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Only One Life (Louise Rick #3)

3.51 of 5 stars 3.51 · rating details · 203 ratings · 40 reviews

It was clearly no ordinary drowning. Inspector Louise Rick is immediately called out to Holbaek Fjord when a young immigrant girl is found in the watery depths, a piece of concrete tied around her waist and two mysterious circular patches on the back of her neck.

Her name was Samra, and Louise soon learns that her short life was a sad story. Her father had already been char

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Hardcover, 324 pages

Published July 1st 2012 by Pegasus (first published March 22nd 2007)

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Aug 11, 2012 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't read that many detective novels, but I did enjoy this book. I enjoyed it for many reasons. I liked the intelligent storyline. I enjoyed the many characters (the main detective, the victims and the various victims' families). And I enjoyed reading a novel from a foreign novelist where I was able to get to know a bit more about a different country (the Netherlands). It's always nice to get to see a different cultural perspective, see the different issues that are raised, get to know differ...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Denmark has been in the news fairly often lately for conflicts between ethnic Danes and the immigrant Muslim population. This police procedural puts this cultural tension in sharp relief, providing an engaging way to glean insights into the “clash of civilizations” now occurring in the West and particularly in Europe.

Louise Rick, a 37-year-old Inspector with the Copenhagen homicide investigation unit, receives a temporary reassignment to the elite Mobile Task Force. A young Muslim girl has been...more

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Jul 30, 2012 fleegan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: scandinavian-crime-fiction

This is book #3 of the Louise Rick series.

I lovety loved this book. It’s a Danish mystery, and like the other one of her’s I read last year, Call Me Princess, it’s really good.

From the author’s site:

Her name was Samra, and Louise soon learns the sad story of her short life. Her father had already been charged once with assaulting her and her mother, who makes it clear that her husband would indeed be capable of killing Samra if she brought dishonor to the family. But she maintains that Samra had...more

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Jul 08, 2012 Kelly Hager rated it 3 of 5 stars

Louise Rick is investigating a murder. A teen girl (Samra) was found dead and it looks like it may have been an honor killing...but her father was clearly devastated when Samra's body was identified and her mom swears that her husband didn't harm her daughter. (Well, okay, he COULD do it, but he DIDN'T.) Then Samra's friend, the one who indirectly identified the body by telling police her friend was missing, was found murdered. Louise is unsure exactly who's telling the truth and who's to blame...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

I am not smitten with this book and I think that is partially the writing style and partially the cultural barriers. Having read the description, one might think I was referring to Muslim cultural barriers, but it was actually the Danish ones with which I had issues. Everyone in the novel, from the police to the press to the neighbors kept calling the family immigrants and while that is technically the correct term for them, it was the connotation that I found irksome. Perhaps because the United...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Judith rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nook-net-galley

The very idea of Honor Killings...that the recalcitrant actions of one person could lead another family member to commit murder......boggles the mind. Even though our society seems to have lost all concept of Shame and/or Honor...the thought of Murder for Honor makes me blench. Not to mention the fact that, according to this book, most Honor Killings are perpetrated my members of the Extended Family...those living outside the country where the Killing took place..

All of which is Nice & Good....more

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Sep 27, 2012 Benoit Lelievre rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unfortunately, I can't say I liked this novel. Because I didn't. As it gets better as it progresses, it's still a one dimensional effort, showing very shallow research on its main selling point: honor killings. There is no narration make from the Arabic family whatsoever, that would've highlighted the struggle of living in Occident, coming from the Middle East, which is so heavily rooted into religion and tradition. Blaedel always stops her character at saying: "Well, this is a cultural differen...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Cathy Cole rated it 2 of 5 stars

First Line: She could just make out the blue flashes between the densely grown tree trunks, but she couldn't see how many police vehicles were at the scene.

Inspector Louise Rick is called in to help local Danish police with a drowning that's anything but ordinary. Samra, a young immigrant girl, has been found in Holbraek Fjord, a large slab of concrete tied around her waist and mysterious circular marks on the back of her neck.

