Set in the small, remote Swedish village of Ormberg, this story is mainly told through the eyes of police officer Malin Brundin and teenager Jake Olsson. There are occasional chapters from Hanne Lagerlind-Schon, a psychological profiler from the National Operations Department who is in the early stages of dementia.
In 2009, a younger Malin was out drinking with her boyfriend and other friends when she discovered the skull of a child. Eight years later, her boyfriend is dead and she is a police officer back in Ormberg. There is a new initiative to look at cold cases; Malin is asked to join a team pulled together to look into the murder of the girl whose body she found. Malin is wanted not because she made the discovery but because she knows the area and more importantly the people. The investigation becomes increasingly important with another macabre discovery and the disappearance of Hanne's partner and colleague Peter.
Ormberg's inhabitants feel they have been forgotten by the authorities; a feeling exacerbated by refugees accommodated in a former factory. Some villagers blame the refugees for any crime or problem and, apart from this distrust of strangers, the villagers resent the refugee assistance provided by the authorities because they received no help when the factories closed and work dried up.
Malin has escaped from the claustrophobic Ormberg, as have many other youngsters, and has mixed feelings about her temporary return. Contrarily, Jake is too young to leave so he has to endure bullying from the older Vincent and being neglected by a father still suffering the loss of Jake's mother. The theme of loss recurs throughout the book in several forms; the most pertinent to the plot is Hanne's unreliable memory, which could provide vital information in the search for Peter and the closing of the case.
Ormberg is fictional but could be anywhere struggling to accept and adapt to changing times. Several difficult issues are skilfully woven into the plot, strengthening the story rather than detracting from it.
After She's Gone is an atmospheric thriller that keeps the reader engrossed until the end and gives you something to think about long after reading the final page.
