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121st out of 166 books
—
233 voters
The Absent One (Afdeling Q (Department Q) #2)
In The Keeper of Lost Causes, Jussi Adler-Olsen introduced Detective Carl Mørck, a deeply flawed, brilliant detective newly assigned to run Department Q, the home of Copenhagen’s coldest cases. The result wasn’t what Mørck—or readers—expected, but by the opening of Adler-Olsen’s shocking, fast-paced follow-up, Mørck is satisfied with the notion of picking up long-cold lead...more
Hardcover, 416 pages
Published
August 21st 2012
by Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
(first published 2007)
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Aug 13, 2012
Bettie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Bettie by:
Andreas
Translated by K E Semmel
Dedicated to the three Graces and iron ladies: Anne, Lene and Charlotte.
Opening: When she ventured down the pedestrian street called Strøget, she was poised as if on the edge of a knife. With her face half covered by a dirty shawl, she slipped passed well-lit shop windows, alert eyes scanning the street.
M has just cracked open #3 in this series as swedish audio file.
FYI - have discovered this is not a series where you can jump in at any point, they need to be read in ord...more
Dedicated to the three Graces and iron ladies: Anne, Lene and Charlotte.
Opening: When she ventured down the pedestrian street called Strøget, she was poised as if on the edge of a knife. With her face half covered by a dirty shawl, she slipped passed well-lit shop windows, alert eyes scanning the street.
M has just cracked open #3 in this series as swedish audio file.
FYI - have discovered this is not a series where you can jump in at any point, they need to be read in ord...more
Book Review:
Note: this is not a who-dun-it (we know the "Who" of it from the get go). So, if the lack of this doesn't hit your sweet spot, it might not appeal.
The Absent One is Adler-Olsen's nod towards psychiatry (sociopathy), youth gangs, and his ever-present criticism of just about everything: a judgment that comes across as a razor blade deftly plunged into the soft flesh of Danish politics and wealth.
"In tiny Denmark the system was so ingenious that if you knew dirt about somebody, they al...more
Note: this is not a who-dun-it (we know the "Who" of it from the get go). So, if the lack of this doesn't hit your sweet spot, it might not appeal.
The Absent One is Adler-Olsen's nod towards psychiatry (sociopathy), youth gangs, and his ever-present criticism of just about everything: a judgment that comes across as a razor blade deftly plunged into the soft flesh of Danish politics and wealth.
"In tiny Denmark the system was so ingenious that if you knew dirt about somebody, they al...more
4 likes · like · see review
Why did I read it? Because it an unproofed copy was offered to me in exchange for a review and I really enjoyed The Keeper of Lost Causes by the same author, but in audio format.
What's it about? Comprised of some of the elite of Danish society, a pack of hunters are seeking the ultimate adrenaline rush when one of their former members, long since disappeared, decides she has had enough of hiding from them in plain sight. Kimmie is on the move, and dangerous because Kimmie knows their darkest sec...more
What's it about? Comprised of some of the elite of Danish society, a pack of hunters are seeking the ultimate adrenaline rush when one of their former members, long since disappeared, decides she has had enough of hiding from them in plain sight. Kimmie is on the move, and dangerous because Kimmie knows their darkest sec...more
I really like the story line a lot. I could see this happening. Jussi made Assad seem real in this story, giving people a hard time and then in the end he was so human. It's a good story for you to sink your teeth into. Not for the lite hearted.
4 likes · like · see review
When I finally gave in to the "Dragon Tattoo Nordic" wave (and no, I still haven't read that series), I started with Adler-Olsen's chilling "The Keeper of Lost Causes." It was diabolically excellent, and although it didn't launch me into Nordic Frenzy, I couldn't wait for the next Department Q installment.
This is the second in what I feel certain is going to be a long relationship -- "The Absent One" was diabolical in a whole 'nother way. As concentrated as the evil was in "The Keeper of Lost Ca...more
This is the second in what I feel certain is going to be a long relationship -- "The Absent One" was diabolical in a whole 'nother way. As concentrated as the evil was in "The Keeper of Lost Ca...more
3 likes · like · see review
A disappointment! I liked Jussi Adler-Olsen's "Keeper of the Lost Causes" quite a lot. "The Absent One" is definitely not in the same class. Carl Morcks's character is still interesting, but the characterizations of two other protagonists, Assad and Rosa, are just caricatures.
