Sara Blaedel, author of the #1 international bestseller The Forgotten Girls--which was roundly praised as "gripping" with "uncompromising realism" (Washington Post) and "tautly suspenseful" (BookPage)--returns with the thrilling next book in her series featuring police investigator Louise Rick.
THE KILLING FOREST
Following an extended leave, Louise Rick returns to work at the Special Search Agency, an elite unit of the National Police Department. She's assigned a case involving a fifteen-year-old who vanished a week earlier. When Louise realizes that the missing teenager is the son of a butcher from Hvalsoe, she seizes the opportunity to combine the search for the teen with her personal investigation of her boyfriend's long-ago death . . .
Louise's investigation takes her on a journey back through time. She reconnects with figures from her past, including Kim, the principal investigator at the Holbaek Police Department, her former in-laws, fanatic ancient religion believers, and her longtime close friend, journalist Camilla Lind. As she moves through the small town's cramped network of deadly connections, Louise unearths toxic truths left unspoken and dangerous secrets.
REVIEW: Another creepy delight by the master of her craft, Blaedel. This book is another one that will keep you up late, looking over your shoulder and talking about long after you finish. There is something hard to describe about Blaedel's writing that I love. I am not sure if it is way she manages you capture my interest and keep me a bit uncomfortable at the same time or the way that she writes the characters and creates situations that become so real to me, but whatever it is I LOVE it and cannot wait to read more!!! 5 stars
Sara Blaedel--Denmark's "Queen of Crime"--brings her #1 bestseller THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS to North America.
THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS
Four days later, Louise Rick still had no answers.
The body of an unidentified woman was discovered in a local forest. A large, unique scar on one side of her face should have made the identification easy, but nobody has reported her missing. As the new commander of the Missing Persons Department, Louise risks involving the media by releasing a photo of the victim, hoping to find someone who knew her.
Louise's gamble pays off: 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 more than thirty years ago.
Aided by her friend journalist Camilla Lind, Louise finds that the investigation takes a surprising and unsettling turn when it brings her closer to her childhood home. And as she uncovers more crimes that were committed--and hidden--in the forest, she is forced to confront a terrible link to her own past that has been carefully concealed.
MY REVIEW: So this book was creepy, twisty and turny and hard to put down! I love a good thriller and THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS had all elements that make for a great read...a great mystery, compelling characters that have mysteries of their own, a story that is perfectly plotted and unpredictable and just enough creepy to keep me uneasy the whole time! What a GREAT book and one I recommend highly to lovers of great thriller/mystery mixes!!! 4.5 stars
More of Sara's books HERE
Sara Blædel’s interest in story, writing, and especially crime fiction was nurtured from a young age, long before Scandinavian crime fiction took the world by storm.
The daughter of renowned Danish journalist Leif Blædel and Annegrethe Nissen, an actress whose career include roles in theater, radio, TV and movies, Sara was surrounded by a constant flow of professional writers and performers visiting the Blædel home. Despite a struggle with dyslexia, books gave Sara a world in which to escape when her introverted nature demanded shelter from the cacophony of life.
Sara tried a number of careers, from a restaurant apprenticeship to graphic design, before she started a publishing company called Sara B, where she published Danish translations of American crime fiction.
Publishing ultimately led Sara to journalism, and she covered a wide range of stories, from criminal trials to the premiere ofStar Wars: Episode I. It was during this time—and while skiing in Norway—that Sara started brewing the ideas for her first novel. In 2004 Louise and Camilla were introduced in Grønt Støv (Green Dust), and Sara won the Danish Crime Academy’s debut prize.
Sara’s writing process is intense and she swears, “I am absolutely not fun to be with. And therefore everyone is happiest if I work with somewhere else.” That somewhere else is a summer house with huge windows affording a panoramic view, white terrace furniture, and a gas barbecue. In this seemingly tranquil environment, Sara formulates her brutal literary murder mysteries.
Research also plays an important role in Sara’s writing process. She believes that the imagination has its best chance to thrive within the framework of reality. “I work tirelessly to learn all I can in order to create the settings.” So most of the geographical locations that constitute Louise Rick’s universe are imported from the real world. Her apartment is Sara’s old apartment in Copenhagen, and she frequents the same cafés that Sara does.
An essential tool Sara uses for her research and preparation is a large whiteboard she’s named her “killing wall.” The killing wall is home to sketches of the story’s development, giving Sara the visual stimulation that best ignites her creativity. Sara also relies heavily on a host of experts who offer input and feedback on her novels. “I am so fortunate to have good helpers in those areas where I really need factual knowledge—whether in the Homicide Division, Forensics or Forensic Psychology.”
Sara has come full circle from her childhood days of hearing her mother read Agatha Christie aloud. “It brings me peace to know that it all began with crime fiction as a child, and that it is there, after a thousand detours, that I have landed again. As a child I found peace in crime novels, and it is with them that I find peace today. There has been some turbulence along the way, but I wouldn’t have avoided any of it. I wouldn’t have reached the place I have without all of it happening.” And that place Sara has reached includes seven published novels with an eighth on the way. Her novels are published in seventeen countries and appear in fifteen languages, and the film rights have been optioned. Her hard work and determination have branded her the “Queen of Crime” in Denmark.
Today, Sara lives north of Copenhagen with her family. She has always loved animals; she still enjoys horse riding and shares her home with her cat and Golden Retriever. When she isn’t busy committing brutal murders on the page, she is an ambassador with Save the Children and serves on the jury of a documentary film competition.
*****
Q. What inspires your writing?
A. The perfect idea can pop up anywhere and at any time – when I am reading through a magazine, walking my dog; even while washing my hair in the shower. The premise for THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS came from a series of theme articles in a Danish newspaper about mental institutions in Denmark 30-40 years ago. There were deeply disturbing interviews with former patients and social workers, as well as distressing details about how these facilities were run. I was shocked and haunted by what I read. I became consumed and wanted to know more.
It was not that long ago when we handled odd or quirky people in our society indecently, and, in fact, there are still those whose lives are marked by the horrible conditions and degradation with which we once treated the mentally challenged and their families. As for the setting of THE KILLING FOREST, I have always been fascinated by the countryside (where I grew up). I’m riveted by the cramped networks of eerie connections which can be found there, and all the lurking mysteries and secrets. I wanted to tell a story of (misunderstood) deep loyalty and how dangerous that can be.
Q. What is your favorite thing about being a writer?
A. Being alone with my stories and characters.
Q. What is the toughest part of being a writer?
A. Paradoxically, being alone with my stories and characters.
Q. If you could not be writer, what would you do/be?
A. If I were not a full-time writer, I would probably have continued to work as a TV journalist. Perhaps, I might have followed my old dream and become a horse trainer. I have been a dressage rider and competing in riding competitions for many years, and have owned horses since the age of ten. I miss riding and caring for them.
Q. What would the story of your life be entitled?
A. Back in the saddle.
Q. Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?
A. A cookbook with the most exquisite delicacies.
Q. Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.
A. I was once forced to spend an entire book tour abroad without my clothing and personal affects after the airline sent my suitcase to the wrong cities, one after the other. It (my suitcase) wound up on its own tour. That was a long time ago and NOT so much fun. But now I can laugh it off. It is incredible how one can adjust and make do (ahem) with not having a whole bunch of choices about what to wear.
Q. Are you working on something new?
A. YES, and I am very, very excited about it.
Q. Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?
A. Keep reading - it opens the mind and heart. But you already know that, don’t you? Here you are, reading about books.
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