This book has been lurking in my TBR for far too long but I'm very glad I've now read it. It starts in a way which automatically had me intrigued, wondering just who the character, Annabelle Roos, was that we were immediately introduced to, and how she had come to find herself in such a precarious position. it is clear, from the foreboding tone of the narrative, that something bad is about to befall her, but why is really the question that lingered in my mind, and that of investigator, Detective Charlie Lager.

This is no straightforward missing person case which, for me anyway, made it all the more interesting. This book not only looks into the life of missing teenager, Annabelle, but that of her family, friends and, more importantly, of Charlie Lager herself. For Charlie has unexpected links to Annabelle's hometown, Gullspång, having spent most of her youth there, living with her mother, Betty. There is clearly some dark side to Charlie's back story that we are slowly to learn over the course of the novel, and it is clearly not the first time something bad has happened in the town. And there are a lot of queries that are thrown up about various characters, especially Annabelle's family and home life. Has she simply run away from an overprotective mother, or did something dark really happen on that fateful night when we first meet her?

The pacing of this book is actually quite deceptive. The investigation itself struggles to really gain any traction, and suspicion moves between characters, largely Annabelle's friends, without police finding any real incriminating evidence. But it is what happens in between the various interviews and interrogations that really drives the story on. Not just the fascination about Charlie's own life, but the secrets that are slowly revealed about the missing girl. The investigation is interspersed with scenes from Annabelle's perspective, giving context to all that we are about to learn about her, as well as two other girls, whose place in the story is not immediately clear, but, when revealed, probably gave the book some of it's most shocking and unexpected moments.

There are some scenes which are a little harder to read, especially if you are an animal lover, and those scenes don't appear to have any real place in the story to begin with. But it is the author's depiction of small town Sweden, the prejudice of city folk towards their country counterparts, and the way in which melancholy permeates the township that really made this read quite fascinating for me. Charlie is an interesting, and clearly very damaged, character, but I really did like her, and liked her determination to overcome all the times she seems on the verge of self destruction.

The ending may not have been exactly what I expected, although it was probably inevitable. I'm definitely drawn to the series though, and will be looking out books two and three very soon, if only to see how Charlie copes with what she learns of her family past going forward. Defintely recommended for fans of scandi noir.

How I loved that book!! Keeps you guessing. You may like some characters more than others, but you want more and more. Recommend to all thriller fans.

Thank you NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

Detective Charlie Lager is assigned to a case of a missing girl, in a town where she spent a troubled childhood. It brings back many memories and the girl’s life seems to parallel Charlie’s life.

This detective is not very likable. She is snarky and rude to her police partner.
Even after you discover some of the reason’s for Charlie’s behavior, it is hard to be sympathetic with her.

Also, the book goes back and forth between time periods which is somewhat distracting.

This book is supposedly number 1 in a new detective series.

Such a great book. Makes for a wonderful read. I can not wait to read more from this author. I love books like this.

This was the first book by this author I've read and I would happily read her books again. This was a gripping read until the very end. Recommended.
TB

This is a unique crime mystery. I love European authors that really explore the crime genre in a different way. This is an incredibly interesting and easy to digest read that has you turning the pages on autopilot not wanting to turn the light out to go to sleep.

I adore a good swedish crime novel and this is as good as it gets. Will be purchasing a copy to put on my shelf. I need more from this author. Much more.

I really enjoyed For The Missing, a different twist on a damaged cop returning to their home town to solve a missing person mystery. I was wrong footed on a few occasions. I have to say that the whole book left me feeling quite morose, there seemed no hope for the occupants! I would definitely be interested in reading further books in this series.

When teenager Annabelle goes missing in a small town in Sweden, Charlie and her colleague Anders are sent to investigate. For Charlie this is a personal journey as she has not been back home for nineteen years and is hoping she will not be recognised by the locals.

This is the first book in a new series, if the others are anything like this one then this is definitely a series to look out for!!

I was thoroughly hooked by this book. Charlie is a great character with a strong backstory that is as compelling as the police investigation. I am looking forward to learning more about her and her secrets.

The story alternates between before and after Annabelle”s disappearance. We are also introduced to best friends Rosa and Alice, these short chapters are very intriguing and I loved how the stories all join together at the end.

