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When it comes to their children, mothers can be fiercely protective, standing up to anyone and anything to shield their kids from any kind of harm. And in The Running Girl by Sara Blaedel, one anguished mother is accused of seeking revenge on those who hurt her child.
The story follows Danish detective Louise Rick as she investigates a case that hits a little too close to home. Her foster son, Jonas, is at a friend’s party when he calls to tell Louise that things have gone horribly wrong. After a gang of teenagers shows up, the party spirals into chaos. Jonas’s friend is hit by a car while trying to run away, and her mother is badly beaten. When someone later goes after the boys’ favorite hangout, Louise’s colleagues suspect the distressed mother—but Louise believes that someone else is to blame.
This Danish crime thriller is filled with twists and turns and interwoven storylines. As the novel opens, Louise is investigating the murder of a young husband and father—and as the story of Jonas’s friend unfolds, she finds some surprising coincidences that seem to tie the two cases together.
The new case isn’t an easy one for Louise to investigate. After all, she knows Britt, the woman who’s accused. She knows her family. Jonas has spent time at her house. Louise’s good friend, journalist Camilla Lind, is close to Britt, too—and though Camilla is out of the country with her son, she pressures Louise to dig deeper, convinced that Britt couldn’t have done what she’s been accused of doing, no matter how many clues point to her guilt.
At the heart of it all, however, is Louise. She’s the kind of character who makes a series. She’s tough and strong and smart, as any detective should be. At times, in fact, she comes off as a little too cold and distant—which leads her to struggle with her relationships—but it all comes with the job. Still, there’s something more to her—something that’s entirely female. She can understand the female suspect in a way that many of her colleagues don’t. She brings a different perspective—a different understanding—and that gives this crime series a different personality.
Louise Rick isn’t the same old detective—and, for that reason, The Running Girl isn’t the same old whodunit. It’s tense and suspenseful, but it’s also affecting—the kind of crime thriller that will grab your attention and maybe even tug at your heartstrings, too.
