Minne tytöt kadonneet

Maria Kallio #11

by Leena Lehtolainen

EU:n projektissa työskentelevä Maria Kallio on ollut kouluttamassa afganistanilaisia poliiseja ja matkustaa maahan poliisikoulun avajaisiin, tuhoisin seurauksin. Palattuaan kotimaahan Maria aloittaa työt epätyypillisten rikosten solussa ja saa selvitettäväkseen kolmen maahanmuuttajatytön katoamistapaukset. Tytöt ovat käyneet samassa Tyttökerhossa kuin Marian tytär Iida.

Genres: Crime, Finnish Literature, Nordic Noir, Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

342 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Leena Katriina Lehtolainen is a Finnish crime novelist, best known for her series of novels about the policewoman Maria Kallio.

Lehtolainen was born in Vesanto, Northern Savonia. Her first novel was released when she was only 12 years old. She studied literature in Helsinki until 1995 and wrote crime novels from 1993 on. Since about 2007 she has written other genres of books. Her works have been translated into various languages: Spanish, Dutch, Chinese, Lithuanian, Polish, French, Swedish, German, Estonian, Czech.

Reviews

[eyes.2c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hate crimes and cultural differences

Complex story involving Detective Maria Kallio fresh from Afghanistan where she's been helping with the training of Afghani police women. An exercise that ended in tragedy and unbeknownst to her will hold overtones for her forthcoming role as head of a new special crimes unit.
Three immigrant Muslim girls are missing and converging thought has their fate hovering between the possibility of them being runaways, of honor killings, possible actions by white nationalists, the involvement of Afghani drug lords, or that their families have sent them away.
The truth is layered somewhere between cultural differences and people's attitudes. Kallio gives an outstanding performance as an investigator with a conscience looking into sensitive issues.
Although this is the 11th in the Kallio series it reads well as a stand alone.
Having visited some of the places in Finland mentioned, the reading brought to mind some treasured moments.
Lehtolainen continues to be a strong voice in the Nordic Noir trope.

An AmazonCrossing ARC via NetGalley

[Jenny Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

And now the wait is on for the next books to get translated into audiobooks.

[Cookie M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, crud. I wrote a review and accidentally deleted it. I don't feel like writing another one. I will just say I was impressed without by how Maria Kallio has grown and evolved through the years from a brash young party girl to a thoughtful, reflective detective, concerned for her family and how they interact with a changing world. Bravo, Leena Lehtolainen.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria Kallio returns home to Finland after training police officers in Afghanistan. As the commander of the new special crimes unit of the Espoo Police Department, Maria’s first case deals with three missing Muslim immigrants. The three girls attended the same youth group as Maria’s daughter. The case becomes even more intense when a fourth girl from the group is found murdered.

This is a long-running series, but the first I’ve read by this author. There is a cast of characters at the beginning of the book that helped me catch up with the important characters. I enjoy several authors in the Nordic mystery genre and was excited to try this book set in Finland. I enjoyed Maria from the beginning. She is a strong leader, loving mother who is tough but vulnerable. I knew nothing about the immigration situation in Finland before reading this book but found the topic interesting. The practice of “honor killings” in Muslim families comes up. That aspect of the story is disturbing but realistic, based on my limited knowledge of the subject.

I really enjoyed getting to know the characters in this book. I liked the friendship between Maria and her colleague Pekka Koiva as well as the mother-daughter relationship between Maria and Iida. Maria seems to have a happy marriage, but didn’t feel like i got to know her husband in this book, but those who have read other books in the series may have an advantage here.

The mystery of the missing girls kept my interest from the beginning to end. Without giving anything away, I didn’t like the parts of the story dealing with someone Maria worked with in Afghanistan. The character is push, unlikable, and although that subplot is connected with the main plot, I didn’t like the direction it took the story.

I really enjoyed the book overall, even though there were disturbing scenes. When the whole truth behind the disappearance of the four young women, I was shocked and sickened. This is a very suspenseful book and I have already ordered some of the prior books in the series so I can get to know Maria even better.

I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of AmazonCrossing. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's dificult to rate this book,because it was written in 2010,but it was translated now,when the refugees/racism/crazy fascist groups angle has been done a million times in crime fiction,and honestly I'm rather tired of it.
Even taking that into account,it didn't engage me,was slow and certain plot lines were outlandish,so,a very weak addition to a good series.

[Laura Pirkkalainen · Rating 2 out of 5]

ihan ok.

[Kirsten Schlewitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some issues with the names and assumptions about the Bosnian family in this book that made me wonder if there were errors related to the other Muslim girls' backgrounds. But overall a gripping read that keeps you wondering.

[The Library Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here I had trouble not only with the Finnish names, but with Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian and Afghani names, and felt as I needed a chart of all the characters, especially with the multiple subplots. But what has kept me reading this series (and sadly it seems to be the last book) was Maria, aging in real time, struggling to deal with her family, her job, and the emotional fall out from her experiences.

