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Department Q #3
Flaskpost från P
Ingen hade sett den repade gamla flaskan som stod i fönsterkarmen på polisstationen i Wick i Skottland. Ingen hade lagt märke till brevet eller undrat varför någon skrivit "Hjälp".
När Carl Mørck och hans assistent Assad på avdelning Q får tag på flaskposten tror de först att det handlar om några barns busstreck. Men när de forskar vidare i det hela inser de att flaskposten är det enda livstecken man fått från två pojkar som fördes bort på nittiotalet. Vilka är pojkarna, vad har hänt med dem och varför har ingen anmält dem saknade? Carl och Assad dras allt längre in i en iskall kidnappares nät och de inser snart att tiden håller på att rinna ut. Trots att många år har gått är kidnapparen fortfarande aktiv.
När Carl Mørck och hans assistent Assad på avdelning Q får tag på flaskposten tror de först att det handlar om några barns busstreck. Men när de forskar vidare i det hela inser de att flaskposten är det enda livstecken man fått från två pojkar som fördes bort på nittiotalet. Vilka är pojkarna, vad har hänt med dem och varför har ingen anmält dem saknade? Carl och Assad dras allt längre in i en iskall kidnappares nät och de inser snart att tiden håller på att rinna ut. Trots att många år har gått är kidnapparen fortfarande aktiv.
445 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
1690 people are currently reading
11551 people want to read
About the author
Jussi Adler-Olsen
64 books5,299 followersJussi Adler-Olsen is a Danish author who began to write novels in the 1990s after a comprehensive career as publisher, editor, film composer for the Valhalla cartoon and as a bookseller.
He made his debut with the thriller “Alfabethuset” (1997), which reached bestseller status both in Denmark and internationally just like his subsequent novels “And She Thanked the Gods” (prev. “The Company Basher”) (2003) and “The Washington Decree” (2006). The first book on Department Q is “Kvinden I buret” (2007) and the second “Fasandræberne” (2008). The main detective is Deputy Superintendent Carl Morck from the Department Q and he is also the star of the third volume, “Flaskepost fra P” which was released in the fall of 2009 and secured Adler-Olsen ”Readers' Book Award” from Berlingske Tidende-readers, the Harald Mogensen Prize as well as the Scandinavian Crime Society's most prestigious price ”Glass Key”. The fourth volume in the Department Q series, “Journal 64” was published in 2010 and he was awarded the once-in-a-lifetime-prize of “The Golden Laurels” for this in 2011”. In December 2012 the fifth novel was published, “Marco Effekten".
Furthermore, Jussi Adler-Olsen was awarded “Favourite Author of the Danes” in 2011, 2012 and 2013 leading the organization behind to change the set-up, so the winner cannot be chosen more than once in a three year period.
Jussi Adler-Olsen's novels have had such an impact abroad, that he has also received a variety of awards there: ”The Sealed Room Award” in Japan for “Kvinden I buret”; ”Best Translated Mystery Novel of the Year”,”The Crime - Blitz Award 2011” in Germany for “Flaskepost til P” given to the best international crime, Elle magazine's French reader award: ”Prix de Lectrices the Elle” for “Kvinden I buret” as well as ”The Barry Award” in the US for “Kvinen I buret” that was elected ”Best Novel of the Year”.
His first novel “Alfabethuset” and the first four books of the Department Q series have been sold for film adaptation. “Kvinden I buret” premiered in 2013 and “Fasandræberne” opens in Denmark October 2014.
He made his debut with the thriller “Alfabethuset” (1997), which reached bestseller status both in Denmark and internationally just like his subsequent novels “And She Thanked the Gods” (prev. “The Company Basher”) (2003) and “The Washington Decree” (2006). The first book on Department Q is “Kvinden I buret” (2007) and the second “Fasandræberne” (2008). The main detective is Deputy Superintendent Carl Morck from the Department Q and he is also the star of the third volume, “Flaskepost fra P” which was released in the fall of 2009 and secured Adler-Olsen ”Readers' Book Award” from Berlingske Tidende-readers, the Harald Mogensen Prize as well as the Scandinavian Crime Society's most prestigious price ”Glass Key”. The fourth volume in the Department Q series, “Journal 64” was published in 2010 and he was awarded the once-in-a-lifetime-prize of “The Golden Laurels” for this in 2011”. In December 2012 the fifth novel was published, “Marco Effekten".