Samra's life was short and sad, with a father who'd already been char...more First Line: She could just make out the blue flashes between the densely grown tree trunks, but she couldn't see how many police vehicles were at the scene.

Inspector Louise Rick is called in to help local Danish police with a drowning that's anything but ordinary. Samra, a young immigrant girl, has been found in Holbraek Fjord, a large slab of concrete tied around her waist and mysterious circular marks on the back of her neck.

Samra's life was short and sad, with a father who'd already been charged with assaulting her and her mother. There's no doubt in her mother's mind that her husband would be capable of killing Samra if he believed she had brought dishonor to the family. But Sada insists that her daughter had done nothing dishonorable, even though the girl was supposedly being sent home to Jordan.

Samra's best friend believes her death to be an honor killing. Within days this young girl is also dead, and Samra's younger sister is missing. Louise Rick and her journalist friend, Camilla Lind, have their work cut out for them in solving this case. Is it yet another honor killing in the immigrant community, or is it something else entirely?

This is the third book in the Rick/Lind mystery series and the second to be published in the United States. Author Sara Blaedel is often referred to as the Queen of Danish Crime, but-- to be honest-- I could not warm up to this book or its characters. Almost from the first page, I felt as though I'd missed my bus and kept chasing after it as it disappeared down the street.

Blaedel gives the reader a lot of facts about honor killings before the book even begins. It's a horrible problem that I was made aware of here in Phoenix in 2009 when four boys (aged 9, 10, 13, and 14) lured a developmentally disabled 8-year-old girl into a shed on the pretense of getting some gum. They then held her down and took turns raping her. What was the reaction of the father of the raped girl? The man told the case worker and a police officer, "Take her. I don't want her." As horrible as that is to anyone who wasn't raised with that cultural behavior, at least the man told those two to take her away. She'd brought shame to his family. He could've killed her.

So as far as the topic of honor killings go, this is an informative book to read. However, so little background on the two main characters was given-- and enough references made to things that happened in previous books-- that I constantly felt frustrated. The plot also hinges on the reader believing in one certain outcome, and since I guessed early on that something else was going on, the false trail seemed clumsily done.

My enjoyment of this book might have been greater had I read the previous book in the series, but series books should be able to stand on their own without help from the ones published earlier. The reader should want to read the older books in order to enhance their experience, not feel as though they have to read them in order to understand the characters and what's going on. As much as I wanted to like this book, I'm going to have to quote the late, great W.C. Fields: "On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia."
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Jul 21, 2012 Naomi rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had originally reviewed two works by this author that I was less than thrilled with. I thought the storyline was way too bland and used the romance dance to "prop" up the story. There was something underneath all that writing though that hinted that this was an author who was just getting started and better things would be coming.

She proved me right in Only One Life. This book started off as heartbreaking yet downright creepy from page one. The author was able to weave twists and turns into th...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: danish

Outstanding book by a Danish author about what is believed to be an honor killing of a young Arabic girl, found murdered and (possibly) drowned. As usual, a lot about the personal life of the (female) detective - why do the detectives/cops always have to have unhappy marriages? And her best friend who is a journalist and befriends the mother of the murdered girl. A complex and interesting story, avoiding many stereotypes about immigrants and, particularly, Arabs. Interesting asides about integra...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Nancy rated it 1 of 5 stars

This is my first Blaedel mystery and I wanted to like it. It read more like a dull person's diary than a police procedural. The first chapters dealt mainly with where they were going to eat, what they ate, whether they had enough sharpened pencils. Then they questioned and requestioned suspects with little seeming forward movement and zero suspense. there was a long, slow middle and then suddenly it all got wrapped up. The characters needed more life breathed into them.Perhaps it was the transla...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

