Don't Look Back

Written by Karin Fossum

Narrated by David Rintoul

Beneath the imposing Kollen Mountain lies a small village where the children run in and out of one another's houses and play unafraid in the streets. But the sleepy village is like a pond through which not enough water runs - beneath the surface it is beginning to stagnate. When a naked body is found by the lake at the top of the mountain, its seeming tranquillity is disturbed forever. Enter Inspector Sejer, a tough, no-nonsense policeman whose own life is tinged by sadness. As the suspense builds, and the list of suspects grows, Sejer's determination to discover the truth leads him to peel away layer upon layer of distrust and lies in this tiny community where apparently normal family ties hide dark secrets. Critically acclaimed across Europe, Karin Fossum's novels evoke a world that is terrifyingly familiar. Don't Look back introduces the tough, ethical Inspector Sejer to British readers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House UK Audio
• Release date: Jun 2, 2011
• ISBN: 9781446470282

Karin Fossum

KARIN FOSSUM is the author of the internationally successful Inspector Konrad Sejer crime series. Her recent honors include a Gumshoe Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for mystery/thriller. She lives in Norway.

Reviews for Don't Look Back

[thejazzmonger · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Discovered this slim volume at my local library and am truly pleased that I decided to bring it home.Excellent translation of the original because it reads fluidly. I completely lost sight of the fact that the story originated in another language. Normally, I see constant clues of non-English idiomatic phrasing in translated works.The story presents an excellent mystery, with lots of suspects subtly brought forward. Inspector Konrad Sejer, our main protagonist is an engaging character. Fossum has created a whole person who is easy to like, in the way he thinks and works as well as in his life outside of the case.I plan to work my way through the Inspector Sejer series. I have high expectations.

[hanneri_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed it! I will absolutely be reading more of her novels. The book was fast paced and it kept me engaged from start to finish! I had ideas of "who did it" but it did not ruin it for me as her progression of how the mystery unfolded was masterful!

[lauralkeet · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the second of Karin Fossum's Inspector Sejer mysteries, but I think the first one published in English. Sejer is a typical older male loner detective with some personal issues, which are only hinted at in this book. He is assigned to investigate the death of a teenage girl, found on a beach but with very little evidence of violence. Annie was well-liked at school, and in her small village, but several months earlier there was a noticeable change in her demeanor. This drives Sejer's investigation, but the resolution is anything but straightforward. There are many plausible suspects, which keeps the reader guessing. I found the translation a little clunky, but enjoyed this enough to continue the series.

[amaraki-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A satisfying murder mystery (Inspector Sejer). Full of psychological profiling of mains that also serves to gives you view of contemporary Norway. Good plot pace. As a mystery would have given a 4 or even 4 and a half star rating, but in relation to full literary scope of my library, it's a 3.

[ccookie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First line:~Ragnhild opened the door cautiously and peered out~This is Karin Fossum's second book in her Inspector Sejer series but the first published in English. I can see why she is known as the Norwegian Queen of Crime. I read [Black Seconds] and immediately read three more of her books. She is amazing. I cannot believe the way that she gets into the antagonist's head or, rather, allows us to get into the antagonist's head.I have found that as the reader is privy to the thoughts and feelings of the perpetrator of the crime, we know more than the police which is really very different from other books I have read. The depth of the characters captures my interest. I want to know more about Inspector Sejer and his partner, Jacob Skarre. This story deals with a murder of a teenage girl and the clues unfold carefully and subtly as we learn more about each character. Very disturbing and yet a great read.3.5 stars

[flippinpages-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable, kept my attention throughout. Enjoyed the attention to characterization which I have generally found to be lacking in the few mysteries I have read, which is also the reason my library is so few in this genre.The ending wasn't overly dramatic which is another issue I have withcrime books. It does seem they all have to end with some sort of violence though. This to me often comes off as unrealistic. I found that to be the case with this book as well. Getting me to suspend disbelief can be a herculean feat though so please keep that in my mind if you are reading this review. This is a well written nicely paced mystery and an author definitely worth reading. I will be looking for the first in the series.

