Hævnens gudinde

Louise Rick #5

by Sara Blaedel

Midt i afhøringen af enken efter en ung mand med rockerrelationer, der er blevet skudt i sit eget hjem, bliver kriminalassistent Louise Rick ringet op af sin plejesøn, Jonas, som beder hende komme straks: En klassefest er endt i vold, fordi en gruppe unge rødder er trængt ind for at få fat i sprut og værdier og har overfaldet en af de voksne meget brutalt.

I vrede over at få festen ødelagt forsøger den 12-årige Signe at løbe væk for at hente hjælp, men en af rødderne sætter efter hende, og da Louise når frem, er der sket en tragisk ulykke. Signe er løbet ud foran en bil, og senere samme nat dør hun af sine kvæstelser.

For Signes mor forsvinder meningen med livet, da hun mister sit eneste barn. Men er hun ikke bare opfyldt med sorg, men også ønsket om hævn? En nøje planlagt mordbrand giver pludselig sagen højeste prioritet hos politiet, sporene fører i flere retninger, og først efter et uventet tip fra veninden Camilla Lind bliver Louise klar over, at det ikke er alle, der fortæller hele sandheden.

Den femte krimi om kriminalassist Louise Rick fra Drabsafdelingen på Københavns Politigård er historien om meningsløs vold, økomonisk grådighed og den vigtige relation mellem forældre og børn.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Audiobook, Danish, Scandinavian Literature

420 pages, Unbound

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Sara 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.

Reviews

[Fabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que livro fantástico. Não consegui descobrir nada ao longo do livro, só no final. Adorei.

[Lynn Hanson-rowe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful- not sure if it was the plot, the character development or a really bad translation

[María Alejandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pensé en darle otra oportunidad a esta autora, me salté varios de la serie ya que solo leí el primero antes pero no pude con él. Aburrido a más no poder y eso que a partir de la mitad leí rápido pasando páginas a ver si encontraba un giro interesante, algo que hiciera conexión pero no, así que me doy por vencida. Paso de la serie.

[Vanessa Teixeira · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars. An addictive police procedural read that is filled with grief, lies, and a charismatic investigation team. Absolutely recommend it, even though it is not my favorite in the series - close second, though! ♡

Full review on my blog: https://www.thebookishdeer.com/2019/0...
Opinião em vídeo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuiEO...

[Chris McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh! It was a struggle to finish this book, but I kept thinking something was going to happen. This should count as 3 books toward my reading challenge because it was so painful. The writing was just too stretched out; she could have left out half of the words and said the same thing. For example, every time she goes somewhere, she describes the vehicle, the route and the scenery but it doesn't add to the plot.

[Alejandra Arévalo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Volvió a caérsele un poco el asunto, pero buen chisme. Nomás me desespera un poco Louise pero en general me parece una detectiva interesante.

[T · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really tried. But couldn't get into this author. Stilted. Made it to page 254...

[De Rijdende Boekenwurm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voor @vrouwenthrillers las ik ‘Genadeloos’ van SaraBlaedel

Sara Blӕdel, meervoudig winnares van de Deense publieksprijs De Gyldne Laurbær voor beste misdaadroman, bewijst opnieuw haar vakmanschap in het vijfde deel van de Louise Rick serie. Blӕdel wordt vaak de koningin van de Deense misdaadroman genoemd. Haar serie rond rechercheur Louise Rick is internationaal geliefd om de mix van psychologische diepgang en realistische politiezaken. Elk boek kan afzonderlijk gelezen worden, maar wie de reeks volgt, merkt hoe Louise zich langzaam maar gestaag ontwikkelt tot een complex en geloofwaardig hoofdpersonage.

In ´Genadeloos´ wordt Louise geconfronteerd met een zaak die haar persoonlijk raakt: tijdens een schoolfeest breekt chaos uit wanneer een groep tieners op rooftocht gaat. Niet veel later leidt een tragisch incident tot de dood van twee jongeren. De verdenking valt op een moeder die haar kind verloor. Maar is alles wel zo eenvoudig als het lijkt?

