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78th out of 84 books
—
76 voters
The Calling (Hazel Micallef Mystery #1)
There were thirteen crime-scene pictures. Dead faces set in grimaces and shouts. Faces howling, whistling, moaning, crying, hissing. Hazel pinned them to the wall and stood back. It was a silent opera of ghosts.
Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef has lived all her days in the small town of Port Dundas and is now making her way toward retirement with something less than grac...more
Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef has lived all her days in the small town of Port Dundas and is now making her way toward retirement with something less than grac...more
Hardcover, 384 pages
Published
May 5th 2008
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(first published January 1st 2008)
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Jul 27, 2008
Mascanlon
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
mystery lovers
Shelves:
50-book-challenge
Wow! The most compelling book I've read in a long time. The characters have lots of depth and the plotting is twisty, sharp and very, very creepy. Not at all the mid of book I usually enjoy. It was recommended on a mystery book list I read so I took a chance and was rewarded. Set in Northern Canada, the female lead is 61, divorced and troubled by the very bad back and lack of support from regional headquarters. Enter what turns out to be a very scary serial killer who comes only by appointment....more
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De Roeping gaat over Adjudant Hazel Micallef. Deze 61- jarige rechercheur woont al sinds haar geboorte in een klein Canadees stadje Port Dundas, in de staat Ontario, waar haar 87-jarige moeder ooit burgemeester was. Ze is een aantal jaren gescheiden na een lang huwelijk en heeft veel last van haar rug. Ze slikt pillen en drinkt alcohol ter verlichting van de pijn. Haar nogal dominante moeder is bij haar dochter ingetrokken. In het stadje gebeurt nooit iets, totdat plotseling iemand dood gevonden...more
"The Calling" Don't read this book when you're alone!
Senior citizens who are terminally ill are being killed in and around Port Dundas, Ontario.
Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef is approaching her retirement and at age 61 has a sore back, so bad that she needs some moments to stretch her back to stand up straight. She lives with her 87 year old mother Emily, who governs the house and attempts to run her daughter's life.
The first victim, Delia Chandler, is found by Hazel with Delia's throat...more
Senior citizens who are terminally ill are being killed in and around Port Dundas, Ontario.
Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef is approaching her retirement and at age 61 has a sore back, so bad that she needs some moments to stretch her back to stand up straight. She lives with her 87 year old mother Emily, who governs the house and attempts to run her daughter's life.
The first victim, Delia Chandler, is found by Hazel with Delia's throat...more
Hazel Micallef is the 61-year old Detective Inspector running the police department in the sleepy Ontario town of Port Dundas. Hazel manages the department as best she can with stingy superiors, cutbacks, and departmental bickering while facing an interfering mother, a divorce and a bad back that has her dependent on a combination of painkillers and alcohol to see her through a given day. When first a terminally ill woman is murdered, and a second death in similar circumstances occurs on Hazel's...more
Je dois dire d’entrée de jeu que ce roman ne révolutionne pas le genre. La recette utilisée à été mainte et mainte fois exploitée, mais je dois avouer que pour moi, cette fois-ci, ça a quand même bien fonctionné! Dans Le Guérisseur, à la différence des autres romans policiers, l’inspecteur principal est une femme, ce qui est déjà vraiment bien! Elle est alcoolo, aigrie, n’en fait qu’à sa tête, mais malgré tout, on s’attache à elle. Elle est exactement le genre de chef de police qui me plait (dan...more
Mystery number one : who wrote this book? The book jacket says, "Inger Ash Wolfe is the pseudonym for a North American literary novelist." Mystery number two is actually less of a mystery because almost from the beginning of The Calliing you know who is killing and mutiliating old people with terminal illnesses. The killer is working his way across the breadth of Canada meeting a precise schedule of pre-arranged appointments, focusing on small towns in rural areas where police resources are stre...more
How do you review this book? It held great promise, the characters were well drawn and interesting but acted irrationaly. The plot was complicated but lacked direction and believabilty.
