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The Calling
(Hazel Micallef Mystery #1)
by
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 gra ...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 gra ...more
Hardcover, 384 pages
Published
May 5th 2008
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(first published January 1st 2008)
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Dave Gibson
I don't think it's any of them- it could be an amalgam of all three. Yet again, I'm an Aussie so what do I know!
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Excellent mystery about a 60-year old female CO in a small Canadian town outside of Toronto. There are the usual issues with superiors, staff, new detective, etc., etc., but the slant's a little different and I liked the fact that the MC was an 'older' woman. (Who even has her older-older cranky, independent mother living with her - she used to be the town's mayor!)
The situation: a serial killer is targeting terminally-ill people, especially the old, and leaving them with contorted mouths and m ...more
The situation: a serial killer is targeting terminally-ill people, especially the old, and leaving them with contorted mouths and m ...more
The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe.
I had read and enjoyed The Night Bell by I.A.W. and decided to go back and start with the first book in the Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef series.
Hazel Micallef is not your average Detective Inspector. She's over 60 years of age with painful health issues and an aging mother she cares for at home. Detective Micallef is also divorce with a history of alcoholism which has never completely left her life. All that taken into consideration she runs a tight ship with ...more
I had read and enjoyed The Night Bell by I.A.W. and decided to go back and start with the first book in the Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef series.
Hazel Micallef is not your average Detective Inspector. She's over 60 years of age with painful health issues and an aging mother she cares for at home. Detective Micallef is also divorce with a history of alcoholism which has never completely left her life. All that taken into consideration she runs a tight ship with ...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
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
Jul 27, 2008
Mascanlon
rated it
it was amazing
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
I am not quite half way through this and it is amazing! If you like Cody McFadyen then this book is perfect for you!
Finished it and loved it!
Finished it and loved it!
Aug 11, 2010
Lobstergirl
rated it
it was ok
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
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
May 15, 2008
Charlotte
rated it
it was amazing
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.
THE CALLING is one of those books. One of those books that I found sometimes utterly compelling; was bored witless in some passages; laughed out loud in others; found myself heartily confused about some of the procedural elements; and was slightly repelled by some parts.
It is a serial killer book, and I will admit that I'm getting to the point where I'm over the whole serial killer thing. I'm particularly over the barking mad, out there motive serial killer thing. And there's certainly a barking ...more
It is a serial killer book, and I will admit that I'm getting to the point where I'm over the whole serial killer thing. I'm particularly over the barking mad, out there motive serial killer thing. And there's certainly a barking ...more
This book had almost everything I love in a book. It has fleshed out characters who I ended up caring about. It was beautifully written. It had a real sense of place. What I didn't care for was the graphic and gruesome descriptions of the aftermath of the killings. Also, the ending I thought was convenient.
I would like to read more about Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef who is a great character but will look at reviews for the next book to see if I can tell if the gore level is lower.
I would like to read more about Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef who is a great character but will look at reviews for the next book to see if I can tell if the gore level is lower.
3 and a half stars.
Well, I just don't know what to write. I did like Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef, sixty-one year old and living with her mother. But it would normally not be the sort of book I like, mainly because of there being too much gore for my taste. However,it was quite a compelling book and I just had to read on to the end.
Well, I just don't know what to write. I did like Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef, sixty-one year old and living with her mother. But it would normally not be the sort of book I like, mainly because of there being too much gore for my taste. However,it was quite a compelling book and I just had to read on to the end.
Dec 27, 2018
Sue Smith
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2018
Great book with a really nasty serial murder! Loved the characters!
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
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 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
Thanks to Peter Bailey, St. Albert Public Library Director for recommending this series, and to CBC Radio Edmonton for having him on to spread the word about this fantastic Canadian mystery author in both genre and name. Inger Ash Wolfe is the pseudonym of the well known (and really diplomatic) Canadian author Michael Redhill. The Calling is the beginning of a new wonderful friendship for me and thankfully I have #2 of the current 4 in this series locked and loaded. A great police procedural tha
...more
This book is actually a strong 3.5, but I just couldn't push it up to 4 because of some major problems with the mystery. The main character, Hazel is so well-drawn, interesting and different for a police chief in a novel. I also really enjoyed the depiction of the killer and the manner in which the murders were described, but the motivation of the killer was never flushed out. I wanted much more background on the killer and to see some psychological analysis of his actions. Besides Hazel's mothe
...more
oh, why did I put this book down? I must have forgotten how much I was enjoying it.
