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The Absent One (Afdeling Q (Department Q) #2)

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 3,159 ratings · 477 reviews

I 1987 findes et søskendepar brutalt myrdet i et sommerhus. Politiets efterforskning peger på, at morderen skal findes blandt en gruppe unge kostskoleelever, der kommer fra nogle af de mest velhavende familier i Danmark. Men beviserne er ikke stærke nok, og sagen henlægges, indtil en af de mistænkte ni år senere melder sig og tilstår, at han stod bag mordene. Dermed er sag...more

ebook, epub eBook, 416 pages

Published August 21st 2012 by Penguin Group (first published 2008)

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Aug 13, 2012 Bettie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Bettie by: Andreas

Shelves: translation, summer-2012, danish-root, paper-read, series, mystery-thriller, one-penny-wonder, published-2008, too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts, recreational-drugs, recreational-homicide, filthy-lucre, gorefest, serial-killer

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

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Aug 14, 2012 Ancestral Gael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: a-vine, crime, denmark, fiction, reviewed

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

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Sep 11, 2012 Kenneth Fredette rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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.

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Nov 11, 2012 Ronna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

Thrills and suspense continue in Department Q, where closed cases come to light in a new way. Detective Carl Morck, and his office staff, a pesky Muslim, and mouthy Ruby, work in the basement of a Denmark police station. As the laughing stock of the station, they find themselves working against the system most of the time.

A case file mysteriously finds it's way on Carl's desk. Strangely, it's not a cold case, but a closed case. So why is it on his desk. As his department Q starts checking it out...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Eva rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scandi-and-nordic-crime

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

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Jan 13, 2013 Cphe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Jul 16, 2012 Eleanor rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, mystery

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

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Sep 27, 2012 Eyehavenofilter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scan-nor-rus-crime

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

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Feb 13, 2013 Pat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

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

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Apr 17, 2013 Tara rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Apr 12, 2013 Ingrid Verschelling rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

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 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 land afkomstig zijn. Negen jaar later had iemand zichzelf aangegeven en bekend. De zaak was afgesloten met een rechterlijk vonnis en de man had levenslang gekregen. Wat wel vreemd was, was dat er een jaaropgave van de belastingdienst bij het dossier zat wat gericht was aan Bjarne Thøgersen in de staatsgevangenis, de man die de twee jongeren had vermoord. Er stond een gigantisch bedrag bij de rubriek aandelenverkoop. Hij kwam niet uit een rijke familie. Hij was de enige uit de kostschoolgroep met een studiebeurs. Hoe kwam hij aan het startkapitaal?

Toen Carl en Assad zich in de zaak gingen verdiepen, kregen ze van de korpschef het bevel de zaak te laten liggen en zich te concentreren op zaken, die niet hadden geleid tot een rechterlijk vonnis. Carl had de opdracht gekregen de zaak te laten rusten en daarom kon hij het niet. Niemand besliste over hem. Ze waren er nu mee bezig en niemand moest proberen ze tegen te houden. Ondertussen hadden ze Rose toegevoegd aan zijn afdeling, een opstandige secretaresse, die de politieschool had doorlopen, maar alleen voor het rij- examen was gezakt. Carl vindt haar behoorlijk irritant.

De fazantenmoordenaars zijn enkele rijke mannen, die nu een hoge positie bekleden in de maatschappij. Zij doodden al sinds ze elkaar op kostschool leerden kennen. Niet alleen fazanten en ander wild, maar vroeger ook mensen. Zij zien elkaar nog geregeld bij de jachtpartijen, die worden georganiseerd door de schatrijke zakenman Ditlev Pram. Bewijzen zijn er nooit geweest, maar nu blijkt de enige vrouw uit hun groep wel bewijzen te hebben. Zij heeft vitale en gevaarlijke informatie, die een klopjacht in gang zet om haar als eerste te vinden. Zij is aan lager wal geraakt en dakloos en is uit op wraak.

