Genre fiction is all about escapism, said no crime fiction fan ever.

A young boy's body is found in a remote park. It is clear he has been abused and then dumped. The only lead Inspector Sejer has to go on is the man a young couple passed before discovering the boy. And then a second boy goes missing.

This was an incredibly hard book to read. There's nothing quite like the lurid details of crimes against children to really make you squirm. Karin Fossum doesn't just make you squirm from the crime itself, either, she seems to want you to be disgusted with humans, as she peels back the layers on all of the characters. Goal achieved.

While this was a tough read, it was still a good solid crime novel. Unlike many other crime authors, Fossum seems to be able to poke at the reader. This is both a good and a bad thing, as it makes The Water's Edge hard to recommend to others - especially if you have kids - and to give 5 stars to. One for hardened crime fiction fans I'd say.

This weekend is supposed to be in the upper 50s and sunny, so I'm thinking of taking the kids and hubby to a local castle for a day trip (because when you live in England, there are such things as local castles - either still standing or in ruins).

 

I also just want to lay around the house after big trips earlier in the month. I think I am coming down with a change of season cold/cough (a lovely gift from my kids). So I'm continuing Travel as a Political Act by Rick Steves, moving on to The Idle Parent by Tom Hodgkinson, and finishing with Polio: An American Story by David Oshinsky. I picked up a Scandinavian psychological thriller from the library today, He Who Fears the Wolf by Karin Fossum (translated by Felicity David) - way out of my comfort zone but it is research for the librarians to know about the series so they can put it into the hands of patrons who are looking for this type of book. This may end up being my first book of April though.

 

Have a good weekend everyone! If you are celebrating Mum's Day (with your kids or with your own mum), Happy Mum's Day as well!

 

 

Didn't enjoy this as much as the previous 2, but that doesn't mean I've given up on the series. It gets on my nerves when a writers uses "fat" to stand in for characterization, and the claustrophobic nature of the whole book just didn't work for me.

Didn't enjoy this as much as the previous 2, but that doesn't mean I've given up on the series. It gets on my nerves when a writers uses "fat" to stand in for characterization, and the claustrophobic nature of the whole book just didn't work for me.

La ragazza del lago - Karin Fossum (Pagina 125)