Jussi Adler-Olsen is Denmark's premier crime writer. His books routinely top the bestseller lists in northern Europe, and he's won just about e... read full description
reviews
Sep 08, 2011
Kemper
rated it: 
Imagine if the brooding detective Kurt Wallander from the Henning Mankell series accidentally wandered into the plot of a Stieg Larsson novel and you’d have a pretty good idea of what this book is like. Unfortunately, we don’t get a new Salander, but we do get a pretty interesting and flawed character in Carl Morck.
Morck is a Danish police detective who survived being shot in the head during an attack that left another detective dead and one paralyzed. While Morck has returned to More...
Morck is a Danish police detective who survived being shot in the head during an attack that left another detective dead and one paralyzed. While Morck has returned to More...
4 comments
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(27 people liked it)
Nov 30, 2011
Rod
rated it: 
This is a crime novel so in this review I have tried not to spoil things for anyone who goes on to read it. It was written in Danish and translated by Tiina Nunally. The translation reads very well. It seems from the inside cover that it may be the first of three, much like the Millenium series, with the second and third volumes due to appear in 2012 and 2013.
Our ‘hero’ is Carl Mørck, a detective who appears to be burned out. Given that one of his colleagues was killed and another left More...
Our ‘hero’ is Carl Mørck, a detective who appears to be burned out. Given that one of his colleagues was killed and another left More...
7 comments
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(6 people liked it)
Nov 12, 2011
Sherry
rated it: 
So Stieg Larson has drawn me into the world of Scandinavian sleuths. Jussi Adler-Olsen has created a wonderfully weird detective in Carl Morck, who is so damaged mentally that the Copenhagen police department has deep-sixed him in the one-man investigative unit, Department Q. His job is to thaw out cold cases. And he does it brilliantly with the help of a fascinating sidekick, Assad, a Syrian immigrant with a suitcase of mysterious skills. Together they find out what ever happened to a popular p
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(6 people liked it)
Sep 05, 2011
Lisa B.
rated it:
The Keeper of Lost Causes, features the deeply flawed chief detective Carl MØrck, who used to be a good homicide detective-one of Copenhagen's best. Then a bullet almost took his life. Two of his colleagues weren't so lucky, and Carl, who didn't draw his weapon, blames himself.
So a promotion is the last thing Carl expects.
But it all becomes clear when he sees his new office in the basement. Carl's been selected to run Department Q, a new special investigations division that More...
So a promotion is the last thing Carl expects.
But it all becomes clear when he sees his new office in the basement. Carl's been selected to run Department Q, a new special investigations division that More...
2 comments
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(1 person liked it)
Oct 05, 2011
Nicola
rated it:
eason for Reading: The plot just screamed "read me!" and I'm a fan of Scandi Crime.
Outstanding! The first chapter had me hooked on the case and the second chapter had me fascinated with the main character, Copenhagen detective Carl Morck. Usually I'm into the serial killer type of crimes but this case involves a kidnapping/missing persons case that is incredibly taut and gripping. Carl Morck has just come back to work after being in a shoot-out where he was injured and ea More...
Outstanding! The first chapter had me hooked on the case and the second chapter had me fascinated with the main character, Copenhagen detective Carl Morck. Usually I'm into the serial killer type of crimes but this case involves a kidnapping/missing persons case that is incredibly taut and gripping. Carl Morck has just come back to work after being in a shoot-out where he was injured and ea More...
0 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Nov 30, 2011
I have just reviewed this novel for a major UK book seller.
This novel took me a little while to get into, and at first I was a little worried about where this novel would go. However, this novel is proof that first impressions can be deceptive as this novel grows and grows into an absolute dazzler.
Alder-Olsen has created a fabulous first novel in Mercy. The characters of Carl and Assad are beautifully created so that they grow and grow throughout the novel, but there is still plenty of growing More...
This novel took me a little while to get into, and at first I was a little worried about where this novel would go. However, this novel is proof that first impressions can be deceptive as this novel grows and grows into an absolute dazzler.
Alder-Olsen has created a fabulous first novel in Mercy. The characters of Carl and Assad are beautifully created so that they grow and grow throughout the novel, but there is still plenty of growing More...
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(3 people liked it)
Jul 12, 2011
Jane
rated it:
This one was an unexpectedly fabulous read. I went into it thinking it'd be just one more moody, scandinavian mystery. And it was to some extent. But it was also a suspenseful, sometimes dryly funny effort. And Carl Morck as protagonist was highly appealing.
Carl is a detective with the Copenhagen police. He's returned to work after a shooting that left his partner paralyzed and another colleague dead. Where once he was a hard-charging investigator, now he is having a hard time More...
Carl is a detective with the Copenhagen police. He's returned to work after a shooting that left his partner paralyzed and another colleague dead. Where once he was a hard-charging investigator, now he is having a hard time More...
