In the heart-pounding next installment of the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling Department Q series, a terrifying international investigation reveals the complex backstory of one of the department’s own—the enigmatic Assad.The newspaper refers to the body only as Victim 2117—the two thousand one hundred and seventeenth refugee to die in the Mediterranean Sea. But to three people, … Sea. But to three people, the unnamed victim is so much more, and the death sets off a chain of events that throws Department Q, Copenhagen’s cold cases division led by Detective Carl Mørck, into a deeply dangerous—and deeply personal—case. A case that not only reveals dark secrets about the past, but has deadly implications for the future.
For troubled Danish teen Alexander, whose identity is hidden behind his computer screen, the death of Victim 2117 becomes a symbol of everything he resents and the perfect excuse to unleash his murderous impulses in real life. For Ghaalib, one of the most brutal tormentors from Abu Ghraib—Saddam Hussein’s infamous prison—the death of Victim 2117 is the first step in a terrorist plot years in the making. And for Department Q’s Assad, Victim 2117 is a link to his buried past—and the family he assumed was long dead.
With the help of the Department Q squad—Carl, Rose, and Gordon—Assad must finally confront painful memories from his years in the Middle East in order to find and capture Ghaalib. But with the clock ticking down to Alexander’s first kill and Ghaalib’s devastating attack, the thinly spread Department Q will need to stay one step ahead of their most lethal adversary yet if they are to prevent the loss of thousands of innocent lives.
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I’ve read every book in this series and they become better with every instalment. Assad is the main character and Rose makes a come-back after 2 years at home. It tackles terrorism and refugees as well as personal motivations as revenge, hatred and love. The only set back about this series is the long wait for the next one.
This installment in the Department Q series finally introduced the reader to Assad’s back story. The tragedy heaped on is family is sometimes too much to bear. A real page turner with an intensely frightening ending.
Oh. My. GOODNESS! I LOVE THIS SERIES!!
Okay, gushing aside, I seriously do. I have been meaning to start the Department Q books for some time now. I love dark noir detective fiction and had heard great things, but somehow just never got started. I had a so-so time with one of Adler-Olsen’s stand-alones on here (The Washington Decree), but was still eager to try the Department Q series. When I was asked to review this latest (eighth) installment on here, I asked whether I’d need to read all seven before starting it, because I was worried about continuity and timing. I was told I only needed the first to establish the characters, which was just enough cover for me to jump on the request and the opportunity to start the series.
I know myself. It was highly unlikely that I’d read book one and then book eight; I have an obsessive need to read series books in order. The author writes them that way. Ergo, that’s how they’re meant to be read. Characters develop A LOT over the course of seven books (or at least they should) and it seems to me that it’s impossible to really get the impact of the story if you’re missing all of that development.
I was, of course, right on all counts. (It happens…)
I raced through book one and was immediately hooked. I proceeded to request the next five from my local library before Things Happened in The World and libraries closed, at which point I bought a used copy of the seventh online because there was no way I was going into book eight without the fullest possible understanding of where these fascinating characters had been…
I’m immensely glad I stuck to my guns and read them all in order. This is an INCREDIBLE series full of rich, complex characters who undergo tremendous personal and professional development, and I cannot imagine reading Victim 2117 without all of that backstory to inform it. This latest book tackles the history of one of the series’ central characters (Assad) and his journey – within the Department and within his life – was, I think, absolutely necessary for this book to have its full emotional, gut-wrenching impact.
The writing is superb. The characterization and character development are incredible. The plots are always intricate and involved and full of a push-pull between the past and present, both in terms of the specific cold case (and some not-so-cold cases) being addressed by the team in the book and in terms of the storylines of the individual team members (and associated supporting characters). The stories just keep getting better – they are action-packed, emotionally gut-wrenching, violent and dark. They keep me furiously flipping pages in a way that few well-established series do, and I cannot wait to see where book nine (purportedly taking on Carl’s experience with the shooting that sets up the entire Department/series) will take readers!!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy of this incredible book.
479 pages
5 stars
Since he joined the Department Q team, Assad has always been a somewhat mysterious person. He never speaks of his past. He is always upbeat and energetic.
This book tells the story of Assad’s past. It is scary, harrowing and very sad. When Assad’s past comes back to haunt him, Carl quickly gets involved. They must travel to Germany to further investigate the case.
A couple of subplots are present. Carl’s girlfriend has announced her pregnancy – at age fifty-one! It could be very dangerous. It sure is scary.
Also, a young man called Alexander has fixated on one of the reported victims of the ongoing Cyprus boat life. She is called Victim 2117. Alexander plays an online video game and has decided that when he reaches win number 2117, he will kill his parents and then set about causing mayhem in the city of Copenhagen.
Assad knows who Victim 2117 is. She sheltered him and his family when they were running from Saddam Hussein’s henchmen. There is a significant backstory to Assad’s and Hussein’s foremost henchman, Ghaalib. Ghaalib is out to get Assad at any price. And the price he has named is awfully and astoundingly high. Assad is a mess. It’s a good thing he has Carl at his side.
Rose has rejoined the team and she and Gordon are handling Alexander’s case. Who is this boy? Will he really kill his parents and others? How do they find him?
This book is very close to being non-stop action. It was wonderful to learn about Assad’s past. But it was pretty awful and hard to read. I was so glad that Rose rejoined the team. I have to admit that I wasn’t sure about her at first, but I like her now. It will be interesting to see how Assad’s life changes now. I have read all of Mr. Adler-Olsen’s Department Q books, and I have liked them all very much.
Now, to wait for the next one.
I was happy to finally get the background story.
The Department Q series is a tour de force when it comes to the police procedural genre. VICTIM 2117, the latest in the series, is a brilliant page-turner.
Deep in the basement of the Copenhagen police department building, Detective Carl Mørck heads up a cold case unit complete with complex secondary characters, roiling backstories of both people and crimes, and truly evil adversaries. The most unknowable member of the Department Q team is Assad, who first appears as the janitor in THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES, although it’s soon clear to Carl that Assad is a man of many skills. Throughout the series, Carl wonders about Assad’s background, multiple skills, and even where he lives.
VICTIM 2117 finally reveals all Assad’s secrets.
The body of a woman washes ashore on the island of Cyprus, one of thousands trying to escape the fighting in Syria. She is the 2117th person to have died in this way.
Three different people are powerfully affected by the photograph: a penniless journalist who wants to build a career on the story, a murderous young man who links it to an online game, and Assad, who recognizes the dead woman. She helped his family escape Iraq some 16 years ago.
When an examination of the body reveals that the woman was murdered, not drowned, the three divergent plot lines explode into a multi-faceted race against both a demonic terrorist and a youth who wants to become one.
Unlike the other Department Q books which mostly take place in Denmark and see the action through Carl’s eyes, VICTIM 2117 crosses Europe while also offering Assad as the main voice. Carl plays wingman to Assad, instead of the other way around, even as Carl’s personal life provides tantalizing diversions.
Assad’s relationship to the killer is based on a long-running quest for revenge. Motives are real and personal. A cat and mouse game leads to a thrilling showdown in Germany. Yet the online gamer’s nefarious plans are equally shocking. It takes all of Department Q’s assets to track him down.
I read this book’s print edition and skimmed past descriptions in my rush to find out what happens next. The action is utterly breathless. The characters are exceptionally well drawn. You will be mesmerized.
I read anything by Jussi Adler Olsen.