This is the ninth novel in Blaedel's Louise Rick series.
Another intriguing crime/mystery novel, but one that doesn't quite live up to past books in the series. Nevertheless, it's well-written, well-plotted, and engaging thoughtout.
Fans of Blaedel's other novels should definitely pick this one up.

Jane and her team have built the Fairy Tale Forest for the group of families coming to the resort. As she shows who book club and best friends around they find a dead body. No one knows who the woman was or why she is there. As guests arrive more issues and clues come about. The victims are dressed like Grimm Fairytale characters, holding valuable books.
Goodreads

Fabulous book. Thoroughly loved. Highly recommend!

Another standout in the Louise Rick series. This one hits closer to home as Louise Rick's boyfriend, Eik, is caught up in a murder investigation. A woman is shot by a sniper through her kitchen window and Eik has ties to her. The more Louise uncovers, the more she realizes she doesn't know her boyfriend. Suspenseful and thrilling!

I really liked this author's style of writing crime thriller. I enjoy the Scandinavian settings and the writing makes one feel like they know the place and the people! I like to see a good healthy, loving relationship in books like this and that is really the only sticking point in this book to me. I wanted to see more explanation and communication between the two main characters, Louise and Eik. I felt that given the circumstances there was not enough there. But overall, it was a very well done read! I will read the author again.

With a perfect balance of suspense and emotion, Sara Blaedel creates another compelling crime novel in the Louise Rick series. This time around, Louise is involved in a murder that not only is steeped in the past, but also directly effects her present relationships. Part of the reason why I love this series so much is that the author makes the story more about the people within the pages than police procedure. Of course there is murder, mystery, and investigations, but what moves the story forward is the way Blaedel gives us these flawed and relatable characters. There is an elegance to the way that the author handles the interpersonal relationships as well as in this book the very sensitive issue of assisted suicide. This is the second book that I have read in the Louise Rick series and I am addicted. Blaedel has a fan for life if she keeps writing books like this one.

I didn't know if I'd like this novel from the description. It seemed interesting, by more focused on characters than plot.

But I am so glad to say that I was wrong. This novel was incredibly intriguing and I loved every page.

The story begins with the murder of a woman in England, Who turns out to be a Danish woman reported missing nearly 20 years earlier. Louise Rick is plunged into the case when it turns out the dead woman is her new boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. As they dig into her pass it becomes apparent that her murder may not be random, The culmination of nearly 20 years of events.

Don't want to give away too much because the reveal is very good but this novel is so much deeper than just a police procedural. The background is explained along side of the Mottern case story; we learn about Sophie's background and what led to her actions, and therefore the actions of her killer, as police investigate her murder.

It's really good because it involves a modern-day issue that is complex and nuanced and the story is too. Even the ending is incredibly complex and makes you think. It's not a black-and-white story and that makes the novel even better.

Some of the danish names were hard to keep straight but the main characters have fairly simple, Anglicized names, which made it a tad easier.

This is a novel in a series but I read it as a standalone. It certainly can't be read as a standalone and I had no problems picking up the storylines. The only thing I didn't like about this book being part of a series is the fact that I feel bad that I missed such great novels - i'll be going back and looking up the rest of the Louise Rick series.

Sofie Parker is in the kitchen with her family, unbeknownst to her, someone is outside in the dark, watching and waiting to shoot her. The family is shocked by the violent murder and police quickly discover that Sofie is actually a Danish citizen who was reported missing in Denmark.

Back in Copenhagen Louise Rick, head of the Special Search Agency, is desperately searching for her partner Eik who seems to have disappeared. Soon she finds out that Eik headed to England upon hearing the news about Sofie.

Louise will have to follow up and find out what led Sofie to England and why she remained hidden for so long. As she uncovers the truth, she learns that the death of Sofie’s mom is why she left Denmark.. Unfortunately there are those who never understood Sofie’s part in her mother’s death and now someone else could be in danger.

If you’ve not read any other books in the series, I think the author does a good job of filing you in on the backstory of the characters. I found that the mystery was almost secondary to issue of assisted suicide that the writer tackles in this entry.

Sometimes I found Eik’s character a bit too naive and reckless but Louise’s character is solid and feels all too real. A woman, trying to make a go of a relationship while balancing a career and home life. Count me in on wanting to read more of this series.

I have with this one read the last three books in this series, which means that six unread books to read. And, that's a comforting thought because I really like this series. So far, has not a single book disappointed me and the thing with The Lost Woman that I really enjoyed were that and old case could finally be closed. A very personal case for Eik, Louise Rick lover, and police colleague. Several years ago did Eik's girlfriend disappear and now she has been found. Well, the English police found out her real identity first after she had been murdered...