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(7 people liked it)
Jul 12, 2011
Leola
rated it:
If you're a fan of crime fiction thrillers &/or books with complex characters, The Keeper of Lost Causes could be your new favorite book. As a winner of the Glass Key Award presented by the Crime Writers of Scandinavia, author Jussi Adler-Olsen is in good company -- past winners include Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell (Kurt Wallander series), and Jo Nesbo. The story is about the consequences of a car accident that impacts children from two families : some are orphaned, some are physically disable
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(2 people liked it)
Nov 30, 2011
Tony
rated it:
Mercy is brilliant and continues my love affair with Scandanavian thriller writers.
Alongside Stieg Larrson and Henning Mankell, Jussi more than holds his own. Copenhagen
detective Carl Morck is sardonic, lazy, but very perceptive. He occupies the sole position
in a new Police Dept Q, which is really a front for his boss to receive millions of
kroner in funding for other purposes. That doesn't matter much as Morck takes on a long
cold case about missing politician Merete More...
Alongside Stieg Larrson and Henning Mankell, Jussi more than holds his own. Copenhagen
detective Carl Morck is sardonic, lazy, but very perceptive. He occupies the sole position
in a new Police Dept Q, which is really a front for his boss to receive millions of
kroner in funding for other purposes. That doesn't matter much as Morck takes on a long
cold case about missing politician Merete More...
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(1 person liked it)
Nov 30, 2011
Helen
rated it:
Reasonable crime thriller with an interestingly flawed detective and his companion investigating the cold case of a missing woman.
Whilst I thought it had a pretty good premise and a suitably diabolical baddie, I thought there were a few too many unnecessary tangents making the book too long, and some of the writing felt a little awkward, perhaps something was lost in translation.
However, there were good some moments of tension, and I did enjoy the ending, but still not as compelling More...
Whilst I thought it had a pretty good premise and a suitably diabolical baddie, I thought there were a few too many unnecessary tangents making the book too long, and some of the writing felt a little awkward, perhaps something was lost in translation.
However, there were good some moments of tension, and I did enjoy the ending, but still not as compelling More...
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(1 person liked it)
Jan 28, 2012
Dana
rated it:
Carl Mørck is a Danish homicide policeman. He was considered one of the best. In his last case he was shot in the head, another officer died and his partner is paralyzed and suicidal. He is feeling guilty. Mørck is now disgruntled, morose and abrasive. The other officers want nothing to do with him.
Copenhagen police have been instructed to set up a Department Q which will look at cold cases of national interest. Mørck is promoted and set up as the department chief in the basement of he More...
Copenhagen police have been instructed to set up a Department Q which will look at cold cases of national interest. Mørck is promoted and set up as the department chief in the basement of he More...
Jan 19, 2012
Wyma
rated it:
The central character quickly became a favorite among antiheroes. He is Carl Morck, a disaffected homicide detective in Copenhagen. He has good reason for the deep depression he is in - he was recently involved in a shooting where one cop was killed and the other paralyzed below the neck and only Morck comes out in decent physical shape. Still, the depression and his irascible nature combine to make him a problem at work. His boss promotes him out of the way into a new department Q.
More...
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Dec 05, 2011
Marilyn
rated it:
All you fans of Scandinavian crime fiction can rejoice at the newest offering from the far north: The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen is a strong contender for best foreign crime novel of the year, in my humble opinion. Difficult, insolent Carl Morck is back at work after being shot in the head at a horrific crime scene where two of his colleagues weren’t so lucky. He’s been “promoted” to Department Q, a dead-end police department where he’s supposed to handle cold cases. The case at
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Nov 26, 2011
Anna
rated it:
My rating for this book is probably lower than it would be if I had read the book as a printed book, and not suffered thru it as an audiobook.
The audiobook has an awesome job in the characters getting a very Danish accent, it reminded my very much of the Danish (and Nordic) colleagues I worked with in Ireland. Fortunately none of the characters had the worst kind of Copenhagen accent. The accents were fun to listen, but it started to get quite grating after the first 15 % of the sto More...
The audiobook has an awesome job in the characters getting a very Danish accent, it reminded my very much of the Danish (and Nordic) colleagues I worked with in Ireland. Fortunately none of the characters had the worst kind of Copenhagen accent. The accents were fun to listen, but it started to get quite grating after the first 15 % of the sto More...
Nov 11, 2011
Sonja
rated it:
De Vrouw in de Kooi is het eerste deel van de serie Q van Jussi Adler-Olsen. De hoofdpersoon van deze serie is de aan Posttraumatische Stress lijdende Carl Morck. Zijn collega's dachten mooi van hem af te komen door hem op de zogenaamde Cold Case afdeling Q te zetten. Zij kwamen echter bedrogen uit toen hij zich samen met assistent Assad in de zaak van de verdwenen politica Merete Lynggaard vastbeet. Dit leidde tot een verrassend en bloedstollend spannende ontknoping...
