The Forgotten Girls (Louise Rick series)

A special thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS, (Louise Rick / Camilla Lind #7) by Sara Blaedel is a chilling crime suspense mystery page-turner, leaving you turning into the wee hours of the morning.

Former Copenhagen homicide detective Louise Rick has just been appointed technical manager of the Special Search Agency, a division of Denmark's Search Department, responsible for investigating unsolved missing-person cases.

However, the first case, is haunting and brings her back to her own nightmares she has tried to forget. A dead girl has been found in the woods; however, no one has reported the victim missing. Even more disturbing, the girl died over 30 years ago.

When investigating further to a sanitarium for the mentally handicapped when was closed years ago, Louise discovers there was a twin sister, who may still be alive.

Louise works with her new partner, Eik Nordstrom which leads them down a devastating and twisted path, which intersects with Louise’s troubled past.

This was my first book by Blaedel and am now curious about the previous books in the series (I always seem to start with the latest and work my way backward). An intriguing mystery with the two girls, and the connection with main character; a nice set up and execution.

I am a huge fan of crime writers, New Zealand’s Paul Cleave and Scandinavian, Thomas Enger . Blaedel is not in this class, in my opinion; however, enjoyed the novel and look forward to reading more.

If you have even a passing interest in mystery novels, you have to pick up and get going on the Louise Rick series by Sara Blaedel. Reading them chronologically will be a problem, given that only three of the nine volumes in this riveting storyline have been published in the United States thus far. Do what you need to do to gather them up and jump on now; you will not be sorry.

THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS, which has just been published in the United States and is the seventh in the series overall, is frightening in many ways, a study in the evil that people quietly do. It is an excellent place to meet Louise Rick (and a thank you to translator Signe Rod Golly for the introduction). As the novel opens, Louise has been newly installed as the head of Denmark’s Missing Persons Department. Her watch has barely begun when the bodies of two women are found in separate but nearby locations.

The first victim appears to have died as the result of an accident, namely a fall off of a ledge. She has no identification on her person, and her only notable physical quality is marked scarring on the side of her face. An autopsy reveals that her brain has characteristics consistent with low intelligence, yet she also appeared to have had sexual intercourse within a few hours of her death. The second woman, who is found while the police are investigating the first discovery, is a child care worker who obviously has been murdered. She is quickly identified, but the two deaths do not seem to be linked.

Louise and her partner, Eik Nordstrom, are surprised when their investigation into the unknown woman reveals that she is one of a pair of twin girls who was institutionalized at a local mental asylum and recorded as having died on the same day decades previously. The knowledge creates an even larger puzzle for Louise. How could a woman who died 20 years before suddenly materialize on the edge of a forest, freshly dead? And where is her sister, from whom she was reportedly inseparable? Louise is told by her superior that the case is closed, given that she has identified the body, but she is not satisfied.

However, Louise’s investigation eventually leads her back to the area where she herself was raised and is the last place she wants to be. She has her own set of tragedies with which she has yet to deal, and as she uncovers what has happened to the unfortunate woman in the intervening decades, she finds that her own past may well intersect with her investigation, particularly when a series of new attacks begin to occur. It may be that the death of the child care worker and the woman who supposedly passed away so long ago are related after all. Before the novel ends, Louise will have to come to grips with her own past, though the answers she seeks may put her in unexpected danger.

THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS has it all. At its heart, it is a puzzling, intricate mystery whose solution packs a horrific double-punch. It is also a very sad work, though almost heartwarming in its conclusion. It thus tugs at your heartstrings, even as the narrative jerks you through at breakneck speed. Once you start, you will have no choice but to finish it; the need to know what happened is that compelling. And while the relationship between the straight-arrow, no-nonsense Louise Rick and the alcoholic but brilliant Eik Nordstrom is predictable, you will love every exchange between them as well.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.

