Don't Look Back

Coming from the more gentile, Morse, end of the detective spectrum, Karin Fossum has been Norway's Queen of Crime since the mid-90s, with her internationally renowned Inspector Sejer Series. Don't Look Back is the first to be translated into English, and the first one I have ever read. And it is lovely. For a book about the murder of children.
Set in a sleepy mountain village an hour outside Oslo, the troubled undercurrents of the close knit community bubble to the surface when a teenage girl's body is found by the lake. Everyone knew and loved Annie Holland, she babysat their children and was the star of the local sports teams. No one had a reason to kill her. It is up to non-nonsense, slightly old fashioned Detective Sejer to discover the truth behind the seemingly innocent neighborhood's veneer.
Sejer is wonderful. Reminding me a little bit of a slightly less angsty Wallander, his slow-but-steady approach delves deep into the cracks exposed by his investigation. He also has massive faith in people, which I would love to see destroyed in further books in the series, which I will definitely be reading. He loves his dog, and his adopted grandson. A widower he constantly refers to his wife Elise, and there is a lovely moment with his wedding ring that made me suppress a small tear. This is a detective you want to get to know, as opposed to Hole, who you want to go to bed with.
Sejer's Lewis is Detective Jacob Skarre, a young blood taken under wing by an old hand. He smokes too much and doesn't have quite the same knack with people, but as a double act they work perfectly.
Very very different to Jo Nesbo, if you're a Wallander or a Morse fan, get into Fossum. I'll be on the hunt for more of her's in the future and am really happy to discover her through this challenge.
Happy Reading Paaskekrim!
BookElf xxx