And are the Finns truly the happiest people on Earth? It doesn't seem so here, these books are as gloomy as an other Scandinavian series.

[Inteligencja wyjść]

Finland

[Meg GlitteryOtters · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I've always categorized books in this series as nordic noir, but this one is even more "noir" than most of hers, although still well written and engaging. In this one Maria is just back from helping train female police officers in Afghanistan and starting a new job as leader of the special crimes unit in her home area. Her first case is a combination of cases really, with three young muslim women missing. They were also associated with the girls club where Maria's pre-teen daughter likes to go. In general this investigation gets too close to home for many of the officers when another young muslim woman is found dead and suspects include her Finnish boyfriend, and her kinsmen. This is a bit depressing as it shows anti-immigrant activities in Finland which are being mirrored all around the world right now, but it is still gripping and worth reading.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leena Lehtolainen has adapted the "Me Too" movement into a hate immigrants movement (Muslims) in her latest Maria Kallio book. She's brought the Afghan War into the picture by having Maria as a police instructor at the police academy in Jalalabad and on the way to the airport in Kabul going home, the caravan's lead vehicle was bombed. Giving Maria nightmares. Her daughter Iida was going to an all Girls Club in Tapiola which turned out to have 3 girls missing, and in this case they were all Muslims. From different countries but missing all the same.
The book revolves around the missing girls and it develops into honor killings, incest by family members, and marriage by under age girls (not legal in Finland). And it turns into a real mess by having the people at the Girls Club being responsible for some of the mess.
I would recommend this book as good reading because you are surprised several times in reading about people in this story. Yet you might like it because it turns itself around and brings itself back to what you might believe to have happened. It's quiet exciting to read.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am glad that i was able to read this book as a standalone, as i have not read any of the previous books by this author. A well written book and one that is written with care, due to what could be sensitive subjects to some. There are not many books that grip me to the point of being unable to put a book down, but i just couldn't put this book to one side until i had finished. A story that will stay within my mind for some time to come. I am not going to write what the story is about as i prefer one to read the book for themselves, but i do highly recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my e-arc copy. This is my honest review.

[tilda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 tähteä. Tämä on ehkäpä lempparini tai ainakin yksi lemppareistani Maria Kallio-sarjasta. Mysteerit eivät ole ennalta-arvattavia ja oli kiva kun tässä oli monta eri mysteeriä selvitettävänä. Pidin loppua vähän epäuskottavana ja se laski hiukan pisteitä.

[Eekoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minusta teemat alkoivat olla jo aika korkealentoisia, mutta toisaalta, ainakin oli mielenkiintoinen lukukokemus.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Major Lauri Vala (peacekeeper) told Corporal Jere Numminen (subordinate) he was calling Colonel Steve Baxter (US International Security Assistance Force).
The Fox Co. from the 112th was supposed to be monitoring the road.
Pekka Koivu had been collecting the personal information/addresses of the lost girls.
Detective Ursula Kallio (Espoo PD VCU) was interviewing Miina Saraneva.
Ayan Ali Jussuf (f, babysitter, Muslim, Girls Club) has disappeared.
Aisha was quite sure all the evidence had been disposed of.
Commander Maria Koivu (wife/mother, narrator, Espoo PD Special Crimes Unit) was questioning Auntie Aune Kämäräinen (elderly f).
Defective Puupponen Oinonen (Espoo PD VCU) was going to handcuff Samir Amir (20+, Sara’s brother).

Sara Amir (14, Muslim, Girls Club member) is in Bosnia.
Anni Kuusimäki (Espoo PD VCU) had been murdered.
Detective Markku Ruuskanen (Espoo PD VCU), Defective Ville Puupponen, Sergeant Ursula Honkanen (Espoo PD VCU), & Commander Koivu were discussing several things.
Tuomas Soivio (m, Olari HS Jr.) was obsessed with & wanted to date Ms. Noor Ezfahani (16, Iranian, Girls Club member). They were dating.

Heini Korhonen (Girls Club director) didn’t think to highly of him.
She had been murdered.
Detective Markku Ruuskanen (Espoo PD VCU), Detective Ville Puustjärvi (Espoo PD VCU), Hakkarainen (Forensic investigator), Detective Anu Pekka (SCU), & Miro Ruuskanen (Forensics) were helping with the murder cases also.
Tuomas Soivio & Noor (Iranian) had started dating. She later was killed.
Heini Korhonen had been raped.
Officer Rasilainen (Espoo PD), & Officer Timonen (Espoo PD) arrived at her apartment.
Samir Amir (Sara’s brother, Bosnian Muslim) was in the corner of the room.
Detective Kallio took Heini (Girl’s Club) to the Jorvi Hospital ER.
Would the murder mysteries be solved & someone brought to justice?
What will happen to Samir?
A big shout out to Owen F. Witesman (Translator), this had to be a tough one.

Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, or violence which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive or have potential adverse psychological effects on the reader.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. Wow, a fairly well written xenophobic serial killer book. It wasn’t always very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish (translator/interpretation), but never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great xenophobic serial killer movie, or better yet a mini TV series. The list of characters could be revised & easier to read. Still liked it a lot so I will rate it at 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; Goodreads; MakingConnections; Making Connections discussion group talk; AmazonCrossing; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Mike Cuthbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria Kallo is one of my favorite detectives because she lives a fairly normal life. Even in the heat of an investigation, she always has time for a cup of coffee and a Danish with a fellow Espoo police officer. In this edition, a group of Arabic-speaking young girls has disappeared and she spends most of her time trying to find out where they are and what has happened to them. One of them, a gorgeous young beauty, turns up strangled and that puts the status of all of them in doubt. I must admit more confusion than normal over names. Most of them are Finnish, but not a few are Arabic names that all rattle around the brain in a novel. Along the way to solution of the disappearances, we hear about her son’s ice skating and the insides of a lutz, and Kallio’s opinions of various rock groups. She also has to fight off the weird Lari Valla, a Finnish soldier obsessed with a drug lord who is attempting to expand his enterprise to Finland. Kallio has some service in Afghanistan so there are events there that get her attention. Given the many elements, the story moves along at a rapid pace, typical of Lehtolainen. This is a good example of her style, which I find intriguing and beguiling. It is amazing how much you can learn about other countries from the best of these mysteries and Lehtolainen is one of the best at casually inserting details about normal life into her text. Highly recommended Nordic Noir!

[Thereadingbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where Have All The Young Girls Gone by Leena Lehtolainen

Maria Kallio returns home to Finland after training police officers in Afghanistan. As the commander of the new special crimes unit of the Espoo Police Department, Maria’s first case deals with three missing Muslim immigrants. The three girls attended the same youth group as Maria’s daughter. The case becomes even more intense when a fourth girl from the group is found murdered.

The story was engaging and at some points pretty intense. It addressed issues of immigration status, hatred against Muslims, old Muslim ideas, and so much more. I like how the author weaved this into the story that immigration and the hatred of Muslims is not just a problem in the US it is all over the world. I don't share in that feeling of classifying people as other because their traditions are different.

I can imagine being a young immigrant and wanting to assimilate into your surroundings and adapt to pull away from the strict religious a parent may pass on. I can understand all of that. This story though fiction still felt relevant and fitting current atmosphere.

I will be reading more from this author enjoyed the story and book.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I am of Finnish descent, it was a kick to find this novel set in Finland, by a Finnish author, translated to English. I'm coming to it late, as it was first written in 2010, and at that, it was the 11th in a series about Maria Kallio, a police detective newly promoted to Commander of a Special Crimes Unit. I enjoyed testing myself on the pronunciation of names and places and getting a sense of the climate and the culture as seen by a native Finn. Not so idyllic was the tension arising from the rising population of refugees and other migrants from Islamic countries in conflict. Some Finns resent the "special treatment" accorded the refugees and their continued following of Muslim customs and beliefs. Others work toward supporting the new arrivals and helping them to live according to their own ways as long as they are within Finnish law. The plot revolves around the disappearance of several Muslim girls, which becomes the responsibility of Kallio's unit to solve. Are they victims of crimes by hate groups, disciplinary measures by the men of their families, or have they fled on their own?

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the latest in the series which has been one of my favorites. This one was a little less tight than previous entries, but still enjoyable. There's a murder of a girl, daughter of middle eastern immigrants but there's not a lot of mystery surrounding how it was done. There are a lot of people, however, trying to make it more confusing. The question is, is this murder connected to the disappearance of 3 other middle eastern immigrant girls.

The whole thing hits fairly close to home as her daughter Iida, now a young teen, is active in a local Girls Club to which the missing and murdered girls all belonged. Maria would like to protect her daughter from some harsh realities, but she's getting info from on line sources almost before the police get their investigation underway.

Because of the sort of disjointed nature of all the various investigations, I found the ending less satisfying than usual, but still a good read.

[Riku Sarlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olen dekkarikonkari, mutta onnistunut tähän asti välttämään sekä Leena Lehtolaisen että Maria Kallion. Nyt olen saanut sovitettua tämänkin synnin.

On oikeastaan hauskaa tarttua pitkään sarjaan jostain ihan mistä vaan osasta. Tiedät, että kirjailija palkitsee palaavia lukijoita viittauksilla sarjan aikaisempien kirjojen tapahtumiin. Tiedät, että poliisien keskenäiset suhteet ovat iso juttu, ja näidenkin osalta vihjaillaan aikaisempaan.