When the teenaged daughter of a Jordanian immigrant family turns up murdered, the press and police immediately suspect the family of an honour killing. Then the Danish national best friend of the murdered girl is bludgeoned to death and the plot gets a few more twists. The language and continuity was at times jerky. Perhaps a bit was lost in translation. Nonetheless, this novel earns some points from me for social awareness for dealing with immigrant issues and for the plea it embodies for cultu...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Vivian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Louise Rick has been reassigned to the Unit One Mobile Task Force, an elite division of the National Police force, to investigate the murder of Samra Al-Abd. This reassignment requires her to temporarily relocate to Holbaek where the body was found. Louise has the opportunity to reconnect with a former partner, Soren Velis, and meet new officers including Mik Rasmussen, her new partner for this case. The investigation reveals that the Al-Abd family has had problems, with the mother and children...more Louise Rick has been reassigned to the Unit One Mobile Task Force, an elite division of the National Police force, to investigate the murder of Samra Al-Abd. This reassignment requires her to temporarily relocate to Holbaek where the body was found. Louise has the opportunity to reconnect with a former partner, Soren Velis, and meet new officers including Mik Rasmussen, her new partner for this case. The investigation reveals that the Al-Abd family has had problems, with the mother and children briefly leaving the family home for a shelter. The facts are that the family is an immigrant family, Muslim and there is a past history of abuse quickly lead everyone to presume that this murder was a so-called honor killing. After interviewing Samra's closest friend, Dicte Moller, Louise learns more about Samra's life and the more she learns the more confusing the case becomes.

Louise's journalist friend, Camilla Lind, makes a return and also goes to Holbaek. She quickly befriends Sada Al-Abd and actually makes an effort to understand the cultural differences between the Al-Abd family and traditional Danish values. After an article that all but blames Sada for her daughter's murder, Camilla quickly does research that shows that Muslim families aren't that different from other strict religious Danish family, something no one wants to admit to or even hear – especially her editor.

After a few weeks and no new information Dicte is found dead, another murder. The police quickly arrest Samra's father and brother for both murders. But there's something that just doesn't ring true to Louise about the arrests. The more she investigates Dicte's murder the more she begins to realize things may not always be as they appear. Just when it looks like the community is going to be torn apart as a result of the deaths of these two teenage girls and the apparent ties to the immigrant community, the youngest Al-Abd daughter disappears. Will the police be able to find the truth before it's too late?

Ms. Blaedel has once again crafted a story that pulls the reader in from the very beginning with Only One Life. The primary cast of characters, Louise Rick and her journalist friend Camilla Lind, are investigating another gruesome murder. Both Louise and Camilla's personal lives are deftly interwoven into the story and provides more insight into what makes these women who they are. Ms. Blaedel doesn't sugarcoat the preconceived prejudices against ethnic groups but makes it the focus of the investigation. Louise and the police immediately presume the murder of Samra is an honor killing, a completely foreign concept, and focus their investigation on obtaining proof that the family was involved. Although Camilla initially presumes that the family may be involved, the more she learns about the family and their values the more she realizes that the concept of shunning due to religious beliefs isn't as foreign as initially presumed.

Originally published in 2007, Only One Life made its US debut earlier this year. This is the third book in the Louise Rick series, but only the second published in the US. If you enjoyed Call Me Princess by Ms. Blaedel, you don't want to miss out on reading Only One Life. I actually found it somewhat difficult to write a review of Only One Life. This was because there was so much I enjoyed about the story that I found it difficult to pick only a few things to highlight. I found Only One Life to be such a riveting read that I completed it in one sitting for my first read, and I savored it over a few days on my second read. If you enjoy crime thrillers then this is one book you want to add to your to-be-read list.
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Jul 05, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, earcs, crime, mystery, thriller, world

I've read a bunch of fantasies in a row, so it was fun to take a break and read a mystery. I've read one Blaedel book already, and the publisher was nice enough to reach out to me to offer an advance ebook, so I was looking forward to this one. It's a good story, and it makes you think, not only about whodunit, but about cultural norms and trying to fit in. Being a typical self-centered American, I don't usually think about immigrants in other countries, but obviously it happens. I had to wrap m...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Only One Life by Sara Blædel is a fictional mystery book set in Denmark. This is the second book translated into English in the series featuring Detective Louise Rick.