[luvamystery65 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

***Spoilers***I enjoyed [Don't Look Back]. It picks up exactly where the first in the Inspector Sejer series left off. A young girl is missing but she is found shortly thereafter. It is what she sees while she is out that is the real mystery of this tale. A dead teenager is found.Inspector Sejer is meticulous without being fussy. He pours over every detail of the case. Even after his chief encourages him to place the blame on the girls boyfriend, he does not. The boy is found with incriminating evidence but Sejer is unconvinced. The girl is from a small dead end subdivision. There are many people living in the neighborhood. Like most families, they all have secrets. Sejer encounters them all. Slowly he eliminates his suspects and gets to the real culprit.What I like is that the crime is not given to you in extreme detail. It is the motive behind the crime that takes front and center in the story. It is the why, more than the where and how. I liked this book. I will be reading more of this series.

[anniemod · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When a child disappears in a Norwegian village, everyone is worried. Detective Sejer and his new partner Jacob Skarre are called to investigate and then the girls shows up. But that is not the last bad thing that happens in the village - because the child had seen a dead woman near the lake - and the detectives, albeit not really believing it at the start, need to find out what happened to Annie - the girl that everyone seemed to love but is now dead. This is one of the first Sejer mysteries (second in Norwegian, first translated into English) and the partnership of the detectives is just starting. It is somewhat awkward but allows for a lot of backstory. I think I will stick to the Norwegian order for the rest of the series - the characters do change a lot while the mysteries progress. As for the mystery - it is another slow and moody mystery where detectives slowly find clues and stories; the past that keeps its secrets ends up being important for the current case. An old death, a wrong turn in the road and the tragedy was going to happen sooner or later. Although Fossum takes her time to get her detectives to find the bread crumbs that lead them to the solution. Another good entry in the series.

[pennsylady · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A decent introduction to Inspector Sejer.A village full of secrets.Good character development.---------That being said, I sometimes smile at translations when they come off with a stilted English phrase.It's just feels unusual to the flow of the story

[sianpr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Inspector Sejer is a likeable enough detective and Karin Fossum writes a tightly plotted detective story that keeps you guessing until near the end.

[laurenbdavis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Yes, it's fine. Spare and minimalist, which is what I, for one, look for in Norwegian literature of any kind, frankly. The protagonist, Inspector Sejer, is clever, thoughtful and enigmatic. Okay, perhaps just a shade TOO enigmatic. I wanted to know him better, but that might come with the next books.I did see the ending coming from quite a ways off and I feel there's one great misstep involving an object being carried that is far too heavy not to tip off anyone at the scene (sorry, trying not to give anything away here).But it kept my interest and made me curious about the next in the series, although probably not enough to make me rush off and start reading it right away.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The investigation of the disappearance of a young girl in a small Norwegian town results in the discovery of a body. Who killed this seemingly-well-liked girl, and why was she killed? If Inspector Sejer and his partner, Skarre, can unlock the secret of her personality, this might lead them to her killer.I was pleasantly surprised when the story went in some unexpected directions. Its ending was unpredictable until I had read well past the halfway point. Fossum cast suspicion on a number of credible suspects. The problem is that some of the suspects were cleared of suspicion by events or circumstances that weren't fully explained. Still, it's a strong start to a series that's become popular with fans of Scandinavian crime fiction.The relationship between middle-aged Sejer and the younger Skarre reminded me a bit of the relationship between Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir in Louise Penny's Three Pines series. They're not quite as charismatic as Penny's duo, but the dynamic is similar. This might be a good series for Penny's fans to experiment with while waiting for the release of the next Three Pines novel.

[gbelik_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like this series by a Norwegian crime novelist. Great atmosphere and characters that you want to visit again.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book opens with what appears to be a case of child abduction. Inspector Sejer is called to investigate. The reader will soon discover, however, that the book is more about what the child saw during the hours she was gone. This book is not quite as tense of an atmosphere as many Scandinavian crime novels, but there are some literary elements in the puzzle, particularly in reflecting on the past of the characters, that will keep readers pondering the book. I enjoyed the mystery, but I did miss the darker atmosphere that I've come to expect in Scandinavian mysteries.

