Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2015
320 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
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.
"Chilling...The swiftly moving plot and engaging core characters help make up for serviceable prose and a hard-to-swallow denouement." - Publishers Weekly
"[Blaedel] offers trademark Scandinavian crime fiction with a tough detective and a very grim mystery. Blaedel is incredibly talented at keeping one reading even as one wants to look away from the graphic scenes. Recommend to fans of Camilla Läckberg and Liza Marklund." - Library Journal
"This first installment of a new trilogy for Louise and the Special Search Staff is perhaps the most tightly knit of Blaedel's grim procedurals." - Kirkus
"Top Pick. This is a standout book that will only solidify the author's well-respected standing in crime fiction. Blaedel drops clues that will leave readers guessing right up to the reveal ... Based on the history of treating the disabled, the story is both horrifying and all-to-real. Even the villains have nuanced and sympathetic motives." - RT Times
"The Forgotten Girls is without doubt the best the author has delivered so far...strikingly well done....the chances are good that The Forgotten Girls will become your favorite crime novel for a long time to come." - Børsen (Denmark)
This information about The Forgotten Girls was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Sara Blaedel is the author of the #1 international bestselling series featuring Detective Louise Rick. Her books are published in 23 countries. She lives in Copenhagen, and was voted Denmark's most popular novelist for the fourth time in 2014.
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