In de fazantenmoordenaars worden verschillende hoofdpersonen gevolgd. De karakters zijn goed uitgewerkt en de spanning wordt goed opgebouwd. Je voelt het sadistische gedrag van de daders. Toch vond ik het verhaal minder beklemmend dan De vrouw in de kooi. Voor het derde verhaal "De noodkreet in de fles" heeft Jussi Adler-Olsen de glazen sleutel gekregen, de prijs voor beste Scandinavische misdaadroman 2010. Ik ben benieuwd of dat boek dan weer 5 sterren bij mij haalt.(less)

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Mar 12, 2013 Andrea Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Jan 01, 2013 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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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 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 Internatsmilieu gewalttätig, prügelt, quält und tötet. Und kommt weitgehend ungestraft damit durch. Zentrale Figur ist Kimmie, die einzige Frau der Gruppe, die zugleich das schwächste und das brutalste Element ist. Kimmie ist der Gruppe vor einiger Zeit entflohen und führt ein Schattendasein am Rande der Gesellschaft, sie versteckt sich als Obdachlose in Kopenhagen. Mit ihrem Wissen ist sie für die Gruppe gefährlich, gleichzeitig ist sie selbst in Gefahr, denn die übrigen wollen sie endlich ausgeschaltet sehen.
Die Recherchen Carl Mørcks verlaufen eher träge, zwar findet er einige der Opfer, aber dass er schließlich das Ausmaß des Falles begreift, ist nicht sein eigener Verdienst.
Vielmehr ist Kimmie die Protagonistin und Erzählerin des Falles, denn aus ihrer Sicht wird das Geschehen schließlich aufgerollt und zum Ende gebracht, während Assad und Carl im Grunde angesichts der extremen Gewaltbereitschaft der Täter versagen.
Genau dies ist auch mein Kritikpunkt an dem sonst spannenden Roman: Zunächst erblicken wir Kimmie als mysteriöses Wesen, dessen Verhaltensweisen und Beweggründe unklar sind - im letzten Drittel erfahren wir plötzlich alles offen und konkret aus ihrer Sicht und die Ermittler werden im Grunde überflüssig, denn wir wissen schon, was Sache ist. Es folgt noch die Verkehrung des Racheengels in die Person, die unsere Ermittler vor dem sicheren Tod rettet und an sich selbst Gerechtigkeit übt.
Unklar bin ich mir auch noch darüber, ob es glaubhaft ist, dass diese Gewalterfahrung und seine Angst, erneut einen Partner zu verlieren, bei Carl Mørck eine Veränderung seines Verhaltens bewirkt: Er entschließt sich nun doch, seine Probleme offen der Psychologin zu schildern, sich helfen zu lassen und sich gleichzeitig zum Gutmensch zu wandeln. Etwas viel auf einmal, wie ich finde.
Der nächste Band wird zeigen, ob das aufgehen kann. (less)

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Dec 11, 2012 Sandie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Against all odds, Detective Carl Morck of the Copenhagen Police Department, has made a success of Department Q. When he returned from sick leave a year ago, the force wasn’t sure what to do with him. He was judged fit to return to service but having your partner killed in front of you and your oldest friend completely paralyzed didn’t leave the administration brimming with confidence about Monck’s abilities to work. A brilliant bureaucratic idea created Department Q for Morck. He was assigned to...more Against all odds, Detective Carl Morck of the Copenhagen Police Department, has made a success of Department Q. When he returned from sick leave a year ago, the force wasn’t sure what to do with him. He was judged fit to return to service but having your partner killed in front of you and your oldest friend completely paralyzed didn’t leave the administration brimming with confidence about Monck’s abilities to work. A brilliant bureaucratic idea created Department Q for Morck. He was assigned to the basement, there to work on the coldest of cold cases and leave the administration alone. Against all odds, Morck and his Syrian assistant, a janitor named Hafez Assad, solved one of the most mysterious cold cases in the department’s history. Now, Morck is untouchable with all the public praise his work has garnered.

He is so successful that he returns from his summer vacation to find that his basement empire has been enlarged with the addition of Rose Knudsen. Her dream was to be a policewoman, but failing the driving test meant that couldn’t happen. She has now been assigned to Morck to help him and he is dismayed by the realization that just sitting and doing nothing is getting more problematic as he gets more publicity and assistants. Against his inclination, he starts another case.

The new case is a strange one. Two students, brother and sister, were killed twenty years ago. The suspects were a group of boarding students from a prestigious academy. There was no real evidence and the case was unsolved for nine years. Suddenly, after almost a decade, one of the group had come in and confessed and was currently serving time. The others in the group went their separate ways, and used their wealth and influence to become leaders in Danish businesses. Did the man in jail really commit the crime by himself as he claimed or did the group buy him off? Who put the case on Carl’s desk and why has it surfaced again after all these years? And where is the absent one, Kimmie? Kimmie was the only female in the group but opposed to the success of the men, has spent years living on the streets as a homeless vagrant. What drove Kimmie to the streets and where is she now? Was the student murder the group’s only crime or just the tip of the iceberg?