I liked the case, I like how it turned upside down Louise life, well that sounds cruel. However, in a way, this is what Eik needed a closer to something that's been on his mind for almost twenty years. The question is will their relationship survive this? And, who and why killed Sofie Parker? There are a lot of twist and turns, especially problematic is it for Louise who has to deal with a lover that doesn't tell her about the murder instead gets a call from England that Eik is there, and he's been arrested because he is drunk and has caused some trouble. Now she has to travel to England and confront him about not telling her about Sofie. This would be hard enough if he was just her colleague, but as they are lovers is this cause turning out to be very personal.

The Lost Woman is an interesting book, there are flashbacks back to Sofie's life in Denmark, which makes one understand why she ended up in England. The murder of Sofie is also just the start, soon more people will fall victim to a killer, and Louise has to work out to find out what the connection is to Sofie. The book is thrilling and engaging to read and I'm looking forward to reading the ones I have not yet read!

I enjoyed this next installment in the Louise Rick series, but can't say that it was my favorite. It did seem a little bit more character driven than her previous books, which I am usually a fan of. Something was missing in this one though. The storyline started off so intriguing but throughout the book it lacked the engaging, grabbing suspenseful storyline. I do like the relationships in this series and look forward to the future and see what that holds for them. I gave this 3 stars on goodreads.

The Lost Woman is part of a series of mystery novels about Detective Louise Rick and her experiences on the Danish police force. Part of a recent rise in popularity of Scandinavian thrillers, I found Blaedel’s prose to be thoughtful and sophisticated in comparison to some other mystery writers. This book can be read as a standalone novel, but it is clearly part of a larger story – the author does her best to fill in Louise’s backstory, but it doesn’t always flow naturally.

Louise and her police force partner Eik – who also happens to be her romantic partner – have just moved in together, and things seem to be going well. Just as Louise starts to relax and feel positive about their life together, Eik begins acting strangely. He disappears suddenly, and Louise finds out all kinds of secrets about him before she finally tracks him down, drunk in an English prison.

When Louise travels to England and meets with the police there, she learns that Eik has a connection to a shocking murder that has just happened nearby – a housewife named Sophie was shot with a hunting rifle through her kitchen window, while her husband and daughter watched. The police have discovered that Sophie was actually a Danish resident, reported missing eighteen years earlier – by Eik. The two were travelling together when Sophie disappeared from their sailboat, and the incident has affected Eik emotionally ever since. Her reappearance and death have now unsettled him completely.

Naturally, Louise is hurt by Eik’s behaviour and his continuing secrets, but they never really talk about their issues. Instead, she throws herself into solving Sophie’s murder, and ends up forging a connection with Sophie’s teenage daughter. The mystery of Sophie’s disappearance and death take Louise down an interesting path and into the world of medically-assisted suicide, and I found it to be a compassionate examination of the subject of euthanasia. However, the plot was very meandering, and I didn’t totally believe it.

The characters, especially Louise, are likeable and real, with accessible emotional reactions. However, I found it completely bizarre that Louise and Eik never really communicate about their actions – he left the country without telling her and ended up in prison, and yet she doesn’t feel compelled to ask him why. Their behaviour caused an unnecessary level of melodrama that didn’t add to the plot.

The Lost Woman is a suspenseful novel, but not at all action-packed. It is an intelligent, slow-paced thriller that explores an intriguing, topical subject. I would definitely be open to reading another novel in the series before I decide whether or not Blaedel’s novels are right for me.

I received this book from Hachette and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

THE LOST WOMAN: A Louise Rick Novel
Sara Blaedel; translated by Mark Kline
Grand Central Publishing
ISBN 978-145554107-2
Hardcover
Thriller

Sara Blaedel is a literary force of nature in her native Denmark, and the newly published (in the United States) novel THE LOST WOMAN is a sterling example of why. This new installment of the Louise Rick series is the third to be seen in the United States; several preceding titles have yet to be published here, but
the absence of preceding titles (or unfamiliarity even with the titles published here thus far) will not prevent you from starting with, and enjoying THE LOST WOMAN, thanks to Blaedel’s ability to bring new readers up to snuff in this title. Kudos as well, while we are at it, to translator Mark Kline, without whom this fine title would be...well, unreadable here.

