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Homicide Trilogy #2
Kald mig prinsesse
Drabsafdelingen på Københavns politigård modtager en anmeldelse om voldtægt af en ung kvinde. Kriminalassistent Louise Rick sættes på sagen, og snart viser det sig, at opklaringsarbejdet bliver mere kompliceret end ventet. Kvinden er nemlig blevet voldtaget af en mand, hun har mødt på en datingside på internettet, og den identitet, han har opgivet,er falsk.
En gennemgang af uopklarede voldtægtssager afslører flere med et tilsvarende mønster, og da en ung kvinde kort efter findes kvalt i forbindelse med endnu en voldtægt, sættes alle ressourcer ind på at finde den serieforbryder, der opererer i ly af internettets anonymitet.
Men alle spor ender blindt, og det går op for Louise Rick, at de er nødt til at tage utraditionelle metoder i brug, hvis de vil finde manden, inden der sker en ny forbrydelse. Derfor opretter hun selv en netdating-profil.
En gennemgang af uopklarede voldtægtssager afslører flere med et tilsvarende mønster, og da en ung kvinde kort efter findes kvalt i forbindelse med endnu en voldtægt, sættes alle ressourcer ind på at finde den serieforbryder, der opererer i ly af internettets anonymitet.
Men alle spor ender blindt, og det går op for Louise Rick, at de er nødt til at tage utraditionelle metoder i brug, hvis de vil finde manden, inden der sker en ny forbrydelse. Derfor opretter hun selv en netdating-profil.
313 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
228 people are currently reading
5686 people want to read
About the author
Sara Blaedel
35 books2,024 followersSara Blaedel is the author of the #1 international bestselling series featuring Detective Louise Rick. Her books are published in thirty-seven countries. In 2014 Sara was voted Denmark’s most popular novelist for the fourth time. She is also a recipient of the Golden Laurel, Denmark’s most prestigious literary award.
In 2016 she published the first book "The Undertakers Daughter" in a new trilogy set in Racine, Wisconsin:
Already widowed by the age of forty, Ilka Nichols Jensen, a school portrait photographer, leads a modest, regimented, and uneventful life in Copenhagen. Until unexpected news rocks her quiet existence: Her father–who walked out suddenly and inexplicably on the family more than three decades ago–has died. And he’s left her something in his will: his funeral home. In Racine, Wisconsin.
In 2016 she published the first book "The Undertakers Daughter" in a new trilogy set in Racine, Wisconsin:
Already widowed by the age of forty, Ilka Nichols Jensen, a school portrait photographer, leads a modest, regimented, and uneventful life in Copenhagen. Until unexpected news rocks her quiet existence: Her father–who walked out suddenly and inexplicably on the family more than three decades ago–has died. And he’s left her something in his will: his funeral home. In Racine, Wisconsin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 412 reviews
November 21, 2012
The premise of this book would probably make for a good hour-long CSI like CBS procedural show.
It probably could make for a good book, too. But this book isn't good. It's awful.
I don't know where the blame lays for how awful this book is. Maybe it is the translators fault. Maybe the book reads better in Danish, or whatever language it was originally written in (I think it was in Danish, but it doesn't say anywhere in the book. It's actually a little difficult to even find who translated the book, and completely impossible using the book as the primary source of information to find out what the original title of the book was. From a bibliographic standpoint, and from the view of a poor cataloger who would take it on themselves to do original cataloging (as opposed to copy cataloging), this would be a nightmare, damn it Simon and Schuster think of the technical service librarians!).
Maybe it is my fault. I'm usually quite ready to take the blame for anything. I'll admit that I'm not the intended audience for a book, say that there were problems with me that caused me not to get the intended enjoyment out of a book. But I don't think it's me here. But I have such a large guilt complex that in the back of my mind I'm still willing to take the blame.
Maybe it's the cultural difference between Denmark and America. Maybe their police just are different from ours. Maybe this is how things really are, and I have a warped view of police procedurals from unrealistic TV shows and Hollywood movies. I'm not buying this either though.
I think the book is just bad. Even if I put aside what might be translation problems, and differences in the way police may act in Denmark versus the way I think they act in America, the book is still fairly awful.
The last possibility for why possibly the book isn't as terrible as I think it is, is that it's obviously not the first in the series. There are others with this character in it, and maybe there was some development in earlier books that would make certain things make more sense. Again I doubt it, and because Simon and Schuster decided to give near zero information about previous books and because I feel like I'm already spending too much time with this book by having actually read all three hundred and two pages and now typing these words, I don't feel like taxing myself with doing even the most rudimentary internet search to find out a)how many novels are in this series, and b) where this novel falls in the whole series.
I do know (according to the sort of suspect copy material printed on the book) that the author is Denmarks most popular novelist. She won a vote to get that distinction, not once, but three times. What kind of vote is this? Who knows. Maybe it is Denmark's equivalent of being a USA Today bestselling author. Or maybe, European mega-popular authors are just as much hacks as their US counterparts.
As I said, this book is bad. The story-line is kind of boring. It didn't need to be, but it was. The characters are also awful. They are erratic and one-dimensional. Their inexplicable erraticness is maybe supposed to be a stand-in for actual development and having any kind of psychological realism, but the characters are still pretty much all stereotypical character types. But even in the author's portrayal of these character types there is a total lack of development and the scenes that are supposed to show how a character generally are bizarre moments of the characters acting in vaguely sociopathic ways. For example, the main character I'm guessing is supposed to be a no-nonsense sort of woman. The tough female detective. How do we show this initially? By having her get aggravated that she has to interview a rape victim, and then get aggravated at the shock the victim (who just hours before had been left hog-tied naked with plastic restraints after being repeatedly raped) with not giving her answers in a quick enough manner.
Pretty much anytime characters have a reaction to something the reaction is either the opposite of what a normal human being would have (or the reaction you'd imagine a character with the 'told' characteristics would have) or it's appropriate but so over the top that I started to wonder if the author has any actual interactions with real life people. And if she does why she doesn't think about those people when writing her characters.
I should have gone with my first instincts and given up on this book after about page 15. I thought maybe it would get better, I thought maybe the characters were going to be shit, but at least it would be an interesting story. I thought, isn't the thing we've been sold lately is that the Scandinavians kick ass writing crime novels? Aren't they supposed to be better than ours? I thought this should be good, it's got lots of good blurbs, there should be something redeemable about it, right? Nope. I kept forcing myself to sit down and read it. I was waiting for the good part that didn't come. And instead of getting something good out of it, I was increasingly baffled at the characters, at the weird twists thrown into people's lives, the difficulty in following the simple chronology of what was happening (which I decided was due to poor structure and not to the increasing lack of attention I was giving the book), and the vaguely inept detecting skills on display here. But in fairness, if the detectives had done any work they probably would have cracked this case fairly quickly but in fairness to the detectives they did have the temporal mayhem of the book to contend with, and they were pretty much not going to be able to defeat the relativistic time/space problems of the book until the author had her hundred thousand words and was ready to let them solve the crime, in quite possibly the most contrived and unbelievable manner possible.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
It probably could make for a good book, too. But this book isn't good. It's awful.
