This is more of a psychological thriller than action packed whodunit or catch the bad guy. The prime character has some big issues, not the least of which is that her ability to speak is compromised by a bad event in the hospital.

The gentle and benevolent questioning by the police slowly draws out the story- overlooked and sidelined, she veers between sanity and ??????

More talk, recollection and reflection than things happening, takes a while to grab you.

This novel reminded me of The Murder of Harriet Krohn, my least favorite of Sejer's novels. The problem is that Sejer is almost a supporting character and all is told from the point of view of "The Whisperer." Ragna, who can't speak because of a botched surgery that left her with no more than a whisper, clearly did something awful. We don't know what, but Sejer is interrogating her about it. During her interview, we learn that she was being threatened by anonymous notes and that she's painfully shy. Whatever happened is directly related to that. I liked the novel because Fossum is such a good writer, but there is hardly any action and the plot is literally Ragna's memories. Someone looking for a fast read won't enjoy this novel since it's a very slow burn. The ending, though, is fantastic. It made me gasp and left me breathless. All the twists at the end of the novel were unexpected and made me appreciate the full plot. I just hope that next time, we get more Sejer.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt!

A woman a quiet woman a woman who can only talk in whispers due to a medical accident.A woman who lives alone works in a small store barely has any contact with others her son left home years ago.This same woman is being accused of a vicious murder .The Scenes between her& the detective questioning her are a brilliant read.This is a tense chilling psychological thriller that drew me in gripped me and kept me tense till the last page,#netgalley #hmh

Ragna Riegel is a forty-six-year-old Norwegian woman who seems to be deteriorating mentally. She lives alone in her late parents' home, works as a shop assistant, and sleeps erratically. When she nods off, her dreams are disjointed and disturbing. Adding to her woes, a bungled medical procedure damaged her vocal cords and left her neck badly scarred. As a result of the operation, she cannot speak above a whisper. Ragna conveys her worries, hopes, and fears in Karin Fossum's latest novel, "The Whisperer," translated from the Norwegian by Kari Dickson.

The heroine has little joy in her life. She is plain, has never married, and has no close friends. Ragna's grown son, Rikard Josef, left home at seventeen, lives in Berlin, and occasionally sends his mother a greeting card. Ragna has not spoken to him or seen him in years. Among other issues, Riegel has a compulsive streak—counting steps, needing to sit in particular seat on the bus, frequenting the same local store—and she fantasizes so much that she sometimes has difficulty separating fact from fiction. Ragna is alarmed when she receives a series of letters in her mailbox that indicate a stalker may be out to get her. She alternates between cowering in fear and resolving to confront her would-be attacker. Everything comes to a head when Ragna is arrested for an unspecified crime. Inspector Sejer, a recurring character in Fossum's novels, interviews the prisoner at length. He questions her and listens to her answers with patience and empathy. She opens up to this gentle and compassionate man whom she comes to look upon as a therapist and father confessor. Sejer gradually helps Ragna remove the blinders from her eyes.

The action moves back and forth in time; we gradually discover the truth about Ragna's sad backstory and the events that led to her incarceration. "The Whisperer" is a compelling psychological study of a disturbed individual who has little to lose. All she really wants is a connection with her son, whom she still loves. We cannot help but sympathize with the tormented Ragna, but "The Whisperer" offers few rewards from a literary standpoint. It is talky, too long, repetitious, and the insubstantial plot takes a back seat to Ragna's illusions and bizarre whims. The final straw is that we are left scratching our heads in confusion concerning several points that are never fully explained. The last page is annoyingly ambiguous and fails to provide much-needed closure. To quote Inspector Sejer, "Very few questions had clear answers, and as for the truth, well, it could be stretched like a rubber band."

4/5 A mysterious and curious read. Riegal is a quiet and calm Norwegian woman with a dark past who’s formulated life is interrupted when she starts receiving threats in her mailbox. She also has a vocal disability, due to an operational error, which makes it difficult for her to speak or for others to understand...

My first read with Fossum and it won’t be my last. She piles a lot in here: a reclusive shopkeeper, the nosy neighbor, and a approachable detective. The list of suspects is endless, but Fossum imposes more frantic passages through the descriptive and cold setting.

Big thanks to NetGalley for free digital copy for honest review.

The Whisperer is a gloomy, claustrophobic crime thriller that is a deep and penetrating character study rather than an action packed bang bang shoot me up. Ragnar is the central character in the book and the chapters alternate between a quiet and patient police interrogation and Ragna's memory of events. Ragna is a quiet person, shy by nature, almost unnoticeable, hidden in plain sight, keeping mainly too herself. And she has strategies for dealing with things like counting her steps and always sitting on the same place on the bus. She bothers no one and generally no one bothers her. And, because of a botched operation, she cannot speak above a whisper. Welcome to her world.

5 stars

This book shifts time between the present-day questioning of the suspect and the telling of the events leading up to her arrest by the suspect.

Ragna Riegel is shy and at the same time she is bold. She has some odd inconsistencies as well. If someone is outside in the cold and dark staring at your house, do you take a long soak in a bubble bath? I certainly wouldn't!

Ragna has a son who lives in another country and from whom she almost never hears. She lives in an ordinary house and has an ordinary job. But from this job, she can watch people. She has spent a lifetime watching and reading people. Although her observations often turn into daydreams. She has a complicated personality in a deceptively simple exterior.

The question for the reader becomes then: Is Ragna mentally ill, or just plain eccentric? Is she imagining the threats? The notes? Does she hear things in the night? Are they real?

I really appreciate Inspector Sejer's interviewing style. He is gentle and very observant of his interviewees body language. As is Ragna. But Sejer can be tough when the situation calls for it.

This is a moving and wonderfully well written/plotted story. It shines a bright light on the question: What is reality? Is mine the same as yours? Is it a qualitative difference – between yours and mine? I really have given this question quite a bit of thought since I finished this book. It broke my heart, and yet Ragna's outlook remains hopeful. Remarkable, just remarkable Ms. Fossum.

I want to send a very big thank you to both NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for forwarding to me a copy of this enlightening book for me to read, enjoy and review.

“Alles ist gut.”

This is a continuation of a series that has a international flair. What happens when you take a woman who lives for routine and throw in an unknown threat to her life. Has a lot of suspense and twist and turns.

Another fascinating tale by Karin Fossum. She always comes up with original scenarios and character traits.
Hard to put down (so I didn't!). Can't wait for the next one.

I love Karin Fossum, but I must say that this latest book is the dullest book I have read in ages. It’s beyond boring, and so limp. Nothing happens at all n the first third, and for this is author who is amongst the best in the game, I feel she really let down her fans. I m so disappointed.