In the Darkness

Finished February 16
In the Darkness by Karin Fossum

This is the first book in the Norwegian mystery series featuring Inspector Sejer, although it was one of the more recent ones translated to English. Here a man, Egil, missing for months turns up dead in a local waterway, and his injuries show the violence to which he succumbed. He went out, apparently to show his much-loved classic car to a potential buyer, and while the car was found splattered with blood, his body hadn't until now. It is not the only unsolved murder case on Sejer's desk. He has another one that occurred just a few days before Egil's disappearance, a prostitute found dead in her own apartment. He can't help but wonder if there is some connection between the cases.
Eva, a local struggling artist, is divorced and shares custody of her young daughter with her ex-husband. She lives in hope that she will one day be "discovered" and gain the attention she believes her art is due. Meanwhile, she struggles to put food on the table and keep her bills paid, relying on a small Arts Council grant. She visits her father, who lives in a nearby town and whose health is failing, on a regular basis. But her life has changed recently and when she receives a phone call one day from a stranger, her unease grows.
This book introduces Sejer, his dog, and his family situation, but doesn't yet develop the characters of the other police officers.