The Drowned Boy - Paperback

by Karin Fossum (Author)

"Sensitive and shocking." -- Wall Street Journal

"In the end, the novel isn't about willful murder or even accidental death, but the psychological aftershocks for the living." -- New York Times Book Review

"Fossum's descriptive prose is a reminder, for criminals and readers alike, that the details that damn us are likely to be the ones that escaped us." -- Washington Post

Carmen and Nicolai found their son, Tommy, floating in their garden pond, but it was too late to save him. Inspector Skarre arrives on the scene, and Carmen says that Tommy, a healthy toddler with Down syndrome, was playing alone and drowned. But an autopsy reveals that Tommy's lungs are full of soap, prompting Skarre and his trusted colleague Inspector Sejer to revisit the couple. When they return, Carmen, an epileptic, changes her story: she had a seizure while bathing Tommy, came to, and found him dead in the tub. Terrified, she threw him into the pond. But Skarre and Sejer are skeptical. What could Carmen be hiding? And what lengths will she take to cover her guilt?

"[The Drowned Boy] will keep readers guessing. Grade: A-." -- Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Simple but gripping story, balanced, believable and compassionate." -- Guardian

Front Jacket

A new addition to the Inspector Sejer series from the author who seems to have inherited the late Ruth Rendell s gift of spinning the darkest complications out of what might seem like nothing at all (Kirkus Reviews)

A sixteen-month-old boy is found drowned in a pond right beside his home. When Inspector Skarre arrives on the scene, the mother reports that Tommy, a healthy toddler with Down syndrome, wandered into the garden while her husband was working in the basement and she was doing housework. Skarre senses something is off with this story and consults his trusted colleague, the famed Inspector Sejer.

What could she be hiding? And to what lengths will she go to cover her guilt? As her own family starts to doubt her, Skarre and Sejer work to find the truth.
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Back Jacket

In the end, the novel isn t about willful murder or even accidental death, but the psychological aftershocks for the living. New York Times Book Review

Fossum s descriptive prose is a reminder, for criminals and readers alike, that the details that damn us are likely to be the ones that escaped us. Washington Post

Carmen and Nicolai found their son, Tommy, floating in their garden pond, but it was too late to save him. Inspector Skarre arrives on the scene, and Carmen says that Tommy, a healthy toddler with Down syndrome, was playing alone and drowned. But an autopsy reveals that Tommy s lungs are full of soap, prompting Skarre and his trusted colleague Inspector Sejer to revisit the couple. When they return, Carmen, an epileptic, changes her story: she had a seizure while bathing Tommy, came to, and found him dead in the tub. Terrified, she threw him into the pond. But Skarre and Sejer are skeptical. What could Carmen be hiding? And what lengths will she take to cover her guilt?

[The Drowned Boy] will keep readers guessing. Grade: A . Cleveland Plain Dealer

Simple but gripping story, balanced, believable and compassionate. Guardian

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."

Author Biography

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.