The Rat Keeper

Inger Frimansson, who has made the psychological thriller her genre, is in her true element in The Rat Keeper. This a horrifying kidnapping drama with a pshychologically instable woman and her victim in the center of the story. It is a real thriller even for those who do not have a rat phobia.

 

The publisher Titus Bruhn left his wife Rose years ago for the slightly overweight and rather insecure book store owner Ingrid. Now, when terminally ill, he wants to see Rose to get a chance to reconcile with her. She won’t answer his calls and he begs Ingrid to go and ask her to come visit him.

 

In her remote cabin Rose lives an isolated life. As her only company she keeps some rats which she tries to tame. She does not appreciate the visit, and when Ingrid by mistake kills her favorite rat, a dramatic struggle of life and death develops.

 

356 pages

 

 

Reviews

"This is the creepiest I have read in a long time! Inger Frimansson is absolutely brilliant and ties all the threads in. Top ratings!"

Blogg Tofflan

 

"Inger Frimansson has surpassed herself with this book. The story is rather simple: a dying publisher wants to see his ex-wife for the last time, to ask her forgiveness. When she does not react on his telephone calls, he sends his present wife to her. And then the trouble starts. The Rat Keeper is a splendidly constructed psychological thriller in which not just one but more persons are pushed over the edge of madness by accidental circumstances. The characters have been worked out so well the reader feels the urge to shake them to make them stop. Absolutely no middle-of-the-road feelgoodthriller, but very worthwhile."

Detective & Thriller Guide 2013

 

"Marvellous."

Liza Marklund

 

"The Rat Keeper turns into a splendid psychological thriller of which the conclusion is precarious till the end.

www.boek.nl

 

"Are you longing for a book that makes a dull, boring everyday life seem like paradise? Maybe you are keen on reading about a woman who is captured in a cellar in the dark while the rats’ attacks move in closer and closer? Then let me recommend Inger Frimanson’s new thriller The Rat Keeper. It is an intense description of human decay, where the horrific thriller attributes somehow come second after the psychological, horrifying road to self destruction of two women’s egos."

Norrtelge tidning

 

"It is impossible not to think of  the character Misery, which Cathy Bates got an Oscar for, when you read The Rat Keeper. Rose is a fascinating character, sometime so calculating and full of action, to the next minute be a complete psychopath. / .../ Regardless which quality name one compares Frimansson with, she certainly hold a high position. It is an unpleasant feeling from the very start, the characters stick to you and grow, and an excitement until the very  end."

De Norske Bokklubbene

 

"Without illusions. The remarkable with Inger Frimansson’s crime stories, is how they are written completely without commiseration. Therefore The Rat Keeper is a study in lack of illusions at the cost of humanity."

Aftenposten

 

"Despite the darkness framing it, with Frimansson there is always the macabre humor which makes it all a little easier to read. No, not read, read at a stretch would more correct."

Västerbottens Folkblad

 

"New masterpiece. Frimansson’s style and her grip on the reader gets stronger and stronger. This thriller holds many dimensions, socially and emotionallay. It covers issues like guilt and shame, grief, obsession, love and passion. And it gradually increases to a horrifying settlement. Get ready to read this book at a stretch.”

Kvällsposten

 

"Devilish on jealousy. It is enough to read the evening paper a few days to realize that unanswered love, jealousy and rivalry can drive people insane. This horrible and absurd drama is therefore trustworthy. Exciting and disgusting to the level where you shiver when the assertive rats get a more and more central role."

Expressen

 

"Creepy. Creepy and nasty. Just as creepy as a rat. This is the lasting impression of Inger Frimansson's latest thriller. Skillfully written with traces laid out making the reader suspicious early on."

Kristianstadsbladet

 

"Once again, Inger Frimansson has written a hair-raising thriller. And as always with a unique closeness between the characters and their environment./…/I read the book from cover to cover without a stop and I shivered as I read. How is this story going to end? The intrigue and the rats kept me in suspense all the way to the last sentence.”

Jönköpingsposten

 

"… shivering, nasty drama. Read it – if you dare."

Sveriges Radio Skaraborg

 

"Frimansson’s novel is a far better read than most titles in the crime genre."

Göteborgs-Posten

 

"The Rat Keeper is one of the creapiest books I have ever read."

Hallandsposten

 

"This book was impossible to put down."

DAST Magazine