Review: After She's Gone by Camilla Grebe

In the economically depressed town of Ormberg, amid the snow, a barefoot woman emerges from the forest, with no memory of how she got there. Before being rescued, she was spotted by a boy who was desperate not to be seen, and who cannot admit he was ever near the woods.

Malin has always been eager to leave Ormberg. With her career in law enforcement beginning to blossom and a fiancé who wants her to move to Stockholm with her, Malin thinks she’s finally left the town and its forest behind her, only to be called back for a murder investigation which dates to her own childhood.

Despite her longing to be rid of the town, Malin is the only officer able to navigate correctly. Known for its isolation, rurality and antiquated views, Ormberg is not an accepting or wealthy locality. When a pair of fellow officers goes missing, with only one of them returning amid increasingly suspicious circumstances, Malin realizes that this cold case might not yet be lifeless. It soon becomes clear that the key to the mystery lies with the missing officer, and Malin realizes that the town she’d long considered small and dull holds damning secrets.

After She’s Gone is a beautiful ode to history and to what once was, and to the dark events past that never should have been. Through a nuanced tale of families warped by prejudice, loss, or grief, Grebe manages to marry a dramatic saga with a first-class detective story. Using fiction as a commentary on consequences, expectations and breaking the norm, Grebe has produced a thrilling whodunit that’s both brilliant and creative. Fast-paced with mould-breaking twists, After She’s Gone is an adventure to read.

After she’s gone by Camilla Grebe is published by Zaffre, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.