Furthermore, Jussi Adler-Olsen was awarded “Favourite Author of the Danes” in 2011, 2012 and 2013 leading the organization behind to change the set-up, so the winner cannot be chosen more than once in a three year period.
Jussi Adler-Olsen's novels have had such an impact abroad, that he has also received a variety of awards there: ”The Sealed Room Award” in Japan for “Kvinden I buret”; ”Best Translated Mystery Novel of the Year”,”The Crime - Blitz Award 2011” in Germany for “Flaskepost til P” given to the best international crime, Elle magazine's French reader award: ”Prix de Lectrices the Elle” for “Kvinden I buret” as well as ”The Barry Award” in the US for “Kvinen I buret” that was elected ”Best Novel of the Year”.
His first novel “Alfabethuset” and the first four books of the Department Q series have been sold for film adaptation. “Kvinden I buret” premiered in 2013 and “Fasandræberne” opens in Denmark October 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,377 reviews
November 27, 2020
(B+) 77% | Good
Notes: A clever enough crime, though a book of this length needs livelier, less trivial subplots to tent-pole its saggy middle.
Notes: A clever enough crime, though a book of this length needs livelier, less trivial subplots to tent-pole its saggy middle.
July 7, 2018
I read this on kindle and had no idea it was 500 pages long until I saw the stats when I came to write the review. I can assure you those 500 pages flew by so fast and I enjoyed every moment of them.
This is proving to be such a good series. I like that Carl, the main character, has low points like all fictional detectives, but he also has highs like normal people. He works hard at solving his cases despite the erratic assistance of Assad and Rose. So there is good, solid police work and there is humour in the relationships between the characters which keeps things light.
There is also a lot of tension especially towards the end when events build up to a great climax. This author always manages to leave the reader on a high with a really successful and exciting conclusion. Love it and am looking forward to book 4.
This is proving to be such a good series. I like that Carl, the main character, has low points like all fictional detectives, but he also has highs like normal people. He works hard at solving his cases despite the erratic assistance of Assad and Rose. So there is good, solid police work and there is humour in the relationships between the characters which keeps things light.
There is also a lot of tension especially towards the end when events build up to a great climax. This author always manages to leave the reader on a high with a really successful and exciting conclusion. Love it and am looking forward to book 4.
May 31, 2014
This is a terrific mystery series. Well worth the time. The police character studies are what make the books. The day-to-day work life of Carl, Asaad, and Rose are hysterical!
The first of the series is still my favorite.
The first of the series is still my favorite.
November 3, 2018
Man muss dem Buch bzw. meiner Bergwertungen dieses Buches verzeihen, dass es ein Krimi ist und das einfach nicht so sehr mein Genre ist. Dieses Buch befindet sich definitiv außerhalb meiner Lese-Komfort-Zone und dennoch konnte es mich absolut begeistern, aber daher rührt der eine Stern Abzug.
Ich mochte damals schon die ersten beiden Bände und mir stand der Sinn nach etwas mit Thrill. Also hab ich mich ohne den Klappentext zu lesen in die Geschichte gestürzt, was ich nicht bereue. Unsere Protagonisten sind mir nach wie vor sympathisch gewesen und besitzen auch genug Tiefgang. Der Fall um den es in diesem Buch ging war auch spannend. Adler-Olsens Schreibstil überzeugt mich auch hier wieder, denn obwohl man als Leser durch die verschiedenen POVs weiß wer der Täter ist, wird es dadurch nicht minder spannend! Ein Pluspunkt für mich ist auch, dass auf den "Ekelfaktor" verzichtet wird. Klar werden auch mal krassere Sachen beschrieben, aber man nimmt das m.E. nie als Stilmittel oder Effekthascherei wahr.