"The Absent One" could have been a great revenge story, yet it veered into a totally unbelievable territory. Would you believe rich industrialists and fashion celebrities to be mass murderers? No, I guess not. But the book...more
"The Absent One" could have been a great revenge story, yet it veered into a totally unbelievable territory. Would you believe rich industrialists and fashion celebrities to be mass murderers? No, I guess not. But the book...more
Disgrace is a fairly straightforward police procedural thriller that slowly builds to a suspenseful climax. The strengths of the book are the characterisation, pacing, and page-turning prose. Carl Morck, Assad his Syrian colleague, and Rose his new administrator, are all well constructed characters whose prejudices and personalities lead to some entertaining exchanges. Where the book has some serious problems, depending on how much you want to suspend your sense of realism, is the plot. I’m will...more
When I have read the not so favourable reviews and saw a German critic throwing Adler-Olsen's books into a rubbish bin I was a little alert that it wouldn't be as good as Mercy. Fortunately, it was. I was looking forward to the character of Assad who was (at least partially) replaced by Rose. But she is a really good replacement. Liked how she was seen by Carl and their interaction. :) The story is not about unveiling the perps but about their relationships, which doesn't diminish the suspense a...more
I came across this in the airport. It was advertised as something for fans of ”The Killing” and the cover portrays a Sarah Lund lookalike. I thought some crime/detective thriller along the lines of the Millennium series was just what I needed: non-demanding yet engrossing. I didn't realize it was the 2nd book in a series until it was too late, so admittedly, perhaps I missed some crucial character development that would make ”Disgrace” more enjoyable. I disliked the cartoony, manichean villains...more
I downloaded this novel on the day of it's UK release and waited for a week before starting it .....wish i had waited longer In truth .
I so enjoyed the first novel in the series and this was ( hopefully ) the book highlight of the year ......not to be sorry , a clunking novel , poorly translated and just not enough of the dark humour which i loved in the first .....why was Assad only given an almost by-stander role ? for me he was the best thing about book 1 ....
I wouldn't go into plot details ,...more
I so enjoyed the first novel in the series and this was ( hopefully ) the book highlight of the year ......not to be sorry , a clunking novel , poorly translated and just not enough of the dark humour which i loved in the first .....why was Assad only given an almost by-stander role ? for me he was the best thing about book 1 ....
I wouldn't go into plot details ,...more
Also published under the title "Disgrace"
Book 2, in the Department Q series
We learnt in the first installment that Department Q was set up the handle cold cases with Carlo Morck, a prickly Copenhagen Deputy Det., to lead it. This follow-up is quite different to the first case he tackled. This story is more brutal and is filled with great inventiveness in its descriptions of the technique of torture and depravity. The nonstop action is pulse-pounding with many unforeseen twists to derail us altho...more
Book 2, in the Department Q series
We learnt in the first installment that Department Q was set up the handle cold cases with Carlo Morck, a prickly Copenhagen Deputy Det., to lead it. This follow-up is quite different to the first case he tackled. This story is more brutal and is filled with great inventiveness in its descriptions of the technique of torture and depravity. The nonstop action is pulse-pounding with many unforeseen twists to derail us altho...more
Unfortunately, I didn't find this one nearly as engrossing as the first book in this series. As a matter of preference, I tend to prefer books where the culprit isn't revealed until the very end (as opposed to ones where the reader knows from the start who the villain is, and the story is all about the detective finding the proof) -- so that was one disappointment with this book. A worse disappointment was the story of the crimes -- bored, sadistic rich people hurting people just for the rush --...more
1 like · like · see review
The Danes (and Swedes and Finns and Norwegians) write great detective novels. The detectives are always intense, conflicted, troubled, real. In this case, the detective Carl Morck and his Dept Q are also quite humorous. Assistants Assad and Rose are complements to Morck's darkness. Morck himself is a one-man Greek Chorus whose comments, both internal and explicitly verbal, made me laugh out loud more than once.
But the mystery itself is gruesome. It's one of those where the guilty parties are kno...more
But the mystery itself is gruesome. It's one of those where the guilty parties are kno...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Detective Carl Mørck is something of a celebrity at the moment – not only is he popular in Denmark after he solved what was deemed to be an unsolvable case, but now delegates from other countries are coming to visit. They want to get a look at Department Q, to find out how it works, what makes it so efficient so that they can implement those methods in new departments in their own countries for solving cold cases.
Carl can’t worry too much about visiting Norwegians and the questions they have tho...more
Carl can’t worry too much about visiting Norwegians and the questions they have tho...more
For some unknown reason my stars are not working so this gets 4.5 here.
