The Daughter

A thrilling novel from #1 international bestselling author Sara Blaedel, author of The Forgotten Girls

“One of the best I’ve come across.” — Michael Connelly

“Sara Blaedel is a force to be reckoned with. She’s a remarkable crime writer who time and again delivers a solid, engaging story that any reader in the world can enjoy.” — Karin Slaughter

“One can count on emotional engagement, spine-tingling suspense, and taut storytelling from Sara Blaedel.” — Sandra Brown

Already widowed by the age of forty, Ilka Nichols Jensen, a school portrait photographer, leads a modest, regimented, and uneventful life in Copenhagen. Until unexpected news rocks her quiet existence: Her father–who walked out suddenly and inexplicably on the family more than three decades ago–has died. And he’s left her something in his will: his funeral home. In Racine, Wisconsin.

Clinging to this last shred of communication from the father she hasn’t heard from since childhood, Ilka makes an uncharacteristically rash decision and jumps on a plane to Wisconsin. Desperate for a connection to the parent she never really knew, she plans to visit the funeral home and go through her father’s things–hoping for some insight into his new life in America–before preparing the business for a quick sale.

But when she stumbles on an unsolved murder, and a killer who seems to still be very much alive, the undertaker’s daughter realizes she might be in over her head . . .

• "One of the best I've come across."
  Michael Connelly
• "Compelling and unique, THE UNDERTAKER'S DAUGHTER delves into a dark and fascinating world rarely explored in suspense fiction. Sara Blaedel knows how to reel in her readers and keep them utterly transfixed."
  Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of I Know a Secret
• "The Danish crime novelist takes a trip Stateside in this exhilaratingly morbid tale of a 40-year-old Copenhagen widow who travels to Wisconsin to run her dead father's funeral home--and is forced to confront the enemies he left behind."
  Oprah.com
• "Ilka is a complex and interesting character."
  RT Book Reviews
• "A great start for mystery lovers looking to dip a toe into international intrigue."
  Library Journal
• "A solid murder mystery."
  
  The Austin Chronicle
• "Crime-writer superstar Sara Blaedel's great skill is in weaving a heartbreaking social history into an edge-of-your-chair thriller while at the same time creating a detective who's as emotionally rich and real as a close friend. You'll whip through the novel in a day, and then keep thinking about it."
  Oprah.com on The Forgotten Girls
• "For readers who gorge on captivating characters and chilling suspense, THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS is a tantalizing treat."
  Sandra Brown on The Forgotten Girls
• "Sara Blaedel is a force to be reckoned with. She's a remarkable crime writer who time and again delivers a solid, engaging story that any reader in the world can enjoy."
  Karin Slaughter
• "This is a standout book that will only solidify the author's well-respected standing in crime fiction. Blaedel drops clues that will leave readers guessing right up to the reveal. Each new lead opens an array of possibilities, and putting the book down became a feat this reviewer was unable to achieve. Based on the history of treating the disabled, the story is both horrifying and all-to-real. Even the villains have nuanced and sympathetic motives."
  RT Times on The Forgotten Girls - Top Pick **Winner of a Reviewer's Choice Award**
• "Crackling with suspense, atmosphere, and drama, THE FORGOTTEN GIRLS is simply stellar crime fiction. I loved spending time with the tough, smart, and all-too-human heroine Louise Rick--and I can't wait to see her again."
  Lisa Unger