Ich mochte damals schon die ersten beiden Bände und mir stand der Sinn nach etwas mit Thrill. Also hab ich mich ohne den Klappentext zu lesen in die Geschichte gestürzt, was ich nicht bereue. Unsere Protagonisten sind mir nach wie vor sympathisch gewesen und besitzen auch genug Tiefgang. Der Fall um den es in diesem Buch ging war auch spannend. Adler-Olsens Schreibstil überzeugt mich auch hier wieder, denn obwohl man als Leser durch die verschiedenen POVs weiß wer der Täter ist, wird es dadurch nicht minder spannend! Ein Pluspunkt für mich ist auch, dass auf den "Ekelfaktor" verzichtet wird. Klar werden auch mal krassere Sachen beschrieben, aber man nimmt das m.E. nie als Stilmittel oder Effekthascherei wahr.
June 15, 2025
Mais um Petisco
Enquanto o complexo emaranhado da trama vai sendo construído, convivemos com o trio excêntrico que constitui o Departamento Q o que já, por si só, é um prazer. O humor corrosivo do líder do grupo confere alguma ligeireza a uma narrativa que doutra forma tenderia a ser pesada.
O Departamento Q foi especialmente criado para resolver aqueles casos bicudos que engendraram mais perguntas que respostas e logo arquivados como insolúveis.
O caso particular começa com uma mensagem, rabiscada com sangue, introduzida numa garrafa — um pedido de socorro enviado por mar, almejando algum anjo mais atento. E de facto assim foi — o anjo em questão, que carecia de asas mas trazia uma rede, pescou a dita garrafa entregando-a, posteriormente, a um polícia seu conhecido. O objecto em questão parecia amaldiçoado pois pescador e polícia morreram, volvidos poucos anos, em circunstâncias trágicas.
Amaldiçoada ou não, eis que a misteriosa garrafa chega, finalmente, a bom porto — o afamado Departamento Q foi, assim, ponto de chegada e partida desta intrincada história…
Despeço-me, crente que os fãs desta série terão mais um Petisco para degustar 😉👍
Enquanto o complexo emaranhado da trama vai sendo construído, convivemos com o trio excêntrico que constitui o Departamento Q o que já, por si só, é um prazer. O humor corrosivo do líder do grupo confere alguma ligeireza a uma narrativa que doutra forma tenderia a ser pesada.
O Departamento Q foi especialmente criado para resolver aqueles casos bicudos que engendraram mais perguntas que respostas e logo arquivados como insolúveis.
O caso particular começa com uma mensagem, rabiscada com sangue, introduzida numa garrafa — um pedido de socorro enviado por mar, almejando algum anjo mais atento. E de facto assim foi — o anjo em questão, que carecia de asas mas trazia uma rede, pescou a dita garrafa entregando-a, posteriormente, a um polícia seu conhecido. O objecto em questão parecia amaldiçoado pois pescador e polícia morreram, volvidos poucos anos, em circunstâncias trágicas.
Amaldiçoada ou não, eis que a misteriosa garrafa chega, finalmente, a bom porto — o afamado Departamento Q foi, assim, ponto de chegada e partida desta intrincada história…
Despeço-me, crente que os fãs desta série terão mais um Petisco para degustar 😉👍
July 16, 2013
Book Review:
Ok, if you're looking for the 4th in this series...you'll have to wait until end December of this year. And, if you're totally confused as to the actual title of the 4th: look for The Purity of Vengeance. And, if you're looking for a terrible site, go to Penguin.com, where a search for their own author turns up...nothing.
The 3rd in the Department Q series does not disappoint. In fact, each installment in this series gets better and better and I've upped the star rating for this one as a result.
Before I go on, GR has some anomalies with the image of this book. Selecting the English title gives you an English cover, which then shows up in my-books with a Danish cover. Ah well, so be it...