Readers who enjoyed Adler-Olsen’s first book, The Keeper Of Lost Causes, will be glad to visit again with Monck. Monck’s gritty determination to follow through and his ability to solve cases almost against his will are intriguing. The plot of the case is complicated and intricately connected as Monck attempts to determine why such successful men fear no one but the absent one. This book is recommended for mystery readers.(less)

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Dec 11, 2012 Monica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-and-or-evil, scandinavia

There is a new member of Department Q, joining the odd couple of Carl Morck and Assad in the investigation of cold cases. Rose, the administrative assistant from hell, got top marks in the academy exams, but failed her driving test and can't get along with anybody in any other department, so she's given to Morck to get her out of the way.

Their new case is one that appears mysteriously on Morck's desk, and it's a puzzle - a cold case that was solved years ago when a young man confessed to the mur...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Lukasz Pruski rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Nov 23, 2012 Trilby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, denmark, detective-story, thriller

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

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Nov 19, 2012 Thomas Holbrook rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

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 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 actual mystery of this book) the case that appears predominately on his desk is 20 years old but there is a person in prison who has admitted to that crime. How did the file come to be on Inspector Morck’s desk? What would be the purpose in looking into a 20 year-0ld case that is already solved?
These questions lead to the solution of the mystery of how the case came to his attention while it prepares the way for the remainder of the work to be filled with the suspense of following where the answers lead the folks of Department Q. When Insp. Morck, “Assistant Assistant Deputy Director” Assad and the new department secretary, Rose, begin to delve into it, it quickly becomes apparent that the case, while technically solved, is far from being successfully closed. Unlike Mr. Adler-Olsen’s first Department Q novel, Keeper of Lost Causes, the reader knows the crimes at the same time as does the hero, but she/he also knows who committed them well before Dept. Q. This book is less mystery than it is a novel of suspense.
The characters are clearly drawn but are shallow and two dimensional; the “good guys” are all but wearing white hats, the criminals are the purest of evil. Given the propensity of the Nordic writers I have read not to have a tidy, clear, “happy,” endings, I was looking forward to seeing if the “evil” so readily evident in the course of the story would be completely thwarted by the novels end. The resolution was satisfactory and fitting, albeit very Nordic. At least two of the plot lines introduced in the first novel are revisited in this second installment with a layer added to one major line that elevated my interest delightfully.
The descriptions of the crimes are often in dreadful detail, the language is somewhat raw and the locations are, suitably (as that is where the story and writer are located), Danish – Copenhagen to be precise – and were therefore alien and difficult to pronounce to this provincial reader. There are many humorous moments amid the tension, particularly in the interactions between Det. Morck, Assad (the department’s bafflingly talented, Middle Eastern newest detective) and Rose, who brings a new meaning to the concept of ADD. Overall, I was not as charmed with Mr. Adler-Olsen’s sophomore novel as was I of his first. As mentioned, the characters are “unfinished,” the villainy too melodramatic and many of the actions taken by the criminals, while plausible, rang hollow and seemed to be more political rant than formative to an otherwise well done storyline.
I do look forward to the third visit with Department Q. There is romance afoot, chivalry renewed and more cases that appear dead until they are taken up by the Department amid the Basement Pipes.
(less)

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Nov 05, 2012 Seonaid rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scandinavian-detective-fiction

'Disgrace' is an unusual book, a story with a fairly fast paced plot line but some amazingly stilted language use. Not being able to read Danish, I don't know if this is the style Adler-Olsen writes in, or whether the translation is weak in places.

Language issues aside, the story is interesting and the characters - surprisingly not least of all Kimmie - captivating. Of all the characters, Kimmie is the one most fully explored. We are shown snap shots of her childhood and early adulthood, and her...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Nicola rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Simply superb psychological thriller. Adler-Olsen does it again. Detective Carl Morck is pulled into a case 20 years old and then related cases seem to pop up all over the place. As if that isn't enough, murders are happening now that just may well have a connection with these cold cases as well and the names involved are only just the creme de la creme of Norway's high society. Carl and his sidekick Assad are back together again with their trepiditious fri...more Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Simply superb psychological thriller. Adler-Olsen does it again. Detective Carl Morck is pulled into a case 20 years old and then related cases seem to pop up all over the place. As if that isn't enough, murders are happening now that just may well have a connection with these cold cases as well and the names involved are only just the creme de la creme of Norway's high society. Carl and his sidekick Assad are back together again with their trepiditious friendship more firmly grounded as they have learnt to trust one another and as they stand together facing the unknown element of a new partner to their Department, the cold, mouthy, yet efficient Rose Knudsen. I absolutely loved the case; very unique, very creepy, never quite sure where the author was going to go with it. One thing I often wondered about was the scene that takes place in the "Prologue", who is the person that this is happening to? I found myself going back and reading it a couple of times because I thought I'd figured it out but could find no clues to back myself up and pow! what a zinger, when we do find out who it is.