De schrijfstijl van Sara Blӕdel is prettig: helder, beeldend en zonder overbodige poespas. 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. Ze blijft overeind in een mannenwereld waarin hardheid de norm is. In ´Genadeloos´ komt haar kwetsbare kant nadrukkelijk naar voren. Twijfel, innerlijke conflicten en morele dilemma’s maken haar karakter gelaagder dan ooit. Blӕdel verweeft thema’s als wraak, gerechtigheid, vertrouwen en verraad in de complexe relaties tussen ouders, kinderen en collega’s. Wat betekent gerechtigheid werkelijk wanneer emoties en persoonlijke geschiedenis meespelen? De morele dilemma’s geven het verhaal extra diepgang en maken het meer dan een standaard politieroman. Ook de spanningen binnen het politieteam krijgen aandacht, wat inzicht biedt in de uitdagingen van samenwerken onder druk.

De proloog is een sterke opening, maar daarna komt het verhaal trager op gang dan in eerdere delen. Hoewel de serie boeiend blijft, stelt ´Genadeloos´ enigszins teleur. Journalist Camilla is dit keer samen met haar zoon op roadtrip. Daardoor is de dynamiek met Louise, normaal een sterk punt, minder aanwezig. Hun contact blijft beperkt tot een aantal cursief gedrukte e-mails. Deze serie is een aanrader voor liefhebbers van zorgvuldig opgebouwde Scandinavische thrillers met sterke vrouwelijke hoofdrollen. Fans van Camilla Läckberg, Lene Kaaberbøl en Kristina Ohlsson zullen zich zeker thuis voelen in de wereld van Louise Rick.

Hoewel ´Genadeloos´ niet het spannendste deel uit de reeks is, biedt het wel meer inzicht in Louises karakter, blijft het boeien en maakt het nieuwsgierig naar het volgende deel.

[Redbird · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it’s a cultural thing, but in this novel, Detective Rick calls a character’s suicide “sad but beautiful,” and goes on to describe what she interpreted as beautiful. I know it’s fiction, but it feels dangerous and irresponsible to just leave that out there with no alternate POV, even. I found this very disturbing. (It happens at the very end of the book and doesn’t ruin the plot at all.)

The story was slow and plodding. The book title gives the impression that the story is about a girl who is on the run. Nope. It’s about a hit-while-kinda-running incident, plus some other stuff, which is really different. I just kept wondering when the book would end.

[Tori Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

I saw a review for this book that said they really tried and only got to pg 254. I totally agree but also i was totally not invested and barely made it past pg 99. Not gunna waste my time with a book that just makes me feel “eh” everytime i pick it up.

[Maren Lehman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had so many plot lines and characters and yet I was still bored. Hard read. Seriously, why were there so many characters? And why was that title chosen?

[Denise]

A solid and absorbing police procedural featuring Detective Louise Rick. Set in Copenhagen, the descriptive writing makes the city come alive to the reader. In this novel, Louise is called to a party that her 12-year-old foster son, Jonas, is attending with schoolmates when thugs crash it and intimidate the guests. While running for help for her mom, Britt, Signe Fasting-Thomsen ran out into the road in front of a van and was hit. With both mother and daughter in the hospital and the father out of town, Louise and her fellow police try to find the older boys who invaded the party. Meanwhile, the beating death of a man needs solving and a warehouse is burned down. Are these events connected?

This complex story takes time to unravel as the many layers are revealed slowly through solid investigative work. Louise juggles both her professional responsibilites and her personal issues with Jonas and her current sort of boyfriend. Not always a job done well. Camilla Lind and her son have taken off to the US for a couple of months and the two friends keep in touch through emails and calls as Britt Fasting-Thomsen is known to her as well. So basically, the usual characters having continuing roles in this novel.

There are 9 books in the Louise Rick series thus far. I've read 7 -- completely out of order -- as this was #5. Fortunately there is usually enough backstory that I can catch up, or follow -- and enough time has passed between reading one and another -- so I don't feel too out of it. My preference would be to read a series in order, but I think it's because of the way the translations are being released in the USA. In fact, sometimes I feel totally confused as to where a book fits into the series!
Regardless, I enjoy them and will continue to snap them up as they are available here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for access to the e-book ARC to read and review.

[Kelly Hager · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so intense and so creepy (those kids are terrifying). With every new bit of information, I would think "OK, I definitely know who's responsible" but the next chapter and its reveal would turn everything on its head.

But as with any series, this one succeeds because of Louise Rick. I love her. I know that she's prickly, but she is also fantastic. (My only complaint is that Camilla was largely absent; she and her son were on vacation. I'm just a lot happier when she and Louise are together and solving cases as friends do. Fortunately, because I've read the later books, I know that she comes back.)

Highly recommended.