My friend, Jeffrey and I have had a few discussions about what images to include in a review, whether or not this can take away from a novel by supplanting the reader's imagination with a picture placed in a review (for example: a reader might have an image of what Walt Longmire looks like, carefully crafted from the reader's imagination, but when a reviewer posts a picture of the actor from the A&E series, suddenly that image supplants the image we might have carried throughout the series). Same goes for googling for images of what the reviewer thought a setting looked like and posting it in the review. This is not to say images ought not to be included, but caution should be taken, if not respect for the reader's own imagination when doing so.
What was the result of this dialogue? Well, Jeffrey still populates his reviews with images, and they're still some of the best reviews out there! But it was a fun dialogue...:-) And I know that as he writes reviews, way in the back of his mind, he remembers our dialogue and approaches images with a tiny bit more caution. Right Jeffrey? Haha
Why do I mention this? In the genre which I read, it is all about the story, the mystery (not just who-did-it?...but also the why-do-it? (the latter being focal to the Nordic thrillers of which this book is an example). The particular genre here is Nordic Noir...or perhaps you might refer to it as Scandinavian Noir.
So I had a question: Does the enjoyment of reading a novel in this genre increase if initial research into the genre (Nordic Noir), the setting, and/or author takes place prior to the actual reading of it? And is this more relevant to American readers who may not be aware of the underpinnings of what foreign mystery writers choose as their crime and subject?
Remaining relatively ignorant on this subject through my readings of Nesbo, the earlier installments of Adler-Olson, Larsson, etc. I decided to do a little digging here. That led me all over the Bing and Google landscape the crumbs of which I'm too lazy to repeat here.
But, the answer is yes: doing so informs the reader and gives greater delight when that knowledge is acknowledged by the author through snippets of writing. For example: why is Nazism relevant to the plot structure found in Scandinavian Noir, even now in the 21st century? How did Denmark, and Sweden (known as neutral, peaceful countries during times of war) lose their innocence? How did a murder (to this day unresolved) cause Sweden to lose that innocence?
Why do most such books snub their noses at bureaucracies and governmental edicts? Why is birth, motherhood, and abortion viewed differently between say Sweden and Iceland?
He removed the child from his wife's gaze and left her sitting alone with the slats of pale light the Venetian blinds laid across her face. Without the child, she would be going nowhere. He knew that.
What is the relationship of religion to the highly secular society found in Scandinavia? What is the relationship between God and the State? How do religion and government differ in their views towards population control?
Their voices would overflow with the gift of tongues, they would pray for all the unborn children, embrace each other warmly, and recall the sensuality with which the Mother of God had abandoned herself to the Lord...
And how do these notions relate to crimes being committed in Nordic fiction? What emotions guide the Nordic writer? Guilt? Anger? Depression? Knowing a bit more about such things from a Scandinavian perspective, to be sure, increases the pleasure at reading one of these novels. At least, for me it does.
As to A Conspiracy of Faith. Here Adler-Olson explores religion in a secular society. The character of Carl MØrck really takes hold of the reader's imagination: a somber man, undeniably lazy, acerbic and funny at the same time, coming suddenly alive when his interest is captured (which admittedly, is not often).
In one scene, Carl is engaged in battle with an alpha fly which has been buzzing around his office for quite some time disrupting Carl's naps. (flies are a frequent occurrence with Carl. Why did the author choose this mechanism to reveal Carl's character?). But never mind that. After an unsuccessful kill attempt with a bottle of White-Out...
He looked up and again caught a glimpse of his alpha fly, spotted with correction fluid. The bloody thing was everywhere.
Carl finally corners the thing in a small office where a deft snap of his secretary's finger finds Carl's nemesis launched into a cup of coffee:
[...]he watched the fly doing the backstroke in caffeine purgatory...
Who said Nordic writers do not have a sense of humor! (It was probably me). Ha ha. This book is full of them, despite the macabre crimes that lead the reader by the nose to the finale.
Assad, Rose and Yrsa (a new comer) form the trinity that surround Carl. And still, as with previous books, his colleagues remain shrouded in mystery. Who is Assad, really? Where does he live? Who was the middle eastern man with whom he was skyping? And what about Rose? Who is she, really? You're in for a bit of a shock on that one! The plot is superb, point of view expertly handled as we move into the minds of the various players in this excellent novel.
