Louise Rick Books in Order

The Recommended Reading Order: Why Chronology Matters

For the absolute best reading experience, we highly recommend following the chronological order of the Louise Rick series. Sara Blaedel’s novels follow the professional growth and personal evolution of Detective Inspector Louise Rick and her closest confidante, journalist Camilla Lind. Reading the books out of order will spoil significant character developments, relationship changes, and family secrets that build incrementally across the series.

Because English publishers translated and released the series out of order, many international readers inadvertently started in the middle of Louise's journey. Starting with the true first book, The Midnight Witness, ensures you experience the foundational dynamics of the main characters exactly as the author intended.

The Translation Gap: Danish Release vs. English Publication

Danish readers first met Louise Rick in 2004 with Grønt støv, but English-speaking audiences had to wait until 2018 to read its translation, The Midnight Witness. In the meantime, later books in the series were translated and released first. For example, Call Me Princess (the second book) was published in English in 2005, whereas the fifth and sixth books (The Running Girl and The Stolen Angel) were delayed in English translation until 2018.

Below are the two ways to track the series: the English publication (translation) order, which was dictated by licensing schedules, and the Danish chronological order, which follows the true story timeline.

1. Chronological Order (Recommended Reading Path)

Follow this sequence to experience Louise Rick's life and cases in the correct narrative order. The years listed reflect their English translation releases:

• The Midnight Witness (2018) – Original Danish: Grønt støv (2004). Louise Rick investigates the strangling of a young woman in a park and the murder of a journalist, entangling her with Camilla's personal connections.
• Call Me Princess / Blue Blood and the Silent Woman (2005) – Original Danish: Kald mig prinsesse (2005). Louise tracks down a serial rapist targeting women on cyber-dating platforms.
• Only One Life / The Drowned Girl (2007) – Original Danish: Kun ét liv (2007). A deep dive into an honor killing and the cultural tensions surrounding immigrant communities in Denmark.
• The Night Women / Farewell to Freedom (2008) – Original Danish: Aldrig mere fri (2008). A gritty look at street-level prostitution, murder, and international human trafficking networks.
• The Running Girl (2018) – Original Danish: Hævnens gudinde (2009). A fatal hit-and-run in a small town uncovers a web of teenage secrets and local vengeance.
• The Stolen Angel (2018) – Original Danish: Dødsenglen (2010). A high-value art theft at a wealthy estate spiral into kidnapping and murder.
• The Forgotten Girls (2015) – Original Danish: De glemte piger (2011). The discovery of an unidentified female body in a forest leads to a dark scandal at a long-abandoned psychiatric institution.
• The Killing Forest (2016) – Original Danish: Dødesporet (2013). Louise returns to her childhood hometown of Hvalsø to investigate a missing teenager and pagan cult rituals.
• The Lost Woman (2017) – Original Danish: Kvinden de meldte savnet (2016). Louise’s lover Eik is implicated in a decades-old murder case that forces her to investigate his hidden past.
• The Woman in the Hotel (2020) – Original Danish: Den tavse enke (2020). Louise leads a newly formed police search unit to solve the murder of a local hotel owner.
• A Harmless Lie (2022) – Original Danish: Pigen under træet (2019). Louise goes on leave to find her brother's missing wife, only to uncover dark secrets buried within her own family history.

2. English Publication Order (Translation Release)

If you prefer to read the books in the order they became available to English readers, follow this path. Keep in mind that this order will jump backward and forward in the characters' personal timelines:

1. Call Me Princess / Blue Blood and the Silent Woman (2005)
2. Only One Life / The Drowned Girl (2007)
3. The Night Women / Farewell to Freedom (2008)
4. The Forgotten Girls (2015)
5. The Killing Forest (2016)
6. The Lost Woman (2017)
7. The Running Girl (2018)
8. The Stolen Angel (2018)
9. The Midnight Witness (2018)
10. The Woman in the Hotel (2020)
11. A Harmless Lie (2022)

Crucial Reading Advice: Can the Books Be Read as Standalones?

While each book features a self-contained homicide investigation that is resolved by the final page, the overarching personal lives of Louise Rick and Camilla Lind are deeply serialized. Louise’s romantic struggles, her path to motherhood, and her complicated family history develop continually. If you jump into a later book like The Killing Forest or A Harmless Lie without reading their predecessors, you will encounter major spoilers regarding the fates of key recurring characters and past relationship dynamics.

Spin-offs, Co-authored Books, and Related Series

For readers who want to explore more of Sara Blaedel's crime universe, there are several companion projects to keep in mind:

• The Family Secrets Trilogy (Ilka Jensen Series): This spin-off trilogy focuses on Ilka Jensen, a Danish school portrait photographer who travels to the United States to claim an inheritance. While it exists in a separate narrative space, it shares the same gritty, atmospheric tone that Blaedel is known for. The books are The Undertaker's Daughter (2016), Her Father's Secret (2017), and The Third Sister (2018).
• Collaborations with Mads Peder Nordbo: Blaedel teamed up with fellow Danish crime author Mads Peder Nordbo to write the Liam Stark and Dea Torp series. The first book, Dissolved (originally Opløst, English release 2023), and its sequel, Wounds (2025), are standalone police procedurals that do not feature Louise Rick, but are highly recommended for fans of the author's signature style.

What to Know Before You Start

Sara Blaedel is frequently crowned the 'Queen of Crime' in Denmark, and for good reason. Her writing balances classic police procedurals with the emotional complexity of Nordic noir. Unlike some of the more graphic entries in the genre, the Louise Rick books place a heavy emphasis on societal issues—such as human trafficking, cyber-stalking, and the treatment of marginalized individuals—rather than gratuitous violence. The vivid Copenhagen backdrop acts as a character of its own, shifting from the modern metropolitan streets of the capital to the isolated, superstitious forests of Denmark's rural provinces.