[crazymamie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was the first book that I have read by Norwegian author Karin Fossum, and I liked it, but I didn't love it. I think I was expecting something grittier and darker, and so I was tensed throughout the book waiting for the other shoe to drop...and it never did. That being said, it was a solid mystery with excellent pacing and interesting characters.Inspector Sejer is called out to investigate the disappearance of a six year old girl who eventually turns up, but when she shares her story, the police investigate and discover the body of 15 year old Annie Holland who has been murdered and left lying naked, except for a jacket that doesn't belong to her, on the beach. It's a small town, and everyone knows everyone else's business, but no one seems to know what happened to Annie or why someone would want to hurt her. Although I guessed the murderer early on, watching the story play out was well worth the time it took to read. I will read the next in this series as I have found that many great mystery series need several books to develop the characters and the writing style. Also, now that I know that this is not a series like those of Jo Nesbo or Stieg Larson, both of whom I love, I will have different expectations. Fossum did surprise me with the last few pages - and creeped me out a bit.

[jnwelch_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"There's supposed to be a sea serpent in the fjord here. It's a legend, a story from the old days. If you're out rowing and hear a splashing sound behind your boat, that's the sea serpent rising up from the depths. You should never look back, just be careful to keep on rowing. If you pretend to ignore it and leave it in peace, everything will be fine, but if you look back into its eyes, it will pull you down into the great darkness. According to legend, it has red eyes."In Don't Look Back, a Norwegian mystery by Karin Fossum, a number of characters have sea serpents in their past that they can't leave in peace. Annie, an athletic 15 year old girl whom everyone in the village liked, is found dead in the woods, naked and covered with a jacket. Inspector Sejer has to figure out why this would have happened and who did it, when nothing seems to support its occurrence. Her boyfriend Halvor is one of those with a serpent trailing him, but he otherwise seems an unlikely suspect. Her death seems more an act of despair than evil. What had happened? Why did Annie have a mysterious memento from an unlikely location? What had caused her placid, pleasant attitude to change in the months before her death?Inspector Sejer, having lost his beloved wife years before, has his own serpents behind, but brightens with this puzzle to solve. He's an appealing character, and has developed a devoted following based on this series. He's aided by his Leonberger dog Kollberg and his colleague Jacob. In the end he does sort it out, and he helps the survivors climb out of the great darkness they were pulled into. I'll look forward to reading more of Inspector Sejer's adventures.

[steve6clason · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Chief Inspector Konrad Sejer is a pretty good protagonist for a detective series -- damaged (but only slightly), outwardly reserved with a deep if not particularly rich inner emotional life, smart, respected and without much in the way of attachments. We find out a little about him in this, the first published in English translation although actually the second in the Sejer series, but not so much that we wouldn't want to come back to find out more. I immediately took steps to get my hands on the next in the series, "He Who Fear the Wolf", so it's at least that good.But it isn't great. Somehow the tension wasn't there. It was like we knew we'd find out WhoDidIt but had to do our duty and read the words. The really interesting character started out dead, which was maybe the problem.

[vancouverdeb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Don't Look Back by Karin Fossum is a solid 4 star read. I so enjoyed the complexities and shades of gray of this thriller/ mystery. This is Karin Fossum's first book that was translated into English -and what a wonderful read!In this story we are introduced to Skarre and Sejer, the two Norwegian Detectives who make up the police duo of Karin Fossum's thriller/ mysteries. I so enjoy her writing. It's so refreshing compared to many North American thriller/ mysteries. The police are not corrupt, men are not busy chasing women, nor going to bed with every skirt in sight, and they have no need of swearing - at least in the two Karin Fossum's that I have read. Right there, Karin Fossum has it on many a thriller/ mystery written in North America.I enjoyed the many aspects of so many lives that were investigated in the course of this mystery. Karin Fossum is great at developing psychological portraits of many of the characters, and giving us an understanding of why people do what they do. Things are not neccesarily black and white - and I appreciate that, as that is what life is so often like.The story starts out with a missing six year old, Ragnhild......... and from there the body of 15 year old Annie is found dead beside a lake. Who did what, and why -and what are the ramifications and reasoning - if any - behind these events? Well, I do not want to give away the plot -but suffice it to say that Karin Fossum has become on of my favourite new thriller/ mystery writers. The story is mulitfaceted and the ending most thought provoking.Karin Fossum gives such wonderful psychological insight into her character's - I think she is now one of my favourite authors. I highly recommend her!