With everybody seeming to be hiding something, finding Annabelle seems to no mean feat.

Looking forward to the next book in this series. I highly recommend them.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

This is a perfectly wintery slice of Scandi noir, set in a town so dark and miserable it is no surprise that Annabelle has gone missing-but did she run or was she killed?

There are 3 main storylines- Annabelle before she left, Charlie investigating her disappearance and 2 girls named Alice and Rosa ,and  it's not immediately clear how the 3 storylines will match up.

One thing is for sure, the town of Gullspang in Sweden has dark secrets and 'For the missing' not only looks at how Annabelle went missing, but why. What is it that keeps a small town so secretive and why is Charlie so keen to leave? The use of song lyrics and poems such a 'Hotel California' by The Eagles, 'The River' by Bruce Sprinsteen and 'Annabel Lee' by Edgar Allan Poe resonate strongly to myself, as a small town dweller who finds it claustrophobic, grey and miserable.

The mystery is fascinating, why would a well educated, beautiful 17 year old vanish? People are not really taking it seriously as they know she has run away before, and many blame her mother with her mental health issues, but when a film surfaces of Annabelle, everything changes. Suddenly, Gullspang is under a national spotlight and all eyes are on Charlie...

Some readers may be annoyed by the seemingly slow pacing of the story but there is a lot of plot and multiple story lines that richly weave to a satisfying conclusion. I would thoroughly recommend this book and would definitely want to read her next book in the series.

'For The Missing' is available in paperback, ebook and audiobook formats.

3.5/5

When a teenage girl goes missing from a small town, the local police start to buckle under the pressure. Enter Charlie Lager, the brilliant but conflicted Detective Inspector sent from Stockholm to solve the mystery of Annabelle's disappearance. Her superiors don't know that Charlie grew up in this very town - and she's determined to keep it that way. But as she gets closer to the truth, cracks begin to form in her own lies.Can Charlie find Annabelle before her darkest secrets are brought to light? FOR THE MISSING, time is running out...

This is the english translation of a popular crime book released last year in Sweden and it's the first of a series where we're introduced to DI Charlie Lager of the National Operations Department in Stockholm. A young girl from the small town of Gullspång goes missing, she and her partner Anders Bratt are sent to help with the investigation. We quickly learn that Charlie has a load of secrets with one of them being that she grew up in Gullspång with her alcoholic mother, Betty where she spent most of her life trying to overpower the memories. But what are the odds she’ll be recognised after 20 years???

I really enjoyed this book, it is told from 4 different narratives where it started off great but then I felt it dipped a little and a little bit of it was dragged out in parts but it did hold my attention apart from this but then when it picked up it was great again. There are quite a few surprises along the way also involving majority of the main characters.  With everyone in the town Gullspång looking like that they've things to hide, it makes looking for Annabelle much tougher, will they find her before it's too late?? I'd recommend this book and I am really looking forward to the next installment of DI Charlie Lager and hope that it won't be too long until it's upon us.

Good story and characters, but I honestly struggled to connect with either main character and unfortunately that spoiled my enjoyment.

Charlie Lager thought she had left her dysfunctional youth behind in Gullspang. Now a successful member of a national crime squad, Charlie has a few problems with drink, prescription drugs and casual sex but she's good at her job. However her team is called in to investigate the disappearance of a young girl from Gullspang, Charlie has to return to her childhood home. She wants to get out as quickly as possible but the past has a habit of catching up with us all.
A new voice in the packed scandal-noir oeuvre but Bengsdotter arrives on a high. This is a nuanced take on the genre with layers to be unveiled and a logical (if somewhat dissatisfying) ending. All the cliches are there, the central cop with a past, the straight man, the dark underbelly of rural Sweden, and yet it all works so well.

Loved this book! The tension grows cleverly as we flip between Charlie's investigation, Annabel's movements on the day she went missing and a story from the past that only becomes obviously relevant towards the end. At first I was a bit disappointed at the ending but on reflection, it's actually pretty clever and driven by the secrets of the town. Enjoyed Charlie's character and would love to see her crack more cases in the future.