Het boek was niet moe More...
Het boek was niet moe More...
Nov 01, 2011
Dawn
rated it:
This book was a digital ARC from NetGalley that I had an opportunity to read.
Denmark and it's politics, crime investigation practices and social and economic status are all things that one can learn from reading this book. Incidentally, these are all also subjects I knew absolutely nothing about. I haven't read the uber-popular books by Stieg Larsson yet, and am not sure I ever will. However, this book came highly recommended and when the opportunity to read it was presented I took More...
Denmark and it's politics, crime investigation practices and social and economic status are all things that one can learn from reading this book. Incidentally, these are all also subjects I knew absolutely nothing about. I haven't read the uber-popular books by Stieg Larsson yet, and am not sure I ever will. However, this book came highly recommended and when the opportunity to read it was presented I took More...
Oct 12, 2011
Dee
rated it:
This was an awesome read...loved it as much as The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler. Loved it!!
The Keeper of Lost Causes, the first installment of Adler- Olsen's Department Q series, features the deeply flawed chief detective Carl MØrck, who used to be a good homicide detective-one of Copenhagen's best. Then a bullet almost took his life. Two of his colleagues weren't so lucky, and Carl, who didn't draw his weapon, blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing Carl expects.
But i More...
The Keeper of Lost Causes, the first installment of Adler- Olsen's Department Q series, features the deeply flawed chief detective Carl MØrck, who used to be a good homicide detective-one of Copenhagen's best. Then a bullet almost took his life. Two of his colleagues weren't so lucky, and Carl, who didn't draw his weapon, blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing Carl expects.
But i More...
Oct 12, 2011
Suspense Magazine
rated it:
Don’t get confused by the title. You’ll soon find yourself enjoying “The Keeper of Lost Causes” with its subtle humor, interesting characters, and a unique take on kidnapping. Although this reader is usually wary of foreign police detective stories, I found myself moving through this story quickly, eagerly waiting to see where it would take me to next.
Carl Morck is back to work in Copenhagen’s homicide department after a murder investigation gone wrong, where one of his teammates died and a More...
Carl Morck is back to work in Copenhagen’s homicide department after a murder investigation gone wrong, where one of his teammates died and a More...
Oct 11, 2011
The Keeper of Lost Causes, by Jussi Adler-Olsen, A. Narrated by Erik Davies, Produced by Penguin Audio Books, Downloaded from audible.com.
The Keeper of Lost Causes, the first installment of Adler- Olsen's Department Q series, features the deeply flawed chief detective Carl Morck, who used to be a good homicide detective-one of Copenhagen's best. But even in his prime, he was not a team player and suffered no fools, so he wasn’t well liked by other officers. Then a bullet almost took More...
The Keeper of Lost Causes, the first installment of Adler- Olsen's Department Q series, features the deeply flawed chief detective Carl Morck, who used to be a good homicide detective-one of Copenhagen's best. But even in his prime, he was not a team player and suffered no fools, so he wasn’t well liked by other officers. Then a bullet almost took More...
Oct 04, 2011
Mason
rated it:
A riveting tale of suspense, THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES is told from two viewpoints and begins five years apart.
In 2002 Merete Lynggard was a young, rising political star in Denmark. While a bit controversial, everyone seemed to like her. She cared for her younger brother who was unable to speak. He had been severely injured in a car wreck that had also killed their parents. One day on a boat ride with her brother, Merete disappeared.
At first there was speculation that her bro More...
In 2002 Merete Lynggard was a young, rising political star in Denmark. While a bit controversial, everyone seemed to like her. She cared for her younger brother who was unable to speak. He had been severely injured in a car wreck that had also killed their parents. One day on a boat ride with her brother, Merete disappeared.
At first there was speculation that her bro More...
Sep 30, 2011
Dee
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Sep 29, 2011
dubh
rated it:
Mein erster Eindruck war ungefähr so, dass ich dachte, okay, noch ein skandinavischer Krimiautor, der es auf diverse Bestsellerlisten geschafft hat. Einziger Unterschied: Jussi Adler-Olsen ist ein Däne. Auch hat mich zugegebenermaßen der kurze Text auf dem Buch nicht sonderlich angesprochen, es klang mir erst einmal zu gruselig - eine Frau, die in einer Art Betonbunker festgehalten wird, seit unfassbaren 126 Tagen und ohne zu wissen warum. Ihr Geburtstagsgeschenk besteht darin, dass sie Licht be
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Sep 12, 2011
Luanne
rated it:
Yes, there is a plethora (I love that word) of Nordic and Scandinavian authors making their names known in North America lately, but here's one you want to take note of and write down - Jussi Adler-Olsen. Adler-Olsen is the author of the "Department Q" series featuring Carl Morck. The Keeper of Lost Causes is the first in the series and newly released in North America.