I don't know where the blame lays for how awful this book is. Maybe it is the translators fault. Maybe the book reads better in Danish, or whatever language it was originally written in (I think it was in Danish, but it doesn't say anywhere in the book. It's actually a little difficult to even find who translated the book, and completely impossible using the book as the primary source of information to find out what the original title of the book was. From a bibliographic standpoint, and from the view of a poor cataloger who would take it on themselves to do original cataloging (as opposed to copy cataloging), this would be a nightmare, damn it Simon and Schuster think of the technical service librarians!).
Maybe it is my fault. I'm usually quite ready to take the blame for anything. I'll admit that I'm not the intended audience for a book, say that there were problems with me that caused me not to get the intended enjoyment out of a book. But I don't think it's me here. But I have such a large guilt complex that in the back of my mind I'm still willing to take the blame.
Maybe it's the cultural difference between Denmark and America. Maybe their police just are different from ours. Maybe this is how things really are, and I have a warped view of police procedurals from unrealistic TV shows and Hollywood movies. I'm not buying this either though.
I think the book is just bad. Even if I put aside what might be translation problems, and differences in the way police may act in Denmark versus the way I think they act in America, the book is still fairly awful.
The last possibility for why possibly the book isn't as terrible as I think it is, is that it's obviously not the first in the series. There are others with this character in it, and maybe there was some development in earlier books that would make certain things make more sense. Again I doubt it, and because Simon and Schuster decided to give near zero information about previous books and because I feel like I'm already spending too much time with this book by having actually read all three hundred and two pages and now typing these words, I don't feel like taxing myself with doing even the most rudimentary internet search to find out a)how many novels are in this series, and b) where this novel falls in the whole series.
I do know (according to the sort of suspect copy material printed on the book) that the author is Denmarks most popular novelist. She won a vote to get that distinction, not once, but three times. What kind of vote is this? Who knows. Maybe it is Denmark's equivalent of being a USA Today bestselling author. Or maybe, European mega-popular authors are just as much hacks as their US counterparts.
As I said, this book is bad. The story-line is kind of boring. It didn't need to be, but it was. The characters are also awful. They are erratic and one-dimensional. Their inexplicable erraticness is maybe supposed to be a stand-in for actual development and having any kind of psychological realism, but the characters are still pretty much all stereotypical character types. But even in the author's portrayal of these character types there is a total lack of development and the scenes that are supposed to show how a character generally are bizarre moments of the characters acting in vaguely sociopathic ways. For example, the main character I'm guessing is supposed to be a no-nonsense sort of woman. The tough female detective. How do we show this initially? By having her get aggravated that she has to interview a rape victim, and then get aggravated at the shock the victim (who just hours before had been left hog-tied naked with plastic restraints after being repeatedly raped) with not giving her answers in a quick enough manner.
Pretty much anytime characters have a reaction to something the reaction is either the opposite of what a normal human being would have (or the reaction you'd imagine a character with the 'told' characteristics would have) or it's appropriate but so over the top that I started to wonder if the author has any actual interactions with real life people. And if she does why she doesn't think about those people when writing her characters.
I should have gone with my first instincts and given up on this book after about page 15. I thought maybe it would get better, I thought maybe the characters were going to be shit, but at least it would be an interesting story. I thought, isn't the thing we've been sold lately is that the Scandinavians kick ass writing crime novels? Aren't they supposed to be better than ours? I thought this should be good, it's got lots of good blurbs, there should be something redeemable about it, right? Nope. I kept forcing myself to sit down and read it. I was waiting for the good part that didn't come. And instead of getting something good out of it, I was increasingly baffled at the characters, at the weird twists thrown into people's lives, the difficulty in following the simple chronology of what was happening (which I decided was due to poor structure and not to the increasing lack of attention I was giving the book), and the vaguely inept detecting skills on display here. But in fairness, if the detectives had done any work they probably would have cracked this case fairly quickly but in fairness to the detectives they did have the temporal mayhem of the book to contend with, and they were pretty much not going to be able to defeat the relativistic time/space problems of the book until the author had her hundred thousand words and was ready to let them solve the crime, in quite possibly the most contrived and unbelievable manner possible.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
August 20, 2011
Where are we?
Oddly, though Blaedel is Danish, this story could as easily been set in any American city rather than Copenhagen. The place names were Danish but there was no wisp of Scandinavia. The plot was so so but only just. I hate the title. It’s too twee and only becomes relevant late in the story. Homicide Detective Louise Rick and her partner investigate a rape. Soon the case grows legs when rapist’s next victim dies and other women speak out about enduring similar attacks. The plot circles around the dangers of internet dating and its subculture. Blaedel states that there are two types of internet daters. One group post profiles to meet someone for a long term relationship then disappear from the dating sites when they find one. The other group becomes addicted to the online dating process and put profiles up in multiple places for long periods of time. They’re serial daters who are not interested in the people they meet but the process of online dating. The rapist belongs to this second group. He’s an online predator and knows how to disappear into the ethers after his crimes. Detective Rick’s relationships with her best friend Camilla and her live in lover Peter also seem off. There’s no evident affection between them and though Rick’s well characterized neither Camilla nor Peter are. It wasn’t a bad story it just wasn’t good. Definitely steer clear of it if you’re looking for one of the many great new Scandinavian books.
Oddly, though Blaedel is Danish, this story could as easily been set in any American city rather than Copenhagen. The place names were Danish but there was no wisp of Scandinavia. The plot was so so but only just. I hate the title. It’s too twee and only becomes relevant late in the story. Homicide Detective Louise Rick and her partner investigate a rape. Soon the case grows legs when rapist’s next victim dies and other women speak out about enduring similar attacks. The plot circles around the dangers of internet dating and its subculture. Blaedel states that there are two types of internet daters. One group post profiles to meet someone for a long term relationship then disappear from the dating sites when they find one. The other group becomes addicted to the online dating process and put profiles up in multiple places for long periods of time. They’re serial daters who are not interested in the people they meet but the process of online dating. The rapist belongs to this second group. He’s an online predator and knows how to disappear into the ethers after his crimes. Detective Rick’s relationships with her best friend Camilla and her live in lover Peter also seem off. There’s no evident affection between them and though Rick’s well characterized neither Camilla nor Peter are. It wasn’t a bad story it just wasn’t good. Definitely steer clear of it if you’re looking for one of the many great new Scandinavian books.