I'm a big fan of Carl; he's crusty, used to the old ways, doesn't like change and isn't really about to change in anyway he can get away with it. He and Assad are polar opposites but they've worked out quite a nice relationship, where they can drive each other batty at times and at others work on perfect sync. I'm not impressed with the new addition of Rose but I don't think I'm supposed to be. I've been exposed to Carl's opinion of her and her attitudes toward him and I'm not liking it. Three's a crowd , I say. But someone else may say, they need a female voice in here. She's a pain in the butt and I'm not prepared to like her, but we'll see what happens in the next book. However, I'm not docking any points because I don't like a character! Great, great thriller. Love Adler-Olsen's writing, the intensity, the shock value without going too far, but going far enough to give us that just beyond sick, sicko psycho killer. Bring on the next book!

PS: I love the UK covers and titles for this series! Even though neither the US nor UK titles reflect the original intent of the Danish titles. This one's Danish title literally translated is "The Pheasant Hunters", which is a phrase used in the book to denote a certain class of people and is a perfectly suitable title. Perhaps the phrase is not known to western readers but funnily enough I ran across the phrase in an English book I read shortly after this one. (less)

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Sep 30, 2012 Cindy Crawford rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The second book in the Department Q series follows a similar pattern to the first, but adds in enough new characters and new information about old characters to make this another excellent mystery. The events in The Absent One take place shortly after the end of the previous novel. Carl Morck has received some fame from solving the previous case, and he takes advantage of his newfound status to work on a new case that no one wants him to investigate. For one thing, the case is actually marked as...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Mason rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 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, accent and delivery of the emotions adds another layer to the story. He gives sound to the raw emotions woven throughout the story.

Mørck and his department learns a young brother and sister were brutally murdered two decades earlier. While a man confessed to the crimes years later, four of his companions were also briefly considered suspects. The group was from a privileged boarding school with the convicted man being from a less influential family than the others.

Reopening the case, Mørck finds three members of the group are now well-respected, wealthy men. The fourth member, Kimmie - the only woman, lives on the street and has been for a number of years keeping out of reach of her friends.

As Mørck and his team gets closer to learning what really happened, Kimmie puts her own plan into action. She’s out for revenge for her own reasons and will stop at nothing to accomplish it.

THE ABSENT ONE is a heart-pounding, adrenaline rush that will hold you captive from beginning to explosive end. Author Jussi Adler-Olsen mixes bits of humor along the way to lighten the mood and then drops you off the edge. Adler-Olsen has a unique way of creating a character that you find despicable for their actions, only to turn around and feel sorry and pity for almost forgetting their misdeeds.

THE ABSENT ONE is the second installment in the Department Q series and can be listened to or read on its own. However, to get the complete understanding of the characters I would highly recommend listening or reading KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES first.

The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen, A Department Q Novel, Read by Steven Pacey, Penguin Audio, @2012, ISBN: 978-1611761207, Unabridged, 12 Discs, Listening Time: Approximately 14 Hours

FTC Full Disclosure - This audio book was sent to me by the publisher in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. (less)

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Aug 09, 2012 Rob Kitchin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Jul 24, 2012 Bellezza rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

"People saw only her cracked lips and filthy hair. Edging away from the repulsive bundle in her hands and her sleeves stained brown by dried blood, they didn't see a fever ravaged fellow human in need. They didn't see a person falling to pieces."

Disgrace is the second in the Department Q series, following the prequel Mercy. It is everything that those who love Nordic crime could desire: tension, suffering, action and mystery. We follow Detective Carl Mørck through the investigation to solve six...more

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May 10, 2012 Paula R. S. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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Jan 14, 2012 Bartek rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

"Kobieta w klatce" była mocnym wejściem Adlera-Olsena na polski rynek. Dobrze czytająca się mieszanka kryminału i thrillera, doprawiona zgryźliwym (a miejscami czarnym) poczuciem humoru, spowodowała, że z niecierpliwością oczekiwałem na drugą powieść tego autora. Gdy się doczekałem, pojawił się problem - mimo tej samej receptury, "Zabójcy bażantów" sprawiają wrażenie powieści pisanej byle jak, w pośpiechu. Z pewną ilością niedokończonych wątków (albo inaczej - ze źle zasygnalizowaną możliwością...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Dine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Carl Mørck, Ermittler vom Sonderdezernat Q, und sein syrischer Assistent Assad haben einen neuen Fall. Aus unerklärlichen Gründen landet eine Akte auf Carls Schreibtisch, dessen Ermittlungen eine Verurteilung mit sich brachte. Fall abgeschlossen!
Doch kaum stochert Mørck ein wenig nach, weshalb diese Akte in seinem Dezernat aufgetaucht ist und bei der zuständigen Polizeistelle die Originalunterlagen unauffindbar sind, beginnen ihm Zweifel an der Verurteilung zu kommen. Mit dieser Akte kommen auch...more