[Gwen - Chew & Digest Books - · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of the series I read, and there are a lot, it doesn't necessarily matter in which order you read them. Yes, there are subtle things you miss, but they don't take away from the individual book's plot or even storyline, you can catch up.

I'm finding this isn't 100% one of those. The stories are often interconnected, the characters rotate enough, and some of the relationships ebb and flow that it is best to read them in order. This time I read the one after this one, The Stolen Angel, first and was a teeny tiny bit lost on some things until I read this one. Of course, this is all complicated with Scandinavian writers, their translations, and their publishers releasing them out of order. (WHY OH WHY DO THEY DO THAT? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD< HELP US U.S. READERS HELP YOU BRING YOUR AUTHORS TO THE TOP HERE BY DOING THEM IN ORDER AND DO NOT CHANGE THE TITLES WILLY NILLY!) Jo Nesbo and his work is the biggest culprit I can think of that do this until this one caught me unawares as well.

Anyway, Sara Blaedel has quickly made it to the top two on my charts, next to Nesbo, even with this handicap. I'm starting to think that I need to learn to read Norwegian and Danish just for this two authors like I brushed up on my Spanish for Juan Gomez-Jurado so I can get my hands on their books in order and sooner. (Yes, I am that insane and devoted to Gomez-Juardo that I will sit there with my high school and community Spanish along with the translation dictionary to pull it off.)

What is even more wonderful and powerful is that this is a female author. Yay! Not that I'm some crazy feminist, but it is nice to see powerful yet vulnerable female characters portrayed realistically as police detective Louise Rick and her reporter friend, Camilla Lind are. You won't find me saying that women and men are exactly the same because we aren't and Blaedel knows that. What's even better is that she shows how women choose various life paths that have little to do with their gender. They aren't all locked down to the stereotypical roles of women. News flash, we aren't all cookie cutters either, just as I would assume that men aren't either. Not being a guy, I don't know and try not to make that assumption.

Okay, The Running Girl. There are really two running girls in this book. The victim of a horrific crime and one of the main characters, reporter Camilla Lind. One is in the bloom of life and has what should be a great day, a special celebration, turn into hell and Camilla is running from life and a near breakdown by taking two months off to take her son on an extended vacation in the states. If you look deeper, there are more running girls/women in the story as well, but that would be spoiling it.

Sigrid is a friend of both Louise's foster son and Camilla's son and when her party goes terribly awry, Louise is called in and it only get's worse when the girl's mother is accused of the murder of two of the culprits via arson. She has to dig to get at the truth because she doesn't think the girl's mother is guilty. Also, poor Camilla is thousands of miles away and while she is closer to the mother, she can only do so much from so far away especially in her already fragile condition with her son in tow.

There's another case that starts to seem tangentially related in which a husband and father is murdered and the thugs responsible continue to go after the wife and her baby saying that her husband owed him money. The wife is clueless and no real help in the investigation so it takes the help of a unique forensic accountant to assist in unraveling the mystery. She's nearly on the run from what she doesn't know or understand.

Then there is the Icelandic mother who is the mother of one of the thugs involved in everything and she knows more than she is telling, but is it related to either of the cases?

I'm probably making it sound more complicated than it seemed on paper by trying to point out how perfect the English title is. You won't get lost, trust me.

Lastly, while in California, Camilla makes a connection that will be vital in the next book of the series, The Stolen Angel. It's a small, not even B plot, more of a C or D plot, yet makes sense of the connection later, as I said.

What I enjoy about Blaedel is that she understands that life is messy. Being a woman is complicated and everyone has an opinion about it. Also, there are times that we don't choose a life, it chooses us and there is a period of fighting that, then a period of adjustment, and finally an acceptance. She writes real women, who face real things, and Lousie Rick, as a cop, still gets her damn job done and the perps punished. We're complicated and Blaedel gets that along with telling great crime dramas that keep you turning pages long after you should have turned the lights off.

Kudos, again.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written story where Louise Rick finds out who killed whom at the same time making shambles of her love life, while Camilla finds the story of her career. Both have involved their respected sons in the process. Camilla's is her real son but Hanne's is a boy who watched his father die and his mother died from cancer. It's a well written book that was a good read. Plenty of action. A book you won't put down.

January 27, 2020
Wow, Louise Rick really has changed from the Louise Rick the horny man killer who was a temporary foster mother to a young boy, to the now the lady killer with a girl child and invalid in a wheelchair.
She must want kids. The story was worth reading again to see the subtile changes in Louise. I've read most of her books so now the changes are in the open. I'm not really taking her bullet wound seriously that put her in the wheelchair. She was pretty spunky in this series and was all over the place looking for the killers. Finding them was a stroke of genius. Letting her friend out of jail. Camilla was important also and solved another story. Sara's name is action.

