A missing child mystery drives this "dark, intense . . . impossible-to-put-down investigation. . . . Essential reading for fans of Scandinavian crime fiction" (Booklist, starred review).

Ida Joner gets on her brand-new bike and sets off toward town. A good-natured, happy girl, she is looking forward to her tenth birthday. Thirty-five minutes after Ida should have come home, her mother starts to worry. She phones store owners, Ida's friends—anyone who could have seen her. But no one has.

Suspicion immediately falls on Emil Mork, a local character who lives alone and hasn't spoken since childhood. His mother insists on cleaning his house weekly—although she's sometimes afraid of what she might find there. A mother's worst nightmare in either case—to lose a child or to think a child capable of murder. As Ida's relatives reach the breaking point and the media frenzy surrounding the case begins, Inspector Konrad Sejer is his usual calm and reassuring self. But he's puzzled. And disturbed. This is the strangest case he's seen in years.

Praise for Karin Fossum:

"A superb writer of psychological suspense." — New York Times

"Sejer is a beautifully created character, a thoughtful, lonely man with great empathy." — Publishers Weekly

"With sharp psychological insight and a fine grasp on police procedure, Fossum is easily one of the best new imports the genre has to offer." — The Baltimore Sun

"No one can thoroughly chill the blood the way Karin Fossum can . . . will put you away, no questions asked." — Los Angeles Times

"A truly great writer and explorer of the human mind." —Jo Nesbo, New York Times bestselling author of the Harry Hole series

"Fossum . . . writes like Ruth Rendell with the gloves off." — Kirkus Reviews