Book Review for

When the Devil Holds the Candle
(an Inspector Konrad Sejer mystery)

by Karin Fossum


The 3rd Inspector Konrad Sejer mystery.
Two idle teenage boys try to rob a single mother who is pushing her baby
in a stroller, which hits a bump. The baby falls out, sustaining an internal
injury. The boys then attempt to rob an old lady in her home. One of them
falls down the lady's cellar, breaking his neck. He is conscious but cannot move.
The old lady seems not to be entirely rational. She delays reporting this accident
to the police, wanting to punish the boy for his crime by letting him suffer where
he has fallen. She provides water, a pillow, blanket, and a heater, but still does
not report his accident. Meanwhile, the boy's mother is frantic in her search while
the police are being stalled by the other teenage boy, withholding the truth. The
story climaxes with a horrible chain of events which leave several dead,
one missing, and the police trying to understand what happened.
As is usual for the author, she leaves a twist at the end which only
hints at what might have happened. A very good mystery.



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