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Sep 29, 2011 dubh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-stories

Einen ganz deutlichen Unterschied zum Vorgänger Erbarmen gibt es: man weiß quasi von Anfang an, wer die Täter sind. Und auch wenn man das nun meinen könnte - diese Tatsache tut der Spannung keinen Abbruch! Die Geschichte dreht sich um eine Internatsclique, die so perfide gewalttätig ist, dass es einem nicht nur einmal den Magen umdrehen könnte... Der von mir bei Thrillern häufig angewendete Trick, mir einzureden, dass die Story ja nur Fiktion ist, funktionierte bei diesem Buch von Jussi Adler-Ol...more Einen ganz deutlichen Unterschied zum Vorgänger Erbarmen gibt es: man weiß quasi von Anfang an, wer die Täter sind. Und auch wenn man das nun meinen könnte - diese Tatsache tut der Spannung keinen Abbruch! Die Geschichte dreht sich um eine Internatsclique, die so perfide gewalttätig ist, dass es einem nicht nur einmal den Magen umdrehen könnte... Der von mir bei Thrillern häufig angewendete Trick, mir einzureden, dass die Story ja nur Fiktion ist, funktionierte bei diesem Buch von Jussi Adler-Olsen leider über weite Strecken überhaupt nicht: alleine der Prozeß wegen gemeinschaftlichen Mordes an Dominik Brunner zeigt, welche Gewaltexplosionen bei so manchen Menschen möglich sind. So ging mir die Art dieser Täter schon ganz schön an die Nieren, weil sie so unfassbar sinnentleert und so krass widerlich ist. Die Motivation der Täter ist schlicht und ergreifend der Kick - vergleichbar vielleicht mit dem Anführer Alex im Film Clockwork Orange.
Carl und Assad stehen dieses Mal nicht so im Mittelpunkt wie im ersten Fall, was ich etwas schade fand, da ich die beiden Figuren als sehr gut geglückt und vor allen Dingen (unfreiwillig) erheiternd empfunden habe. Jetzt bekommen sie zwar mit Rose eine ebenfalls etwas eigenwillige Sekretärin zur Seite, aber die lustigen Szenen sind leider rar gesät. Also da gibt es für den nächsten Fall wieder etwas Luft nach oben - vielversprechend bleibt die Konstellation allemal.

Fall eins war subtiler, dieser Fall geht schon ans Eingemachte was die Brutalität und Arroganz der Täter angeht. Dabei ist Schändung natürlich ein Pageturner mit einem kleinen Feuerwerk zum Schluß...

Fazit: Heftiger Tobak, nicht unrealistisch - auch wenn man sich das gerne sagen würde. Aus Carl, Assad und Rose hätte Adler-Olsen allerdings etwas mehr "rausholen" können...

Als Fan der Ermittlertruppe gebe ich etwas wohlwollende 4 Sterne.

Als Tipp: wem Clockwork Orange als Film zu heftig war, der sollte vermutlich auch von Schändung die Finger lassen...(less)

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Feb 24, 2011 Xirxe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookcrossing, thriller

Spannung, obwohl man die Täter bereits zu Beginn kennt? Mitgefühl für eine brutale Gewalttäterin? Witz und Ironie in einem Thriller, dessen Hauptthema das abgrundtief Böse zu sein scheint? Für das neue Buch von Jussi Adler-Olsen kein Widerspruch.
Wieder nimmt sich Carl Morck eines alten Falles an, obwohl dieser aufgeklärt scheint. Ein Mann wurde für den Tod eines Geschwisterpaares verurteilt und sitzt nach vielen Jahren noch immer hinter Gittern. Doch jemand scheint Zweifel an dieser Lösung zu h...more

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About Jussi Adler-Olsen

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...

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Books by Jussi Adler-Olsen

The Keeper of Lost Causes (Department Q, #1)

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title link	preview: The Absent One
avg rating	preview: The Absent One Goodreads rating: 3.83 (3159 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16058204-the-absent-one?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349093693l/16058204.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16058204-the-absent-one?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen[/url]

The Absent One (Afdeling Q (Department Q) #2)

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