I hope / think she is planning a sequel - otherwise the backstory she tried to weave in about the ex was pointless.

You don’t need to read the other books in the series for the main plot of this book.

CONTENT WARNING: This book includes a LOT of stuff about the rape and sexual assault of nearly every female character in this book. I’m not criticizing the author’s choice, I just wanted to give a heads up because nowhere on the book (the outside, at least) does it warn about that, even though it’s a very prominent plot piece.

This book would never have made it if it was written in English, but knowing it was translated, I let some phrasing and grammar mistakes slide. For the most part, it read very clearly and understandably.

The author has a very good hold on her main character because of the sheer number of books she’s written about her. I was able to perfectly understand everything that happened in this book, though, even not having read the others. That really impressed me!

The story itself sort of took me aback because the graphic content wasn’t really warned about anywhere on the book. I really, REALLY hate reading about sexual assault and rape - to the point that if I think a book I’m interested in has a scene like that, I’ll flip to the end and spoil the book in an attempt to see whether or not something like that happens. I didn’t actually mind it in this book, though - it was Jørgen himself that I had a problem with.

If Jørgen’s accident had actually left him with intense sexual desires that he couldn’t control, then that would mean he could NEVER control himself. He wouldn’t have the lucidity to pick flowers and hold even a semblance of advanced conversation. He certainly wouldn’t distinguish between the right and wrong of raping certain people. And yet he thought of one of their prisoners as a child and refused to sleep with her. I guarantee you that since the accident erased all of Jørgen’s ideas that incest is very bad, to the point where he raped both his mother and sister, he would have had no qualms with raping a physically mature child, even one with the brain of a much younger kid. That isn’t me being horrible, it’s just the facts.

The sheer weirdness and inaccuracies of Jørgen’s disability is what knocked this down to a three, as well as my general lackluster feelings towards the book. This is where the whole series thing is harmful - there was so much extra stuff about the main character’s personal life that didn’t affect the story at all, I got a little bored or confused at certain parts.

If you like crime, this might be your thing. Just stay wary of my content warnings.

Rating of 3.5-4 stars. The Forgotten Girls follows detective Louise Rick as she investigates the death of an identified woman found dead in the forest. After releasing her photo to the media, someone identifies the dead woman as Lisemette who, as a child, lived in the state mental institution years before, abandoned by her family and deemed a "forgotten girl". As the investigation continues, unexpected details about Lisemette and her past are discovered, as well as possible to connections to other unidentified women murdered in the forest.

I'm still not quite sure what I think about this novel. As someone who loves mystery and thriller stories, I was immediately drawn to the book by it's description, and was excited when Barnes & Noble chose it as one of their "Serial Reads" for 2017. However, the beginning of this book starts off very slowly, which isn't what I would expect from a thriller novel trying to drawn in its readers. The body of Lisemette is discovered, the detectives learn about her twin sister, and her time in the state institution is known-all plot points that are revealed by the back cover description and are of no surprise to the reader. The author is also annoyingly descriptive at this point in the story, including very minute details in her writing about what the characters are thinking and doing, which are neither relevant to the overall plot, nor leave anything up to imagination.

But then the story takes a turn. The plot picks up, additional murders occur, and the detailed writing seems to let up a little. The ending isn't completely a surprise, as there are many clues throughout the story that allow you to identify who is behind the murders, which I was able to do about halfway through the book. But there is enough hidden to encourage the reader to finish the story. Additionally, the novel ends on a strange cliffhanger. Throughout the book, the reader is exposed to Louise's troubled past with her parents and prior boyfriend. The final chapter reveals a very small, out of the blue detail about what happened to Louise's boyfriend, which throws her into a tailspin and leaves the reader confused. Knowing that there is a sequel leads me to believe that the mystery of Louise's past is explored further in the next book, but I can't say I'm hooked enough to pick it up and keep reading. Overall, this book is a quick read and is captivating enough, but I wouldn't run out immediately to buy your own copy.

Louise Rick is the head of a new squad in her Denmark police department. Desperate to prove herself despite being partnered with a drunk, she finds herself pushing the line when it comes to her first case involving a scarred corpse discovered in the small mountain town she used to call home. The crime will have Louise confronting the ghosts of her past as well as the shadowy secrets of state-run metal institutions.

This was another mid-series Scandinavian crime drama I picked up, and unlike Gunnar Staalesen's Where Roses Never Die, I wasn't a fan at all. Picking it up mid-series felt disjointed; there were a lot of characters and parts of Louise's history that I just didn't understand or necessarily believe. The plot felt forced, especially the random and unconvincing romance. The mystery was pretty lame, too. The story would randomly switch from being about Louise and her half-hearted attempts at solving the crime to her journalist best friend's chaotic wedding planning. The Forgotten Girls just wasn't a good read. Altogether I just can't recommend this book or convince myself to pick up another of Blaedel's reads.

One of the creepiest, most disgusting books I've ever read. I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight. It reminded me of a Gillian Flynn novel in terms of fucked-upness. It seemed like there was a lot lost in translation as well since some of the scenes were really well done but other scenes or transitions made very little sense.

308 p.

"De glemte piger" is het zevende deel in de reeks rond Louise Rick van de Deense auteur Sara Blædel, maar het eerste en enige dat ik las. Een typische Scandi-thriller met een bijzonder spannend plot en vooral met fijn aaneengeknoopte eindjes; een verhaal waarin alles op het einde op zijn plaats valt. Vlot en goed geschreven met geloofwaardige en herkenbare personages. Smaakt zeker naar meer. Geen vijf sterren omdat ik het echt gehad heb met oudere rechercheurs die drankproblemen hebben, zoals in dit geval Eik, de collega van Louise. Ik kan er met mijn volle verstand niet bij waarom zoveel thriller auteurs hun hoofdpersonages op die manier afschilderen. Maar dat terzijde, een spannend verhaal!

I recommend this book for an easy and entertaining read. It won't have you turning the pages but is enjoyable.