Spoilers Follow:
I'm still not sure what motivated the killer. Nor am I sure why Det Insp Hazel Micallif refused to call in the Canadian Mounted Police when she realised there was a serial killer on the ramage. It would seem the logical thing to do. No, instead she kept silent and eventually called in a TV true cr...more
Spoilers Follow:
I'm still not sure what motivated the killer. Nor am I sure why Det Insp Hazel Micallif refused to call in the Canadian Mounted Police when she realised there was a serial killer on the ramage. It would seem the logical thing to do. No, instead she kept silent and eventually called in a TV true cr...more
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This is the first in a series of books featuring DI Hazel Micallef, of the Port Dundas, Ontario police. In this book, she has been acting head for a few years as the powers that be have delayed replacing the head for her detachment. She is divorced and her mother, the former mayor, lives with her.
When a elderly woman in the community is found murdered Hazel is faced with the most difficult case she has ever had. When they begin to find links to cases elsewhere in Canada, she faces a decision whe...more
When a elderly woman in the community is found murdered Hazel is faced with the most difficult case she has ever had. When they begin to find links to cases elsewhere in Canada, she faces a decision whe...more
I'm of two minds about this. I don't like serial killer books, but this guy is unique. He kills terminally ill people who want help dying; however, after he dispatches them, he mutilates their bodies in grotesque ways. Is he trying to send a message? His victims are strung out in a line of small towns stretching from coast to coast; however, the towns are so remote that no one realizes this is the work of a single person.
Our very human detective, 61-year old Hazel Micallef, works in a small Cana...more
Our very human detective, 61-year old Hazel Micallef, works in a small Cana...more
May 16, 2008
Charlotte
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
aspiriing detectives, people who like western omelets, scaredycats
Shelves:
mystery
woah. this was a seriously good murder mystery. a friend who is a book distributor told me that "this is the new margaret atwood," & I thought he meant it metaphorically, but now I'm wondering if he meant it literally. the back cover says "Inger Wolfe is the pseudonym of a prominent North American literary novelist." hmmm. in any case, if you have a stomach for gore and like salty 61-year-old female police chiefs, buy this book. I couldn't put it down.
1 like · like · see review
Aug 16, 2010
Lobstergirl
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Binti Jua
Shelves:
mystery-thriller,
fiction
Inger Ash Wolfe is the pseudonym for "a North American literary novelist," so I was curious to see a (presumably) skilled novelist put his or her genre instincts to work. It was a disappointment.
There were way too many characters and names introduced at the outset. By page 23, 23 characters had either been met in person, or mentioned (including two named Gord); some of those mentioned would later appear, others didn't. By the end of the book, this number had more than doubled. All the expected p...more
There were way too many characters and names introduced at the outset. By page 23, 23 characters had either been met in person, or mentioned (including two named Gord); some of those mentioned would later appear, others didn't. By the end of the book, this number had more than doubled. All the expected p...more
4 likes · like · see review
I loved that the main character of this book isn't some svelte young beauty who is new to the job and solves the mystery all by herself with hardly a clue. Instead the main character Hazel is a 61 year old woman, recently divorced, and close to retirement who abhors technology. Hazel is also hobbled by a bad back for which she relies on pain killers and whiskey to help, and has an 80 year old mother who is constantly torturing her to lose weight so she can find a new husband. Her department is i...more
The hardest part of writing a mystery for North American audiences has got to be getting the ending right. Because in American mysteries, the whole affair travels the arc from procedural to personal, concluding with the inevitable – and once upon a time, appreciated – face-to-face confrontation between law and disorder. It’s a formula that becomes more tiresome the more the genre adheres to it, and only Europe has truly embraced tossing a little mystery back into the business of, um, mysteries a...more
After a few chapters (disks) I am reminded of the one and only Karin Slaughter book I read. Same small town police force feel (this one is in Canada), same over-the-top violence on the victims. Not sure I will read another, but I definitely want to find out where this one ends. Also, the point of view of the killer alternates with the p.o.v. of the chief detective. I don't mind it when Sandford does it in the Davenport series, but I don't always like it, would rather have the identity of the per...more
I read "The Taken" before I read this one, so I read out of order. However, it did not take away from the story. The story follows D.I. Hazel Micallef, in a small town called Port Dundas in Canada. The body of an elderly lady Hazel knows all her life, is found in her home, drained of her blood and yet it would appear, humanely killed. The woman has a terminal illness and it would have seemed to have been an assisted suicide, had it not been for the strange post-death mutilation. When Hazel hears...more
I judged The Calling on its cover, like I do many of the books I choose to read. Based on the cover, I pictured a dark, medical thriller. Reading the blurbs and publisher description, I imagined a paranormal element to the protagonist Hazel Micallef's crime-solving. Another review promised that Micallef would be unusual and lovable, and I anticipated a quirky heroine of the Evanovich or Lutz varieties. I made a lot of assumptions, and most did not play out.