Toimiiko Maria Kallio-ummikolle keskelle sarjaa hyppääminen? No toimii oikein hyvin. Ei kirja häpeä yhtään verrattuna vaikkapa keskimääräisen ruotsalaisen dekkaristin vastaavaan sarjaan (vaikkapa Anna Jansson ja Maria Wern). Henkilöt ovat eläviä, ja heidän suhteensa uskottavia. Dialogi toimii. Eksoottinen Espoo toimii oikein hyvin rikosten näyttämönä.

Joten voipi olla, että minulla ja Maria Kalliolla tulee vielä toisetkin treffit!

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minne tytöt kadonneet, 2010

The 11th Maria Kallio book, the latest to be translated into English, presents two seemingly interconnected cases involving the death or disappearance of girls and young women from Muslim immigrant communities in and around Helsinki.

The book is enjoyable; Lehtolainen gives us a good view into her protagonists thoughts, and the book follows the nordic mystery tradition of giving us a critical and compassionate view of social forces shaping the authors country. The story didn't hang together for me, and -- while I found most of the characters believable -- I didn't find all of them so, and there were some broad strokes used to paint people and events central to some twists of the story.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love and Hatred in Finland

We Americans tend to think our societal problems only exist here. I have learned so much of the Finnish struggles with immigration and underground drug trade and violence through the Maria Kallio series. This book delves into the efforts of the EU to stabilize Afghanistan and Finland’s part in that, legal and illegal immigrants from the MidEast, Russia’s part in the illegal activities and prejudice and efforts to counter that prejudice with acceptance and understanding.

Throughout, Maria matures and tries to keep her family safe and grounded...excellent story!

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first Kallio novel I've read and I thought it was quite average. I was annoyed a bit by the writing style. There was an effort to write about immigration in a way that I guess was supposed to be eye-opening, but was really quite superficial. Maybe this book has already aged badly, as it is 10 years old. The different story lines got quite mixed up and some were delved in to deeply while others were just brushed off. I guess I was expecting there to be some like between them, but apparently there wasn't. This is an okay book if you enjoy these types of detective stories, but it isn't in any way spectacular.

[Bud Mallar]

I have liked this series very much, enjoying all of them.

And I have two problems here. Nothing wrong with the writing, the characters, etc, but

1. The rest of the series, about 5-6 books, haven't been translated yet.

2. I'm tired of the backdrop, the story line being about the immigration problem.

I'm not opposed to that particular story line, it's just that so many of the Nordic noir series I've been reading have that as a back drop, and I'd rather read a 'different' story right now.

Maybe if the rest of the series gets translated, I'll pick it up again

But if you enjoy a good series with great characters, this is it.

[Susann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the Best One

I appreciate that the author is mixing Finnish political (refugees) and international issues (Finnish involvement in Afghanistan) into this novel but it didn't grab me like her previous ten did. A few too many foreign names in the missing girl's families kept getting me confused and I am not sure I cared...except for poor Noor. Maria, her team and her cats are brilliant and loveable as usual and the book is well written as always. Just couldn't get excited about this one.

[Kaija Karlsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tämä on yhdestoista Maria Kallio dekkari. Se on minun ensimmäinen lukemani Maria Kallio. Heti se teki vaikutuksen minuun ja päätin lukea seuraavana vuonna koko sarjan. Kirjassa ollaan Espoossa, kotipaikkakunnallani. Tytön ruumis löytyy Nuuksion kansallispuistosta. Tyttö on maahanmuuttajataustainen. Sitten löytyy lisää kuolleita. Kyse on kunniamurhista. Maria on palannut juuri Afganistanista EU-projektista. Sinne jäi hyviä naispoliisikollegoita. Aiheet ovat kansainvälisiä mikä tekee kirjasta hyvän.

[Eric Jewett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The message we need ...

Once again, Ms. Lehtolainen delivers a story with atmosphere. Details are given, not just to move the plot but to bolster the fact that life goes on, whether you are ready or not.
The case involves missing immigrant girls and racial tension with Finnish nationalists. Maria sees the complexity of assimilating or retaining cultures.
I can’t judge the translation but the result is an enjoyable read. Looking forward to #12.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good to read of Maria Kallio again, but… I was disappointed in this book. It felt like too many sensational issues were shoehorned into this one: racism, terrorism, mental health. I think this is the last of this series to have been translated into English so far, and… I'm about ready to be done with them anyway. It is nice to have characters to read for a long time, but beyond Maria, her family, and some of her co-workers, I'm not terribly fond of some of the cases.

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy the Nordic Noir genre, and have read several books by this author. However, the very disturbing themes and numerous unpleasant characters in this book made it difficult for me to read. Three stars because it is well-written and translated, but I question whether I will read anything else by this author.