The Caller

By: Karin Fossum, K.E. Semmel - translator

Narrated by: David Rintoul

One summer evening Lily and her husband are enjoying a meal while their baby daughter sleeps peacefully in her pram beneath a maple tree. But then Lily steps outside to find her baby soaked in blood.

The distraught parents rush to the hospital where they discover that she is unharmed. Inspector Sejer is called in and spends the evening trying to comprehend why anyone would carry out such a sinister prank. Then, just before midnight, somebody rings his doorbell.

The corridor is empty, but the caller has left a small grey envelope on the mat. Inside it, Sejer finds a postcard bearing a short message: Hell begins now...

Critic reviews

Fossum is admired by Ruth Rendell and you can see why'

A contemporary Patricia Highsmith, her offbeat obsession with the psychology of the criminal mind, and the human cost of criminal activity, pays off handsomely yet again

Inspector Sejer on the case

Another good Inspector Sejer mystery. The series isn’t about mastermind serial killers. The crimes and murders are caused by relatively average people with compelling personal narratives. No SA or torture, but instead full of pathos.

great narration, not so great plot

What did you like best about The Caller? What did you like least?

The narrator was great. The social commentary was not subtle or nuanced and the plot lacked any unexpected twists.

What could Karin Fossum have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

More complex characters with a little subtlety in their development. Maybe a female character who does something besides take care of other people.

Have you listened to any of David Rintoul’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time with Rintoul, but he was grear.

Do you think The Caller needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Based on the flatness of this book, I don't think I will continue with the series.

Suspense in the Norwegian woods!

I chose The Caller because it received an excellent review in the Los Angeles Times, and it was well-deserved. I listen to my audiobooks while I walk every morning, and I could hardly wait for the next day to continue listening. Now I am disappointed that there are no more titles available on Audible. The Caller is enjoyable for its unusual plot, well-drawn characters, and details of life in what seemed to be an ordinary Norwegian town, with suburban housing tracts surrounded by farms and woods.

I hope that Audible adds more titles by Karin Fossum, and soon!

Good listen!

This is the second book of Karin Fossum that I've read. The first one was Broken, which I read in printed form and LOVED. This one isn't as successful as that, in my view, but I still liked it a lot. Fossum is a Norwegian author, but not as "dark" as Jo Nesb?? or as the Swedish Stieg Larsson. Some interesting plot twists, and the narration is quite good.

Another good narrator!

Would you listen to The Caller again? Why?

Yes. The story is compelling.

What about David Rintoul’s performance did you like?

His voice, British accent & the dramatic emphasis on certain sentences.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Beware the karma of revenge.