The Murder of Harriet Krohn (Inspector Sejer Mysteries)

Although well written, this tale of a compulsive gambler seeking redemption fell flat. Charlo is a middle aged man whose gambling addiction cost him his life and the affections of his daughter. His wife died, he is unemployed and attempting to avoid the inevitable unpleasantness of defaulting on a loan from a questionable source. In desperation, he decides to rob a wealthy senior citizen. Unfortunately, that goes awry and the old lady dies while resisting his crime. Vowing to adhere to the straight and narrow, Charlo seems to succeed by buying a house and an extravagant gift with which to woo his estranged daughter. But he is being hunted by the formidable Inspector Sejer.

Charlo is whiny and self-centered, a disappointing anti hero. He lacks both the charismatic allure of the dark side and the humanity that evokes empathy. He is shallow, selfish and uninteresting. His beloved daughter is equally materialistic and superficial.Harriet, the old lady, and Sejer are more interesting but are not enough to carry the book. The story is slow in parts and Charlo's interior dialogues are lethal. The bleak,unforgiving atmosphere is well drawn as is the unhappiness of the characters. There is little suspense in this book. Charlo is no career criminal. His mistakes are basic and obvious and his ultimate capture seems inevitable. He is not match for Sejer or, for that matter, the average fifth grader. Charlo lacks the depth to center this story and I found I really didn't care what happened to him or his daughter.

The book was unusual because the narrator was the murderer and the reader is aware of this almost from the beginning. It was quite depressing but extremely well written with lots of interesting information about horses. I liked several of the author's other books better.

The Murder of Harriet Krohn by Karin Fossum is the seventh in Fossum’s Inspector Konrad Sejer series and to my knowledge the first one told through the eyes of the murderer. I have enjoyed every book of Fossum’s I have read and this one is no exception. Fossum changed up her writing format by writing through the eyes of the killer and I think it worked rather well. Inspector Sejer investigates the murder, Harriet Krohn is found murdered in her apartment, her silver missing and there is an abandoned bouquet, but not much else to go on. As for Harriet’s murderer, we the readers know who and why and it is rather chilling. Fossum takes the reader on a very different route than usual, but it is a fun, fast-paced, and enjoyable ride. It is not necessary for readers to have read the other books in the series, especially since The Murder of Harriet Krohn is told so much more differently than the previous books in the series, however, I think reader new to Fossum will want to read more and long time fans will find this an enjoyable deviation of her typical Sejer books. I recommend The Murder of Harriet Krohn to those who enjoy exceptionally written works of crime fiction.

Splendid twist in this series of procedurals that utilizes the killer's point of view throughout. I enjoyed exploring the depth of the character and his daughter as well as the break from the backstory of the cops.

My first encounter with this author. Not the typical approach to a mystery as it is written from first person perspective of the perpetrator. The detective seemed to be a secondary character. Am curious how other Inspector Sejer mysteries are written.

Gripping, clever and intelligent writing. This novel is by far one of the best books I have read in 2014 (and I have read a lot), it's incredibly unique and I really don't think all writers could pull it off the way Karin Fossum has. No wonder she's the "Queen of Scandinavian crime fiction"

I did not realise this book was part of a series of crime novels, and unlike some books in a series it worked really well as a stand alone book, I didn't require background information from previous books to enjoy it. And enjoy it I did! I could not put it down.

I read a LOT of crime fiction, it's my number one genre of books to read. This one stood out, it's different, and clever in that the entire book is written from the criminal's perspective. We are right there in the head of "Charlo" Torp from the pre-crime planning and processes, through the crime itself and beyond.

What is so interesting is that unlike a lot of crime books, I started to actually kind of like Charlo, even feel sorry for him, even though he had done a very bad thing. It's a book that can incite some sympathy for this sad case of a man and his life. He's really just an ordinary guy, but he has done a very bad thing.

I just loved it, the interview scenes with Inspector Sejar are exceptional, I devoured every single word. Even when the book diverts from the crime itself into more mundane aspects of Charlo's life, it's never boring.

I really loved this one, five stars, giving it five easy stars.

Karin Fossum is a very skilled writer and I am now eager to go all the way back to book one in this series and read every single book, hoping they are all as good as this one.

This book really takes the reader into the mind of the perpetrator. Also very factual details about the police interrogation process. Fans of Inspector Sejar can appreciate his methodical approach. This book is written in a different style, from the other Inspector Sejar books, but is still a page turner, that I could not put down. Can't wait for the next one. Karin Fossus is my favorite of all detective authors. I love the descriptions of Norway, so vivid I can see, smell, taste, and feel. EXCELLENT!!

I normally like Fossum novels but this one was not what I expected. Sometimes authors like to put the entire focus of the book on the perpetrator instead of on the detectives. They apparently want to go deeper into what makes a person take another person's life -- not a sociopath or a psychopath, but a regular person who otherwise would never consider committing such an act. It can work, if you aren't expecting to watch a team of detectives, whom you've met before, unravel a crime. Elizabeth George did something similar (What Came Before He Shot Her or something like that), to a great outcry if I remember the reviews. That being my first George novel, I was intrigued although a bit confused. In this case, the book is well written as to be expected from Fossum but the story started getting tedious and repetitious by 2/3 of the way through. An attentive reader can figure out along the way what mistakes the lead character made which made his crime anything but perfect. When Sejer does show up, you see him as a familiar character but through the perpetrator's eyes. As he gently prods the lead into a confession, it gets a bit uncomfortable when you find yourself asking, would I have done a better job of getting through the interrogation without incriminating myself? As I said, it's a well-written book but I missed the regulars and with the focus on the murderer the story could have been cut back.

Another good read from Karin Fossum. You can feel the desperation of the main character and you find yourself quite involved with his plight. Inspector Sejer continues to be an intriguing detective. Best to read series in order if possible.