February 14, 2020
Didn't enjoy this one as much as I wanted to. Rape scenes were depicted in horrific detail, and there just seemed to be so many "wtf?" moments that made little to no sense. Louise Rick's best friend, Camilla, is still an irritating pain in the ass, with the commonsense of a squashed cabbage. For example, after the first brutal rape incident - young woman meets a guy a few times, invites him into her home, and things became seriously unpleasant seriously quickly - Camilla informs Louise that she's inviting a MAN SHE'S NEVER EVEN MET BEFORE into her home for their first date, and apparently Louise is okay with this? And this is literally after she's just spent all night with the victim of said rape? No... just... no!
Anyway, there are lots of moments like this where all reason seems to go flying out of the window in order to propel the story forward. Ultimately, it's frustrating stuff. Unsure if I will continue with the series.
Anyway, there are lots of moments like this where all reason seems to go flying out of the window in order to propel the story forward. Ultimately, it's frustrating stuff. Unsure if I will continue with the series.
February 8, 2022
No sé qué me motiva a seguir leyendo esta saga negra nórdica ¿? Jajajaja pero pos el chisme
March 22, 2022
3.5 stars. First published in 2011. Since my library just got this copy in, I wrongly assumed it was a new book.
Assistant Detective Louise Rick of the Copenhagen Police Dept Homicide Division is called to a local hospital to interview a rape victim. The woman met him online. Details reveal the rapist planned out the attack in advance and carried it out meticulously and this may not be the first or the last attack.
I've read a different series by Sara Blaedel but I think I like this Louise Rick series better. I don't think I'm ever going to be crazy about Blaedel's books - maybe I can't relate as well to the Copenhagen police environment. My first impression of Louise was needing to work on her tact. However, I grew to like her better. I would read another one in this series.
The police have to operate differently in Copenhagen and that kept hanging me up. When they didn't have a picture of the victim prior to her injuries to show potential witnesses, I thought why don't you pull up her driver's license photo. Guess not. I wanted them to pull up all the security tapes. Everybody in the U.S. has one - businesses and neighborhood people. Obviously not there.
The attacks are written in chapters narrated by the victims. Sadistic and disturbing.
Assistant Detective Louise Rick of the Copenhagen Police Dept Homicide Division is called to a local hospital to interview a rape victim. The woman met him online. Details reveal the rapist planned out the attack in advance and carried it out meticulously and this may not be the first or the last attack.
I've read a different series by Sara Blaedel but I think I like this Louise Rick series better. I don't think I'm ever going to be crazy about Blaedel's books - maybe I can't relate as well to the Copenhagen police environment. My first impression of Louise was needing to work on her tact. However, I grew to like her better. I would read another one in this series.
The police have to operate differently in Copenhagen and that kept hanging me up. When they didn't have a picture of the victim prior to her injuries to show potential witnesses, I thought why don't you pull up her driver's license photo. Guess not. I wanted them to pull up all the security tapes. Everybody in the U.S. has one - businesses and neighborhood people. Obviously not there.
The attacks are written in chapters narrated by the victims. Sadistic and disturbing.
May 7, 2014
Blue Blood (also titled Call Me Princess) is the second book in the Louise Rick/Camilla Lind series by popular Danish novelist, Sara Blaedel. It is the first book in the series to be translated into English. When Assistant Detective Louise Rick is called to the hospital to talk to Susanna Hansson, the victim of a brutal rape, she is met with some reluctance to reveal all the pertinent facts. When she eventually establishes that Susanna first met her attacker online, Copenhagen’s police force is mobilised to track the perpetrator down. But before much headway is made, the rapist strikes again, and this time, the victim dies. Rick’s friend and Morgenavisen crime journalist, Camilla Lind is hoping for headlines, but her personal use of online dating is more of an issue for Louise. Rick’s focus on the case is also distracted by tensions with her boyfriend. This enthralling crime novel touches on the topical issues of online dating, the aftermath of sexual assault and sexual discrimination in the police force. The plot is gripping, with a few twists and several exciting climaxes, but the execution is sometimes a little clumsy and somewhat tedious in its excessive detail. The translation by Erik J. Macki and Tara F. Chase is generally satisfactory, although some parts are rather clunky. As the main protagonist, Louise Rick is a flawed and occasionally quite abrasive, but nonetheless genuine character, and it will be interesting to see what Blaedel has in store for Louise and Camilla in future instalments. Not a breathless page-turner, but still quite a good read.
June 16, 2012
this is a warning. so you don't waste your time. this is not a good book to read. stupid. stupid. stupid. wanna know how stupid? first example is the female detective gets frustrated with a rape victum. second would be when she actually sees the rapist she goes to find her partner first, and gasp! surprise an hour later hes left with another girl. stupid.
August 11, 2016
Η Σάρα Μπλέντελ με τα μυθιστορήματα της να είναι σταθερά στις λίστες των μπεστ σέλερ στην πατρίδα της, με αυτό το βιβλίο κάνει το αμερικανικό ντεμπούτο της και καταφέρνει να κλέψει την παράσταση.
Αυτό το εκπληκτικό μυθιστόρημα αναφέρεται σε ένα από τα πιο σημαντικά ζητήματα της εποχής μας: το online dating (ραντεβού μέσω διαδυκτίου).
Η ιστ��ρία λαμβάνει χώρα σε αυτή την περίπτωση στη σύγχρονη Κοπεγχάγη. Η Ντετέκτιβ Λουίσε Ρίκ ετοιμάζεται να πάει στο σπίτι μετά από μια δύσκολη μέρα, όταν παίρνει μια κλήση που βάζει τα σχέδιά της για ένα ωραίο βράδυ με το σύντροφό της σε αναμονή. Μια γυναίκα βρίσκεται σε ένα κρεβάτι νοσοκομείου αφού έχει κτυπηθεί και βιαστεί. Αν και πρόθυμη να καταθέσει για το ποιος ήταν πίσω από την επίθεση, τα πράγματα θα αποδειχθεί ότι δεν είναι τόσο απλά . Αφού η άτυχη γυναίκα, δεν μπορεί να θυμηθεί πραγματικά το πρόσωπο του άνδρα, ενώ το όνομα που της έχει δώσει δεν είναι η πραγματική του ταυτότητα.
Ωστόσο, ενώ τα γεγονότα αυτά λαμβάνουν χώρα, ο δράστης χτυπά και πάλι, και αυτή τη φορά τα πράγματα παίρνουν εντελώς διαφορετική τροπή και βγαίνουν εκτός ελέγχου. Βρίσκει το νέο θύμα του, μια γυναίκα που ονομάζεται Κριστίνα, η οποία καταλήγει νεκρή . Και ενώ οι δύο παράλληλες υποθέσεις αρχίζουν να ξεδιπλώνονται οι ερευνητές σύντομα θα ανακαλύψουν ότι οι δύο γυναίκες που συνάντησαν το βιαστή το έκαναν μέσω ιστοσελίδων για ραντεβού (internet dating) . Και τότε είναι που η Ρικ θα κληθεί να ανακαλύψει τον κόσμο του online dating (ραντεβού μέσω διαδυκτίου).
