Publisher: Crooked Lane Books / Dreamscape Media LLC
Published: October 12, 2021
Source: ARC Paperback – Let’s Talk Books Promo & Publisher / Audio – ALC via Netgalley
Summary:
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo meets Sharp Objects in this internationally bestselling psychological thriller, for fans of Jo Nesbø and Henning Mankell, now for the first time in English
A Danish journalist digs deep to uncover a web of lies that stretches back to a grisly murder, but knowing the truth might put an end to her story.
It’s early September in Copenhagen, the rain has been coming down for weeks, and 36-year-old journalist Heloise Kaldan is in the middle of a nightmare. One of her sources has been caught lying, and she could lose her job over it. And then she receives the first in a series of cryptic and ominous letters from an alleged killer.
Wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of a young lawyer three years earlier, Anna Kiel hasn’t been seen by anyone since she left the crime scene covered in blood. The police think she’s fled the country and have zero clues as to her motive. But homicide detective Erik Scháfer comes up with the first lead when the reporter who first wrote about the case is found murdered in his apartment. Has Anna Kiel struck again, or is there more than one killer at large? And why does every clue point directly to Heloise Kaldan?
Meanwhile, the letters keep coming, and they hint at a connection between Anna and Heloise. As Heloise starts digging deeper, she realizes that, to tell Anna’s story, she will have to revisit the darkest parts of her own past–confronting someone she swore she’d never see again.
My thoughts:
This is the first book in Anne Mette Hancock’s new Danish crime series and I am hooked! I love Nordic Noir and as soon as I saw that this was being compared to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I knew I had to read it…and I was not disappointed!
I love a good revenge story and this one delivers in spades!!! Right from the beginning, this one grabbed me and it really never let up. I’m a big fan of police procedurals and this one really kept me engaged from start to finish. Why was Anna sending Heloise letters? What was the connection?
I love a strong female lead and that is exactly what we find in Heloise. She has some tenacity and a strong sense of justice. There are a lot of other characters that me meet as well but I had no trouble keeping them straight. And I loved the short chapters – this is definitely a book that just begs you to keep with it, especially as you move further on in it. It definitely kept me guessing and I became suspicious of everyone, but that probably is because I read so many thrillers!
I love that this is such a layered, complex story. Nothing is as straightforward as it appears to be. Even the characters are complex and layered…my favorite kind!
This book takes a very dark turn, apt for a Nordic Noir and the comparison to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo in my mind. I definitely didn’t see the turn it takes in the end but I still enjoyed it and am looking forward to seeing where the series goes from here. I just hope it continues to be translated in English as I definitely would love to continue on with the series.
Audio thoughts:
This book translates well onto audio – it definitely kept me listening. The narrator, Laura Jennings, did a great job bringing this book to life, especially with all the pronunciations of places and names.
