Black Seconds

By Karin Fossum

Ida Joner gets on her brand-new bike and sets off toward town. A good-natured, happy girl, she is looking forward to her tenth birthday. Thirty-five minutes after Ida should have come home, her mother starts to worry. She phones store owners, Ida’s friends—anyone who could have seen her. But no one has.

Suspicion immediately falls on Emil Mork, a local character who lives alone and hasn’t spoken since childhood. His mother insists on cleaning his house weekly—although she’s sometimes afraid of what she might find there. A mother’s worst nightmare in either case—to lose a child or to think a child capable of murder. As Ida’s relatives reach the breaking point and the media frenzy surrounding the case begins, Inspector Konrad Sejer is his usual calm and reassuring self. But he’s puzzled. And disturbed. This is the strangest case he’s seen in years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 10, 2009
• ISBN: 9780547537542

Karin Fossum

KARIN FOSSUM is the author of the internationally successful Inspector Konrad Sejer crime series. Her recent honors include a Gumshoe Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for mystery/thriller. She lives in Norway.

Reviews for Black Seconds

[readingover50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a really good book. I liked the writing style and really enjoyed all the characters. I figured out what happened to Ida pretty early on, but that didn't diminish the fun of watching the story unfold. This is the sixth book in the Konrad Sejer detective series. So far I have only read book 3, He Who Fears the Wolf, and this one. I enjoyed this book even more than the other one. This is a series I would like to continue reading.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

l like Karin Fossum's Inspector Sejer series but I find that the plots often are very much like all of those that came before them...especially if they involve abductions. If you've read very many of these you will find that you can figure out the "what" and the "who" fairly early on. What the series has going very much in it's favor is a high degree of atmosphere in the stories and a very strong character in Inspector Sejer. This is a good series for anyone that likes a good "who done it."

[phillipfrey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Translated from Norwegian, this is the second book I have read by Karin Fossum. The first was "The Indian Bride." Both books feature Inspector Konrad Sejer. In "Black Seconds," a nine-year-old girl has gone missing. Inspector Sejer and his crew will embark on a tangled case that will affect the whole village.Karim Fossum is a talented author, absolutely worth any reader's time.

[lauralkeet · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Karin Fossum’s Inspector Sejer mysteries just keep getting better. In this one, a 9-year-old girl disappears without a trace. As the investigation begins, we are introduced to members of the community, and Fossum gives us deep insight to their lives and thoughts. She makes them sympathetic figures, while suspense slowly builds about possible involvement in the case. Sejer and his partner Jacob Skarre methodically work through the evidence, uncovering clues to the girl’s disappearance and piecing together a possible timeline. As they solve the mystery, a significant subplot gathers steam, and at the end you know Sejer will soon have more work to do. I look forward to the next book in the series.

[lit_chick_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“But now the wall clock in Helga Joner’s house was approaching 7 p.m. and Ida had still not come home. Helga experienced the first prickling of fear. And later that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that made her stand by the window from which she would see Ida appear on her yellow bicycle any second now ... But Ida did not come.” (Ch 1)Nine-year-old Ida Joner vanishes, seemingly into thin air, after setting off on her brand new bike one afternoon to buy candy. The police are called in, and hundreds of volunteers comb the neighbourhood and surround area – nothing. Helga, Ida’s mother, reaches her breaking point, and other close relatives follow suit. Sejer struggles to remain reassuring. He knows that when missing children are not found within 48 hours, the result is most often tragic.Fossum introduces several suspect characters: Willy Otherhals, an auto body tech, well known to police; Emil Johanes, a mentally challenged neighbourhood man; Tomme Skarre, Ida’s first cousin, who is keeping company with Otherhals and behaving furtively around family. But Sejer has precious little to go on. Finally, as the search is called off, he discovers letters that Ida has exchanged with a pen pal in Hamburg – which just might hold a lead. And, at last, the story begins to unravel. Still, even as the case is seemingly solved, something still does not sit right with Sejer: “They considered the case closed. Sejer did not.” (Ch 28)Black Seconds is a well-written, intriguingly layered mystery. I love that Fossum keeps Sejer so personal. Here, I was taken, again, with Kollberg, his faithful dog – struggling now with old age, but still a part of Sejer’s routine every evening. Novel and series highly recommended.