Αλλά η συγγραφέας δεν ασχολείται μόνο με τα εγκλήματα, αλλά και με την προσωπική ζωή της ηρωίδας της. Η Ρίκ φαίνεται να είναι μια σταθερή, ισχυρή γυναίκα . Ωστόσο ακόμα και αυτή είναι γεμάτη από μικρές και μεγάλες αδυναμίες και ανασφάλειες. Τους τελευταίους μήνες που συζεί με το φίλο της, κατί που λατρεύει και απεχθάνεται την ίδια στιγμή, προσπαθεί να βαλει κανόνες στη ζωή της να την προγραμματίσει, ίσως να αποκτήσει και ένα παιδί αλλά δεν παύουν όλες αυτές οι επιλογές να την τρομάζουν. Και σα να μην έφταναν όλα αυτά δεν μπορεί να σταματήσει να είναι εργασιομανής.
Ο κόσμος που η Μπλέντελ παρουσιάζει ως δυσοίωνο, δεν είναι τίποτα λιγότερο ή χειρότερο από την καθημερινή μας πραγματικότητα. Ακριβώς εδώ, σε αυτές τις σελίδες, συναντάμε ανθρώπους που βρίσκονται παγιδευμένοι στο μικρό προσωπικό κουτί τους, αμαρτωλές ψυχές, γυναίκες ντυμένες με μελαγχολία, ανθρώπους που πνίγονται από απόγνωση. Κάθε ένας από αυτούς φαίνεται να ψάχνει για κάτι. Κάτι για να κρατηθεί. Είτε αυτό είναι μια σύντομη ερωτική σχέση, μια «καλή» οικογένεια ή απλά μια επαφή. Το Διαδίκτυο για ορισμένα από αυτά τα άτομα είναι η λύση, για κάποιους άλλους το πρόβλημα. Αλλά η μοναξιά παραμένει.
Αυτό δεν είναι απλά ένα μυθιστόρημα που μιλά για το έγκλημα, αλλά και για τον τρόπο που λειτουργεί η κοινωνία, και ως εκ τούτου μπορεί να διαβαστεί από τον καθένα, δεν έχει σημασία αν αυτός είναι οπαδός του είδους ή όχι.
Το «Λέγε με Πριγκίπισσα» είναι μια ιστορία για τον σύγχρονο τρόπο ζωής, γραμμένο από μια πολυ καλή συγγραφέα, η οποία φαίνεται να είναι σε θέση να δει με μεγάλη σαφήνεια το σκοτάδι που κρύβεται στην καρδιά του ανθρώπου .
Το συνιστώ ανεπιφύλακτα.
Αυτό το εκπληκτικό μυθιστόρημα αναφέρεται σε ένα από τα πιο σημαντικά ζητήματα της εποχής μας: το online dating (ραντεβού μέσω διαδυκτίου).
Η ιστ��ρία λαμβάνει χώρα σε αυτή την περίπτωση στη σύγχρονη Κοπεγχάγη. Η Ντετέκτιβ Λουίσε Ρίκ ετοιμάζεται να πάει στο σπίτι μετά από μια δύσκολη μέρα, όταν παίρνει μια κλήση που βάζει τα σχέδιά της για ένα ωραίο βράδυ με το σύντροφό της σε αναμονή. Μια γυναίκα βρίσκεται σε ένα κρεβάτι νοσοκομείου αφού έχει κτυπηθεί και βιαστεί. Αν και πρόθυμη να καταθέσει για το ποιος ήταν πίσω από την επίθεση, τα πράγματα θα αποδειχθεί ότι δεν είναι τόσο απλά . Αφού η άτυχη γυναίκα, δεν μπορεί να θυμηθεί πραγματικά το πρόσωπο του άνδρα, ενώ το όνομα που της έχει δώσει δεν είναι η πραγματική του ταυτότητα.
Ωστόσο, ενώ τα γεγονότα αυτά λαμβάνουν χώρα, ο δράστης χτυπά και πάλι, και αυτή τη φορά τα πράγματα παίρνουν εντελώς διαφορετική τροπή και βγαίνουν εκτός ελέγχου. Βρίσκει το νέο θύμα του, μια γυναίκα που ονομάζεται Κριστίνα, η οποία καταλήγει νεκρή . Και ενώ οι δύο παράλληλες υποθέσεις αρχίζουν να ξεδιπλώνονται οι ερευνητές σύντομα θα ανακαλύψουν ότι οι δύο γυναίκες που συνάντησαν το βιαστή το έκαναν μέσω ιστοσελίδων για ραντεβού (internet dating) . Και τότε είναι που η Ρικ θα κληθεί να ανακαλύψει τον κόσμο του online dating (ραντεβού μέσω διαδυκτίου).
Αλλά η συγγραφέας δεν ασχολείται μόνο με τα εγκλήματα, αλλά και με την προσωπική ζωή της ηρωίδας της. Η Ρίκ φαίνεται να είναι μια σταθερή, ισχυρή γυναίκα . Ωστόσο ακόμα και αυτή είναι γεμάτη από μικρές και μεγάλες αδυναμίες και ανασφάλειες. Τους τελευταίους μήνες που συζεί με το φίλο της, κατί που λατρεύει και απεχθάνεται την ίδια στιγμή, προσπαθεί να βαλει κανόνες στη ζωή της να την προγραμματίσει, ίσως να αποκτήσει και ένα παιδί αλλά δεν παύουν όλες αυτές οι επιλογές να την τρομάζουν. Και σα να μην έφταναν όλα αυτά δεν μπορεί να σταματήσει να είναι εργασιομανής.
Ο κόσμος που η Μπλέντελ παρουσιάζει ως δυσοίωνο, δεν είναι τίποτα λιγότερο ή χειρότερο από την καθημερινή μας πραγματικότητα. Ακριβώς εδώ, σε αυτές τις σελίδες, συναντάμε ανθρώπους που βρίσκονται παγιδευμένοι στο μικρό προσωπικό κουτί τους, αμαρτωλές ψυχές, γυναίκες ντυμένες με μελαγχολία, ανθρώπους που πνίγονται από απόγνωση. Κάθε ένας από αυτούς φαίνεται να ψάχνει για κάτι. Κάτι για να κρατηθεί. Είτε αυτό είναι μια σύντομη ερωτική σχέση, μια «καλή» οικογένεια ή απλά μια επαφή. Το Διαδίκτυο για ορισμένα από αυτά τα άτομα είναι η λύση, για κάποιους άλλους το πρόβλημα. Αλλά η μοναξιά παραμένει.
