There is some magical formula that makes this series work so well- imperfect characters, an unlikely duo, messy personal lives, and intriguing overarching plots. Hancock's writing style is efficient and cuts to the meat of her characters and plot lines.

This story starts a bit slow and builds towards deceptions and twists that reveal a sinister plot in an idyllic Scandinavian setting. The detective, Erik Schäfer, leaps off the page for me and I have to say that he is my favorite character; he had a personal plot line in this story that had me glued to the page. Investigative journalist, Heloise Kaldan, is a bit all over the place and is that character who- although, surviving just by the skin of her teeth at times-uses her inquisitive nature to help others. Both of these protagonists make for a unique combination and an unpredictable crime-fighting duo.

I am looking forward to when the fourth book in the series is published in English, and I hope there are more to come. I would highly recommend this series to readers interested in Nordic noir.

4.25 ✨'s

DRC kindly provided by Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest response. All opinions are my own.

If you love dark and twisty, then this series is for you. This is book 3 in the series but totally can be read as a standalone. Confession I didn’t realize it was book 3 until a ways in. I didn’t feel as though I was missing anything.

I love a dark and twisty novel. "Ruthless" is the third novel in the Kaldan and Schäfer series. I haven't read the first two, but this can be read as a standalone, as I didn't feel like I was missing anything. It was fast paced (definitely a page turner), and full of twists, and definitely had an ending that I didn't expect. With how much I enjoyed this novel, I look forward to reading the first two in the series and rereading this.

Thank you netgalley, Anne Mette Hancock, and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC.

Ruthless is book #3 in the Nordic Noir Kaldan and Schafer series by Anne Mette Hancock. I love this series that pairs Héloïse Kaldan, an investigative journalist, and Erik Schafer, a Copenhagen detective. In Ruthless, Héloïse is volunteering for a hospice charity when she stumbles across a deathbed confession that leads to her and Schafer investigating a cold case.

I highly recommend this book and series, especially if you love dark crime novels. It’s fast paced, full of twists, and has an ending that is shocking (I really did not see it coming 🤯).

Thank you @crookedlanebooks and @netgalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

(I have also added this review to the Barnes & Noble site).

Copenhagen Investigative Journalist Heloise Kaldan is working on a series of articles on the work done by a volunteer group called Vigil who visit dying patients who have no family or friends to keep them company in their final illness. As part of her research, she has been visiting an elderly man called Jan Frischof, dying of cancer and also dementia, and they have become unlikely friends, but when he makes a confession to her about past deeds that still haunt him and the fear that someone is coming for him, she senses a bigger story and one that Jan needs to have resolved.

This is the third novel in this Nordic noir series featuring Heloise Kaldan and her friend DS Erik Schäfer of the Copenhagen Violent Crimes Unit. Digging into Jan’s past, she discovers he was working on a farm with a man called Tom Mázoreck, who seems to have some significance for him, in a town called Rinkenæs in south Jutland, during the time when a young women disappeared from there. Heloise’s editor refuses to let her spend any time pursuing the story, but instead wants her to finish her series on Vigil. Frustrated at finding the police hostile and unhelpful when she enquires about the case of the missing woman, Heloise decides to take time off work and travel to Rinkenæs to investigate herself.

Jan warns her she will be in danger if she looks into his past, but never one to shy away from danger, Heloise is determined to find out about Mázoreck and how he fits into Jan’s past. However, the deeper she looks into the people involved with Jan on the farm, the more danger she finds herself in. With Jan’s health failing daily, Heloise has a race against time to find out the truth.

Since Heloise is out of Schäfer’s jurisdiction of Copenhagen, he doesn’t feature as much as in the earlier novels but is in constant touch with her and helps out late in the piece. She suspects the local police are covering up something, so is reluctant to go to them with what she finds and suspects. However, she does receive help and support from journalist and ex-lover (and recently divorced) Thomas Malling who has moved back from his successful career in the US and now works in Jutland.

This is a dark and chilling murder mystery with quite a few twists and turns including a huge twist at the end that I didn’t see coming, but totally made sense. Heloise meets some very violent people indeed in Rinkenæs and uncovers a string of violent historical crimes. The novel would work well as a stand-alone as it’s not essential to know Heloise’s backstory to enjoy it.

Twisty until the very end, the third entry in the Kaldan and Schäfer series is dark and suspenseful. It can be read as a standalone, but knowing the backstory will make the relationships between the characters clearer. I loved the dialogues between Heloise and Erik, as well as their interactions between them and other characters. The plot starts with a confession from a dying man who is no longer too lucid. Heloise feels compelled to find out what happened so that she can give him an absolution when he passes on. The more she digs, the more mysteries she finds. I liked the cast of suspects, they were all shady and obviously hiding something, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. The final twist came as a shock. I also liked how the personal lives of Heloise and Erik are more in the background, spending the most time following their parallel investigations. It’s a solid entry into this still young series.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Crooked Lane Books!