Enjoy!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Series Review:
Jussi Adler-Olsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1950. Known for his 3 stand-alones (The alphabet House, The Company Basher, and Washington Decree and the famous Department Q novels his popularity in Denmark has finally migrated over to the U.S.
All Department Q novels are set in Denmark and reveal the writings of an author intensely interested in criticizing politics while simultaenously being agnostic to parties in general. Not that this is any great revelation as for the most part politics is the mainstay of most European dinner table conversations. On this topic of politics, the author says:
"If you with that ask me whether I'm critical of the political system, then yes. If you ask me whether I have a tendency to defend party-political opinions, then no. My agenda political wise is firstly to criticize regardless of what is to criticize, and no matter what the basis of view is, and secondly to appeal to the politicians in power that they should understand that they are our servants and not our masters, and that they first and foremost on their fields of activity should learn to acknowledge mistakes and to evaluate their own actions."
Through his protagonist Carl MØrck, a lone detective absconded to the basement of police headquarters, heading a cold case department of one, and for all the world a detective ostracized for his unsociable and arrogant manner we bump head-on into the political machinations of Denmark's finest if not the corruption of a government beyond. Not that corruption threatens to take over the story. The author is careful about that:
It's all about having and keeping empathy. If you have this ability in your writings, it will never be the corruption in itself that is the story's starting point, but the people and the relations that the corruption affects. It is as simple as that! If you want to be a writer, you have to learn to turn everything upside down.
Born a son to a father with a psychiatric degree and living on the premises of such mental institutions a portion of his life, Jussi Adler-Olsen has developed a keen insight into a human's boundlessness, self-centeredness if not the degree to which human beings can succumb to a lack of affection.
If it wasn't for these issues, there wouldn't be any thriller novels in the world. And the consequences of these character flaws give me a lot to work with. Revenge, strive for justice, and insanity.
As with most Nordic thrillers (Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell, Larson, etc), there's a certain ennui that pervades the populace. Perhaps that is due to the unique form of Scandinavian democracy that today seems to be under siege by more globalistic tendencies, a slight leaning to the right that highly values the individual instead of the public society so prominent in Scandinavian countries. As with these other thriller writers, we view a somber if not morose society...practical, but not affluent in that affection mentioned by the author.
We have had a very negative and sad period, but the right to criticize and reject bad ideas in their unblemished form still holds. And there is no other place on earth, in my opinion, that uses this right as frequently and thoughtfully, which I'm proud of.
But what is it about novels that is captivating readers across the globe? I can only speak for myself.
As always, translations must be kept in mind and my hat's off to those who attempt to translate a foreign language into English. It is an art in and of itself. Especially when one considers that it is possible to have thoughts in one language that are not possible in another. Being bilingual myself, I still wrestle with certain idioms not available to me when communicating in English. In this sense, Lisa Hartford does an excellent job in her translation from Danish to English. Indeed, in terms of immediate and enduring attention grabbing, Adler-Olsen is in the Chandler class.
As with most European and Scandinavian mystery/crime novels, the causation behind the crime is usually a simple event rationalized by an unhealthy mind. I love this about Nordic thrillers...how we are brought to fully understand motivation as part of the unravelling of a mystery. You could say that this is exactly what is wrong with Hollywood where everything is sensationalized, instead of sprung forth out of ordinary life.
Junior Detective Superintendent Carl MØrck has a brilliant mind and as is usually the case, brilliance inspires envy, and envy destroys achievements. The way Jussi Adler-Olsen portrays this within the Danish police force cannot be dismissed. Ever critical, he has created a character both perfectly ordinary as well as constantly critical of everything set before him. There is a quiet humor behind the man who has no qualms about doing nothing but placing his feet on his desk and complain that he is too busy...until of course he becomes interested at which point he becomes a Danish bloodhound.
