A Harmless Lie

At the start of Blaedel’s solid 10th novel to be published in the U.S. featuring Copenhagen police detective Louise Rick (after 2018’s The Midnight Witness), Louise is vacationing in Thailand when her father calls from Denmark to say her brother, Mikkel, is close to death after a suicide attempt, which may have been prompted by Mikkel’s wife, Trine, abruptly leaving him days earlier. Back in her hometown of Osten, Louise comes to realize Trine’s departure may not have been voluntary—and the police begin to suspect Mikkel was involved in Trine’s disappearance. Meanwhile, Louise learns that the body of Susan Dahlgaard, a schoolmate of Trine’s who vanished 25 years earlier at age 14, has been found in a remote cave. Journalist Camilla Lind, Louise’s best friend, uncovers multiple tragedies when she looks into Susan’s case. Louise and Camilla come across as a little too strident in a plot that holds few surprises, but Blaedel does a good job depicting abnormal psyches and, through harrowing flashbacks, the cliquish cruelty of adolescent girls. Scandinoir fans will be satisfied. Agent: Joakim Hansson, Nordin Agency (Mar.)