The Caller: An Inspector Sejer Mystery

“Pranks can have lethal consequences, even when they seem harmless to start with . . . A poison bonbon that ranks with the best of Ruth Rendell.”—Stephen King in Entertainment Weekly

One mild summer evening, a young couple are enjoying dinner while their daughter sleeps peacefully in her stroller under a tree. When her mother steps outside she is stunned: the child is covered in blood.

Inspector Sejer is called to the hospital to meet the family. Mercifully, the child is unharmed, but the parents are deeply shaken, and Sejer spends the evening trying to understand why anyone would carry out such a sinister prank. Then, just before midnight, somebody rings his doorbell.

No one is at the door, but the caller has left a small gray envelope on Sejer’s mat. From his living room window, the inspector watches a figure disappear into the darkness. Inside the envelope Sejer finds a postcard bearing a short message: Hell begins now.

“No one can thoroughly chill the blood the way Karin Fossum can . . . will put you away, no questions asked.”—Los Angeles Times

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"[A] chilling morality play reminiscent of Ruth Rendell or even Patricia Highsmith."-Library Journal  "[A]stand out among Scandinavian crime authors...Fossum’s psychological thrillers will appeal, in particular, to fans of Anne Holt and Henning Mankell." -Booklist "THE CALLER is one of the darkest, most disturbing crime stories you're likely to read this year...Fossum is a grandmaster at the art of psychological terror."--New York Times Book Review