I had the very good fortune to read an ARC of
" The Absent One"
Department Q. Is the home of Copenhagen's coldest cases. Headed by det. Morck a deeply flawed individual with problems of his own, too many to mention here.
I loved how this progressed, even though I did not read the first book, I still kept up rather well. The realationshop between Morck and his Arab pal Assad was a bit annoying at first, untill I got used to th...more
I had the very good fortune to read an ARC of
" The Absent One"
Department Q. Is the home of Copenhagen's coldest cases. Headed by det. Morck a deeply flawed individual with problems of his own, too many to mention here.
I loved how this progressed, even though I did not read the first book, I still kept up rather well. The realationshop between Morck and his Arab pal Assad was a bit annoying at first, untill I got used to th...more
1 like · like · see review
Hot on the heels of the Scandi-crime phase comes a new Danish detective. Unlike Wallander, Lund or Hole the character of Carl Mørck works with cold cases. This time the case is not as cold as they believe, a file placed on his desk begins an investigation that will take him into the heart of the privileged higher echelons of Danish society.
It feels familiar territory, those who feel that money has made them untouchable. Mørck uncovers an unsavoury truth about what happens when the untouchables...more
It feels familiar territory, those who feel that money has made them untouchable. Mørck uncovers an unsavoury truth about what happens when the untouchables...more
After the success of their first case, Carl Mørck has found himself in the odd position of receiving praise rather than the usual criticism. Now cleared to continue their work and with their pick of cases, Department Q is ready to move ahead. And they're getting a new team member as well. But before Rose joins them, Carl and Assad discover a strange case file dropped on Carl's desk. No one knows where it came from or why it's been sent to Department Q. It's a closed case from the 80s -- the murd...more
Jun 14, 2013
Marcie
added it
The second in a fine series, especially if you are reading it in the American South in June. I disagree with some of the previous readers, in that this book was just as well told and had the addition of the new "sidekick", the socially inept, Rose. Carl, Assad and Rose looks like an investigative marriage made in Heaven. - Oh, but please stop teasing us about Assad's past. Give it up!
This is second in the Department Q series in Copenhagen featuring the broken detective Carl Morck who becomes intrigued by an old case which was solved many years ago. A brother and sister were murdered in a cabin in the woods and a man was convicted, but that is not the whole story. The man convicted had a very influential group of friends and they may or may not have been involved. Through good, hard detective work, Morck and his assistant Assad, along with their new assistant, Rose Knudsen ar...more
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I thought this was a well plotted police procedural. It was a little slow to get going but it soon picked up pace and motored along. All of the characters were well presented, from Carl, Assad and the indomitable Rose to the sadistic group of wealthy industrialiasts who use their money and power to hide behind.
But it was Kimmie who had broken from the group and was now hunting the hunters. I found Kimmie to be the most interesting character. Kimmie who was part of a group of outsiders, all wealt...more
But it was Kimmie who had broken from the group and was now hunting the hunters. I found Kimmie to be the most interesting character. Kimmie who was part of a group of outsiders, all wealt...more
This was quite a disappointment after the first book. The writing/translating was clunky, and there was no mystery to solve. The bad guys were really, really bad, and the good guy (girl) wasn't very good. Assad wasn't funny, and neither was Carl. So much of the plot was so absurdly unbelievable, and a lot of the cruelty felt gratuitous and repetitive. There were also too many extra characters, and I refused to believe that someone like Rose could work in a professional setting (don't you at leas...more
I really like the background of this series - Department Q, Carl Morck, Assad - Carl's collegue, and now Rose - their new secretary. I really enjoy a quirky cast of characters who come together to work on cases. The cases are what is not for the faint of heart. In this instant, I found the events of the case to be particularly cruel and that made the reading tough at times, but yet I kept reading because I wanted to solve the case but also wanted to know what happens to these characters. Who is...more
Didn't disappoint. The second instalment in the Department Q series is, like Mercy, original, dark, twisted and graphic. From the dramatic opening Prologue to the bloody and poignant climax, the reader is absorbed and gripped throughout. The characters of Carl and Assad and the relationship between them are wonderfully written and Jussi Alder Olson..a bit like Nesbo, manages to pepper this disturbing tail with wit, warmth and genuinely comic moments. Like Mercy..just a bit too far fetched - hen...more
De fazantenmoordenaars is het 2e deel van de Q trilogie na 'De vrouw in de kooi'. Het is zelfstandig te lezen.