Αυτό δεν είναι απλά ένα μυθιστόρημα που μιλά για το έγκλημα, αλλά και για τον τρόπο που λειτουργεί η κοινωνία, και ως εκ τούτου μπορεί να διαβαστεί από τον καθένα, δεν έχει σημασία αν αυτός είναι οπαδός του είδους ή όχι.
Το «Λέγε με Πριγκίπισσα» είναι μια ιστορία για τον σύγχρονο τρόπο ζωής, γραμμένο από μια πολυ καλή συγγραφέα, η οποία φαίνεται να είναι σε θέση να δει με μεγάλη σαφήνεια το σκοτάδι που κρύβεται στην καρδιά του ανθρώπου .
Το συνιστώ ανεπιφύλακτα.
April 3, 2017
It is such a relief that the police in Sara Blaedel's Blue Blood are fictional, because these are one of the worst, if not THE worst police teams I have ever read about. If the Danish police force is anything like these characters, then their system needs a huge overhaul.
Sara Blaedel is one of Denmark's most popular crime authors. I just don't get it. This book has won awards; was it the only book published that year in Denmark? I know Denmark is a small country, but really?
The main heroine is Inspector Louise Rick, who is unprofessional and vapid and in the book puts everybody in a very dangerous place, but that's ok, her heart is in the right place(!) I understand this is the first published in English but not the first in the series, so we readers are probably missing some of Louise's background. Camilla Lind, her vapid friend, only serves to slow down the pace of the story. The novel's portrayal of women is not a nice one.
What annoyed me the most was the ineptitude of the police. Susanne is a woman who gets raped after talking to a guy on a dating site. She's traumatised by the horrible act that has taken place. What do the police do? They lose their patience with her and lash out! Of course she's reluctant to trust people and cooperate; she has just been RAPED! Later in the novel, either Louise or Camilla try to track this serial rapist on the dating website and go to meet him. WITHOUT ANY POLICE BACKUP. Do you know how easy it would've been to lure him to a place full of hiding armed police?
This book is just not very good.
Sara Blaedel is one of Denmark's most popular crime authors. I just don't get it. This book has won awards; was it the only book published that year in Denmark? I know Denmark is a small country, but really?
The main heroine is Inspector Louise Rick, who is unprofessional and vapid and in the book puts everybody in a very dangerous place, but that's ok, her heart is in the right place(!) I understand this is the first published in English but not the first in the series, so we readers are probably missing some of Louise's background. Camilla Lind, her vapid friend, only serves to slow down the pace of the story. The novel's portrayal of women is not a nice one.
What annoyed me the most was the ineptitude of the police. Susanne is a woman who gets raped after talking to a guy on a dating site. She's traumatised by the horrible act that has taken place. What do the police do? They lose their patience with her and lash out! Of course she's reluctant to trust people and cooperate; she has just been RAPED! Later in the novel, either Louise or Camilla try to track this serial rapist on the dating website and go to meet him. WITHOUT ANY POLICE BACKUP. Do you know how easy it would've been to lure him to a place full of hiding armed police?
This book is just not very good.
November 26, 2021
Segunda entrega de la serie de la Detective Louise Rick y le he encontrado los mismos fallos que encontré en la primera. Ya no sé si es un problema de traducción y que algo se haya perdido por el camino o que simplemente esta serie no es para mí. Y me da rabia porque el género me encanta y una persona en cuya opinión confío plenamente cuando de recomendaciones literarias se trata, me la ha recomendado encarecidamente.
En esta ocasión la historia se centra en la investigación de la brutal violación que sufre una chica tras tener una cita con un hombre que conoció a través de Internet.
La investigación en sí no está mal y resulta entretenida. Ahora bien, no he sido capaz de conectar con ningún personaje. Louise tenía comportamiento que eran para darle una “guantá” con la mano abierta. Su relación con Peter no podía resultar más forzada. Camilla se comportaba como una niñata caprichosa…vamos, ¡unas joyas todos ellos!
La vida personal de Louise sufre un revés, y cómo quedan las cosas al finalizar el libro fue otra de las cosas que me hicieron rechinar los dientes.
Me pasó ya con la primera entrega y me ha vuelto a pasar con esta. A pesar de no resultarme memorable para nada, creo que la serie tiene potencial y que tanto las historias como los personajes tienen mucho margen de mejora, por lo que estoy dispuesto a darle una tercera oportunidad.
En esta ocasión la historia se centra en la investigación de la brutal violación que sufre una chica tras tener una cita con un hombre que conoció a través de Internet.
La investigación en sí no está mal y resulta entretenida. Ahora bien, no he sido capaz de conectar con ningún personaje. Louise tenía comportamiento que eran para darle una “guantá” con la mano abierta. Su relación con Peter no podía resultar más forzada. Camilla se comportaba como una niñata caprichosa…vamos, ¡unas joyas todos ellos!
La vida personal de Louise sufre un revés, y cómo quedan las cosas al finalizar el libro fue otra de las cosas que me hicieron rechinar los dientes.
Me pasó ya con la primera entrega y me ha vuelto a pasar con esta. A pesar de no resultarme memorable para nada, creo que la serie tiene potencial y que tanto las historias como los personajes tienen mucho margen de mejora, por lo que estoy dispuesto a darle una tercera oportunidad.
July 5, 2021
Selve handlingen er spændende men karaktererne er så endimensionelle og stereotype at det ødelægger min læseoplevelse.
December 2, 2018
Finished reading: November 29th 2018
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
August 31, 2011
The hot list of crime writers right now includes many from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Denmark. Here's another author from Denmark to add to your list.
Call Me Princess marks Sara Blaedel's North American debut.
Assistant Detective Louise Rick of the Copenhagen P.D. is called in on the case of Susanne Hansson - a woman who has been brutally sexually assaulted. As Rick delves into the case, she discovers that Susanne met her attacker through an online dating site. Susanne's not the only victim of this online Lothario. He know how to hide though - he's left virtually no clues.
I enjoyed the character of Detective Rick and her interactions with her fellow officers. Blaedel has filled the department with an overbearing superior, a quiet family man partner and a publicity seeking chief. They were all comfortable if not original characters. The foray into Louise's personal life was a solid secondary story line. I did not like the best friend, newspaper reporter Camilla at all. She came across as a user of people. The interactions between her and Louse just never rang true as a best friend situation.
Blaedel has peppered her story with lots of red herrings. Many of the male characters seemed they could be the perpetrator at one time or another - the ending provided a good twist.
All in all, a solid police procedural utilizing current events as a effective plot device. It was an easy read - one that I was happy to pick up. For me, enjoyable but not outstanding.