As with many Scandinavian Crime novels this is more about the people than the crime. Stieg Larsson may have brought the genre to the US, with his book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but there are so many really great authors out there that we are just now discovering. The scenery is more barren and gloomy, and the culture very different from America. I loved the fact that half the characters were riding bikes or walking to and from trains or various destinations instead of hoping in the car.

This is the seventh book in the Louise Rick series but does just fine as a stand along. I haven't read the others ones and stumbled across this one through netgalley. Louise Rick is just starting up her new job as the head of the Missing Persons Unit which technically only consists of her. She took the job to get out of the homicide division and although this new unit could technically be considered a step down she needed to get out. While she thought she would be able to pick her partner she finds herself working with Eik who misses his first appointment with her and who she has to pick up drunk from the bar early in the morning.

Lismette is found dead from a fall off a cliff, but after some investigation it seems Lismette has a death certificate dated 30 years ago and she had a twin sister. So how can one woman die twice and where is her sister? Louise and Eik find themselves stumbling around bumping into new missing person cases and more links that lead to more questions about what happened to these girls. I loved the writing in this book, the characters left me wanting more and the mystery was haunting and disturbing and the book ends with another mystery developing. This is one author I am going to be adding to my "must follow list".

Among Denmark's most popular novelists -- voted most popular for the third time in 2011 -- Sara Blaedel is a twisty plotter who overlays past and present events so that they combine like tree roots to trip up the reader racing through her novel at break-neck speed. This book, "The Forgotten Girls" begins with a terrified woman running barefoot through a remote Danish forest to her death and then gradually reveals the entangled events from the past forty years that landed her as a crumpled pile in the bottom of a ravine. It is the seventh in the Detective Louise Rick series, and this female investigator is also navigating the fall-out from a hard-won independence to pursue her career -- and still be a sexual being and a single mother of a teen-aged boy. Rich is a prickly character, suffering past wounds and present challenges, but, like all great detectives, driven to finding that last kernel of an answer no matter how she puts her self, physically and psychically, at risk. What I love is the simple and direct quality of the prose -- there is no wasted time for "look at me" here -- and the empathy she has for her victims and their villains. The title is key -- "The Forgotten Girls -- because it refers both to the central mystery and the way in which female mystery writers have come to tell the stories of women, empowered and powerless, in a world of male violence and female collusion. If you like Nordic noir, add Blaedel to your pile of must-read authors.

Awful. Characters were weird. Characters seemed to come and go and added no value to the story. (The whole Camilla thing had no purpose, except to get Louise and Eik together. Beyond that, the character contributed nothing.) Writing was bland. I couldn't even follow it half the time.

And it was very irritating to have a major component of the book go unresolved and "to be continued" in the next series. It was a rip-off. THIS IS NOT A STAND ALONE BOOK.

I do not recommend this book at all.

I obtained an early release copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is actually part of a Danish series with Detective Louise Rick; however, it is fine as a stand alone in case you know nothing about Detective Rick. That was the case when I read it, and I don’t think lack of previous knowledge affected my reading at all.

Detective Rick has just started a job as head of a new Missing Persons Unit in Copenhagen. Her first case involves a dead girl found in the woods. The girl is identified, and a death certificate is found…from thirty years ago.

The clues lead Rick and her team to a sanitarium for the mentally handicapped. Former staff members and relatives are interviewed. It becomes apparent that the dead girl has a twin, who might still be alive.

There were plenty of twists and turns in this entry in the series. I did find the relationship between Rick and her male coworker to be a bit forced, but perhaps things will even out in the next entry in the series.

I thought the premise was plausible and would recommend this book. I don’t know if reading the previous books in the series would enhance the experience with this one; perhaps other readers can comment on that.