This is not a book to love the characters or to feel pity for them, they are who they are, moulded by their past and experiences in life; this will make this mystery book more real, approachable and interesting, don’t doubt it.
DI Charlie Lager is investigating a new case, the disappearance of the young girl Annabelle, so she will have to return to her natal village to discover what has happened. This will make her re-think her life and all her choices, the memories of her mother will accompany us through the story, with her ups and downs… This will be one of the most difficult cases of Charlie’s life, but maybe it will make her take a step back for her bad decisions and start taking care of herself.
This case is not easy to read or to get through, a young girl missing that left a party totally drunk and meeting someone before arriving at her parents house, doesn’t sound like it will have a good ending, don’t you think?
Gullspång’s a small village in Sweden, where everyone knows each other and doesn’t like intruders at all, so this will make the police work more difficult, because everyone has something to hide from the fateful night… but who could really have a motive to kill Annabelle?
This is the first book of the series Charlie Lager, and after reading this one, really I can’t wait to discover more about DI Charlie Lager and her investigations. She is not the typical detective and her life is upside down, but she has really good friends on her side and I can’t wait for her to acknowledge them!
Ready to start the search of the young Annabelle?

When I first started reading this book I had a feeling that it would be like many others. A police officer who has alcohol problems, is a loner and has a troubled past. But I didn’t have this feeling for long. The novel is much more than that.

Charlie is everything mentioned, but unlike many she does admit to having a problem and she does try to make the best of her life. Having to return to her home town isn’t what she wants but she is relieved that nobody recognises her. It had me wondering what she was hiding from and whether what happened to her still affected her now.

The narrative concerns the disappearance of Annabelle. She has a very strict mother, a more sympathetic father and for somebody so young indulges in a lot of substances. But you can see why, in a way. She is clever, beautiful and misunderstood. Most of all she wants to escape, just like Charlie did.

It is a town that has many inhabitants who are heavy drinkers. It has no prospects, limited employment with bullying employers and appears unfriendly. You read about many places and think it would be nice to visit. This isn’t one of them.

Alongside the main narrative there are flashbacks to what happened to Annabelle on the day she disappeared. This part is all about her. You see what she is thinking, how she sees her future and how she copes with her family life. This was one of the more unusual and fascinating parts to the novel, getting to see how she interacted with people who were suspects.

There are also sections that tell the story of Nora and Alice. These were chilling and I spent much of the novel working out how it connected to modern day.

For The Missing is book one in the series and I’m looking forward to the follow up later in the year.

A Gripping Detective Crime Thriller
For The Missing by Lina Bengtsdotter is a sensational and gripping detective crime thriller that breathes new life into the detective genre.

If you’re anything like me, you too might have an over romanticised idea that living in a small and quaint little village somewhere off the beaten track would provide the ideal location to raise a family. Picture a place where everybody knows everyone and their business.  It’s such a small community that the whole town would be just like one big happy extended family always looking out for each other...Or so I thought.

That was until I read Lina Bengtsdotter’s captivating debut novel ‘For The Missing’.

I was over excited to finally receive my copy of ‘For The Missing’ for the much anticipated Blog Tour. The story is set in a small Swedish village called Gullspång, Väster Götland.

Having lived in the Copenhagen, Denmark for nearly 4 years, I felt an instant connection to this Nordic noir. I’m glad, however, that I resisted the initial temptation to start the book when the family was over Christmas. I don’t think there would be too many families who would be ok with ‘Mum’ aka the cook, cleaner, problem solver, driver, entertainer and all things in between disappearing for 36 hours whilst they devoured the novel.

YES, that’s right! 36 hours!!! That’s all it took (in between some of those more mundane daily chores) to navigate my way through the book.

This is one of those emotional suspense thrillers that will have you hanging on the edge of your seat for the entire book. You won’t want to put it down. ‘Just one more page’ you’ll find yourself saying.

So when the perfect opportunity presented itself just after New Year, I jumped at the chance to start reading. It was cold, dark and grey outside and the kids were busy with holiday activities, so I seized the opportunity.

What better setting to read a crime thriller is there than being huddled under your own duvet on a cold and miserable day so typical of the Scandinavian winter.

Annabelle Roos is a 17-year-old girl who has grown up in the small village of Gullspång. The story is centred around Annabelle’s disappearance after she seems to vanish into thin air after attending a teenage party in an abandoned old building.


