Calling Out for You

Calling Out for You by Norwegian author Karin Fossum is a police procedural that is part of her series featuring Inspector Konrad Sejer. Middle-aged, shy Gunder Jomann returns from India a changed and happy man as he has come home a married man. On the day that his bride is to arrive, his sister is involved in a terrible automobile crash and Gunder has to go to the hospital instead of the airport to greet his new wife. He sends his friend who is a taxi-driver in his place, but unfortunately his bride, Poona can’t be located. The next day it becomes known that a woman has been found, beaten and murdered and now lying in a meadow not far from Gunder’s house.

Inspector Sejer and his assistant, Jacob Skarre, work the case carefully and show more slowly gather as many details as they can. The crime, committed near the same village of Elvestad means that a spotlight is now placed on the town and it’s inhabitants. Although people are reluctant to become involved, a few come forward with information and eventually Sejer makes an arrest.

I found Calling Out for You to be both sinister and gripping. The author writes with intelligence and her measured writing and skilful plotting allows for offshoots of drama and occurrences that leave this case with a hazy, not quite finished feeling. Although I see that many people were annoyed by this ending, I found it refreshing and real that Sejer was involved in a case that wasn’t completely “open and shut”. This is an excellent series and each book that I have read is better than the last so it’s no surprise that with great anticipation, I immediately went and purchased the next book. show less

To my chagrin, I discovered it has been four years since I last read a book written by Karin Fossum. That is much too long a time between books. Fossum's Inspector Sejer is one of the best detectives in all of crime fiction, and I was reminded of this time and again as I read Calling Out for You.

The mystery is an engrossing one, and it takes Sejer quite a lot of patient teasing out of facts before he can even begin piecing things together. Too many people have secrets in Elvestad. Too many villagers believe that there's no way any of them could brutally beat a woman to death. And since no one could possibly have done anything wrong, there's no need to tell the police of the odd thing they happened to see the evening of the murder. It's show more an ironic fact of village life: live in one and your life seems like an open book, but it is possible to keep secrets all the same.

As rock solid as the mystery is, it is the power of Fossum's characterizations that pull this reader down into her story. The solid, dependable simplicity of Gunder Jomann and the sheer strength of his longing seep deep down into your awareness. The steadfast, cheerful, loving personality of Poona Bai is absolutely perfect for Gunder. Love has come to two very unlikely people, and I couldn't be happier for them. Fossum brought Poona to life in a few short pages, and what ultimately happens is heartbreaking.

It takes a detective like Inspector Konrad Sejer to solve this case. From the very first book in this series, I've admired Sejer because he listens to everyone. In solving murders, everyone is of value, and Sejer tends to rely on people that everyone else tends to ignore-- the old, the developmentally disabled, the homeless.... Sejer has a tender side that we are allowed to glimpse-- from the steadily declining health of his beloved old dog to his instructions to his team about the disposition of the murdered woman's belongings. This man has been on the job for a long time, but it hasn't knocked the compassion out of him. In many ways if I found myself living out life as a member of a homicide team, I'd want to be a member of Sejer's.

If you love tightly plotted mysteries that aren't always neatly tied up by book's end, if you love rich character studies that stay with you long after you've finished reading the book, if you love police procedurals with heart, I have a suggestion. Karin Fossum's Inspector Konrad Sejer series. It's marvelous. show less

When Gunder Jomann's bride, Poona, arrives to Norway from India and an accident keeps Gunder from picking her up at the airport, unfortunate circumstances lead Poona into the hands of a brutal murderer and the tiny town of Elvestad becomes a beehive of suspicion and gossip. This mystery starts off more like an emotional tale of loneliness and love before turning into a story about pain and loss with a hint of redemption and possibly some happiness, or at least peace, at the end. This is my first Fossum, but her perceptive characterizations made me immediately fond of Gunder and Poona, Inspector Sejer, and, of course, Sejer's wonderful canine friend, Kollberg. I will absolutely be reading more of this series. Beware that there is no neat show more wrap-up at the end of this and it is rather frustrating, although, as sometimes happens in good stories, the ending instead veers toward real life rather than fictional convention. To make up for it on some level, the overall story gets to have an oddly happy ending - whether it's enough has to be left up to the individual reader. show less