I read the English translation of this Danish book that is apparently 7th in a series about Louise Rick, who, in this book, is the commander of a new police unit focusing on missing persons. Sometimes it's hard to jump into the middle of a series, but I didn't read any previous books in this series and didn't find this book hard to come into at all. I really enjoyed the characters, and wouldn't mind reading the other books in the series to get more background on the characters, but I don't think it's necessary for one to read the others before picking this book up.
In this book, Louise's first case in this newly created department involves a dead woman that is found in the woods. Once she is identified, Louise and her partner find out that there is a death certificate for this woman showing that she supposedly died many years earlier. From there they try to figure out why someone may have faked her death, all while trying to deal with more and more crimes that are happening in the same woods this woman was found in. I really enjoyed the mystery of this novel, and found the book to be fast-paced the entire way through. Can't wait to read another book by this author.

WOW! I received this e-galley from Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing free in exchange for an honest review. Here's my review.

WOW! Yeah, I said it again. This was my first book by Sara Blaedel and It was a doozy. At first it was a little hard to get into, I don't know why I have trouble with Scandanavian names and cities, but they always stump me and I have a hard time reading them. However, I have the same trouble with Jo Nesbo's books. That being said, while it did slow me down, the entertainment factor was still there.

There were so many villains that could be a suspect that there is no way you could figure out the ending and when you do find out, I guarantee your jaw will be agape because I was like "what?". The story as a whole was a very sad tale for many of the characters, but one that kept you entranced the whole time. While reading the book I kept picturing one of the characters as the bald Frankenstein in the movie "Young Frankenstein". Ha!!

While this was the first one that I've read, it was apparent that there were prior books with this character, but that did not prevent me from being thoroughly entertained. And the ending left me with just enough mystery to thrill me with anticipation for the next book. I will definitely be reading more of Sara Blaedel!!

The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel is a captivating crime novel from the very beginning. This is the seventh book in the Louise Rick series and the first one I have read. When a woman’s body is found in the woods Detective Louise Rick thought it would be easy to identify her from the large scar on her face. Only later to discover that the woman was issued a death certificate thirty years ago. When similar crimes begin occurring, Louise knows she has to solve this case fast.

Blaedel being considered “The Queen of Crime” in Denmark made me want to read The Forgotten Girls, just to see if she truly deserves a title like that. Long story short, I was not disappointed! This book had me wondering who the killer was and just when I thought I knew who it was, I find out I was wrong. Mixing in Louise’s past experiences in the book with the other characters has made me very curious about Blaedel’s other novels in the series. Blaedel does an excellent job of not giving away too much of what has happened in her other novels, which makes me want to read them all. The ending of the book left me with more questions that I still need answers to. Mostly questions about Louise and what would happen with her. I guess I have to wait for the next book in the series to find out.

Overall I think that Sara Blaedel has earned her title “Queen of Crime”. I look forward to reading more of her work. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good crime novel.

•I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free kindle copy of The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel, translated by Signe Rod Golly, in an the store promotion in exchange for a fair review.

I gave this intense, tragic story five stars. It was difficult to read only because I have worked at mental institutions in the past & this book triggered some unpleasant memories similar to what happened in the story with the burned girl.

I had not read Sara Blaedel's work before but will watch for it again. This is book seven of the Louise Rick series, but can stand alone. There were some slow periods in it but overall I highly recommend this book.

Here's a quote from the protagonist Louise Rick: "She took a few steps but felt her aversion & grief rise up like a shield. She didn't want to go down there. It was no more than ten yards but she simply couldn't."

Link to purchase: http://www.the store.com/The-Forgotten-Girls-Sara-Blaedel-ebook/dp/B00HQ2N54S

Danish police detective Louise Rick has just begun her new assignment as head of a missing persons task force, when she is given a case of finding the identity of a recently deceased woman found in the forest. Since the death is accidental, all seems fairly routine until Louise discovers who the woman was - and that she had a death certificate issued many years previously at an institution for the severely handicapped. As Louise delves deeper into the mystery woman's past, she finds dark secrets about the institution that resonate into the present day with a series of horrific deaths and more missing women. While searching for the killer, Louise finds herself being pulled towards her childhood home, where she must confront many of her own demons, ones that may have a link to the murderer. Fans of gritty mysteries with flawed protagonists will find a riveting story that will keep them reading far into night.