[5eva5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A little girl disappears and when her body is found in a ditch, it appears someone has cared for her remains long after death. It's not too difficult to guess the who in the whodunnit and how the murder happened, but the red herring characters are so very interesting and, even if you are not tricked into believing they're the guilty ones, they're so psychologically engaging that the story keeps pulling you in.

[jcambridge_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The plot was rather predictable and the characters were not that well developed. It was an OK read, but certainly not one of Fossum's best reads.

[ccookie_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Black Seconds] by Karin FossumFirst line:~The days went by so slowly~A young girl goes missing and seems to have vanished without a trace. Fossum takes us inside the head of her mother, her aunt and uncle, her cousins and the police who are investigating the disappearance.I won this book a number of years ago in a contest put on by the local newspaper and put it on a shelf. There it sat until this month when the 2014 Category Group chose Nordic Mysteries as the April MysteryCat and I figured this was the time to check it out. I am very glad I did.Although I figured out ‘who done it’, long before Inspector Sejer did, what worked for me was the depth of the characters and the way that the author crafted the story so that we, the reader do know before the police. We are privy to the ‘thinking’ of the characters so know much more than the inspector does who only has access to physical evidence and whatever information the people involved tell him. And, although I did figure out the perp it was through subtle information ie no one outright said, “I did it”. And it took the rest of the book to understand the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ for the crime.I’ll definitely check out more by this author.3.5 stars

[jan0fleming · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

SYNOPSIS The plot in this book revolves around a child, Ida Joner, that disappears. she rides out on her yellow bike to buy some sweets. When she fails to return 35 minutes after she should have, her mother Helga starts to worry. She starts phoning around, but nobody has seen her. She scours the streets to no avail. So eventually she calls the police.
The next day a local search is organized, but without result. Ida Joner and her yellow bicycle seem to have vanished into thin air. As the relatives reach breaking point and the media frenzy begins, Inspector Sejer is calm and reassuring. But he finds the case puzzling. Usually missing children are found within forty-eight hours. Ida Joner seems to have vanished without a trace. Eventually, all he has to go on is a comment has feels may be significant.

Black Seconds deals with an crime that could happen anywhere. Karin Fossum tells a story of unfortunate confluences of events, accidental occurrences, and opportunities. The path is rich with scenes, characters, and explorations of how people think, and why they make the choices they do. Even so, nothing is certain, the characters are as large as life, and the scenarios so believable. Black Seconds is a powerful, impressive, probing and intriguing novel, almost as good as Calling out for You.

Highly recommended! A simple story, a traditional police procedural but it is the characters and the effects that crime has on ordinary people that make this such a great read.

Though it sounds perverse it really is a gentle thriller.

Fossum writes such empathy and compassion for her cast of characters and that includes for both victim, perpetrator and detectives.

[norinrad10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very interesting read that like much of Scandinavian fiction is very dark. This one tells the story of a ten year old girl that goes missing. It's a very procedural tale and very stark. The characterizations of the victims are much more developed then that of the detectives, Still, a good read.

[ten_floors_up · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very accomplished, and probably my favourite out of the Karin Fossum books I've read so far. Should you believe that Scandinavian novels are variations on a theme of dark, brooding angst, then this may dispel that belief. The subject matter is indeed very serious but the treatment doesn't have the slightest hint of sensationalism, and has a very deft human touch. Recommended if your tastes veer towards spare evocative writing, "whydunnit" more than "whodunnit", and if you are a reader who doesn't prefer that every single loose end be tied up by the conclusion.

[cameling_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A child can't go missing into thin air ... or can she? A parent's nightmare is about to begin. A 10-year old girl on a yellow bicycle, sets off for the village shop to buy the latest issue of her favorite magazine and some sweets. She doesn't return home and nobody appears to have seen her or her bicycle. With no apparent clues and massive search parties turning up empty handed after a number of days, hope dims. All Inspector Sejer needs is a break but does he get one, or does what appears to be a break lead to more puzzles, puzzles that are difficult to answer unless he can think creatively think of a different way to communicate with some unique individuals.Yet another page turner from Ms Fossum, of whom I am now a staunch fan.