The other main character Charline Lager (or “Charlie” as she now refers to herself) and her colleague Anders Bratt are detectives based in Stockholm who are reassigned to Gullspäng to lead the investigation into the missing teenager.

The story is mostly told from Charlie’s point of view as she struggles to come to terms with returning to Gullspäng – the town she was relieved to have escaped from as a teenager herself.

The storyline is not your typical crime thriller interweaved with a story of Charlie facing the demons of her past as she investigates the case of the missing girl.

Just like many good protagonists, Charlie has a flaw or two, she turns to pills and alcohol to aide her through each day of the investigation that is centred around her own childhood haunts. Her life quickly spirals out of control and she finds herself back in the house she lived in as a child – a place Charlie vowed she never to return.

Although the majority of the book is told from Charlie's point of view, there are some chapters written by Annabelle herself, giving her own perspective as she describes what can only be seen as the tragic circumstances of her short-lived life.

They depict a picture of a confused, jealous, angry and rebellious teenage girl who is trying to break free from her overprotective mother. The community around her remember Annabelle as a very happy, bright and studious child but the further into the investigation we get the more we realise that the communities impression of Annabelle couldn’t have been further from the truth.

Through a series of interviews, Charlie’s own ‘flashbacks’ and Annabelle’s recounts of her life, a dark, twisted and sad storyline unfolds. We are met by underage sex, promiscuity, cheating and affairs, drinking and alcoholism, drugs, abuse and so much more.

Strangely, throughout the novel, there are some seemingly unrelated additional chapters thrown in titled ‘Now and Then’. These are written from the viewpoint of two young girls by the names of Rosa and Alice and the reader doesn’t understand how or why these are linked to the storyline at all.

It’s not until the very end that we finally come to understand how these recounts of seemingly unrelated stories have helped to shape and influence the outcomes of this tragic Nordic noir.

Bengtsdotter will keep you guessing right until the very end

‘For The Missing’ is a brilliantly written debut novel. Bengtsdotter’s an extremely talented writer who knows just how to keep her audience captivated throughout. She brings a refreshing new twist and style of writing to the detective fiction genre. Bengtsdotter will keep you guessing right until the very end as to the ‘how, why, who’ of the story and will beg you to ask the ultimate question…..is a small village or town really the ideal place to raise a family?

Many thanks to Orion Books and Tracy Fenton for inviting us on to this Blog Tour. This review was originally posted on The Glass House Book Club

Fabulous central detective, Charlie, with a drink problem at a young age, finds herself with a missing girl case returnign to her home village -she'd left 20 years ago in haste, vowing never to return. Partner Anders watchesher askew but they all realise Charlie is a whizz at her job, and that she has a background she keeps hidden - we learn about the lonely days with a difficult mother she'd had in the very village she is in - the missing girl is also wild, in many of the ways Charlie was when she was a younger woman. Th writing is powerful and chilling - the controlling older women are a bit too prevalent (and her mother was overly controlling too, and a drunk) - and in some ways Charlie is older than her years. Debilitating drink and a relationship with a married work colleague has soured things a bit - and the cleaner living partner with his new baby is also suffering a controlling wife. But the story of the missing girl gets very dark, as we delve into this small town. Really sensational and tough writing - not for the faint-hearted ...

When a young girl goes missing from a small town in Sweden, Charlie Lager and her colleague Anders are sent to help in the investigation. Unknown to everyone, Charlie grew up in this town. She’s determined to make sure nobody finds out but can she keep it up? And can detectives find young Annabelle before it’s too late?

For The Missing is the first instalment in the Charlie Lager series and promises great things for the future. Mostly set in the small town of Gullspång, the atmosphere is quite gloomy and the sense of claustrophobia and isolation is all-encompassing. This small town has very little to offer. To be honest, I can’t fathom at all why anyone would want to live there. There are no prospects, people have a hard time making ends meet and there is very little to do for entertainment. It’s no wonder Charlie made her escape from this place but why? And how will this forced return affect her?