[billpilgrim_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Scandinavian mystery.A teenage girl is found killed at a lakefront. Investigation turns on the death of a young child, very hyperactive, a few years earlier, whose death was then ruled an accident. The girl who is now dead was a baby sitter for him, and her personality changed after the child's death.At first this seemed like a straight procedural detective story, with little exploration of the characters and their personalities. But, it did develop into more than I expected, which made it more enjoyable for me.

[cmwilson101 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent story, very well crafted, about a nice, well-liked young girl who is killed in a small town, and the detective who solves the mystery of her death in a careful, slow way. Very intriguing story. As someone who grew up in a small town, I can testify that Karin Fossum captured the dynamics perfectly.

[ccayne_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this more than I did. The crime and setting were creepy. This is the first of a series featuting Inspector Sejer and I got glimpses of his character, primarily his relationship with his dog, but I wanted more. I think Fossum could have done much more with character development and I also found the ending ambiguous and unsatisfying.

[annbury_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another terrific thriller from Karin Fossum, featuring the slow- moving but perceptive Inspector Sejer. This time, he is investigating the death of a lovely young girl, in a small Norwegian town. The peeling back of the town's secrets is extraordinarily suspenseful, the atmosphere is powerfully drawn, and the writing a real pleasure.

[msf59 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Annie was fifteen. She was pretty, athletic and popular. No one would ever think of hurting her.. but someone did. Her body was found near a lake, shattering the tranquil setting of her sleepy hometown in Norway. Inspector Konrad Sejer, middle-aged, taciturn, is called in to investigate. Fossum is a strong writer, who builds her story quietly, carefully peeling off layers, revealing dark unsettling secrets. I like the fact that she does not just stay focused on the point of view of the Inspector but also spends time with some of the other characters, filling out the narrative. This is the first book in a series and one I highly recommend.

[sjmccreary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book in the series featuring Inspector Sejer, and is set in Norway. In this book, the body of a popular, athletic teenage girl is discovered beside the lake in a popular wooded hiking area near the small village where she lived. There are few clues and Sejer must keep digging to learn more about the girl. She was universally well-liked, so it seems that no one would have a motive for killing her. On the other hand, at 15 she was a beautiful young woman who might have captured the imagination of any man in town who could have gotten carried away by a fantasy gone wrong. Suspects include the down's syndrome man who discovered the body and who, as everyone knows, has a "thing" for girls. Or it might have been her sullen boyfriend, 18 years old, whose father died under suspicious circumstances. Or maybe her mother's first husband, a man who was angry at having been denied access to his own daughter. Or it could have been somehow related to the death of a neighborhood boy several months earlier - a hyperactive 2-year old that she used to babysit - the timing of which coincides with an unexplained change in her personality. Or the coach of the handball team that she suddenly quit at about the same time - a man who had earlier served a prison sentence for rape. Or it might have had to do with a secret that she was keeping to herself that was discovered by police.Sejer methodically plods through all the evidence, interviewing the suspects over and over, uncovering something new each time until the pieces finally all fall into place. Not a fast paced thriller, but it does not drag. Sejer is also introduced, a widower who lost his wife to cancer. He thinks about her often, ponders his relationship with his daughter, and dotes on his grandson. He lives on the top floor of the only high-rise apartment in town and keeps a large dog inside the no-pets building. He is alone, but can't quite decide if he is lonely.I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

[seriousgrace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is one of those mystery books you read on a rainy Saturday afternoon in one sitting. The story flows in a simplistic but compelling manner; An easy read with a great story line. As someone from LibraryThing once said suggested for a genre, "a bring-to-the-beach kind of book." In that case Don't Look Back was summer fare read too early (for me). It is the mystery of the death of a teenage girl. Known throughout her small town she was loved by nearly everyone. How could someone so charming, so lovable, so perfect die so young? Inspector Sejer is the lead investigator on the case. With calm and quiet tenacity he unravels a seemingly sweet life only to reveal lies and suspicions. This is the kind of mystery that keeps the pages turning as things become more and more complicated. Originally written in Norwegian and translated by Felicity David, Don't Look Back urges the reader to keep turning the pages until compulsively, the entire book has been read from cover to cover.