When a foreign-born woman is found brutally murdered in a field, Inspector Konrad Sejer and his assistant, Jakob Skarre, are brought in to investigate. The victim turns out to be married to Gunder Jomann, a quiet unassuming man who recently traveled to India for the sole purpose of finding a wife. The murder would never have happened were it not for a series of coincidences that put the woman in harm's way. As Gunder grieves his sister's life also hangs in the balance due to injuries sustained in a car accident. The case is advanced by two people who come forward with information. One is an unstable young woman whose motives are suspect, the other an elderly man who keeps putting off making a call to the police for fear of retribution. show more

This was a very good read. The storyline was more complex than the previous ones in the series, and the characters more fully developed. Karin Fossum also gives her readers a glimpse of Sejer's personal life, as he copes with his aging beloved dog. Of course, Sejer and Skarre crack the case, but they also leave a few loose ends that I hope are picked up in the next book. show less

In The Indian Bride, author Karin Fossum explores the effects of a violent murder on a small Norwegian community. Fossum provides insight into the thought processes of the villagers, who form individual conclusions about the murder and wrestle with their duty to either report or withhold information from the police. Inspector Sejer and his partner are faced with the task of evaluating witness statements. Are the witnesses telling the truth, and are their perceptions reliable? Are any witnesses withholding information? If so, is it because they are guilty, or for some other reason?

This is a well-written police procedural and should appeal to fans of that genre. I did find the ending somewhat abrupt, however, and various questions were show more left unresolved -- much like real life. It left me feeling slightly unsettled. If you like your mysteries all wrapped up neatly, you may be frustrated by these loose threads. show less

“A narrow headland stretched out to the left. He walked out to the point. Found the remains of a fire, prodded it with his foot. The water here was black, possibly deep. He could have hidden her. Many did, throwing the body in the water, burying it. But nothing had been done to hide this murder. / Nothing had been done to mislead them. The killer was disorganized, characterized by confusion and lack of control.” (Ch 11)

Norwegian Gunder Jomann lives in Elvestad, is fifty, a successful sales representative, quiet, humble, responsible – and lonely. Long curious about India and about the very beautiful Indian women he has seen in photos, he plans a trip to Mumbai with the hopeful idea that he might find a wife there. He does; he and show more Poona Bai are married in Mumbai; and he returns to Norway to prepare his home for his new bride. Once her immigration paperwork is processed, Poona Bai will join her husband in Norway. Unfortunately, on the day she arrives to her new country, Gunder is waylaid by a family emergency involving his sister. His new life is not to be. Poona Bai’s savagely beaten, deceased body is found in close proximity to his home.

Inspector Konrad Sejer and his colleague Jacob Skarre are called in to investigate. In Elvestad, as in any small town, there is no shortage of gossip and rumour, but what on earth could possibly have motivated such a crime? And the victim’s body, found near impenetrable woods and a body of deep water, would have been so easy to conceal. The circumstances indicate a distracted, chaotic killer. The police arrest a suspect and get a confession – but readers be left wondering whether they have, in fact, got the right man. And Fossum plants a seed of intrigue that does not help dissolve the nagging questions.

Recommended: Yes! Thoroughly enjoying this Scandi-crime series by Fossum. She combines a solid crime story with a solid police procedural. In each novel, we learn a little more about Sejer’s private life, details I happily anticipate. show less

Finished [The Indian Bride], and it was heartbreaking, but after the heartbreak, it was a bit daring. We see Sejer doing his best interrogation, and when he's done, the outcome is entirely believable - until just before the end. Fossum leaves just enough doubt to make the puzzle even more fascinating.

Fossum once again builds wonderful characters: a lonely bachelor who suddenly takes himself to India to find a beautiful bride; a small cafe proprietor afraid he might be accused of the murder, who so does stupid things; an obsessive body builder; a young woman who is shunned by her friends for saying what she saw; an old man who keeps secrets in fear of worse. Small town life, in detail.