Sara Blaedel | THE DAUGHTER / THE UNDERTAKER'S DAUGHTER

Plot (via Goodreads):

School-portrait photographer Ilka Nichols Jensen is leading a modest, regimented, anything-but-extraordinary life in Copenhagen when unexpected news rocks her quiet existence: Her father--who walked out suddenly and inexplicably on the family more than three decades ago, and whom she hasn't heard from since--has died. And, even more surprising, he's left her something. His funeral home. In Racine, Wisconsin. Desperate for a connection to the parent she never really knew, Ilka makes an uncharacteristically rash decision and jumps on a plane to the United States.


There she stumbles on an unsolved murder and into the path of a killer. Suddenly, learning everything she can about the man who was her father becomes a matter of life and death--because what Ilka doesn't know might just kill her . . .

Review:

So, Sara Blaedel is one of my favorite authors. I found her writing hypnotic, her stories dark, and her characters spectacular. I can always get completely lost in a novel by Sara Blaedel. In the past, I've only read the Louise Rick series and was eager and a little nervous starting The Daughter (titled The Undertaker's Daughter in hardcover) as I was being introduced to a new series with new characters in a different country. I was not disappointed.

In clear Blaedel fashion, the plot to this novel is just completely different than anything else out there and so heavily detailed that it is hard to believe this is a work of fiction. One thing I liked about this story was that Blaedel really took her time setting up the story and introducing the reader to Ilka before getting to the murder mystery of this one. I loved the setting and how Blaedel beautifully described the mid-west. It was fantastic to see her step out of her comfort zone and have a novel featured in the United States. The setting combined with her bold plot just solidifies why Blaedel is one of the best out there.

I absolutely loved the character of Ilka. She is intelligent, brave, and brazen. I loved how she was so realistic with her decisions and reactions regarding this story and  the situation(s) her character is thrown into. Ilka is passionately written and another strong and incredible female voice that only the best craft up. Not only did I enjoy Ilka, but the secondary characters with this novel were perfect. Each character was written with purpose and served the novels plot greatly.

While it took a little while for the pacing to kind of pick up with this one, I was more than entertained through Blaedel's writing, the great characterization, and the small revelations. The last 50 pages or so really sped up pacing wise and I was completely engrossed. While the ending was kind of abrupt, I was left with a brilliant cliffhanger that only made me even more excited for the next novel in this series. This novel is a great beginning to a domestic suspense series and I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Special thanks to Grand Central Publishing for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5