Review of "The Drowned Boy: An Inspector Konrad Sejer Mystery" by Karin Fossum

 

 

In this 11th book in the 'Inspector Konrad Sejer Mystery' series, Sejer investigates the death of a toddler. The novel can be read as a standalone.

*****

As the book opens, Norwegian Inspector Konrad Sejer is contemplating his mortality. Sejer's been having dizzy spells and losing his balance, and he's convinced he has a brain tumor. Sejer's daughter Ingrid keeps urging him to see a doctor, but the inspector is reluctant to have his fears confirmed, and makes excuses not to consult a physician.



In the midst of these dark thoughts, Sejer gets a call from his colleague, Inspector Jacob Skarre, who reports, "We've got a drowning, in Damtjern, the pond up near Granfoss....A little boy, sixteen months old. His mother found him by the small jetty, but it was too late."



Sejer gathers up his chubby dog Frank Robert, a Chinese Shar-Pei whom Sejer takes everywhere, and hurries to Damtjern.



When Sejer arrives at the pond, he sees the child, Tommy Brandt, lying on a tarpaulin. Tommy, who has the features of a Down Syndrome child, is naked, and appears to be well looked after with no visible trauma. Sejer learns the parents are a married couple: Carmen Zita and Nicolai Brandt, ages 19 and 20 respectively.



Carmen's father, whom everyone calls Pappa Zita, owns a 24-hour fast-food restaurant, and Nicolai works there while Carmen takes care of Tommy.



Once the forensics team is gone and an ambulance has taken Tommy away, Sejer interviews Carmen and Nicolai separately, as police procedure dictates.



Carmen's story goes like this:



It was a hot day, and Tommy was sweaty, so Carmen took off his clothes and let him play in the kitchen while she made lunch.



In the meantime, Nicolai was in the basement fixing bicycles, which he does for extra money.

Carmen went into the bathroom for a few minutes, and when she returned, Tommy was gone. Carmen looked around the house, then ran out into the yard, and down to the pond. She saw Tommy in the water, pulled him out, and tried to revive him, to no avail.

Carmen yelled for Nicolai, who came running, and also tried to revive Tommy, without success. Nicolai called emergency services, and the EMTs worked on Tommy for an hour, but the child was gone.



When Sejer interviews Nicolai, his story tallies with Carmen's in so far as he was fixing bikes in the basement, heard Carmen shouting, ran down to the pond....and so on.



Sejer notes that while Nicolai is distraught about Tommy drowning, Carmen is oddly distant and calm. Sejer becomes suspicious of Carmen, and when an autopsy proves she's lying, Carmen changes her story - blaming shock and confusion for the discrepancies in her tale. In any case, Carmen INSISTS Tommy's death was an accident and she did nothing wrong.

As the story proceeds we follow Sejer's investigaton as well as the actions of Carmen and Nicolai.

Sejer knows Carmen must have been disappointed to have a child with Down Syndrome, and he feels sympathy for her. Still, Sejer believes all children deserve protection and justice. Given Carmen's changing story, a hearing is scheduled while Sejer continues his inquiries.



Meanwhile, Carmen - who's always been coddled and spoiled by her father Pappa Zita - blithely gets on with her life. She gives away Tommy's things; cajoles Nicolai into going on a vacation (paid for by Pappa Zita); and insists she and Nicolai move forward....maybe have another baby.



For his part, Nicolai begins drinking heavily and smoking, and descends into the depths of despair.



In part, the story is about Down Syndrome. When prenatal tests prove a fetus has Down Syndrome, many women choose to abort. Carmen wasn't tested for fetal abnormalities, and was shocked to give birth to a 'disabled' child. Given the circumstances - and assuming Carmen hurt Tommy - would a judge and jury have sympathy for her?



By the end of the book, we know how Tommy died, and so does Inspector Sejer, thanks to his dog Frank Robert. We also learn why Sejer is having dizzy spells.

This short novel is different from previous Sejer books because it's less of a police procedural/mystery and more of a psychological analysis of the main characters. I found the story compelling and was interested to know the outcome.

Rating: 3 stars 

Review of "Crooked River: An FBI Special Agent Pendergast Thriller" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

In this 19th book in the 'Aloysius Pendergast' series, the FBI Special Agent investigates a bizarre occurrence on Florida's Captiva Island.

*****

Seventeen-year-old Ward Pearsall is walking along the beach on Captiva Island when he sees what he thinks is a light green sneaker bobbing toward shore.







Ward knows some sneakers are collectibles, so he snags the shoe from the water....and it contains a HUMAN FOOT!



By the time Captiva's Police Chief Perelman joins his officers on the scene, rows of green shoes - each containing a foot - are lined up on the shores of Captiva and Sanibel Islands, and the number of shoes soon tops ninety.



In a short while, the local police are joined by Coast Guard investigators, and by FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast. Pendergast is accompanied by his ward, Constance Greene, who looks like a delicate beauty, but carries a stiletto; and is assisted by his partner, Native American FBI Agent Armstrong Coldmoon





Since the shoes are washing in from the ocean, Coast Guard Commander Baugh is put in charge of the investigation. Baugh, who's old-school and hard-headed, decides the shoes came from a Cuban prison, and proceeds to look into the event from that angle.



Pendergast believes the shoes originated elsewhere, and quietly enlists the help of oceanographer Pamela Gladstone and her assistant, who are studying ocean currents. Pendergast hopes the oceanographers can pinpoint where the shoes entered the water, and the route they took to Captiva and Sanibel Islands.



Meanwhile, an analysis of the shoes reveals they were made in China, and Pendergast sends an agent to China, to locate the factory that made the shoes, and the customers who bought them.



Another line of inquiry opens when DNA analysis demonstrates that one severed foot came from a Guatemalan woman in the Ixquiac family.



Coldmoon is dispatched to Guatemala to make inquiries, and learns a local woman has been missing since she left with a group of refugees planning to sneak into the United States.



While all this is going on, Constance Greene rents a luxury home called The Mortlach House, close to Captiva beach, to provide accommodations for herself, Pendergast, and Coldmoon.





The Mortlach House has the reputation of being haunted, and Constance spends some time investigating the rumors of a ghost.



At the same time, a Miami Herald reporter called Roger Smithback is determined to get a scoop about the green shoes. Roger uses all his ingenuity to get inside information, which unfortunately for the reporter, leads to unexpected trouble.



Without giving away too much, I can say things take a dangerous turn for almost everyone involved with the case. There are storms, murders, stabbings, shootings, drugs, a weapon called a parang, and more.



Terrible things happen, and Pendergast, Constance, and Coldmoon are all involved.






 

The book has an ingenious premise and is a good addition to the series. Recommended to fans of thrillers.

Rating: 4 stars