When the Devil Holds the Candle

By: Karin Fossum, Felicity David - translator

Narrated by: David Rintoul

Andreas's disappearance is a mystery to all, including his inseparable friend Zipp. But as much as the police question him, its not easy for Zipp to come forward with details of the last time he saw his friend: following an old woman into her home, brandishing his knife. Zipp waited anxiously outside but Andreas failed to reappear.

Inspector Sejer and his colleague Skarre are baffled but while the confusion in the outside world continues, a chilling and heart-stopping drama is unfolding inside the old woman's home. In a plot in the tradition of Stephen King, Fossum deploys her trademark skill of looking realistically, terrifyingly, into the minds of criminal and victim. Appearances aren't always to be believed, and people are not always what they seem.

Critic reviews

Like the best Rendell...she tackles the reasons people commit crimes and the devastating effect it has on the protagonists' lives

Explores the process of scapegoating, and the awful human cost of false accusations ... may well bring the half-Swedish Ruth Rendell irresistibly to mind (Boyd Tonkin)

Fossum's elucidation of the criminally degenerate mind is first-rate

An engrossing pyschological thriller

Gripping

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

After male-authored works Fossum is excellent respite. Never too-kind to the character or reader, frequently brutal, but redeeming with her quiet attentiveness to detail. A surprising source of power: viewpoint is utterly feminine. Her male characters sometimes see things that really only a female would know. Young Andreas talks about girls that have to go to the bathroom to change their pantyliner because he only has to look at them and they get wet. Cute. So often the reverse is the case. A male writer putting incongruous thoughts into a female character's head. Fossum's feminine voice is not saccharine. She empowers. Emotionally complex listen.

Keep your finger on the volume!

The main difficulty I had with this book was with the narrator. Although he had a lovely warm voice, he made no distinction between the male and female characters. As there was almost no pause or signal that there was a change of chapter, I had difficulty figuring out who was talking. I had to rewind many times before I could figure it out. Also, the narrator shouts and whispers so much, that I had to continually adjust the volume which was difficult when I was listening in bed. The story itself was interesting and well written, but the narration spoiled it somewhat for me.