Scan barcode
A review by cj_mo_2222
Where Have All the Young Girls Gone by Leena Lehtolainen
4.0
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.
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.