When a young girl is found in a watery grave of Holbraek Fjord , Inspector Louise Rick is called due to her experience, knowledge and tactfulness with immigrants. The dead girl, as it turned out, is Samra, who lived in a new country, while her parents enforced old traditions. Samra’s mother maintains that she...more Only One Life by Sara Blædel is a fictional mystery book set in Denmark. This is the second book translated into English in the series featuring Detective Louise Rick.

When a young girl is found in a watery grave of Holbraek Fjord , Inspector Louise Rick is called due to her experience, knowledge and tactfulness with immigrants. The dead girl, as it turned out, is Samra, who lived in a new country, while her parents enforced old traditions. Samra’s mother maintains that she did nothing to “deserve” an honor killing, but Inspector Rick can detect that there is more than meets the eye.

Only One Life by Sara Blædel lives up to the previous novel, Call Me Princess, which I read about a year ago and enjoyed as well. The book is exciting and the characters are well written and continue to build up and expand from the previous book (even though I understand that there are more untranslated books).

The book touches on some relevant topics, such as honor killing, social intolerance and sexual based crimes. The author explores these subjects, and more, without forcing her own morality or ideology down the readers’ throats, which is a big plus for me. I love to read about different cultures and ideas, but I dislike absolutes. Ms. Blædel stays away from giving advice but supplying plenty of material to think about during and after reading.

There are several things I like about Ms. Blædel’s work, the social aspect and characterization come immediately to mind. The author writes about a conscious society, while not perfect it certainly isn’t the dog-eat-dog world which we read about in other books. I also like the character of Louise Rick, not a classic hero nor is she an anti-hero, just a simple working professional who makes mistakes, gets emotional, sometimes frustrated with her jobs, colleagues and her friends.
Basically, a human being.

Only One Life is an intelligent mystery, with a murder as a device to tell a story about people while bringing up some important questions. The book is solid, well translated and readable which is an amazing feat due to the heavy subjects it tries to deal with.

For more review and bookish posts please visit: http://www.ManOfLaBook.com (less)

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Aug 13, 2012 Tricia rated it 2 of 5 stars

A Jordanian girl is found drowned with a slab of concrete tied to her waist and Inspector Louise Rick is called in to help with the investigation. Is this a hate crime, honor killing or something else entirely?
Well, I have to say I was rather disappointed in this book. I can't get attached to the characters not because they are unlikeable but there just isn't much substance to them. This is the second book with the character Louise Rick and it being the second book I have read I just thought the...more

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Apr 17, 2009 The Writer rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The female police officer is back in Sara Blædel's third volume titled "Only one life".

This time Louise Rick is willing to move to Holbæk temporarily to investigate a dead girl case. The residents of this small town, which is located far west of Copenhagen, were in shock after a girl was found floating in the nearby river.

What even worse is the fact that the girl had a middle-eastern ancestry and was a Muslim, a combination of identities that often were frowned upon in Denmark. Soon and sure eno...more

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Jul 31, 2007 Maria M. Elmvang rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2007, suspense, not-owned, 4-stars

The third book in the series of the female detective, Louise Rick. Fast-moving and fascinating story, and full of twists and turns where half are believable and the other half unfortunately a tad too far-fetched. Still, it's an interesting book, especially because of the emphasis put on so-called "honour killings". Turns out that an honour killing is only deemed 'necessary' if the girl's shame is known outside the immediate family. As long as only the immediate family knows, they try to fix it o...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Colleen Coleman rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the second book that I have read by Sara Blaedel. I was curious to read a book about an honor killing. So many of us have such a negative impression about the culture and religion. We are of the opinion that you live here now so you need to adapt to our way. This book made me think of things that I had never really given any thought to. It was sad that Samra had to go thru so much in her short life. The twists and turns kept me turning the pages and in the end the murderer was someone th...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Resalo rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book that I read by this Danish author and it
was pretty good. Not great, but good enough that i would try another.
the plot centers around the murders of 2 girls, one a Jordanian
Immigrant, and the other her Danish friend from school. It appears
throughout that the Jordanian's death is linked to a honor killing
and there is a lot of discussion throughout the book of the
challenging issues that face Muslim women when they immgrate to Western
countries.

