Get to know the detective in charge of Copenhagen’s coldest cases in the first electrifying Department Q mystery from New York Times bestselling author Jussi Adler-Olsen.Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl—who didn’t draw his weapon—blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But … the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of cold cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: a liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead…yet.
Darkly humorous, propulsive, and atmospheric, The Keeper of Lost Causes introduces American readers to the mega-bestselling series fast becoming an international sensation.
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Some series take a few books before all the pieces are properly in place but Department Q comes at us with all elements fully formed: everyman hero with a wry inner voice, an intriguing sidekick, and an investigative style that relies heavily on pulling threads, connecting dots, and spotting liars.
Detective Carl Mørck returns to work in the Copenhagen Police Department’s homicide unit after being ambushed and shot while investigating a murder victim killed with a nail gun; a backstory that promises to spool out over the life of the series. One of Carl’s close colleagues died in the ambush and another was left a quadriplegic, who together with a silly ex-wife, hippie stepson, and the guy who rents part of Carl’s house, populates Carl’s appealing inner circle.
In short order, Carl is banished to the police station’s basement with a “promotion” to head up Department Q, a political stunt to sooth public concerns over cold cases. Carl plans to use his new lair to nap and play computer solitaire but real work is expected. Carl quickly realizes he’s a staff of one and corners his boss into giving him help. Enter Assad, a Syrian immigrant hired to mop floors.
Out of all the old files heaped on his desk, Carl picks the disappearance five years ago of an up-and-coming Danish politician, Merete Lynggard. The assumption is suicide, but the case was handled sloppily and there are still leads to run down. While hiding his own past, Assad proves to be uncannily observant and resilient, helping Carl piece together clues and get out of tight situations.
Carl’s point of view alternates with that of kidnapping victim Merete. Clues for Carl are deliberately out of sync with Merete’s experiences, creating a tempo that simply rocks throughout what is a fairly long book.
My discovery of Jussi Adler Olson began with this book when it was translated into English. I have been a loyal fan ever since. Five stars and more!
Terrific.
Prepare to be hooked by this series. The characters are highly original. Each book in the series is a page turner.
Love all the cast and twists.
Great thriller, wonderful characters. Would have given five stars but this is a very violent series. Not for everyone. Maybe not even for me.
Jussi-Adler is an inventive master of the police procedural, with villains that engage and horrify at the same time. Even though Adler is Danish, his command of English is formidable. The antics of Detective Carl Merck and his Middle Eastern assistant are well-devised and often laugh-out-loud funny.
This book was a complete waste of time. The main character is a slacker and the author seems to go out of his way to vent his spleen of misogyny in portraying the female characters. I don’t know if the author, in his other books, holds all of his female characters in such contempt but I certainly will not bothering so find out based upon this book.
Not as exciting or as sexy as Outlander, but a nice look at John’s life.
It was so dangerous to be gay in that era.
Could not put it down! Unforgettable.
I absolutely enjoyed this book. Interesting from start to finish.
Jussi is one of the best.
I look forward to other Dept Q books
This was my first Adler-Olsen read, and I really liked the characters, but the psychological mystery was a bit difficult. I kept reading, because I had to get to the point where I knew more than I did. The psychological mystery is about as hard to take as Nesbo’s Leopold’s Apple. In this police procedural, the pace has a good tempo, the puzzle pieces, which are all present in the case file, are intriguingly fitted to move the plot, and the victims are interesting pieces of the puzzle, as well.
Carl Mørck, Assad, Hardy Henningsen, Marcus Jacobsen are all so different, yet work together well and draw the reader in to what makes them tick and how they function to solve crime. Yes, there does seem to be a theme among the Scandinavian authors where their officers suffer from a traumatic past who don’t seem to follow departmental protocol, but this spin on that theme is different, especially with Assad and Jacobsen. I’m cheering really hard for Henningsen, too, and was rather disappointed when Mørck discovered discrepancies in what Assad said and did regarding Henningsen, but it didn’t lessen my like for Assad. I’m also interested in the characters’ personal lives and hope for improvements for them, though I’m hoping we don’t see much of Mørck’s estranged wife and stepson.
I’m glad to have stumbled upon this series and looking forward to book 2 in the Department Q series, The Absent One.
If you’re a fan of Jo Nesbo ( Harry Hole series), give Adler-Olsen a try. He’s a popular Norwegian crime/psychological thriller writer.
Highly recommend Dep. Q novels
Excellent. The start of Dept Q.
One of the best thrillers of the decade. “Never give up” attitude, knowing there had to be a solution, propelled this book. Highly recommended.
I’ll definitely read more from this author!
suspenseful