostage, who so happens to have just escaped from a mental institution.

Somewhat implausible, possibly, but the way Fossum handles it, and the way the one investigation begins to pale when faced with the great urgency of the other, is very well done indeed. Too, Fossum shows a marked ability at getting beneath the skin of her characters, the result being that each scenario is charged with the bizarre psychology of the pivotal characters. This ability for psychological insight is another factor which gives these books hints of Ruth Rendell. As gentle elders, Sejer and Wexford share a lot, and fans of Rendell's series will without question find a lot to admire here.

Fossum's writing has a soft clarity to it, and occasional streaks of poetry. I've seen these books criticised for being too pedestrian as mysteries, but I really can't see it. True, despite it's psychological depth and surprising turns, the tone's as soft and gentle as cotton, which is why it's so powerful. Because occasional peaks of brutality lance out of it, as sharp a contrast as blood on fresh snow. Horrifying touches crash out of the blue and drop your jaw (for those in the know: consider the story of Errki's mother). The overall effect is of not only a sucessful (and atmospheric, may I add!) crime novel, but a great thriller as well. Karin Fossum is another import from Europe that I've been all too happy to add to my "must read" pile.

Suddenly the point of view shifts, and a 12-year-old boy, Kannick Snellingen, runs into the police station saying that Halldis is dead, with a hoe embedded in her face, and that he has seen Errki lurking nearby. Kannick, like Errki, is also disturbed, living in a home for children with behavioral problems. A sudden shift to the next morning, and Detective Inspector Konrad Sejer, after noting a strange person entering the bank, soon hears a gunshot and learns that it has been robbed and a hostage taken--Errki.

The intersecting worlds of Errki, the robber (known as Morgan), Kannick Snellingen, and Inspector Sejer and his assistant, Jacob Scarre, create a fascinating series of psychological portraits and interactions. Morgan and Errki, hiding out together in an abandoned cabin, try to avoid the police and stay alive, remaining wary of each other but starting to communicate about the voices Errki hears from The Coat and a spirit named Nestor. Kannick, who wants to become a national archery champ, wallows in the attention he gets from his peers at the home, describing the gory condition of Halldis's body in exchange for candy. At the same time, Sejer, a widower for eleven years, confers with Errki's psychiatrist in order to understand Errki more fully, and finds himself powerfully drawn to her as he tries to solve Halldis's murder and the robbery of the bank by apprehending Errki and Morgan.

Developing the story in clean, straightforward prose, Fossum reveals the disturbing thoughts of Errki, Morgan, and Kannick, along with their traumatic backgrounds, stories which need no additional melodrama. As the reader comes to know the characters and feel empathy for them, she creates fine dramatic tension and a suspense-filled story in which nothing is as it appears to be. Occasionally, the ironies are leavened with dark humor. A climactic meeting involving all the major characters leads to a full resolution and, ultimately, a greater understanding of the characters' interior worlds. Fascinating, well-drawn, and concise, this novel, the second in the Inspector Sejer series, is a psychological mystery of the first order, filled with intriguing characters and unusual plot twists. Mary Whipple