[annbury_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A small Norwegian town, a missing child, layer upon layer of secrets -- yes, it's Inspector Sejer, back in action in another compelling psychological thriller from Karin Fossum. Like the others, the plot grabs your attention, and the quality of the writing makes the process a real pleasure.

[miyurose_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is part of a detective series, but it’s written like literary fiction. I thought there was some really fantastic imagery; for example, this passage, which alludes to the book’s title:Her heart was pounding hard and it hurt; she could hear the clock on the wall ticking mechanically. She had always thought of seconds as tiny metallic dots; now they turned into heavy black drops and she felt them fall one by one.That stuck with me throughout the entire book, and we’re brought back to it in the end as Ida’s cousin Tomme hears a ticking in his head. The plot here consists of several strings that Inspector Sejer masterfully manages to pull together as one. We’re treated to the points of view of several people — Sejer and his partner, Jacob Skarre; Ida’s mother, Helga; Ida’s aunt, Ruth; Tomme; and even Elsa and Emil Johannes Mork — and this gives us a more well-rounded view of the story. Unlike other crime series, the focus here is much more on the story than on one single character. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and look forward to exploring more of Fossum’s work. This emerging genre of 'nordic noir' is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

[jmyers24_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although I pretty much figured out the who and how rather early in the story, "Black Seconds" by Karin Fossum kept my attention. The author's attention to little details in the descriptions of places and people, as well as the background she provides into the characters' lives, combine to make the reader really care about the characters. Inspector Sejer is presented as a whole person, not just the detective who pursues the clues to their bitter end. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of this series.

[dawsong_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Black Seconds, an Inspector Sejer mystery penned by Norway's "Queen of Crime" has a curiously civilized and sedate tone. Although I was certain that I'd figured out the mystery long before the end in spite of purposely trying to be dense, Inspector Sejer's need to understand the suspects and their motives kept me enthralled. Even though Black Seconds may sacrifice the exercise needed for most people to figure out the "who" of the crime, the emotional and psychological depth is thoroughly satisfying and surpasses most mysteries in character development. Add to this being privy to the subtle attractions of a Norwegian locale and few will be disappointed. Fossum has been compared to Ruth Rendell, who is another author I've enjoyed and you may as well.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Helga Joner has often thought that her nine year old daughter Ida is too good to be true, too good to last. The disappearance of a child is every parent’s worst nightmare. When Ida fails to arrive home from the shop, Helga feels she had been rehearsing the moment for years. First Helga and her sister Ruth scour the streets where they might find Ida, without success, and then they ring the police. Helga feels that somehow she has tempted fate, setting off an inevitable chain of events.When Inspector Konrad Sejer arrives at her house, Helga feels instinctively that he will find Ida. As time passes Sejer becomes concerned that no trace has been found of Ida or the bright yellow bicycle she rode to the shop. One hundred and fifty volunteers search for Ida without success. Eight days later there are still no clues, the search is to be scaled down, and a chance comment by Helga to Sejer gives them something new to work on.The careful reader will pick up the clues laid by Fossum early in the book, and probably feel at the book’s end that he/she has always known where it was headed. But that won’t diminish your enjoyment of this novel, The path is rich with scenes, characters, and explorations of how people think, and why they make the choices they do. Even so, nothing is certain, the characters are as large as life, and the scenarios so believable.This is the fifth title in Fossum’s Inspector Sejer series. What a pity it has taken five years for an English translation of this masterpiece by the Norwegian “Queen of Crime” to become available. If you’ve never read anything by Karin Fossum, after BLACK SECONDS, you’ll want to start the series at beginning, enjoying the connections between her novels, the plots she creates, and the development of the character of Konrad Sejer. Let’s hope the next two novels in the series, already published in Norwegian, become more quickly available.Karin Fossum lives in Oslo, and, in her early fifties, a relatively young writer. Her successful Inspector Konrad Sejer series has been translated into over 16 languages. She won the Nordic Glass Key award in 1997 for DON'T LOOK BACK, and in 2005 CALLING OUT FOR YOU was shortlisted for a CWA Gold Dagger.