[Jenny Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I was initially hooked by an intriguing premise, this novel lost steam pretty quickly. There was some character skipping, from the main detective protagonist to a journalist who was on vacation overseas. I felt like Camilla’s storyline added little overall value to the plot. I’ve read many a similar book; in fact, procedural crime novels are my favorite genre, but something about Blaedel’s writing rarely had me reaching for this book and I often found myself putting it down after only one chapter.

[Tracie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A whole lot of set up for not nearly enough pay-off. A great deal of the book was devoted to a character who spent the entire story traveling on a different continent and without much connection to the events taking place in the story, and an inordinate amount of time was spent on what I assume was setting things up for the next book. The Running Girl gave me a real appreciation for series I've read where each book can stand on its own.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I have yet to write a review on here because I really just started using it this year, but I feel this book deserves a review. I picked this book up one day because it looked to be a little different from the books that I typically read, and I must say, it was. In a good way! This seems like a rather long read when you first get into it, but I was able to get through it rather quickly. I would find that I had trouble putting it down at times! It's about a few different characters. Louise, her adopted son Jonas, her friend Camilla, and a mother of one of Jonas' friends, are the main characters throughout the entire book, with a few others. In the beginning a mother goes through a really hard loss, and Louise, a detective and a mother, does everything to help that mother out for the sake of her adopted son, Camilla, and what her intuition is telling her. During that tragedy, another one comes shortly after and Louise is assigned with the task of figuring out who is involved and why, no matter where the evidence seems to point them. This book kept me guessing until the very end. The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5, is because of the ending. I felt that the whole book had so much detail in it, that when it came to the last chapter or so, it felt a little rushed and I was trying to catch up where I was at with the reading, with the reactions I had through the entire book. However, it is very well written, the detail is there, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good read!

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

In mystery series, I feel there is often a transitional book - one in which the character's personal lives are in an "in-between" state as they transition to a new part of life. I would put "Running Girl" in that category. I thought this transitional stage was the main point of this book. Otherwise, the plot was sluggish. I like Louise Ricks a lot, so I hope the rest of the series picks up.

[Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of the emotional side of police work, of a woman policeman and her best female friend, of children caught up in crime, with a good crime story believably interlayered. I did scan through some pages, but the novel is well written and, if not suspenseful, then interesting and sometimes exhilarating.

[Carla Marques · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sinceramente não sei que opinião dar ou o que escrever sobre este livro...
Esperava mais intensidade e mais mistério, mas foi bom de ler, apenas não foi o que esperava.
Opinião Completa em: https://aviciadadoslivros.blogspot.co...

[Monique Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book I expected a lot of drama and excitement and instead the author includes so much details in one thing that I feel doesn’t need to be mentioned. I feel that there was way too many problems around one situation. I’m currently reading the story so hopefully the ending will be better for my taste.

[Paula Reis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sem palavras, só lendo, suspense até à última página

[Sonia Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grande enredo e desenvolvimento, bom final (ainda que triste) mas, não sei explicar, falta-lhe sentimento. Ou eu é que não o sinto - é o mais provável. Continuo a não gostar de Louise nem Camilla.

[Malene Erika Kristensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

God som de andre og dejlig twist til sidst.

[Evalunasylva · Rating 5 out of 5]

O meu preferido até agora.
Só tenho pena que não tenham publicado os livros desta série pela ordem correta...

[Authentikate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fantastic premise but this one, for me, suffered from a clunky translation.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 ⭐️

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better novels I have read in a while. Good plot, excellent character development and well written. Held my interest right to the end.
Thanks Joy!

[Joana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Que mistura de sentimentos!
Para mim, este livro não foi tão bom como os restantes das autora.
Achei o plot twist demasiado previsível (estava para aí a meio e já tinha acertado tudo o que ia acontecer).
No entanto, não posso deixar de referir que, o início do livro (v��, para aí nas primeiras 50 páginas), há um acontecimento muito triste e isso fez-me chorar bastante durante para aí dez minutos seguidos (às vezes tinha dúvidas se estava a ler um thriller ou um livro do Nicholas Sparks).
Mas, de um modo geral, gostei da história. Gostei bastante de perceber que alguns acontecimentos aqui descritos vão dar o mote para o livro seguinte.