The Calling

By: Inger Ash Wolfe

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

The first homicide that Canadian Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef, acting chief of the Port Dundas police, has had to investigate in almost three years is that of cancer patient Delia Chandler, a woman who once had an affair with Hazel's father. When, a few days later, and three hundred kilometers away, the mutilated body of an multiple sclerosis sufferer is found, painted in Chandler's blood, Micallef realizes that someone is killing the terminally ill, and not for mercy's sake.

Hobbled by a bad back and a skeptical police bureaucracy, Inspector Micallef takes it upon herself to coordinate a nationwide manhunt for the killer - a man, she soon learns, who can save a life as dramatically as he can end one, a man with God on his mind, grief in his heart, and a desperate need to kill.

©2008 Inger Ash Wolfe (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks America

Gritty Serial Killer Story

This first book by Inger Ash Wolfe caused quite a bit of stir when it came out. It's no secret now that the author is American/Canadian literary author Michael Redhill.

This book involves a serial killer who is targeting terminally ill individuals. As the other reviewer implied, it's not a cozy although I do think it's going a bit far to impute the killer's interests to the author. Serial killer books normally tend to dwell more on the mechanics of the homicide than the average crime story.

The detective is Hazel Micallef, acting chief of the Port Dundas police, 61 with a bad back. As another review I read stated, she was "hobbling toward retirement." She lives with her 87 year old mother, former mayor of Port Dundas. There's also a divorced husband, various subordinates and nosy, uncooperative reporters.

The narrator wasn't bad although the voice was a bit younger than I imagined Hazel's to be.

Give this one a try

I saw the movie and said I had to give the book a try and im glad i did. Well written book that will draw you in to the story so much that ull buy the other two books in this series and smile.

Excellent overall

Excellent narrator
Excellent story
Excellent writing
Overall excellent book.
The movie version of this book was good, but it didn’t capture the deeper essence of the main characters. Looking forward to the other books in the series.

Creepy Books

I love the books personally. It’s a creepy story about a madman who has a calling to kill. The idea that there exists such a prayer or religious pact that can resurrect the dead is ludicrous but also fascinating when you consider the lengths that the killer goes to in the story. The movie to this is also good but I have to say I enjoyed the books more. The movie stars Susan Sarandon and Ellen Byrnstn.

Disappointing

What an awful surprise. This book is dark and violent and the author seems to relish the torure and pain the killer inflicts on his victims. I'm erasing this from my library and never reading this author again.