Pubblicato in Italia con il titolo Selfie. L’omicidio di un’anziana signora, tre ragazze con un piano per fare soldi, una donna dei servizi sociali stanca del proprio lavoro, e un’agente di polizia con problemi personali. Non sembra che ci sia una relazione tra tutte queste donne, ma una serie di coincidenze a brutte scelte intreccia le loro vite.
Anneli is a case worker for Danish social services but she is frustrated with the endless line of young girls who sit at her office demanding government money that they spend on clothes and nights out and never trying to find a job. After she receives troubling news about her health, Anneli decides to take care of her work problem.
Michelle, Denise and Jazmine are three young girls brought together by their continual need for money and by their hate of Anneli. Together they come up with a plan to resolve both these problems.
In the meantime, in Department Q, detective Carl is working to resolve the homicide of an elderly woman and trying to keep his boss happy. If that wasn’t enough, one of his colleague, Rose is nervous breakdown, and Carl and his colleagues are increasingly worried about her.
Three (or even more) plots that slowly unravel and are brought together in this suspenseful novel.
This is my first Jussi Adler-Olsen’s novel and The Scarred Woman is the seventh book in a series. I thought that by starting mid-series things would be a bit confusing, but, besides a few references here and there about events to past books, the narration flows easily enough.
The characters of this novel are mainly women, strong and determined, who fight for their own survival. A series of bad choices and coincidences bring these women together and down a path of self-destruction.
I am still getting used to Nordic thrillers. The writing is different from the crime novels I am used to and the pace is slower. Nevertheless, the suspense is always high, throughout the entire novel, and keeps you glued to the page.
Full of dramatic and twisty moments, with very complex characters and captivating storylines, this is the perfect read for fans of Jo Nesbo.
