The ILKA series by Sara Blædel—also known as The Undertaker’s Daughter trilogy—centers on Ilka Nichols Jensen, a Danish school portrait photographer whose life is upended when she inherits a funeral home in Racine, Wisconsin, from her estranged father. Leaving her quiet life in Copenhagen behind, Ilka travels to the U.S. in hopes of uncovering the truth about the man who abandoned her as a child. Once there, she’s met with hostility from her father’s second family—a stepmother and two half-sisters—who question her intentions. As Ilka becomes immersed in the day-to-day operations of the funeral business, she is quickly drawn into a series of chilling mysteries tied to her father’s legacy, including unresolved crimes and long-concealed secrets. What begins as a journey for answers soon turns into a dangerous and emotionally charged reckoning.
Over the course of the trilogy, Ilka’s role evolves from passive heir to active investigator, as she untangles a complex web of family betrayal, small-town intrigue, and buried violence that ultimately threatens her safety. Her search for truth forces her to confront difficult revelations about her father’s life and the choices that shaped her own identity. With its mix of personal drama and criminal suspense, the series explores themes of grief, inheritance, belonging, and the cost of uncovering the past. Ilka’s resilience and emotional growth give the series its heart, as she learns to navigate unfamiliar territory—both literally and figuratively—and find empowerment through adversity. Blædel delivers a compelling blend of Nordic noir sensibility and American gothic atmosphere, anchored by a heroine whose determination and vulnerability make her unforgettable.