Blaedel has an interesting background. She founded the first publishing house dedicated to crime fiction in Denmark. She was then inspired to write her own detective novels which have landed on the Danish bestseller lists. She has been voted the most popular novelist in Denmark in 2007, 2010 and 2011.
Call Me Princess marks Sara Blaedel's North American debut.
Assistant Detective Louise Rick of the Copenhagen P.D. is called in on the case of Susanne Hansson - a woman who has been brutally sexually assaulted. As Rick delves into the case, she discovers that Susanne met her attacker through an online dating site. Susanne's not the only victim of this online Lothario. He know how to hide though - he's left virtually no clues.
I enjoyed the character of Detective Rick and her interactions with her fellow officers. Blaedel has filled the department with an overbearing superior, a quiet family man partner and a publicity seeking chief. They were all comfortable if not original characters. The foray into Louise's personal life was a solid secondary story line. I did not like the best friend, newspaper reporter Camilla at all. She came across as a user of people. The interactions between her and Louse just never rang true as a best friend situation.
Blaedel has peppered her story with lots of red herrings. Many of the male characters seemed they could be the perpetrator at one time or another - the ending provided a good twist.
All in all, a solid police procedural utilizing current events as a effective plot device. It was an easy read - one that I was happy to pick up. For me, enjoyable but not outstanding.
Blaedel has an interesting background. She founded the first publishing house dedicated to crime fiction in Denmark. She was then inspired to write her own detective novels which have landed on the Danish bestseller lists. She has been voted the most popular novelist in Denmark in 2007, 2010 and 2011.
August 30, 2011
Detective Inspector Louise Rick is one of the few females at the Copenhagen Police Department. Seeing as Louise is one of the few, she is usually assigned the rape cases as most of the victims are female and they relate to another female better. As Louise starts investigating, she realizes that the victim, Susanne may have known her attacker…well kind of. Susanne was a member of a dating site, where she meet her attacker. She took him back home and things started out ok but by the time that Susanne realized what she was in for it was took late.
Call Me Princess is author, Sara Blaedel’s first English novel. This book is not for the faint at heart or weak stomached. There is a violet rape scene at the beginning of this book. Also, there is crude language used though out this book. I noticed that the writing was simple but there was a lot of detail at the same time in the way that the characters explained things or if they attempted to explain something it was with the use of language. Not that I was offended as I would expect some language from a murder mystery novel. Detective Inspector Louise is a hard nosed character, even for a woman. She didn’t have a shoulder to cry on. She got down to business and tried to solve the case as quickly as she could. Don’t lie to her or you could end up with a bullet in your back. Though, this was a quick read, I never really related to Louise or the victim, Susanne, which was on the negative side for me. This book started out good, hit a few bumps in the middle and ended on a good note. Ms. Blaedel shows nice promise and I will be keeping an eye on her in the future.
Call Me Princess is author, Sara Blaedel’s first English novel. This book is not for the faint at heart or weak stomached. There is a violet rape scene at the beginning of this book. Also, there is crude language used though out this book. I noticed that the writing was simple but there was a lot of detail at the same time in the way that the characters explained things or if they attempted to explain something it was with the use of language. Not that I was offended as I would expect some language from a murder mystery novel. Detective Inspector Louise is a hard nosed character, even for a woman. She didn’t have a shoulder to cry on. She got down to business and tried to solve the case as quickly as she could. Don’t lie to her or you could end up with a bullet in your back. Though, this was a quick read, I never really related to Louise or the victim, Susanne, which was on the negative side for me. This book started out good, hit a few bumps in the middle and ended on a good note. Ms. Blaedel shows nice promise and I will be keeping an eye on her in the future.
February 6, 2017
This was my third Sara Blaedel book featuring Detective Louise Rick. The stories are set in Copenhagen and are different in style to the many American and British mystery/ police procedural books I have read and enjoyed. I would say these are "cut and dry", the characters do not engage in much introspection and seem rather one dimensional. There is very little site description, which can either add a great deal or totally bog the story down.....I thought this plot/resolution was predictable. Now that I read back over this review, I'm wondering why I gave it three stars....maybe just in consideration of a foreign author/style, and I liked the first two enough to seek out and read the third....
September 23, 2019
Meh. This book was kind of a mess. I didn’t like Louise Rick at all, and I’m not sure how she’s supposedly viewed as a “tough female detective” when all she does throughout the book is have emotional breakdowns and angry outbursts at work, and also cannot cope with trauma victims in a compassionate, kind manner.
It was also way too long for the story. I swear that about 80% of the book is them trying to find the killer on dating sites — which is probably realistic (in terms of the lack of overall action/excess paperwork in a criminal case) but doesn’t really make for a compelling read.
I may try another Blaedel book at some point but right now, it’s nowhere near the top of my TBR. Ugh. It would have to be a much better written book to be worth my time.
It was also way too long for the story. I swear that about 80% of the book is them trying to find the killer on dating sites — which is probably realistic (in terms of the lack of overall action/excess paperwork in a criminal case) but doesn’t really make for a compelling read.
I may try another Blaedel book at some point but right now, it’s nowhere near the top of my TBR. Ugh. It would have to be a much better written book to be worth my time.
February 16, 2016
Ugh! This book is likehow I remember the Keystone Kops from the movies. Not only for the ineptitude of the police in this investigation of a rape, but also for the wooden personal lives of the ancillary characters. Very poor mundane reading.
October 6, 2017
Maybe if I gave this review a few days to simmer I could identify what exactly I didn't like. I can say for starters that the narrator made the men sound like women, even more like women than the main character (audiobook). Louise was great but she was the only character that was developed. Well, no, the victim developed too, but there were many interesting people that I wish had a greater description. It could be that there was too much inner dialogue? I'll leave at this: it's not a bad read, it has it's twists and suspense, but I have to give it a few days to decide if I want to commit to the series.
June 12, 2019
Se lee bastante rápido, es una prosa amena con muchas idas y venidas. Mucho diálogo también. Pero me aburro a las pocas páginas. El argumento prometía, la historia no era para mí. Sinceramente, el procedimiento no me convence. Y los personajes pasan sin dejar huella. Mejor dicho, no simpatizo nada con sus formas. Me esperaba una novela más entretenida e interesante.
October 15, 2018
Didn't really enjoy this one. Although the case is closed, personal relationships were left with open items. Louise did kick the cheating significant other out of her house, but will she let the scumbag back?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2025
Digitale dreiging en duistere daden in ‘Blauw bloed’
In het tweede deel van de serie ‘Louise Rick’ gaat Louise achter een verkrachter aan. Hij zoekt zijn slachtoffers uit op datingsites. De politie moet de dader snel vinden, want voor je het weet slaat hij weer toe.
