It takes a steady hand to craft a 336-page mystery that takes place almost exclusively in an interrogation room as a Norwegian detective questions an oddly detached suspect. In Fossum's thirteenth Konrad Sejer mystery (following Hell Fire, 2016), the award-winning author proves up to the challenge posed by the restrictive setting. Ragna Riegel has confessed to a crime. The solitary shop worker relishes the safety of her cell and the chance to tell her story to the sympathetic Sejer. Though the reader does not know what crime has been committed or who from Ragna's small group of acquaintances may have been involved, we do learn that it all started with an anonymous card deposited in Ragna's mailbox that read, You are going to die. As Ragna, speaking only in a whisper, describes the events leading up to her crime, Sejer reconstructs what she says in such a way as to create another version of what happened one that Ragna does not recognize. A wonderfully tense psychological crime novel by a master storyteller.--Karen Keefe Copyright 2019 Booklist

A familiar damsel-in-distress story veers off script into territory that would be too dark for almost anyone but Fossum (Hell Fire, 2016, etc.).Kirkelina shop clerk Ragna Riegel was born to be hurt. An only child whose parents died years ago, she was too unattractive even as a teenager to appeal to most men, and her seduction by much older photographer Walther Eriksson, long since departed for Stockholm, left her on her own to raise a son, Rikard Josef, who took off for Berlin as soon as he possibly could. Over the years, Ragna has comforted herself by fantasizing about her son's professional success as chief manager at the upscale hotel Dormero as she's waited for the annual Christmas cards that are her only other link to his present-day life. In the meantime, a botched operation on her throat reduced her voice to a whisper, alienating her from the world even further. An even nastier chapter in her sad life opens with an anonymous letter that warns her: "YOU ARE GOING TO DIE." Ragna disposes of the letter as briskly as if that disposed of the problem, but others soon follow: "IT'S NOT LONG NOW," "I'M WATCHING YOU," "NO ONE WILL HEAR YOU." A series of intercut chapters shows Ragna, whose frantic calls to the police have been deflected by anodyne responses, conversing with series regular Inspector Konrad Sejer, who finally offers her sympathy and understanding. It gradually becomes clear, however, that Sejer regards Ragna not as the potential victim of a crime but as a criminal herself. But not much else is clear at all. What can this gentle, frightened woman have done to break the law, and what on Earth could have led her to do so?The answers to these questions, though certainly disturbing, are so obvious that most readers will see them coming from far off, turning this mystery into an extended exercise in dramatic irony. The moving, late-blooming relationship between mother and son adds a welcome note of grace. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In her 13th "Inspector Sejer" book (after Hell Fire), the "Norwegian Queen of Crime" explores the complex territory of the human mind. How does society define mental illness, by what people think or by what they do? When Insp. Konrad Sejer finds himself facing murder suspect Ragna Riegel in the interrogation room, he knows he has to go slowly and use every ounce of his intuition and detective skills to tease out the truth. A horrific crime has been committed. There is a mutilated body. There is Ragna's confession. But Sejer wants more than that. Ragna needs more, deserves more, too. This story about a compassionate police inspector and a shy, introverted woman who can only whisper, never shout, because of a mangled operation will have readers sitting on the edge of their seats. VERDICT Those who like Scandinavian mysteries and the subtle buildup of psychological thrillers will enjoy this book. An essential purchase, even if Fossum's previous works are not in the collection. [See Prepub Alert, 2/4/19.]--Susanne Lohkamp, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR

Fossum's engrossing 13th Inspector Sejer mystery (after 2016's Hell Fire) opens quietly, with Sejer interviewing Ragna Riegel, the whisperer of the title, who's in police custody. Flashbacks tell the story of Ragna, whose vocal chords were damaged in an operation, causing her difficulty in speaking. She lives alone in the house she grew up in, works in a discount store, and has little social interaction outside work. She has a son (after a one-night stand), who has grown up and moved to Berlin, but the two have no relationship except for the occasional exchange of greeting cards. Ragna is virtually unseen and unheard-but not unhappy, until she finds an unsigned note in her mailbox that reads, "You are going to die." It's the first of several ominous messages that suggest she has committed a crime. Over the course of several interviews with a sympathetic Sejer, the nature of her crime eventually emerges. Fossum has rendered Ragna's plight with great precision and empathy in this acute psychological study of loneliness and grief. Fans of more nuanced Scandinavian crime fiction will be rewarded. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.