The Calling is a dark read, with more n...more
The Calling is a dark read, with more n...more
Mar 02, 2011
Trisha
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed,
murder-mystery
I finished this last night and I must admit it turned out better than I'd been thinking it would. Probably about two thirds of the way through, I was pretty much convinced that it was going to be a let down. But it did pick up in the dramatics later on, so that's good.
I really enjoyed reading about Hazel Micallef, Detective Inspector in a small town called Port Dundas. She wasn't perfect, not by a long shot, and I like that she made the sort of mistakes one can totally see a small town cop with...more
I really enjoyed reading about Hazel Micallef, Detective Inspector in a small town called Port Dundas. She wasn't perfect, not by a long shot, and I like that she made the sort of mistakes one can totally see a small town cop with...more
Yes, this book keeps you turning the pages; yes, it is a good read: well constructed, plotted with unusual vocabulary here and there, BUT I have absolutely no idea what comment Ms Wolfe was trying to make about life/existence/anything: what could she have said, but didn't say, about either serial killers, growing old or life in Canada? What is the point of writing something which doesn't say anything about anything? The novel was well written and plotted, but is insubstantial in any other terms...more
This first portion of my review does not contain spoilers. Please do not read beyond the bolded comments below if you don't wish to be spoiled on the ending.
I really enjoyed this book. The mystery element is solid and when the point-of-view switches to the killer, it is creepy, frequently gross, and thoroughly engrossing. I think this book would have suffered without the reader being able to get an understanding of the killer’s mindset and his “victims”. Oddly enough, sometimes I understood the...more
I really enjoyed this book. The mystery element is solid and when the point-of-view switches to the killer, it is creepy, frequently gross, and thoroughly engrossing. I think this book would have suffered without the reader being able to get an understanding of the killer’s mindset and his “victims”. Oddly enough, sometimes I understood the...more
“Hazel brought the phone out of her vest pocket. “I’d like you to show me how to place a call on this thing.” Cartwright smiled faintly. “I’d wipe that look off your face, missy.” (84) “Death brought with it more than just the mere cessation of cellular life: It meant the end of action, and on days like this, Hazel felt that it would be a welcome change – sometime in the future – to be permitted to stop thinking and making choices and waiting for their outcomes.” (101) “Emily Micallef came and s...more
I picked up this book because I noticed a friend was reading it. Said friend is known for being fairly sensitive so I'm wondering how she fared with this gory story which involves a completely psychopathic evangelist-type murdering his way across Canada. Once you get past the initial gore, it's a real page-tuner/can't-put-the-damned-thing-down. The detective is a female OPP officer with a bad back, so bad in fact that (if you know anything about ruptured discs) descriptions of her discomfort (se...more
Most of the hoopla that surrounded publication of this book had to do with the mystery of who the author is. Inger Ash Wolfe is a pseudonym for a "North American literary novelist" who wanted the hype of keeping his or her name a secret or didn't want to be caught slumming by writing a mystery. Wolfe writes fine sentences and lovely turns of phrase. I enjoyed "eyes like dying stars" in particular.
The protagonist, 61-year-old Det. Insp. Hazel Micallef, is certainly appealing in her pride and fla...more
The protagonist, 61-year-old Det. Insp. Hazel Micallef, is certainly appealing in her pride and fla...more
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Definitely a good page-turning, creepy, murder/detective mystery - my favorite kind of book! Set in Port Dundas, Ontario, terminally ill people are turning up murdered in most gruesome ways. You know who the killer is right from the beginning but is most interesting to read how the ill-staffed police detectives go about solving the crimes, led by Inspector Hazel Micallef, the acting chief. I loved Hazel! She's 61 years old, just divorced after a long marriage with her husband leaving her for ano...more
This book will have you at the edge of your seat. You can feel every emotion and the cool Canadian air. You will love Hazel and her mother Emily. You may never look at mushrooms the same again.
