Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Aug 2016
272 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
A gruesome tableau awaits Inspector Konrad Sejer in the oppressive summer heat: a woman and a young boy lay dead in a pool of blood near a dank camper.
The details of the deaths of Bonnie Hayden and her five-year-old son Simon are mysterious. There is no sign of robbery or assault. Who would brutally stab a defenseless woman and her child? Sejer and his fellow investigator Jakob Skarre begin a hunt for the killer that will eventually lead them to a heartbreaking conclusion.
In a parallel storyline, masterfully fused, Fossum tells the story of Mass Malthe and her troubled son Eddie as they navigate a relationship that some would call too close. Eddie constantly thinks about his unknown father — someone his mother would rather forget. When long-held secrets are revealed, it turns out that Mass and Bonnie share more in common than Eddie could have ever guessed.
"Starred Review. Superb... Few readers will be surprised by the murderer's identity, but the slow, deliberate revelation of the story behind the crime is dramatic and heartbreaking." - Publishers Weekly
"Fossum traces the parallels between the mothers and sons so patiently, precisely, and compassionately that even fans who know all too well what's bound to happen when their paths converge will be shocked into fresh grief themselves." - Kirkus
"Fossum, gifted as ever at playing devil's advocate with readers' preconceptions and emotions, cleverly masks Bonnie's and Eddie's roles in the imminent tragedy, and the result is a wrenching portrait of deception in the name of maternal love." - Booklist
This information about Hell Fire was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Karin Fossum is the author of many novels and two collections of short
stories. Her crime novels featuring Inspector Sejer have been translated into sixteen languages.
Don't Look Back is the first of Fossum's police
procedurals to be published in the USA. The second in the series, He Who Fears The Wolf was published in 2005, and other translations of the series in English include Calling Out For You and Black Seconds.
Fossum has recently been honored with Gumshoe Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for mystery/thriller. She lives in a small town in southeastern Norway.
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