The Forgotten Girls

This gets a whole-hearted "no" from me. A flat combination of unconvincing and unlikable characters, lumpen prose, and implausible plot. And hey, I've ploughed through a bunch of so-so crime novels before now just for the escapism they offered, but the off-putting attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities and the weird strain of internalised misogyny meant I couldn't even turn my brain off while reading The Forgotten Girls.

A nice addition to the Scandinavian detective genre -- satisfyingly twisted and tormented. Oh, and many, many innocent sandwiches are consumed. So many sandwiches.

This novel delves into the institutionalization and treatment of the mentally disabled in the early and mid 20th century, specifically in Denmark, but similar to mistreatment in most of the industrialized world. It's not for the faint of heart.

This is the 7th book in the series, which was passed on to me by a member of my book group. Perhaps reading the entire series would shed more light on the tormented past of Detective Louise Rick, but some details are revealed here, and only two of the first 6 books have been translated into English. (I hate it when publishers do that.)

I show more don't have much desire to read books 2 & 3 (especially since it sounds like they contain a lot of misogynistic violence), but I may read the next book in the series ([b:The Killing Forest|25747154|The Killing Forest (Louise Rick, #8)|Sara Blaedel|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1434692438s/25747154.jpg|45588558]) to find out what happens next. show less

I can see why this series of mysteries is a bestseller in Denmark. Louise Rick is a character readers can't help but like, and the trials and tribulations of her new job position highlight some of the things women have to deal with in a male-dominated work force like the police. Louise's personal life and the death of her fiance also play a part in the story.

Blaedel also uses the landscape and forests of Denmark to good effect. I often found all the trees to be rather claustrophobic. But the investigation itself grabbed almost every scrap of my concentration. I had allowed myself to forget how the developmentally disabled were often treated in the past. It is something none of us should forget. As good as the characters and the setting show more are in The Forgotten Girls, the investigation into the fate of Lisemette and her sister is engrossing, and its outcome is truly riveting... horrifying... and ultimately transformed by the actions of one elderly man. show less

This took entirely too long to read, but that’s the life of a wrestling mom during season.

I absolutely loved this book! The Forgotten Girls is the first of a trilogy within a series. But at no time did I feel lost or confused without reading the books that came before. Sara gives enough background on the protagonist, Louise Rick so I felt like I wasn’t missing anything vital.

I thought the mystery was solid and developed slowly. There was definitely some creep value, which I loved. The writing flowed very smoothly for a translated book. I really enjoyed the two main characters, detectives Louise (the lead officer on a newly created Missing Persons task force with the Danish police) and Eik, and I was completely engrossed from show more beginning to end.

I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. Sara Blaedel has found a forever fan. I highly recommend. show less

This is a murder mystery book that I could not put down. Written by Danish author Sara Blaedel, it is a multilevel tale of a series of horrific murders and rapes that occur in the woods of a small Danish town.

The primary character is a strong female detective Louise Rick who is recently promoted as technical manager of a special search agency.

When the body of a mentally challenged, facially scarred woman is found in the woods, in unraveling the identity, there is a discovery that the woman had been institutionalized in a very backward, unsafe place wherein the patients were blatantly neglected.

While the woman was recently discovered murdered, records indicated that she died in the institution many years ago when it was still opened.

As show more more women are missing, raped or murdered the police have a short period of time finding the brutal animal who stalks his prey.

This is a fast paced, well written book with strong character development.

Highly recommended! show less

This starts out as a real good thriller. However, it soon resolves itself into digging out a lot of dirt and scandals in other people's lives. And for such a small setting there is a LOT of it everywhere.

This is the first time I read anything set in Denmark, and the plot turns out to be something worthy of southern US or radical frontier-land (minus the biblical and religious dimensions).
I also have a strong dislike of plots where disability is blamed (or turns out as a cause) for crime.
I will perhaps read another one from this author exploring the back story, but for me this one ended in an anticlimax.

This took entirely too long to read, but that’s the life of a wrestling mom during season.

I absolutely loved this book! The Forgotten Girls is the first of a trilogy within a series. But at no time did I feel lost or confused without reading the books that came before. Sara gives enough background on the protagonist, Louise Rick so I felt like I wasn’t missing anything vital.

I thought the mystery was solid and developed slowly. There was definitely some creep value, which I loved. The writing flowed very smoothly for a translated book. I really enjoyed the two main characters, detectives Louise (the lead officer on a newly created Missing Persons task force with the Danish police) and Eik, and I was completely engrossed from show more beginning to end.

I will definitely be reading the rest of the series. Sara Blaedel has found a forever fan. I highly recommend. show less