I know that, objectively speaking, this is not the best book I've ever read. But as someone who enjoys intelligent murder mysteries/thrillers and as a fairly new mom who's wildly in love with her kid, this book went straight to a very emotional place, earning it thereby a rating that I'm not entirely sure I would've given it before I gave birth. The way the main female characters deal with their children and significant others resonated very deeply with me, as did their reactions to the nightmarish situations they found themselves in. Even without my maternal feelings engaged, I found this book to be extremely honest emotionally and, most of all, compassionate. That isn't an adjective I've been able to throw at the Scandinavian thrillers I've had the privilege of reading recently, or even at most of the books I've read, regardless of quality or genre. Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis write from several points of view so flawlessly that it's hard not to feel empathy towards all their characters (except maybe for the pimp with the black t-shirt, he seems to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever.)

The writing, in fact, is lean but not without poetry. The plot isn't the most original, but it is handled with grace and, more importantly for a thriller, with a relentless pace. Plot hooks and points are laid out swiftly but clearly: when you finally get to what the authors are building to, you're not astonished so much as deeply satisfied at the denouement. The last chapter, especially, answered questions that had almost been swept aside in the breakneck pace of the rest of the book. This is one of the few thrillers that doesn't make me question the logic of the plot, because it is so plausible and real.

I cannot laud this book highly enough. The letter, from the Soho editor who acquired this book for her publishing company, that accompanied the delivery of this book to me was so glowing that I couldn't help but be skeptical of the novel; now that I've finished it, I look back at that letter and realize that I've unwittingly echoed many of her phrases here in this review. Apparently, Ms Kaaberbol and Ms Friis have also, between them, sold millions of other novels. If this novel is the standard of their works, I can see why, and am looking forward to finding and reading the rest, whether they're part of the Nina Borg series or not.

I received this book gratis as part of GoodReads' First Reads program.