Feb 03, 2013
Gina
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
canada,
ccc-club,
contemporary-fiction,
female-detectives,
murder,
mystery,
mystery-crime,
mystery-detective,
part-of-a-series,
suspense,
library,
2013,
book-club,
challenges-2013,
criminal-charges,
death,
death-parent,
friendship,
grief,
literary-fiction,
police-procedural,
drama,
government-control,
kidnapping,
mothers,
family,
published-2000-s,
reporters,
reviewed,
serial-killers,
thriller,
wilderness,
women-s-issues
This was an excellent new author for me to read. The book was original in plotline and mostly stayed at a fast pace. All of the characters were "real" to me and for most of my reading I didn't want to put the book down. The book was a little slow in the beginning then there was some less edgy parts in the middle which is why I marked it down to 4 stars. When I think of the characters, plotline, and setting, it reminded me of Lois Penny's series of books with Detective Armound Gamache, only the f...more
This is the first Inger Ash Wolfe book, featuring Port Dundas police inspector Hazel Micallef - but I won't stop until I've read all the others (3 so far). Absolutely beautifully conceived and written. This is a riveting and harrowing crime story, of a truly sinister but somehow tragic serial killer. Hazel, a 62 year old divorced woman, is a winning and wonderfully imperfect being. Honestly, I would put the quality of this work with the best police books - with Elizabeth George and Louise Penny,...more
This book is about a 6 1-year-old Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef. Who lived her whole life in Port Dundas, Ontario, Canada. She is still reeling from a divorce after nearly forty years of marriage. The only thing she has to sustain her is her 81 year old mother name Emily (the former mayor of Port Dundas). When a terminally ill woman is found murdered in her own home and other similar murders follow, Hazel and her understaffed department find themselveson a trail of a serial killer.
I really...more
I really...more
This was one that I couldn't put down. The author is writing under a pseudonym and is actually a "literary novelist" according to the book jacket, and it shows in the development of even tertiary characters, the lyrical descriptions of winter in Ontario, and the utterly eccentric and lovable lead, Detective Inspector Harriet Mecallif. This reminded me at times of Silence of the Lambs, and the serial killer is unique. I thought the ending--which was over the top, implausible, and not true to the...more
Book 1 in the Hazel Micallef Mystery
This debut crime-fiction novel released in 2008 is a dark and haunting mystery heavy with suspense, a terrific cat and mouse game following officials hot on the trail of a serial killer.
The story has a clever and devious plot that delivers both psychological depth and emotional heights. It has a gruesome beginning, the body of an elderly woman stricken with cancer is found brutally murdered and drained of all her blood. When the detectives arrive they witness...more
This debut crime-fiction novel released in 2008 is a dark and haunting mystery heavy with suspense, a terrific cat and mouse game following officials hot on the trail of a serial killer.
The story has a clever and devious plot that delivers both psychological depth and emotional heights. It has a gruesome beginning, the body of an elderly woman stricken with cancer is found brutally murdered and drained of all her blood. When the detectives arrive they witness...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who is Inger Ash Wolfe? | 2 | 38 | Oct 05, 2008 08:16am |
Inger Ash Wolfe is the pseudonym of the Canadian fiction writer Michael Redhill.
Michael Redhill is a poet, playwright and novelist whom has written two novels, a collection of short fiction, three plays, and five collections of poetry. His play, Building Jerusalem (2001) garnered him the Dora Award, the Chalmers Award, and a nomination for the Governor General’s award. His first novel, Martin Slo...more
More about Inger Ash Wolfe...
Michael Redhill is a poet, playwright and novelist whom has written two novels, a collection of short fiction, three plays, and five collections of poetry. His play, Building Jerusalem (2001) garnered him the Dora Award, the Chalmers Award, and a nomination for the Governor General’s award. His first novel, Martin Slo...more
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