This series just gets better and better, and darker as they go along. What a book. After a slowish start it really ramped up and that ending just blew my mind. What the??? It has been a very long time since a book got me like that. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Heloise and Erik are such great characters, I love their banter and that they would do anything for each other. Heloise hears the ramblings of an old, dying man and cannot make sense of the,l but she knows there is something there. She wants to help the man be at peace before he dies, so she sets off to find out what happened all those years ago. The investigation will lead her down a seriously dangerous path and bring her into contact with some truly vile human beings. But it is not all doom and gloom. A face from her past comes back into her life which was a lovely storyline.

Thanks so much to Crooked Lane Books for my advanced copy of this book to read. Published on October 10th, a must read series l

This is the third book in a very good series, by a very good writer, featuring investigative journalist Heloise Kaldan, and homicide detective Erik Schafer. Beginning with a dying man’s confession and taking place in and around Copenhagen, Denmark, the story centers around two cold cases: a missing young woman, and a boat fire at which a man died. Although this is part of a series, this book can be read as a stand alone. I’m looking forward to the next book! Recommended!

I thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me this ARC against an honest review.

I lover dark thrillers and the book blurb was chilling and absolutely riveting. The book starts of slow and reels you in. This is the third book in the series but reads as a standalone.
We have Kalden who is an investigative journalist and one half of the protagonists who power this series, who is advised by Connie the wife of the other half Detective Sargeant Erik Schäfer, to write an article about Vigil a sort of death doula volunteer group she’s been working with which supports lonely people dying. Kalden writes the article, becomes a volunteer, connects with a terminal man and starts getting startling rambling that stokes her investigative genes and she starts following up on that persons claims. Her nose for the story is spot on and she starts unearthing information about incidents, accidents, missing people, etc. and every rabbit hole seems to add to the growing conundrum with the police involved. Hancock's writing is smooth almost mellifluous and she needs to commended for the realistic characters who are calm and confident of each other as well as flawed enough that as a reader one wants to care for their future in the story.
My only complaint was that the story seems messed up upfront and as a reader I started feeling that more than the quirks in the story the artificial writing kinks were making the mess but this did not disturb the pace or grip of the story. Reading other books of the author could share light on this because it could be just her writing style which gives an impression. Focusing more on the story the story also throws in with its major crime steak to get your teeth on with some addons like little drizzles of relationships, camaraderie, some friendship moments and some romance. All this in a combo keeps you invested in the characters and their flaws which help carry the story along.

I have generated enough interest from this story to look for other books by Hancock and recommend this book and the author for absolutely frenetic reading sessions.

Heloise Kaldan, a Danish journalist for the Demokratisk Dagblad, is currently volunteering at Vigil, a hospice that takes care about elderly people who are leaving this world totally alone, without family around and without a single friend.

Heloise, at first, joined as a volunteer in order to write about the experience of living in a hospice and create a certain awareness about Vigil. However, it gradually became more than that, especially after she came to know Jan Fischhof, an almost dying man suffering from cancer and dementia. Even though Jan was a little reserved and very defiant, a deep friendship has blossomed between them.

During one of their conversation, Jan vaguely confesses to her that something about his past was still haunting him. This is the turning point of the novel. From this point forward, Heloise Kaldan leaves everything behind and starts her journey to discover what happened in the past of such a tender man that seemed to be waiting for final absolution before the last judgment. What comes out is all connected to Jan’s past as a worker in a mink farm and the enigmatic figure of Mazoreck, a fellow worker of the same company. “Will she have time to uncover the whole truth before Jan dies?” that is the main dilemma of Heloise. She has very little time to uncover everything and that makes the flow of the narration even more rapid and suspenseful. I strongly recommend it and give it a rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

I devoured this book. I didn’t want to put it down. I really enjoyed the previous installments in the Kaldan and Schäfer series but this one has been my favorite so far.
I did not see that ending coming, I literally gasped.
I can’t wait to see what happens next for Kaldan and Schäfer.

I can’t recommend this book or this series enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the copy of this eARC!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

Ruthless belongs to the genre of Nordic noir - which is one of my favorites - so I was partial to the book from the start.

Jan, a dying man, tells a journalist a horrifying confession. As she begins to link older crimes with his confession he backtracks and tells her they will both be in extreme danger if she doesn't leave it along.
Of course she pushes through, trying to solve the questions he raised before they both are eliminated.

I enjoy the writing in this book, as well as the characters. The story rolls along and I read it in two days. I highly recommend it

I received a complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Anne can snatch my coins any day because that ending was just bonkers . The book tells the story of Heloise Kaldan who befriends Jan Frischof, a dying elderly man who gives a deathbed confession that leads her down a path of finding the truth . It was mysterious , well written , plot and character driven and jaw dropping. Highly recommend this delightful thriller.