‘Blauw bloed’ begint een stuk sterker dan ‘Groene sneeuw’; de personages zijn tenslotte al in het vorige deel geïntroduceerd. In dit deel volgen we alleen Louise, die vastberadener dan ooit is om de dader op te sporen. De spanning sluimert door het verhaal heen tot aan de ontknoping. Wie de dader is, blijft lange tijd onduidelijk. Heel even krijg je een inkijkje in zijn gedachtegang — een boeiend detail dat het verhaal net wat extra’s geeft.
De schrijfstijl van Sara Blædel is prettig: helder, beeldend en zonder overbodige poespas. Sommige personages hadden wat meer gelaagdheid kunnen gebruiken. Louise leren we nog beter kennen, zowel in haar strijd binnen de mannenwereld van de politie als in de impact van haar werk op haar persoonlijke leven. Jammer genoeg is Camilla minder aanwezig; haar verhaallijn was in het vorige deel juist erg interessant. Toch is ‘Blauw bloed’ in zijn geheel sterker en spannender dan zijn voorganger.
Thema’s van dit boek zijn misdaad, seksueel geweld, vertrouwen, trauma en online veiligheid. Deze actuele onderwerpen geven het verhaal extra diepgang en maken het tot een realistische en aangrijpende leeservaring.
Deze serie is ideaal voor lezers die houden van goed opgebouwde Scandinavische thrillers met sterke vrouwelijke hoofdpersonages. Fans van auteurs als Camilla Läckberg, Lene Kaaberbøl en Kristina Ohlsson zullen zich zeker thuis voelen in de wereld van ‘Louise Rick’.
Trigger warning: verkrachting en seksueel geweld.
In het tweede deel van de serie ‘Louise Rick’ gaat Louise achter een verkrachter aan. Hij zoekt zijn slachtoffers uit op datingsites. De politie moet de dader snel vinden, want voor je het weet slaat hij weer toe.
‘Blauw bloed’ begint een stuk sterker dan ‘Groene sneeuw’; de personages zijn tenslotte al in het vorige deel geïntroduceerd. In dit deel volgen we alleen Louise, die vastberadener dan ooit is om de dader op te sporen. De spanning sluimert door het verhaal heen tot aan de ontknoping. Wie de dader is, blijft lange tijd onduidelijk. Heel even krijg je een inkijkje in zijn gedachtegang — een boeiend detail dat het verhaal net wat extra’s geeft.
De schrijfstijl van Sara Blædel is prettig: helder, beeldend en zonder overbodige poespas. Sommige personages hadden wat meer gelaagdheid kunnen gebruiken. Louise leren we nog beter kennen, zowel in haar strijd binnen de mannenwereld van de politie als in de impact van haar werk op haar persoonlijke leven. Jammer genoeg is Camilla minder aanwezig; haar verhaallijn was in het vorige deel juist erg interessant. Toch is ‘Blauw bloed’ in zijn geheel sterker en spannender dan zijn voorganger.
Thema’s van dit boek zijn misdaad, seksueel geweld, vertrouwen, trauma en online veiligheid. Deze actuele onderwerpen geven het verhaal extra diepgang en maken het tot een realistische en aangrijpende leeservaring.
Deze serie is ideaal voor lezers die houden van goed opgebouwde Scandinavische thrillers met sterke vrouwelijke hoofdpersonages. Fans van auteurs als Camilla Läckberg, Lene Kaaberbøl en Kristina Ohlsson zullen zich zeker thuis voelen in de wereld van ‘Louise Rick’.
Trigger warning: verkrachting en seksueel geweld.
August 28, 2016
Susanne er en ung, usikker singelpige der leder efter sit livs kærlighed. Måske en ridder der kan frelse hende fra moderens omklamrende indblanding i privatlivet.
Moderen bor i samme opgang som Susanne og der sker ikke ret meget, der forbigår de kritiske øjne. Men Susanne har fundet en ting der ikke kan kontrolleres. Internettet.
På datingsiderne findes han nok, ridderen på den hvide hest, ham der kan frelse hende. Hun bruger meget tid på at surfe rundt mellem alle de andre singler. Her støder hun på Jesper Bjergholdt. Han er den perfekte gentleman, han giver hende den plads hun skal have og de mødes et par gange ude i byen.
Susanne får tillid til ham og invitere ham hjem til middag - det var ikke en god ide.....
Susannes mor finder hende mange timer senere bagbundet, kneblet og voldtaget i soveværelset og Jesper Bjergholdt er langt, langt væk. Ikke engang på datingsiderne kan man finde ham længere.
Louise Rick, som er en af de eneste kvindelige efterforskere bliver sat på sagen, så Susanne har en kvinde at tale med. Hun indleder jagten på, den forsvundne Jesper Bjergholdt, og det er nærmest en umulig opgave lige indtil Louise får en farlig men durkdreven ide.
Denne roman er efterfølgeren af "grønt støv" og det er en fremragende en af slagsen. Sara Blædel skriver levende, underholdende og realistisk. Man bliver helt revet med af historien og der er ikke et kedelig øjeblik i "kald mig prinsesse"
Historien er en fin sammenblanding af kriminalsag, Louise Ricks privatliv og den sammenholdet der er mellem de to perleveninder Louise og Camilla Lind. Det er en genial vinkel at veninden skriver for det største dagblad i DK. En politiefterforsker og en journalist - det kan kun gå galt...
Kan klart anbefale romanen og kaster mig over den næste i rækken.
Moderen bor i samme opgang som Susanne og der sker ikke ret meget, der forbigår de kritiske øjne. Men Susanne har fundet en ting der ikke kan kontrolleres. Internettet.
På datingsiderne findes han nok, ridderen på den hvide hest, ham der kan frelse hende. Hun bruger meget tid på at surfe rundt mellem alle de andre singler. Her støder hun på Jesper Bjergholdt. Han er den perfekte gentleman, han giver hende den plads hun skal have og de mødes et par gange ude i byen.
Susanne får tillid til ham og invitere ham hjem til middag - det var ikke en god ide.....
Susannes mor finder hende mange timer senere bagbundet, kneblet og voldtaget i soveværelset og Jesper Bjergholdt er langt, langt væk. Ikke engang på datingsiderne kan man finde ham længere.
Louise Rick, som er en af de eneste kvindelige efterforskere bliver sat på sagen, så Susanne har en kvinde at tale med. Hun indleder jagten på, den forsvundne Jesper Bjergholdt, og det er nærmest en umulig opgave lige indtil Louise får en farlig men durkdreven ide.
