JUSTA’S BØRN – CHILDREN OF JUSTA, THE ASTRID SKOV SERIES
by Agnete Friis
ASTRID SKOV IS a life-weary ex-police officer who has moved to Berlin to get away from some problems in her past. To finance her new life while keeping a low profile, she takes a job as an online clairvoyant.
HOWEVER, SHE STILL struggles to pay her bills, so when she gets a call from a young Sara hoping to locate her missing, terminally ill brother, she offers to investigate his disappearance for a suitable fee.
SARA GREW UP in the Christian sect, the Children of Justa, as the daughter of charismatic leader Susan Vardi, who claims to be able to heal sick children with the laying on of hands and prayer. The cult is based in a village near Elsinore, but traces of her brother point to a small Czech town on the German border, and the two women embark on a road trip in the hope of finding her brother before it’s too late.
ABOUT THE BOOK
First published by People’s Press, Denmark 2025
RIGHTS SOLD
Denmark, People’s Press
REVIEWS
“Alfred Hitchcock once said that a thriller is a whodunit, an intellectual process, but suspense is an emotional one. Friis knows this—and slowly, slowly takes us by the hand.”
NPR
“Friis’s writing is propulsive, and the book’s twisty conclusion will shock and gratify.”
Publishers Weekly on What My Body Remembers
“A moving story . . . A socially conscious—and, at times, critical—tale.”
—Oprah.com on the Nina Borg series
“Here’s something you don’t often see in Nordic noir fiction (…) compassionately told from a feminine perspective and featuring female characters you can believe in … It packs an almighty punch.”
The New York Times Book Review, Notable Crime Book of the Year on the Nina Borg series
“Terrific . . . What’s for sure is that, once you start reading, you can’t stop.”
The Washington Post on the Nina Borg series
“One of the most distinctive characters in contemporary fiction.”
Los Angeles Review of Books on the Nina Borg series
“Ms. Friis holds us spellbound, watching in grim fascination.”
The Wall Street Journal on The Summer of Ellen
“Ms. Friis holds us spellbound, watching in grim fascination.”
Wall Street Journal on The Summer of Ellen
“Breathtaking.”
Toronto Star on The Summer of Ellen
“A character study wrapped around a novel of suspense, with every blade of grass, every whispering tree, beautifully painting a picture of both longing and desolation.”
Bustle on The Summer of Ellen
“Friis offers up a spellbinding mystery totally in step with the growing dialog about toxic masculinity and the price we all pay for indulging it . . . It’s a deep dive into dark places.”
Barnes & Noble on The Summer of Ellen
“Sparkling prose . . . A twisty plot, and the pages did keep turning.”
Words without Borders on What My Body Remembers
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