This was an overall ok story.
A lot of information and a lot going on in this small town. Lots of twists

Overall a good read

Thank you NetGalley for the copy

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

I waited too long to read this book, but part of the reason was because it was in a series that I had not yet started.

Some books in a series work as a stand=alone, but I felt I did not know enough about the characters' past stories to really understand what was going on.

I didn't get the friendship between the female main character and her best friend - they didn't even seem like friends??; and of course, I missed out on the story behind Louise and her ex.

The plot itself was interesting and it was quite different from American mysteries with the serious themes.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Dutton Group for an e-copy of A MOTHER'S LOVE to review.

I rate A MOTHER'S LOVE three out of five stars.

This book is the 11th in a series, but can be read as a standalone, which I did. I personally did feel like I was missing some of the background for the main character and other characters that she had a past relationship or friendship with, but I expected this going into it.

The main character wasn't really likeable. She seemed to have a lot of negative feelings towards her ex, which people tend to do, but then she also wasn't the best to her supposed long time friend. Her whole personality in this book was just so rude to those she claims to care about.

The rest of the book was okay, and a bit bland. There were some twists that tried to grab my attention, but after being able to guess things a bit earlier than I would have liked, it really lost me.

Thank you to Sara Blaedel, Penguin Group, and NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Mystery based around the unknown. Did she have a child? Where is the child? What happened?

It’s a little all over but still very captivating. It pulls you in and leaves you needing to know what happened.

I found it to be a fast paced read and enjoyed the overall plot.

Unfortunately, this book did not hit for me. It was a book club read and the discussion was great surrounding the many different storylines and characters... but I don't believe this is TRULY a standalone novel as it is like 11th in a series. I felt like I was missing so much backstory and context between characters and conversations, and because of that it felt like way too many storylines going on.

A Mother's Love is a police procedural set in Denmark where Detective Louise Rick has just taken charge of a new Mobile Task Unit, to be assigned the country's most difficult cases.

Their first case is that of the murder of recently widowed innkeeper Dorthe Hyllested in her inn's restaurant in Tasinge. Local police assume robbery-murder but it turns out to be something else. The main puzzler in the case is the discovery of a hidden nursery in the childless innkeeper's upstairs apartment. Who was the child and where is he or she now?

Sara writes emotional and tense thrillers like no other! This one is no different and kept me guessing and tense throughout! So good!

4 out of 5 stars
A poignant and emotional exploration of family, identity, and second chances.

Sara Blaedel’s A Mother’s Love offers a compelling and heartfelt story that balances emotional depth with engaging storytelling. The protagonist’s journey—both literal and emotional—is beautifully written, delving into themes of loss, belonging, and the complicated layers of motherhood. Blaedel’s writing is accessible yet poignant, and the characters feel real, flawed, and relatable.

While the pacing occasionally slows in the middle, the emotional payoff and satisfying character development make it well worth the read. Fans of contemporary fiction with a strong emotional core will find much to appreciate here.

Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed it. A strong four stars.

Went into this without reading the other books in the series as it wasn't advertised as being a part of the series at first. It should not be read as a standalone. Interesting premise, but hard to keep myself interested.

My book club chose this book, way back when it was first being advertised. It was not mentioned anywhere that this was the 11th installment in a series.

I went into this book with an open mind and hoped that it would be that I hadn't read the previous books. I was hooked by the main mystery storyline, but I felt like I needed more backstory. I truly think I would have enjoyed this book more if I read the earlier books. It is still doable as a standalone, but it felt like I was missing information.

My reading journey ebbed and flowed, with some parts of the story dragging and others holding my attention.

When innkeeper Dorthe Hyllested is found murdered, the police are surprised and puzzled to discover a concealed nursery in her upstairs apartment. As far as her friends and family knew, the recently widowed Dorthe was childless—so who lived in this secret toy-strewn room? And more importantly, where is the child now? Detective Louise Rick has just taken on a challenging new job as head of the freshly created Mobile Task Unit, which is charged with solving the most difficult cases all over Denmark. With Dorthe’s murder as her first investigation and the clock ticking to find the missing child and Louise learns she must cobble together a brand-new, unproven team from a group of officers she’s never met. Worst of all, the case will necessitate collaborating with the Missing Persons Department—which will mean working closely with Louise’s former fiancé, Eik.

With no witnesses to Dorthe’s murder and no real leads, and an unproven and potentially untrustworthy team behind her, Louise finds herself grasping at unlikely connections—but the twisted story she begins to uncover turns out to be darker and more dangerous than she ever imagined. . I admit to never having heard of the author from Denmark, but love her writing, descriptions of Denmark, and her characterizations. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for introducing me to yet another author that I will now be following!. .

A Mother's Love by Sarah Blaedel is the 11th installment in the Detective Louise Rick series. While this novel has a plot that is unique to this story, it would be beneficial to read all of the books in the series in order to understand the characters and references to things in earlier books.

When the body of Dorthe, a recently widowed innkeeper is found, Detective Louise Rick is called in to investigate. Upon searching the inn, a concealed nursery is revealed in which it is clear that a child was living there. But Dorthe is childless, so who is this child and where are they? Can Louise and her partner find the murderer and the missing child?

This was the first book by Sarah Blaedel that I have read, so while I understood the plot and the twists, I was missing out on some deeper character development that I am sure I would have gotten had I read the other books in the series. Overall, I think that this was a pretty good Scandinavian Noir police procedural that kept me engaged and interested in seeing how it all tied up at the end!

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Blaedel, and Dutton Books for this ARC!! Released on March 11th 2025.

2.5/5 stars, rounded up

Thank you Dutton Books for the advanced reading copy!

I wanted to like this one, but just didn't. I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't say I really enjoyed it. The start was soooo boring and I could not get into it at all. Switching to the audio, plus reading this for book club, is probably the only reason that I finished it.

There were lots of characters, and this felt confusing at times. There being so many storylines was both interesting and overwhelming -- I often felt like I had missed something throughout the story. While some twists and turns were surprising and interesting, this book overall felt like reporting facts rather than setting the scene/creating a story. The pacing as pretty slow and didn't have a lot of pizzaz, plus the ending left me unsatisfied.

Overall, I wouldn't say that this was terrible by any means, it just was not for me!

When I requested a copy of this book to review, I thought that the plot sounded very interesting, one thing I did not know however, was that this book is technically the 11th book in a series. That being said, it can technically be read as a standalone. The actual plot of the story is unique to the book, but there will be characters and references to things that happened in other books that did leave me a little confused. As for the storyline itself. There were plenty of plot twists to keep the story entertaining, but there was so much going on and I think some of them especially some of the stuff with the church at the end wasn't really necessary to the actual story.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback

Another in the series of Louis Rick...a Danish police procedural. She's grown on me, love the setting, and enjoyed following her work again

Had a lot of trouble getting into this book, had to DNF for now will probably come back to it later and try again. Usually love this Author so it must have just been bad timing on my part

he setting in Denmark gives this book an atmospheric feeling. There is a missing child, a gay man's suicide and a mysterious gay club financed by some wealthy people. This is all handed to the Traveling Squad-an investigative team sent to help local authorities. Definitely aa Nordic gritty story!

Such a gripping novel that left me thinking for a long time after reading it. Due to the themes of the book, I had to take a few breaks while reading before I could come back to it but even during those breaks I kept thinking about it. It had me wanting to come back to it, which is a good sign for a book. The characters I feel could have been developed a little more as I found it a little hard to connect with them, but it did not take too much away from the plot itself. All in all a solid read that will stick with me for some time.