Hazel Micallef is an unexpected protagonist. 61, gray haired, bad back, divorced, and living with her 87-year old mother, she isn't your typical Detective Inspector. She runs a small, rural police department way north of Toronto. She is fighting the powers that be in Toronto to keep her small department afloat amid their desire to consolidate all the small towns. A terminally ill elderly woman is found murdered in a most unusual way. It turns out there is a bizarre religious zealot killing termi
...more
The murders are horrifying, but not gratuitous. The detective in charge is sympathetic, but not quirky. The setting is rural Canada, where the murderer travels fram small towns to even smaller towns, working on his murderous master plan. I liked everything about this, and may have found a new favorite series. The only stopping me from a five star rating was the ending. I liked how (relatively) understated and realistic the novel was up to that point, and the climax was just a little too over-the
...more
Presents the points of view of both (various) police and of a serial killer; contains both a mystery section and a chase section making it more thriller than police procedural, and having the requisite unexpected twists that keep the thriller reader plowing onward. Together with Canadian locations and a sympathetic set of small-town characters, a good first novel by Michael Redhill whose Bellevue Square represents a quantum leap forward.
Reason for Reading: My sister brought the book to my attention and I saw that Mo Hayder had put a blurb on it so I definitely was intrigued by this new author.
Summary: Inspector Hazel Micallef is the acting chief of police at a small Ontario town. At 61 years of age daily life for Hazel and this police force involves drunks, trespassing, speeding and maybe the occasional domestic dispute. That is until an elderly town citizen dying of cancer is brutally murdered and drained of all her blood. In ...more
Summary: Inspector Hazel Micallef is the acting chief of police at a small Ontario town. At 61 years of age daily life for Hazel and this police force involves drunks, trespassing, speeding and maybe the occasional domestic dispute. That is until an elderly town citizen dying of cancer is brutally murdered and drained of all her blood. In ...more
A novel recommended to me.
As I've probably told already, crime novels aren't my first pick. I can see the plot coming a mile ahead and I don't like that in a novel.
The Calling was something else, though.
It's centers around Hazel Micallef, a 61 year old woman leading a police force in a small, happy place in Canada, until a grisly murders takes place. Or seems to anyway, because the deeper they dig, the more it seems as if the victim had agreed upon the murder.
Hazel acts like a dog with a bone, n ...more
As I've probably told already, crime novels aren't my first pick. I can see the plot coming a mile ahead and I don't like that in a novel.
The Calling was something else, though.
It's centers around Hazel Micallef, a 61 year old woman leading a police force in a small, happy place in Canada, until a grisly murders takes place. Or seems to anyway, because the deeper they dig, the more it seems as if the victim had agreed upon the murder.
Hazel acts like a dog with a bone, n ...more
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
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
This first in a series is not a book to take along to lunch--some gruesome stuff--but it's a compelling story about a small town police force in Ontario and their hunt for a murderer who turns out to be a very strange serial killer. Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef, acting head of her small police department, is short on staff and support from the higher administrative bosses. That doesn't stop her from trying to fly under the radar in piecing together the trail of the killer who has murdered
...more
The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe is the 1st in the Hazel Micallef Detective Series.
Wonderful book. Finally, a 61-year old female police detective, solving crimes in small-town Ontario! Her character is amazing....divorced, bad back and addicted to pain killers, living with her elderly mother, and we aren't really sure who is taking care of who. Her policing methods are a little "off-the books", but the job gets done.
In this book, when an elderly woman dies in Hazel's home town, her face gruesomel ...more
Wonderful book. Finally, a 61-year old female police detective, solving crimes in small-town Ontario! Her character is amazing....divorced, bad back and addicted to pain killers, living with her elderly mother, and we aren't really sure who is taking care of who. Her policing methods are a little "off-the books", but the job gets done.
In this book, when an elderly woman dies in Hazel's home town, her face gruesomel ...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
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Play Book Tag: The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe 4 stars | 2 | 16 | Oct 12, 2018 05:00PM | |
| Who is Inger Ash Wolfe? | 3 | 58 | Jan 22, 2014 01:55PM |
Readers also enjoyed
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
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
Other books in the series
Hazel Micallef Mystery
(4 books)
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