- review e-copy provided at Net Galley by publisher Grand Central Publishing
- translated by Signe Rod Golly
- publication date Jan 7 2015
- ISBN 9781455581528
In a forest in Denmark, a ranger discovers the fresh corpse of an unidentified woman. A large scar on one side of her face should make the identification easy, but nobody has reported her missing. After four days, Louise Rick--the new commander of the Missing Persons Department--is still without answers. But when she releases a photo to the media, an older woman phones to say that she recognizes the woman as Lisemette, a child she once cared for in the state mental institution many years ago. Lisemette, like the other children in the institution, was abandoned by her family and branded a "forgotten girl."
But Louise soon discovers something more disturbing: Lisemette had a twin, and both girls were issued death certificates over 30 years ago. As the investigation brings Louise closer to her childhood home, she uncovers more crimes that were committed--and hidden--in the forest, and finds a terrible link to her own past that has been carefully concealed.
My Take
The publisher's blurb probably tells the reader a little too much of the plot. In the story behind the mystery Louise Rick is trying to establish herself as the head of the new Missing Persons Department. She has been made many promises by her boss, but it appears he has made similar promises to others. She ends up having to work with Eik, who is someone she would not have chosen, and they don't get off to a very good start. Nor does it appear that her boss's secretary Hanne likes her very much either.
Louise finds herself carrying out the investigation in an area that she grew up in, where some people recognise her and know a little more about her background than she is comfortable with. There is more than one murder, and after the investigation begins another woman disappears while running in the forest.
The plot becomes intriguing as the story unravels, and strands go back decades.
My rating: 4.5
About the author
I've discovered that this is the 10th novel published by this relatively new Danish author.
EuroCrime lists four of them (see below) but the author's website, which describes her as "Denmark's Queen of Crime", shows she has been quite prolific, her first novel being published in 2004. Wikipedia.
Detective Inspector Louise Rick
| • Call Me Princess (apa Blue Blood) | 2011 | 2 |
| • Only One Life | 2012 | 3 |
| • Farewell to Freedom | 2012 | 4 |
| • The Forgotten Girls | 2015 | 5 |
Explore her website
This does sound interesting, Kerrie. Glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI'll flag this to read later because I haven't read it yet (US publication date is different, I think).
ReplyDeleteThanks for this review. I hadn't heard of her, and her books sound interesting. Amazon says some of her books are available here in Canada, so I hope to get to this one this winter. A good way to start the new year!
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