The Killing Forest by Sara Blaedel

The Killing Forest by Sara Blaedel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sara Blaedel, author of the #1 international bestseller The Forgotten Girls--which was roundly praised as "gripping" with "uncompromising realism" (Washington Post) and "tautly suspenseful" (BookPage)--returns with the thrilling next book in her series featuring police investigator Louise Rick.

Following an extended leave, Louise Rick returns to work at the Special Search Agency, an elite unit of the National Police Department. She's assigned a case involving a fifteen-year-old who vanished a week earlier. When Louise realizes that the missing teenager is the son of a butcher from Hvalsoe, she seizes the opportunity to combine the search for the teen with her personal investigation of her boyfriend's long-ago death . . . Louise's investigation takes her on a journey back through time. She reconnects with figures from her past, including Kim, the principal investigator at the Holbaek Police Department, her former in-laws, fanatic ancient religion believers, and her longtime close friend, journalist Camilla Lind. As she moves through the small town's cramped network of deadly connections, Louise unearths toxic truths left unspoken and dangerous secrets.

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I read the previous book in this series last year and it was great to return to this series and to finally find out what really happened to Louise boyfriend Klaus 20 years ago when he allegedly killed himself. Louise Rick is an interesting character whose personal life has been affected deeply by Klaus suicide and in this case, with a missing boy must she confront old acquaintances of her and Klaus. In so will both she and those that she love risk danger because there are some secrets are people ready to kill to protect!

It's the case that really makes this book so intriguing because the missing boy is a member of an Asatru cult, people that worship Odin, Thor and the rest of the Nordic Gods. It was quite interesting, especially since I have always had an interest in Nordic mythology and to read about people that have returned to the old ways with blot (sacrificial feast) was fascinating. Well, it would have been even better if they didn't seem to use the cult to do bad things.

I enjoyed this book, just as much as I enjoyed the previous book. I do want to read the previous six book so that I can get to know Louise more and to learn more about her and Camilla and the rest of the characters in the book. And, I want to read the next book in the series now that she has finally put the past to rest and moved on. What's next for her and family?