The Drowned Boy

By: Karin Fossum, Kari Dickson - translator

Narrated by: David Rintoul

‘He'd just learnt to walk,’ she said. ‘He was sitting playing on his blanket, then all of a sudden he was gone.’

A 16-month-old boy is found drowned in a pond right by his home. Chief Inspector Sejer is called to the scene as there is something troubling about the mother’s story. As even her own family turns against her, Sejer is determined to get to the truth.

Critic reviews

Fossum’s Inspector Sejer novels are invariably morally and psychologically complex affairs, but The Drowned Boy might well be her crowning achievement to date (Declan Burke)

A simple but gripping story, balanced, believable and compassionate, about a sensitive subject (Laura Wilson)

Nordic noir of note

A tightly woven tale in spare but piercing prose

Moving and thought-provoking (Doug Johnstone)

Karin Fossum's minimalist police procedurals... have a stealthy way of mutating into richer, if also darker, psychological studies of criminals and their victims... In the end, the novel isn't about willful murder or even accidental death, but the psychological aftershocks for the living

Reading a Karin Fossum novel is always a wonderful, almost meditative, experience. Even though she writes about horrible crimes, her compassion and intelligence shine through, and by the time you reach the final page you’re left feeling irrevocably changed - for the better. Her latest, The Drowned Boy, is right up there among her best

Fossum shows us how the crime novel can be more than sheer entertainment… Well-written and gripping

Karin Fossum is among our foremost authors, regardless of genre. This because of her unique ability to create real people and her deep understanding of the human soul. She has always mastered this, but never better than in The Drowned Boy

Among Fossum’s finest novels…a strong literary quality and quivering suspense

mother as monster

what a well-written portrait of the development of an evil, self-serving woman living totally without a conscience. She gives birth to a Down's Syndrome baby which is the first dash of reality in an otherwise charmed life. her parents and society have made her expect love and admiration from all as she is beautiful elfin and blonde. she justifies the death of her child as an undeserved punishment, a humiliation she must endure as people ask questions about her baby's future development. Her well-honed flair for drama and tears suddenly doesn't work as well as it used to. What a tough time the police have trying to crack her facade. Loved every moment of this book which had unexpected events which added to credibility. Will look for more of K Fossum's books.