Onto the series, and the book. Louise Rick is a detective inspector with the search department of the Copenhagen police. She is a single mother living with her son, Jonas, and more recently, her colleague Eik, with whom she has formed a relationship. The dipping of pen in the office ink, as it were, is causing Louise some professional complications, and as THE LOST WOMAN begins it appears that either she or Eik is going to have to transfer out of the department. That goes on the back burner, however, when notification of an event changes everything. Eik is a bit off of the track, even in the best of times, though not without reason. He is quietly obsessed with an episode from his past. Almost two decades ago Eik was in a relationship with a woman named Sofie whom he had met while on vacation. While they were travelling Sofie suddenly disappeared under mysterious circumstances which at least indicated that she had might have met with foul play. Eik has remained haunted by this occurrence ever since, and his dwelling on the topic has to some degree affected his relationship with Louise. In the present, it suddenly develops that Sofie, who has been thought to have been missing, has been living quietly in England for sixteen years and has a husband and daughter. This is revealed to the world when she is murdered in her own kitchen by a sniper’s bullet. When Eik learns of the murder --- that of the woman he had reported missing so many years before --- he abruptly and impetuously leaves for England without a word to Louise, who is left in the lurch in more ways than one. Louise, furious with Eik for not telling her what was happening, travels to England to retrieve him. Eik is somewhat quiet about the whole matter, even as Louise seethes. Matters come to a head, however, when Eik pulls a disappearing act once again and returns to England where he is promptly arrested for Sofie’s murder. It develops that Eik had been corresponding with Sofie for several weeks, and that he had been told that he was in fact the father of Sofie’s teenage daughter. The English police feel that Eik had motive to murder Sofie, and surely had opportunity. Yet Eik couldn’t have committed the murder. It seems that a series of similar killings are occurring in Denmark, with some of them being done while Eik sits in jail. This raises another issue, of course: why is someone killing people, seemingly at random? Then of course there is the question as to why Sofie disappeared to start with. Louise has her hands full with the investigation, even as she attempts to reach an understanding with Eik. Meanwhile, an unknown killer is undoubtedly waiting to strike again against a victim whose identity cannot be predicted. At least, it seems that way.

Blaedel in THE LOST WOMAN strikes a fine and delicate balance between the personal and the professional in THE LOST WOMAN, as she has indeed done with the other books in this very fine series. Hopefully we will have the gaps in the series filled eventually here. The mysteries which Blaedel creates put one somewhat in the mind of the John Steed/Emma Peel era of The Avengers series; those who can’t get enough of finely tuned mysteries, particularly of the police procedural type, will find this book and this author particularly riveting. Strongly recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2017, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

Inspector Louise Rick, head of the elite Special Search Agency in Denmark's National Police Department, finds herself entangled in a case that becomes rather personal in "The Lost Woman." Her colleague and boyfriend, Eik, goes AWOL and turns up in jail in England after butting into the investigation of a shooting death. The victim is Sofie Parker, an old girlfriend who went missing years ago.

The dead woman has a mysterious bank account with large sums of money deposited, and it holds the key to why more people are dying.

The case inspires Louise's journalist friend, Camilla, to launch into an investigative project about Sofie's strange disappearance, but it morphs into a piece on what Sofie was up to all those years after she'd gone missing.

From there, the novel turns into a morality tale about the pros and cons of assisted suicide -- a practice that, while still taboo, is far more acceptable in Europe than in my home country (the U.S.).

Perhaps I needed to read some of the earlier Louise Rick novels first, but I don't know if that would have helped me enjoy this book more. I initially gave this book 3.5 stars but, after pondering it for a few days, I'm giving it 2. I just felt like something was missing that I couldn't quite put my finger on, but at the same time, there was just way too much happening. A lot of it explains Eik's erratic behavior, and why Sofie disappeared for years, only to be shot in the head while standing at her kitchen sink. And yes, the answers to these questions weren't quite what I'd expected. But at some point, I just finished the book because I was almost done with it.

It just seems to me that Blaedel was trying to accomplish too many purposes in writing this book. I've decided it is entirely possible to incorporate enough dirty laundry and intrigue into a story to bury the most important messages. And "The Lost Woman" is a good example.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm new to this series, but i love it and will read more.

A woman is shot through her front window, her teenage daughter sees the shooter. The woman has past ties to Eik , and has been presumed missing for many years. Eik soon disappears and Louis needs to know why. Starts a complicated case, concerning a controversial subject, a case with implications for Eik and presenting a personal and professional challenge for Louise.

Felt this was not as tightly plotted as her previous books in this series. Too much back and forth, maybe the pacing too fasr. Still, I was very interested in the subject, the many different sides to this presented. Not sure how I feel about it, can see both sides. I do admire people that act on their convictions. Not the killer of course. Strong feelings with this subject.

