The Water's Edge

Near the start of Fossum's chilling sixth Inspector Sejer mystery to be made available in the U.S. (after 2008's Black Seconds ), Reinhardt and Kristine Ris are out for a Sunday walk when they stumble across the partially clothed body of seven-year-old Jonas Løwe and see a man limping away in the distance. When Insp. Konrad Sejer and his young partner, Jacob Skarre, begin interviewing the inhabitants of the small town of Huseby, they learn that a man in a white car has been spotted lurking outside the local elementary school and was also seen on the road where Jonas was snatched. In a particularly disturbing segment, they interview a convicted pedophile who eagerly suggests they're looking for a first-time offender. Splitting the narrative among the police investigation, the Rises' crumbling marriage and the nameless killer, Fossum sets in motion an inevitable collision that's as unsettling as it is unexpected. (Aug.)