This is my first book from this Danish series. Louise Rick is heading a new Department for special disappearance cases in the Police. She is likable and smart, and her new partner is unusual but effective. I loved the investigation and the resolution of the plot. What I couldn't get around was the character of Camilla, Louise's best friend. It's hard to care about her imaginary problems planning a wedding to a millionaire, after learning about the forgotten girls, the mentally disabled women missing from an institution, and the inhumane treatment they received when they were committed. If the author had devoted less time to Camilla and her incessant whining, I would have given this novel 5 stars.

The Forgotten Girls is a story about twins who were born with disabilities and are sent away to an institution where they are abused in the worst possible way. After more than 25 years have past, a body turns up dead in the forest. It is Louise Ricks job as commander of the new missing persons unit to find out who this dead woman is and how she died. The more Louise and her partner Eik dig into this case the more twisted things become.

This is my first time reading Ms. Blaedel and I have to say I enjoyed the first half of this book. About half way through I feel things started to get more and more unbelievable. Like she was just throwing things in just to finish the book up. The ending was a fast jumbled mess that was so unbelieva

This book is full of suspense and intrigue. It takes place in current times, but it brings things from the past into the story. The characters and the plot are well developed and will keep you guessing. I enjoyed this book which is set in Copenhagen. Reading about a different country is very interesting. This was a Serial read from B&N where a few chapters are delivered each day of the month to the Nook App.

A lonely female figure surrounded by huge trees draws readers to Sara Blaedel’s latest mystery thriller. The author has chosen a strong woman with a complicated past as the protagonist in “The Forgotten Girls.” The dark forests of Denmark set the tone for her novel about abandoned children and hidden crimes. The discovery of a woman’s body leads Louise Rick, the new commander of the Missing Persons Department, in search of the truth about “forgotten girls” at a state mental institution.

ARC provided by Netgalley

This book started out strong and the main mystery was good, but it just felt like something was missing. It felt choppy and at times was hard to follow. The characters lacked emotion and parts of the story just didn't ring true. It was a decent read, just not great.

Too descriptive when unnecessary & not descriptive enough when needed. A lot of time exhausted on meaningless filler. Add all of this to a stupid, gross, scattered story & you've got yourself a huge waste of time. I forced myself to finish this book because I stupidly & unknowingly bought two copies accidentally. Boy, did I waste my money...twice over.

Sarah Blaedel’s The Forgotten Girls captivates from the very beginning. It’s a dark and disturbing read, and fits in quite well with other Scandinavian mysteries! My only criticism is that the translation seems a little choppy. Do not read late at night!

This Danish detective story reminded me of Jussi Aldler-Olsen books, except for the fact that I could get closer to his main characters. This was a very good story, however, and I expect to read more in this series. At 300 pages, it was just the right length.

I enjoyed this book, but the ending seemed rushed. I did not realize this was a book in a series until I was reading reviews; I was wondering why so much time was spent on Camilla, but now I have read that she is the main character in the other books in the series.

Mixed review. It's definitely a page turner, but character development is limited ( maybe it's been established in the prior books in this series ) and the ending really strained credibility. Not compelling enough to interest me in the other by this author.

This Danish detective story reminded me of Jussi Aldler-Olsen books, except for the fact that I could get closer to his main characters. This was a very good story, however, and I expect to read more in this series. At 300 pages, it was just the right length.

I enjoyed this book, but the ending seemed rushed. I did not realize this was a book in a series until I was reading reviews; I was wondering why so much time was spent on Camilla, but now I have read that she is the main character in the other books in the series.

Mixed review. It's definitely a page turner, but character development is limited ( maybe it's been established in the prior books in this series ) and the ending really strained credibility. Not compelling enough to interest me in the other by this author.

I absolutely loved this book. Thinks the first one of Sara's books that I ever come across and didn't realize that this wasn't the first one to it's series. But anyways I finished this book in 2 days and couldn't keep my eyes off of it! My fiancé has got me her newest for Christmas and I can not wait to get it in my hands!