So a little to scattered for me, but I do love this series. Have to see how Eik and Louise get on together. The cases too are always interesting and sometimes very controversial.

ARC from Netgalley.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

My thoughts: Sara Blaedel is one of my favorite crime writers and I was fortunate to meet her recently along with two other Nordic crime writers. Her Louise Rick series is one I look forward to reading and while this one is a bit different from the previous books, it's still really good!

This latest installment is more character-driven and less procedural than the past books - while it still involves Louise working on a murder case, that takes a bit of a back seat to the character development that we get on Eik, Louise's boyfriend. We learn a lot about his past and how he is involved in the current case that has Louise working with her former department - lots going on here!

Another turn with this book is a topic that Sara tackles with this book - that of assisted suicide. This is central to the case that Louise is investigating, but what is so evident in reading this book is that you can clearly see just how much research Sara put into the topic. While this is a fictional story, she tackles this topic sensitively, never once putting her opinion on the subject into the story. You can tell she thoroughly researched the topic and put that research to use in the writing.

This is definitely more of a thought-provoking book than the previous ones, but still a fantastic installment to this series. And, if it's your first introduction to Louise Rick - rest assured, you will be fine - there is enough back-story on the characters so you will not be lost.

I love this series and love the writing. It's clever and brilliant and smart. Sara Blaedel has created a dynamic series with complicated, engaging characters and I cannot get enough of them. I cannot wait to read the earlier books that have not been translated into English yet (see below) and I do hope we haven't seen the last of Louise Rick...I need more of her!!!



A Note on this series:
***This series was first published in Denmark. Grand Central Publishing has started publishing some of the later books here in the US, which have been grouped in a trilogy called 'Missing Persons' - sort of like a series within a series. I have heard that they will be re-releasing the earlier books starting next year.

Missing Persons (Available in US now):

The Forgotten Girls
The Killing Forest
The Lost Woman


Louise Rick Series (as Sara Blaedel wrote it):

Green Dust (???)
Call Me Princess/ Blue Blood
Only One Life
Farewell to Freedom
The Goddess of Vengeance (???)
Death Angel (???)
The Forgotten Girls
The Killing Forest
The Lost Woman

*** For those titles with ???, I used a translator website to translate Danish title. Not sure if this will be what actual English title will be when book is re-released by Grand Central, but at least it's a place-holder for now. And you'll notice book 2 has two titles - I actually have both books, both in English!

The queen of Danish crime thrillers, Sara Blaedel returns following The Killing Forest (2016) and The Forgotten Girls (2015) with her latest, THE LOST WOMAN: Louise Ricks finds herself once again caught up in a web, between her personal and career life, in this highly emotional, well-researched and enthralling mystery suspense.

The saga grips you from page one with the chilling scene of a brutal murder of a forty-four-year-old woman in her home, shot outside Nailsea. Her husband drops the wine glass, and a teen daughter was just leaving. The killer is outside the window in the garden. She was killed with a hunting rifle. Motive?

Louise Rick is dating Eik. Six months earlier he moved in with her and Jonas while Louise’s friend Camilla stayed in Eik’s studio apartment with her husband and son. It had all worked out fine. Markus and Jonas had left for boarding school. Everyone was moving on.

In addition, their relationship is causing some complications at work, due to their living arrangement, since they both worked at the same place. Someone is going to need to transfer. They could not continue to being partners if they are living together.

It was awkward since she could not even mention her partner’s name to anyone else in the department without it sounding suggestive. After this discussion, Eik leaves to run down for a pack of smokes and to walk the dog. He does not return.

Flashing back to 1996, we meet Sofie Parker. A mother with MS. A woman who wants to die with dignity. Her father had died years before.

“But life can take you to a place you don’t want to be, and that’s when I want to be allowed to end it . . . . “

Louise discovers Eik is missing, and Charlie, the German shepherd remains behind. Something was very wrong.

Currently, the woman who was murdered in her home in England is none other than Sofie Parker, a Danish citizen who has been missing for years. Louise is on the case.

In the meantime, when Louise thinks about Eik, she does not know much about his past. He had been sailing in the Mediterranean when his girlfriend suddenly disappeared. Without getting into details he had told her they had quarreled and in the end, he had decided to return to Copenhagen. He learned of the tragedy upon his return to South Harbor. No sign of his girlfriend. The others were found drowned. No sign of her or her belongings.

Louise starts thinking about her relationship with Eik. Was she making him happy and had he not gotten over his love of his girlfriend. They had secrets. She knows all too well the consequences of dark secrets.