"Twenty-five years on the police force and ten in the homicide division has hardened him. That's how thi More...
"Twenty-five years on the police force and ten in the homicide division has hardened him. That's how thi More...
Sep 08, 2011
Halley
rated it:
This dark, atmospheric and compelling storyline is a most fascinating thriller which kept me absolutely breathless until the very last page. The multi-dimensional characters were phenomenal.
Carl, a rough, gruff tortured-soul of a police detective who alienates everyone around him, is the main protagonist. The murder case he’s on is absolutely chilling. It begins with a woman being abducted and held in a sealed room, tormented and tortured by creepy sadists. The investigation is an in More...
Carl, a rough, gruff tortured-soul of a police detective who alienates everyone around him, is the main protagonist. The murder case he’s on is absolutely chilling. It begins with a woman being abducted and held in a sealed room, tormented and tortured by creepy sadists. The investigation is an in More...
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Sep 05, 2011
Barbara
rated it:
The more famous Scandinavian crime novels have come from Sweden and Norway, but with this entry Denmark shows it has a grittier side, too. This Danish thriller was exactly that, thrilling. People use the phrase "page-turner" far too often. But it applies in this case. Plan on putting everything else in your life on hold if you pick up this book.
Curmudgeonly police detective Carl Mørck was injured on the job. One of the other members of his team was killed and another drastica More...
Curmudgeonly police detective Carl Mørck was injured on the job. One of the other members of his team was killed and another drastica More...
Sep 04, 2011
Billpilgrim
rated it:
This is the first book in a series about the special section in the Copenahgen police department called Department Q, which was just established to investigate particularly sensitive crimes, either because of some political aspect or public interest or other reason. The detective put in charge, Carl Morck, has just returned from a medical leave. He was injured when he and two other police were unexpectedly fired upon while investigating a murder scene. One of the other police died and the third
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Aug 30, 2011
Alla
rated it:
“The keeper of lost causes” by Jussi Adler-Olsen follows Danish detective Carl Morck, as he gets promoted to head a special police department dedicated to solving old cases which were never solved, and referred to as department Q.
Carl’s first case is the five-year-old disappearance of an attractive Democratic vice-chairperson politician called Merete Lynggaard. The book then jumps back and forth between 2007, the year Carl starts his investigation, and 2002—the year when Merete disa More...
Carl’s first case is the five-year-old disappearance of an attractive Democratic vice-chairperson politician called Merete Lynggaard. The book then jumps back and forth between 2007, the year Carl starts his investigation, and 2002—the year when Merete disa More...
Aug 27, 2011
Tony
rated it:
Adler-Olsen, Jussi. THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES. (2011). ****.
The author is, supposedly, Denmark’s number one crime writer – his books routinely topping the bestseller lists across Europe. This is the first of his thrillers to be translated into English (careful, though! the title used for this novel in Britain and Europe was “Mercy”). If this was his first in the series, I can’t understand why it is listed as a first edition and copywritten in 2011. Who knows? We are introduced to t More...
The author is, supposedly, Denmark’s number one crime writer – his books routinely topping the bestseller lists across Europe. This is the first of his thrillers to be translated into English (careful, though! the title used for this novel in Britain and Europe was “Mercy”). If this was his first in the series, I can’t understand why it is listed as a first edition and copywritten in 2011. Who knows? We are introduced to t More...
Aug 21, 2011
Karen
rated it:
Copenhagen homicide detective Carl Mørck has just returned from sick leave. He's physically recovered from the bullet wound he received while investigating his last case, but not emotionally. One of his partners is dead, the other is stuck in the Hornbaek Clinic for Spinal Cord Injuries, and it's his fault (or near enough).
Mørck's a bit perplexed when he's made head of the newly formed Department Q on his first day back. Department Q (staff: 1) is located at the Copenhagen police headqu More...
Mørck's a bit perplexed when he's made head of the newly formed Department Q on his first day back. Department Q (staff: 1) is located at the Copenhagen police headqu More...
Jul 22, 2011
J.M.
rated it:
Uneven, at times taut and engrossing thriller, which needs a firm editor’s hand.
Merete Lynggaard has a quiet life. She gets rid of anyone and anything that does not help her keep her private life private: secretaries, men, outsiders. She is also on the rise in her political party and may someday be Prime Minister—until she goes missing and is presumed suicide.
Carl Morck has his own demons to battle since he and his partners were injured or killed during a homicide investigat More...
Merete Lynggaard has a quiet life. She gets rid of anyone and anything that does not help her keep her private life private: secretaries, men, outsiders. She is also on the rise in her political party and may someday be Prime Minister—until she goes missing and is presumed suicide.
Carl Morck has his own demons to battle since he and his partners were injured or killed during a homicide investigat More...