I must admit that this didn’t quite turn out the way I expected it to. Yes, there’s an investigation into the disappearance of a teenaged girl but it goes deeper than that and the actual police work almost takes a backseat. This is very much a character-driven story and a truly fine example of Scandi-Noir, with its main focus on main protagonist, Charlie, and a rather intriguing backstory. In alternating chapters, the reader is introduced to two young girls. These chapters really grabbed my attention and I couldn’t at all figure out how they were connected to anything. And with every resident in Gullspång seemingly having something to hide, finding out who’s responsible for Annabelle’s disappearance is a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. In short, there’s plenty on offer here to hold your attention throughout.

This first instalment in the Charlie Lager series won the Crimetime Specsavers Best Debut Award and it’s easy to see why. Gripping and atmospheric, this slow-burner marks the perfect introduction to Charlie Lager. I have no doubt this complex characters hides many more secrets and it’ll be thrilling to find out what those are.

So excited to bring you my first blog tour review of 2019!! A Swedish noir that won the Crimetime Specsavers Best Debut Award! It’s the first in a series featuring DI Charlie Lager, For the Missing and it’s a chilling, atmospheric slow-burner that picks up the pace … starting off slowly, with many hints as to where it might lead, increasing in tempo as you continue reading.

Charlie (Charline – but nobody calls her that any more) and her partner Anders are called from their base in Stockholm to the rural village of Gullspång to assist in the disappearance of a 17-year-old girl, Annabelle Roos. Charlie feels it would be best not to share with anyone that she actually grew up in Gullspång, but try as she might, a secret like that isn’t exactly easy to keep in a small town and even though she ‘escaped’ over 20 years ago, some of the locals still manage to recognise her. Due to her own vices, she wastes no time in giving her own game away, and almost immediately has to tell her partner that this is actually home turf for her.

As the story unravels, it’s clear that everyone (including Charlie) has plenty to hide, as is generally the case when people are forced to live in close proximity to each other and are desperately trying to keep things to themselves – difficult when those around them know them so very well, and relationships are almost incestuous. There isn’t a lot to do for recreation here, especially for the younger crowd. So it seems they tend to be a bit … shall we say … experimental … rather earlier than most. I know many would tend to think the opposite: that not having a lot of external influence (WiFi isn’t the most reliable), might lead to them being more naive then their city peers, but it doesn’t seem to be the case!

Annabelle was desperate to escape the confines of village life. While the investigation shows she’s intelligent and apparently also quite religious (strangely enough), it also reveals that she’s extremely beautiful, well aware of the fact and not afraid to use it to get what she wants. Her highly neurotic, over-protective mother is beyond hysterical at her daughter’s disappearance – but like everyone else, seems to be not quite as co-operative as the police would have expected her to be.

With an unnerving cast of characters who all seem to have something to hide, and a substantial focus on jealousy and revenge, the ambience of For the Missing reminded me a lot of that early ’90’s cult TV series, Twin Peaks. Everyone has their quirks, knows something they shouldn’t and has done something they’re not supposed to be doing (usually with someone they’re not supposed to be doing it with!)

Told from various points of view with parallel storylines that you know will eventually converge (you have no clue how, but you just know it’s going to blow you away when they do), we hear from Charlie herself, Annabelle in the days and hours leading up to her disappearance. There are flashbacks to Charlie’s childhood in Gullspång with her mother Betty – at first though, one can’t be sure if it’s actually her mother as she only ever refers to her as ‘Betty’. We read of a hedonistic lifestyle filled with wild parties at their home, Lyckebo; and then there are interspersed, brief chapters about a strange relationship between two young girls named Alice and Rosa. How does this all fit together? I found myself anxiously reading faster and faster … and then trying to pace myself … unable to anticipate how this was all going to end.

Charlie Lager is a complex, somewhat dark character. She’s dogged by the ghosts of her past and in this first installment, the author has cleverly brought her back to her hometown to face her demons. I’m sure there are many more still hiding under the surface, but we’ve been given some pretty deep insight as to what makes Begtsdotter’s protagonist tick; enough to want to know more, and to read the next chapter in Charlie’s story.

This is classified as a psychological thriller. It definitely has all those intricate, intense psychological details but I’m not sure I’d go as far as to say it’s thriller material. It’s a really good, engrossing read though and I give it 4, dark, glossy stars!