Op het bureau van Carl Mørck ligt een dossier over een oude zaak van 1987. Hoe het daar terecht is gekomen, weten ze niet. Er waren toen twee jongeren, een broer en een zus gevonden in een vakantiehuisje in Noord-Seeland, onherkenbaar doodgeslagen. Uit het politieonderzoek blijkt dat de dader gezocht moet worden binnen een groep van kostschoolleerlingen die uit de rijkste kringen van het...more
Op het bureau van Carl Mørck ligt een dossier over een oude zaak van 1987. Hoe het daar terecht is gekomen, weten ze niet. Er waren toen twee jongeren, een broer en een zus gevonden in een vakantiehuisje in Noord-Seeland, onherkenbaar doodgeslagen. Uit het politieonderzoek blijkt dat de dader gezocht moet worden binnen een groep van kostschoolleerlingen die uit de rijkste kringen van het...more
I read this is English, not Danish. This book is a little more predictable than the first in it's outcome, but the characters are more eclectic and interesting, and we get to know them better. I enjoyed this book a little less than the first, but am still looking forward to reading more from this author, who is fun to read and his work goes by quickly for me. Still set in Copenhagen, the story revolves around a group of friends from boarding school who are clearly off their rockers, but bored, b...more
Dec 12, 2012
Inga
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
thriller,
northern-stars
Nach Erbarmen ist Schändung der zweite Fall für Adler Olsens Kommissar Carl Mørck. Letzterer ist in seinem Job angekommen und bekommt mit Sekretärin Rose eine weitere Mitarbeiterin hinzu. Auch sie ist jemand, die sich anderswo nicht so richtig einfügen will - und passt damit ausgezeichnet zu Carl und Assad, auch wenn Carl das natürlich zunächst nicht zugeben kann.
Der Fall ist brutaler gelagert als der erste: Eine Gruppe von dänischen High Society Unternehmern ist seit ihrer Jugend im Internatsmi...more
Der Fall ist brutaler gelagert als der erste: Eine Gruppe von dänischen High Society Unternehmern ist seit ihrer Jugend im Internatsmi...more
Having liked The Keeper of Lost Causes, I was looking forward to this second installment. I was not disappointed. The bad guys are former preppies, sadistic businessmen who kill animals for fun and humans to improve their bottom line. I couldn't wait to see them get their inevitable comeuppance. Because of Kimmie, the character who is stalking the bad guys, dedicated to revenge I liked this one more than the first. Yes, she at one time participated in their evildoing, but she has left that all b...more
The Absent One: a Department Q Novel
When last we saw Carl Morck, he had successfully solved the five year disappearance of a member of the Danish Parliament. His success made the newest department of the Copenhagen Police instantly famous. In the three weeks that have passed since completing that case, Detective Inspector Morck has been on holiday. When he arrives back at his subterranean office to continue the work of Department Q, which is to solve cold cases, mysteriously (and the only actu...more
When last we saw Carl Morck, he had successfully solved the five year disappearance of a member of the Danish Parliament. His success made the newest department of the Copenhagen Police instantly famous. In the three weeks that have passed since completing that case, Detective Inspector Morck has been on holiday. When he arrives back at his subterranean office to continue the work of Department Q, which is to solve cold cases, mysteriously (and the only actu...more
A solved murder case from decades earlier has landed on the desk of Copenhagen’s Department Q where only cold cases are investigated.
Puzzled by the mysterious file, Detective Carl Mørck and his assistant Assad begin checking into the case. They are aided in their investigation by a new member to Department Q, Rose. She’s a bit sassy, but thorough in her assignments.
Narrator Steven Pacey does an excellent job bringing the various characters to life, giving each a distinct voice. His cadence, acce...more
Puzzled by the mysterious file, Detective Carl Mørck and his assistant Assad begin checking into the case. They are aided in their investigation by a new member to Department Q, Rose. She’s a bit sassy, but thorough in her assignments.
Narrator Steven Pacey does an excellent job bringing the various characters to life, giving each a distinct voice. His cadence, acce...more
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Jussi Adler-Olsen was born in Copenhagen and studied medicine, sociology, politics and film. He worked as a magazine editor and publisher before starting to write fiction. So far he has written four Department Q thrillers, which all hit the Danish bestseller lists on publication and stayed there ever since.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jussi_Ad...
More about Jussi Adler-Olsen...
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jussi_Ad...
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I didn't think so Laura, that's why I am truthful about the content. Would hate to think of you...more
Aug 14, 2012 03:53am
Aug 14, 2012 04:05am