Soon the investigation links this dead woman to Sophie and Eik. How could this woman be Sophie, and what does Eik have to do with this woman and her murder? How was he linked to her?

What was he doing in southwestern England? He is arrested. Was Sofie the same woman who disappeared years ago? She had married Nigel Parker. She disappeared for some reason. Now the woman was dead.

Louise wants answers. Why was Eik at the crime scene? Erik Nordstrom was employed by the Danish Search Department. There clearly had to be a misunderstanding.

What happened when this woman disappeared from the boat in Italy? How could Eik just take off for England without telling her? She was his boss and he had disappeared in the middle of the work day, much less her live-in lover, as well. Do not mess with Louise.

Did this man know his wife from Scandinavia? He did not know much about his wife’s mysterious past. Louise is not happy with Eik’s behavior. Furious to say the least. She needed to throw him out. How are the cases connected? What is the motive?

As always, Blaedel delves deeply and tackles highly-charged topics of assisted suicide with skill and finesse, crossing moral gray lines. An ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions.

With the author’s own compelling trademark style of complex plots and her own extensive background she offers great insight into her characters and continues to address controversial social issues and topics with an engaging narrative, and intriguing settings.

No matter what part of the world you are located, Sara always transports you with vivid descriptions and fascinating, well-crafted suspense thrillers. Her extensive research is reflected throughout each of her novels. If you have not read her books, it is a good time to begin your journey! Looking forward to more Louise Ricks.

A special thank you to Grand Central and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

JDCMustReadBooks

3.5 stars

Not only is there a HUGE gaping hole in this plot, there’s one in my heart now, too. This didn’t come close to being everything I hoped it would be. One of my most anticipated reads of 2017, I was sure THE LOST WOMAN would deliver even more of what I loved most about The Forgotten Girls and The Killing Forest - Louise and Eik. I thought this was their big chance. The payoff for all of the tension and possibility that’s been surrounding them for a few books now. Sadly, I was wrong.

This started off so promising. Louise and Eik have been living together for the past six months and they’re happy. It’s hard for Louise to admit, but things are actually good. Until her lover and Search Department partner, Eik steps out for a pack of smokes and disappears.

This is where Sara Blaedel shines, in my opinion. She manages to deliver such a realism and likability to her characters, despite their issues. While the cases are interesting and all, it's the characters that have kept me coming back, time and again. The indecisiveness dripping off of Louise in this situation is palpable. She’s wavering between thoughts of being a girlfriend that’s too controlling and doubting that Eik would just up and leave without a word. She swings from one end of the emotional gamut to the other. And who wouldn’t? I was right there with her, worried one minute and ready to throttle him the next.

Especially when he turns up hundreds of miles away, in a cell, hungover and not really willing to provide any answers. That was the major flaw in this story for me and what I’m referring to as the huge gaping hole - the complete lack of dialogue between Louise and Eik. Which, I have to say, was beyond frustrating. How is it that Louise never once confronts Eik and demands some type of explanation? The storyline begged for more communication and emotion between them. Something, anything really, to cement the deep connection I thought they shared. Even a simple acknowledgement that he hurt her was non-existent. Instead, they avoided each other, for almost the entire book, while she worked the case.

The dead woman, at the center of the investigation, turns out to be none other than the missing girlfriend that’s been haunting Eik for the last eighteen years. It was a little predictable, easy to pinpoint the killer and manage a guess at the subsequent outcome, but the case itself was still quite interesting. It dealt with the controversial topic of assisted suicide and the many factors that encompasses.

A little clinical, to the point and wrapped up in a way that actually felt too happily ever after, I can’t say it was my favorite of the series. Talk about sweeping things under the rug. There just wasn’t enough of an acknowledgement of what went down or emotional moments between Louise and Eik for me to fully wallow in their little family unit. That's not to say I won't be jumping at the chance to read another book from this cast of characters.

Another good read from this author!! Areal page turner.

This will go live on my blog on Feb. 13. Kellyvision.wordpress.com

This mystery has a ton going on but the non-spoiler version is that people are turning up dead and one of the victims was already sort of presumed dead (she was reported as a missing person years before). There isn't a connection (until, of course, there is) and that connection is shocking and also perfectly feasible.

Most mysteries may not be good for book club choices (what can you discuss, really? Motives? And I am not slamming mysteries; I think they're wonderful) but this one would be. There are a lot of things to talk about with this one, though.

Of course though, any long-term series hinges on its leads. That is probably the real secret to Sara Blaedel's success. I'm not sure there are many better leads than Louise Rick.

Highly recommended.