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Dec 17, 2012 Kenneth Fredette rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was a little upset when I read about Louise talking to her teacher and then some of her classmates. But after I got by this the story opened up and got a lot better. I think Sara Blaedel has a good handel on her topic and can put action into the story. I like the handeling of it from the beginning. I guessed the culprit from the beginning however.

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Dec 13, 2011 Henni rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: krimi-dansk, 2008, 2011

I tredje del af serien om kriminalassistent Louise Rick bliver hun udlånt til Rejseholdet og skal være med til at opklare endnu en drab.
Udlånet betyder at nogle af de kendte personer fra de første to bøger ikke er med denne gang, men erstattet af nye kollegaer til Louise, hvilket er lidt trist men giver gode muligheder i fremtidige bøger. Derudover er det særligt sjovt at kunne genkende træk og detajler fra virkeligheden det gør bogen mere hyggelig udløste et par grin undervejs.

Selve historien e...more

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Oct 13, 2012 Astrid Johanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-read-again-and-again-and-ag, danske-forfarttere, krimi

Louise Rick serien bliver bedre og bedre for hver bog.
Kun et Liv giver kuldegysninger, og er umulig at ligge fra sig. Man bliver grebet og det var umuligt at finde ud af hvem morderen var, selvom jeg har læst bogen før, var jeg ikke helt sikker på at jeg huskede rigtigt, da sporene parrede i en anden retning i det meste af bogen.
Det er ikke først og helt sikkert ikke sidste gang, jeg har læst Kun et liv.

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Jan 21, 2013 Ladymath rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this book very interesting. It's set in Denmark and reflects the culture there. It also focuses on their "immigrant problem," in this case with a Jordanian family. Either the translation or the author's English is poor, so the rioting sometimes was flat or ungrammatical, but I still plan to read her other books.

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Apr 29, 2013 Shelley Fearn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-suspense

A good example of the traditional mystery genre, this novel has a lot going for it. It deals with an interesting and timely subject matter, honor killings. It is set in Denmark and provides a little insight into that country. The story moves along at a good clip and the solution isn't readily apparent right from the get go. It isn't dark and gory like so many current mystery and suspense novels.

That being said, the other side of the coin is that the book isn't riveting. I found myself more inter...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Vibeke Frømsdorf rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-multiple-times

Absolutely loves Sara Blædels books. Once you get started you can't put the book down before you have read the entire book.
I have read Only One Life multiple times and I'm positive that you will too. She has a way to capture the reader and I know that you'll enjoy getting to know Louise Rick.

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Mar 24, 2013 Rie Vittoria rated it 3 of 5 stars

enjoyed reading a detective novel taking place in Denmark, Copenhagen.
the story gives you some insight to the difficulties for immigrant children how to bridge the difference between the two cultures. the story was engaging.

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Mar 18, 2013 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a popular series, but I didn't get into much. Young girl murdered and various male family members suspected of honor killing. Bit of a surprise ending.

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Aug 23, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I almost thought this wouldn't be wrapped up but Ms. Blaedel surprised me with some twists in the end.

I can't recommend this more and I will be looking for the other 2 Louise Rick novels.

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Jan 24, 2013 Virginia rated it 2 of 5 stars

The character development was uninteresting, the plot lacked suspensel, but I was interested in the cultural clash that is happening in Europe with the immigration of fundamentalist muslims.

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About Sara Blaedel

Sara Blaedel is one of Denmark's most successful crime writers, the author of seven bestselling novels featuring police detective Louise Rick. Her first English translation, CALL ME PRINCESS, was published in 2011, and the second, ONLY ONE LIFE, in July, 2012.

Sara has come full circle from her childhood days of hearing her mother read Agatha Christie aloud. "It brings me peace to know that it all...more

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Only One Life (Louise Rick #3)

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