When the Devil Holds the Candle

Author - Karin Fossum ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from Random House Uk Ltd was reviewed on 14-Oct-2008.

Search ISBN:0099461129 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. When the Devil Holds the Candle Reference Book. Classifications : General AAS Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Subjects Books General AAS General Literature & Fiction Subjects Books General AAS Literature & Fiction Subjects Books Series Mystery Mystery & Thrillers . Click the following link to view the cover of When the Devil Holds the Candle.

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1) Paperback Book When the Devil Holds the Candle by Random House Uk Ltd. Excellent writer who holds your interest throughout the book. The characters seem real with problems beyond the mystery.¤

2) Paperback Book When the Devil Holds the Candle by Random House Uk Ltd. Norwegian author Karin Fossum shuns convention and spins another offbeat crime novel in "When the Devil Holds the Candle", a refreshingly off-the-beaten track Scandinavian mystery that is as well written as it is quirky.

Andreas Winther is an aimless eighteen-year old, a not uncommon slacker holding down a minimum wage job while flirting with the mildest fringes of crime. Irma Funder is 60ish, a mostly reclusive divorcé with a semi-estranged adult son and memories of a childhood of benign neglect. A young mother walks her four-month old child along Oslo´s beach. Guided by Fossum´s talented hand, the unlikely crossing of these dissimilar lives makes for an explosive literary feast of suspense and depravity, a novel so rich in conflicting themes, sinister undercurrent, and depth of character that it nearly bursts out of the mere 259 pages that try to confine it. This is a masterpiece of darkness, a somber and psychologically chilling tale that leaves no winners as it takes twists and turns to its unexpected and powerful conclusion.

Drawing parallels to this author´s work is mostly futile. Sure, the fatalistic tone recalls Arnaldur Indridason or Jo Nesbo, but living in a cold, damp place with no sun for half of the year probably makes it hard to write like say, Carl Hiaasen. Fossum´s plots are fresh and unexpected, her villains unlikely, her settings surrealistic, even haunting. Where most writers deal in blacks and whites and good vs. evil that lead to a clean finish, Karin Fossum´s mastery stems from her rich ambiguity. Where most authors cast their protagonist in the central role, spinning the story around their whims and deductions and forensic brilliance, Fossum´s inspector Sejer is nearly an observer, a keen but detached bystander who never seems fully engaged with the crime at hand.

So if you´re looking for a different path - intelligent fiction that will prod and pester and make you want to put your life on hold until you´re forced to finish, then you´ve got to meet Karin Fossum. But a word of warning - don´t expect relief when it´s finally placed on the bookshelf. Fossum´s prose will continue to haunt long after you´ve turned the last page.¤

3) Paperback Book When the Devil Holds the Candle by Random House Uk Ltd. I read "The Indian Bride" and was mesmerized. Fantastic writing, and I was intrigued with the typical honest "dreary" writing of Scandinavian writers (I am from Sweden). I can see why some get tiered of Kurt Wallander in Henning Mankell´s books. Or try figure out Martin Beck in Maj Showall and Per Wahloo´s books. Just very Unamerican characters and much dread of the Swedish society. Geez, one has to live there to really appreciate the style of writing. Swedes are rather pessimistic and whiny compared to the average American.

However, this book, "When the Devil Holds the Candle" was so gory and too much psychopathic to be enjoyable. Too much lonliness of the individual and too much weary thinking and enless questioning of the stumbles in life. This happens when a good writer who has specialized in developmental psychological characters, gets carried away.....¤

4) Paperback Book When the Devil Holds the Candle by Random House Uk Ltd. This is the 3rd or 4th book that I´ve read by Karin Fossum and I was truly creeped out by this one. Being of Norwegian decent, I love that a Norwegian woman wrote this. I guess that I shouldn´t be surprised, but I didn´t know she was out there and I love it! Read it if you love suspense and mysery.¤

5) Paperback Book When the Devil Holds the Candle by Random House Uk Ltd. Characters that are real, not forced or overdrawn. Plot development that is believable and deceiving, with a style that smoothly involves the reader mentally, laying clues that may be clues or not, always with unexpected plot finishes that are satisfying. Read one of her books and you immediately want to start another. A detective mystery writer of the highest order.
I would recommend starting with The Indian Bride, then He Who Fears the Wolf, then Don´t Look Back and then When The Devil Holds the Candle. The Indian Bride would make a great book-club discussion novel. If you like anything in this genre you will love this author.¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 11-Nov-2008, 00994611299780099461128, 290-790-610-280-1YB-CIB-16B-8

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