Denne roman er efterfølgeren af "grønt støv" og det er en fremragende en af slagsen. Sara Blædel skriver levende, underholdende og realistisk. Man bliver helt revet med af historien og der er ikke et kedelig øjeblik i "kald mig prinsesse"
Historien er en fin sammenblanding af kriminalsag, Louise Ricks privatliv og den sammenholdet der er mellem de to perleveninder Louise og Camilla Lind. Det er en genial vinkel at veninden skriver for det største dagblad i DK. En politiefterforsker og en journalist - det kan kun gå galt...
Kan klart anbefale romanen og kaster mig over den næste i rækken.
August 20, 2011
Overall, a slightly above-average procedural. It's hard for me to know how accurate it was since it was set in Denmark. (It did seem strange at times that well into the investigation the detective had to review key pieces of evidence she hadn't looked at before.)
I did have to put aside my own biases, since the crimes involved internet dating and I tend to just roll my eyes when I hear such things and think, "How is finding someone on the internet less safe than finding someone in a bar? Isn't it actually MORE safe since you can check someone out in advance?"
It's well paced. The plot isn't too predictable, though she does string you along a couple of times and then pulls a gotcha. The protagonist is a type that I'm seeing more these days: the female cop, devoted to her job, a little messed up in her life. Perhaps we can thank the UK's Prime Suspect for that, since Helen Mirren did it so swimmingly. I don't mind it. I much prefer it to the typical alcoholic washed up male cop out for revenge that is seen so much more often.
The mix between Louise's home life and work life is done well, perhaps that's one of the best things about this book. It moves through her life and you feel like you really do get to know her and her habits.
A quick read, solid enough. Apparently Blaedel is quite popular in Denmark but this is her first book in the US. I'm not sure yet if I'll read her next one.
I did have to put aside my own biases, since the crimes involved internet dating and I tend to just roll my eyes when I hear such things and think, "How is finding someone on the internet less safe than finding someone in a bar? Isn't it actually MORE safe since you can check someone out in advance?"
It's well paced. The plot isn't too predictable, though she does string you along a couple of times and then pulls a gotcha. The protagonist is a type that I'm seeing more these days: the female cop, devoted to her job, a little messed up in her life. Perhaps we can thank the UK's Prime Suspect for that, since Helen Mirren did it so swimmingly. I don't mind it. I much prefer it to the typical alcoholic washed up male cop out for revenge that is seen so much more often.
The mix between Louise's home life and work life is done well, perhaps that's one of the best things about this book. It moves through her life and you feel like you really do get to know her and her habits.
A quick read, solid enough. Apparently Blaedel is quite popular in Denmark but this is her first book in the US. I'm not sure yet if I'll read her next one.
January 12, 2017
2.5 stars. I don't really like crime novels I guess. I keep reading them because I keep thinking that eventually I am going to find something I like, but I never do. The Millennium trilogy was the first crime I ever read, and nothing so far has caught my interest like Stig Larson did back then. Those were brilliant. I have been thinking a lot about what it is that I don't care for and it is rather hard to pinpoint. I don't think it is the violence itself that I don't care for, but more the pointlessness of it. Often violence in stories creates huge character development and adds to the plot. I don't think any of the recent crime novels I have read embraces that idea - especially not Call me Princess by Sara Blaedel. I didn't like a single character in this novel and I don't think there are any sense of character development in Louise Rick. I like to feel enriched or educated or emotional when I turn the last page of a book... but with this one I didn't feel anything - hence the low rating. But don't take my word for it, because I am biased by not liking the entire genre I guess (:
July 20, 2011
This is the first book I've finished without a weekend since I started my new job. And I think this book is at least suffering a little from being the book I read after cara black's book. nothing seems quite so bright after something that good.
What this book does well:
-incorporates s&m in a manner that makes sense in the real world
-presents a police officer that seems like a normal person and is not an idiot about understanding what is happening in the real world, and has an average level of personal insight.
what this book does moderately well:
-twisting plots in a way that play to the emotional catharsis necessary for well written mystery.
what is not done well:
-either the translating or the writing is done poorly, it reads such that I am pretty sure the problem is in translation but without speaking danish I can't know.
I would definitely consider reading another book by her.
What this book does well:
-incorporates s&m in a manner that makes sense in the real world
-presents a police officer that seems like a normal person and is not an idiot about understanding what is happening in the real world, and has an average level of personal insight.
what this book does moderately well:
-twisting plots in a way that play to the emotional catharsis necessary for well written mystery.
what is not done well:
-either the translating or the writing is done poorly, it reads such that I am pretty sure the problem is in translation but without speaking danish I can't know.
I would definitely consider reading another book by her.
November 14, 2016
Call Me Princess, the second in the Louise Rick series but the first to be translated into English, is one of the best Nordic Noir books that I've read in a while. It had just the right amount of tension, darkness and suspense to make it a good "noir" mystery while still maintaining a great plot and character development. One can tell that Blaedel is not timid about exploring current events regardless of their political correctness and I appreciate that in an author. Louise Rick is a strong character who holds her own among the men while avoiding being too smug about it - another plus. I am finding it difficult to find Blaedel's books but rest assured - I will...
November 15, 2017
For a thriller,it is unispring and a total snore.A police procedural involving a rapist,meeting women online and raping them in their own houses.Moves slowly,with a central figure of Louise Rick,the policewoman,who is annoying and very self-centred.Not the best of Scandi-noir.
March 10, 2016
3 1/2 stars
December 31, 2019
This was yet another interesting and enjoyable addition to the Louise Rick series. It’s quite fascinating to go back in time, having read the latter books in the series first due to later US publication release, and see Louise in her early years as a new detective inspector. It’s akin to knowing a friend awhile snd later getting glimpses into their earlier life. It adds a new dimension to the relationship.
The crimes in this Nordic Noir series are always very well-plotted, complex mysteries that are also understandable and nicely paced to keep the reader interested throughout. Ms. Blaedel manages to also insert a bit of character and friendship development through side stories into each book, in addition to the main mystery, weaving a thread through the series as a whole and binding the reader to the characters. These characters are flawed, but likeable and also relatable, even though they live a continent away.
These books are a captivating and always enjoyable go-to series for me and The Silent Women was no exception. If you enjoy intelligent, somewhat gritty crime procedurals with imperfect characters you want to root for, and intriguing, layered crimes, then this series is for you.
The crimes in this Nordic Noir series are always very well-plotted, complex mysteries that are also understandable and nicely paced to keep the reader interested throughout. Ms. Blaedel manages to also insert a bit of character and friendship development through side stories into each book, in addition to the main mystery, weaving a thread through the series as a whole and binding the reader to the characters. These characters are flawed, but likeable and also relatable, even though they live a continent away.
These books are a captivating and always enjoyable go-to series for me and The Silent Women was no exception. If you enjoy intelligent, somewhat gritty crime procedurals with imperfect characters you want to root for, and intriguing, layered crimes, then this series is for you.
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