[bccjillster · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

LOL lots of twists and turns and satisfying surprises. Starts with thedisappearance of a little girl in a small town. Nothing is quite whatit seems as the characters and story evolve.A tad dry, at times it felt a bit like Dragnet in sticking to thefacts, ma'm but that's my only tiny complaint. I read it with my onlinegroup and we all tried to guess what was happening at various points (but keptour guesses hidden til everyone was through).I'll try more by this author because I liked her plotting and her detective.

[Peter Savery · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

excellent can't wait to read the next one from her

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've read all of Karin Fossum's Inspector Sejer series and always found that they were nearly perfect physiological suspense. The author paints such a coherent picture of not only the crime but also of her beautiful country, Norway. Inspector Sejer comes across as a secretive...almost reclusive character but a brilliant and relentless investigator...one that won't stop until the crime is solved. The ending of this one is a bit disturbing but it's a throughout enjoyable read for the mystery & suspense enthusiast.

[robert3167 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Two thirds through this excellent Scandi Crime Novel , I along with the Inspector Sejer, had no idea who murdered Annie. No forensic clues, no witnesses, no motive and no leads. The only way solve this crime was unravel Annie’s life and in particular what event caused such a dramatic shift in her personality eight months prior to her death.

Told through various points of view we are drawn into the life of the small village of 20 houses where Annie lived. There are many ‘what if’ theories expounded and followed through until finally things fall into place and what seem to be completely separate events prove to be linked in the oddest way.

If you are looking for a detective novel that avoids all the clichéd casual violence surrounding the case, where the personality of the Inspector is developed over the course of the novel then this is the one for you.

[bsquaredinoz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In a small Norwegian village the near-naked body of a teenage girl is found at the lake. Once they identify her as Annie Holland Inspector Konrad Sejer and Officer Jacob Skarre learn that everyone liked the athletic young girl who babysat for most of the village’s children although many people mention the change in her behaviour some months before her death. Having precious little in the way of evidence they have to determine whether it was just a normal part of growing up or whether there an event in her life that may have had something to do with her death.

I’ve had this book in my TBR pile for over a year and it may have continued to languish there among all the others but for a post on a blog this week. What struck me particularly was a quote from Fossum about being interested in “‘the good guy who does something evil’ rather than the bogeyman.” Although I have read my share of rampaging serial killer books I generally don’t find them as satisfying as those that explore the circumstances and motivations behind ordinary people reaching some kind of breaking point and so was keen to get stuck into the first Inspector Sejer book translated into English.

I knew absolutely nothing about the story when I started reading (I deliberately didn’t look at the blurb) and was hooked by the twist in the opening. As the book started I thought it was going to be about one sort of crime and just as I geared myself up for that it turned into something completely different. From then on the story was pieced together like an intricate jigsaw with many pieces needing to be turned this way and that before slotting into place to help reveal the whole picture. Without car chases or guns blazing the story managed to be suspense-filled and captivating from beginning to end as Sejer and Skarre teased out important details about village life from its inhabitants

Fossum builds up her characters in a similar way as she does the plot: slowly revealing their secrets, pasts and fears over the course of the book. As you’d expect with the main characters we develop a fairly clear picture of Sejer and Skarre over the course of the novel but the minor characters too are equally well depicted, even if only in one aspect of their lives. Annie’s father’s conversation with the man in charge of the crematorium is one of the most beautiful depictions of a grieving father I have read.

Don’t Look Back has all the things I love most in crime fiction: interesting, believable characters, a puzzle-like plot, a setting I can get lost in and a tangible credibility that sometime somewhere that exact scenario has played itself out in reality. Or will one day.