Ruthless is book #3 in the Kaldan and Schäfer series, combining the talents of homicide investigator Detective Sargeant Erik Schäfer & investigative journalist Heloise Kaldan. Kalden was involved in a murder case Schäfer investigated a few years ago and since the they’ve since become friends. Their friendship/relationship is pivotal to the series. The dynamic is that there’s a mutual understanding between them, however there’s also a wedge between the which is because she a journalist and he’s from the police…

And in Ruthless, Connie who is Schäfer’s wife, plays a more significant part in the story. It is Connie who suggest Kalden write an article about the Vigil - a volunteer group she’s been working with which supports lonely people dying. This sees Kalden writing an article about this, sees her becoming a volunteer for holding the hand of a dying person, Jan, and sees her forming an unlikely bond with him. Then the rambling of a dying man sees her digging into Jan’s past. She gets the scent of a story and will follow that until she gets the story.

Jan’s past leads her to another place and time which seems be littered with unexplained and/or unsolved accidents, disappearances and missing people. She feels somehow there’s a deeper story here, that this is all connected in some way and that something sinister is going on. Even though it feels like it’s her case, it’s quickly becomes a police case. And for every question she asks more pop up.

There’s a deeper story here and the more Schäfer and Kalden look into different aspects of Jan’s past the more dangerous it gets both of them…

I really loved the book, these two characters have settled into a good balance with the trust and respect they have for each other. The crimes they investigate are multidimensional and the tension keeps building. I loved the story, absolutely loved the plot twist at the very end! And I can’t wait to see what comes next for Schäfer and Kalden.

I read 'Ruthless' in my breaks at work and on my way to and from and I devoured it in a couple of hours. Is definetly quite a read that grips you from the get go and you won't put it down until is over. Both cause the writing style is simplistic and twisty, but also because the characters are flawed and realistic enough that you want to hang out with them and see what's happening and if and how they're gonna both survive and figure this all out.

I wasn't sure if this was gonna be a more simplistic story speaking of plot or if it was gonna be a whole mess. And honestly it was a whole simplistic mess. It's all clear and simple while you look back at it, after you found out everything, but as you read and it gets more and more messy and complicated, you wonder how far is this going to go and if someone else not involved in it? It really give me the 'everyone knows everyone and they're in deep' from small towns, but not in a good way and if you take in account that all this happens both in past and present, then you can imagine how much 'fun' has Heloise diggin in and trying to solve it, but also save herself.

I can't say that 'Ruthless' is my new favorite or anything, but I had a good time and if you want a different flavor of thriller than usual, then go for it. Is easy to read, dark and gritty, full of twists and you're gonna breeze through it. Is also realistic and gritty enough, but without going into unnecessary details and doesn't shy away from showing the raw, selfish and sometimes vulnerable side of people, whether we speak for the main characters and their relationship or the investigation. And as usual both of them are more intertwined than it seems.

Also, even though this is a crime thriller, 'Ruthless' also gives you some friendship bits and also a tad of romance so if you're into that in your stories and not just for the murder and the puzzles, then you're set. Heloise really has a bunch of people that are there for her and even though she makes so many wrongs and takes the most spontanenous decisions, I'm happy that people forgive her and they still get along. And having read the other 2 books in the series too, I liked seeing her grow through it and be more mature and grounded this time; she still has her way, but also I feel like is a step in the right direction; for her and the others.

And I know I mostly talked about her, but I was also happy to see Schäfer again and I really like both his character and involvement in this and throughout the series. He's quite a nice character and for some, I like seeing he's both the typical thriller character, but also his own, which makes him relatable most of the time. I also think that you'll find his way of thinking and acting quite interesting and he's definetly a huge help to Heloise and this whole entanglement.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the review copy.

Ruthless is the third book in the Scandinavian noir series featuring journalist Heloise Kalder and detective inspector Erik Schafer. I’d recommend reading in order but this could be read as standalone as the backstory isn’t necessary to understand this one. This one focuses heavily on Kalder and her investigation of a cold case which comes up in relation to a story she is working on in the present. It took a little bit to get into this one but once I did I was hooked. The twists and turns this one takes you on will blow your mind and left me blindsided. Perfect for fans of this genre. I hope the author keeps writing this series and book 4 gets an English translation soon.

This was a good read with a well-done, twisty plot. Unlike in some of the other books in this series, I felt that Heloise's profession as a journalist was shoehorned in and didn't play a major role in the plot. She could have just been a PI or something. Still, I enjoyed this and think fans of Danish crime fiction will too.

Oh that ending!
I’ve enjoyed all the books in this series but this one got me good at the end. I love a good story where the good guys win, but this one I loved anyway. There are some scenes that could be triggering for some and it deals with the really tough issues surrounding human/sex trafficking and exploitation, but it still kept me putting the book down. And I’ll say it again…oh that ending!!!

I was intrigued by the book's description and was looking forward to reading the novel. It's an interesting story and I enjoyed the setting. I'm also always into an international cast. But while I liked the protagonist, a female journalist named Heloise Kandar, I found the plot difficult to follow with too many characters. I couldn't keep track of who was who. The story didn't keep my attention and about a third through the novel, I didn't care much about what would happen, so I DNF'd at 29%.