The plots are exquisite, driven not by the unveiling of a carefully kept ending held close to the chest by the author (I've read reviews where some partially dismiss this author for guessing the who-dun-it half way through) but rather by the unveiling of the true motivation behind the crime which gives the reader an entirely different satisfaction. Cold cases are tough and most of them are not solved. But, as Adler-Olson says:
It's all about having and keeping empathy.
This review will be the same for all Department Q novels...so if you've read this one, you've read 'em all. Updates will be included in subsequent novels in this series, if warranted.
Enjoy!
Ok, if you're looking for the 4th in this series...you'll have to wait until end December of this year. And, if you're totally confused as to the actual title of the 4th: look for The Purity of Vengeance. And, if you're looking for a terrible site, go to Penguin.com, where a search for their own author turns up...nothing.
The 3rd in the Department Q series does not disappoint. In fact, each installment in this series gets better and better and I've upped the star rating for this one as a result.
Before I go on, GR has some anomalies with the image of this book. Selecting the English title gives you an English cover, which then shows up in my-books with a Danish cover. Ah well, so be it...
My friend, Jeffrey and I have had a few discussions about what images to include in a review, whether or not this can take away from a novel by supplanting the reader's imagination with a picture placed in a review (for example: a reader might have an image of what Walt Longmire looks like, carefully crafted from the reader's imagination, but when a reviewer posts a picture of the actor from the A&E series, suddenly that image supplants the image we might have carried throughout the series). Same goes for googling for images of what the reviewer thought a setting looked like and posting it in the review. This is not to say images ought not to be included, but caution should be taken, if not respect for the reader's own imagination when doing so.
What was the result of this dialogue? Well, Jeffrey still populates his reviews with images, and they're still some of the best reviews out there! But it was a fun dialogue...:-) And I know that as he writes reviews, way in the back of his mind, he remembers our dialogue and approaches images with a tiny bit more caution. Right Jeffrey? Haha
Why do I mention this? In the genre which I read, it is all about the story, the mystery (not just who-did-it?...but also the why-do-it? (the latter being focal to the Nordic thrillers of which this book is an example). The particular genre here is Nordic Noir...or perhaps you might refer to it as Scandinavian Noir.
So I had a question: Does the enjoyment of reading a novel in this genre increase if initial research into the genre (Nordic Noir), the setting, and/or author takes place prior to the actual reading of it? And is this more relevant to American readers who may not be aware of the underpinnings of what foreign mystery writers choose as their crime and subject?
Remaining relatively ignorant on this subject through my readings of Nesbo, the earlier installments of Adler-Olson, Larsson, etc. I decided to do a little digging here. That led me all over the Bing and Google landscape the crumbs of which I'm too lazy to repeat here.
But, the answer is yes: doing so informs the reader and gives greater delight when that knowledge is acknowledged by the author through snippets of writing. For example: why is Nazism relevant to the plot structure found in Scandinavian Noir, even now in the 21st century? How did Denmark, and Sweden (known as neutral, peaceful countries during times of war) lose their innocence? How did a murder (to this day unresolved) cause Sweden to lose that innocence?
Why do most such books snub their noses at bureaucracies and governmental edicts? Why is birth, motherhood, and abortion viewed differently between say Sweden and Iceland?
He removed the child from his wife's gaze and left her sitting alone with the slats of pale light the Venetian blinds laid across her face. Without the child, she would be going nowhere. He knew that.
What is the relationship of religion to the highly secular society found in Scandinavia? What is the relationship between God and the State? How do religion and government differ in their views towards population control?
Their voices would overflow with the gift of tongues, they would pray for all the unborn children, embrace each other warmly, and recall the sensuality with which the Mother of God had abandoned herself to the Lord...
And how do these notions relate to crimes being committed in Nordic fiction? What emotions guide the Nordic writer? Guilt? Anger? Depression? Knowing a bit more about such things from a Scandinavian perspective, to be sure, increases the pleasure at reading one of these novels. At least, for me it does.
As to A Conspiracy of Faith. Here Adler-Olson explores religion in a secular society. The character of Carl MØrck really takes hold of the reader's imagination: a somber man, undeniably lazy, acerbic and funny at the same time, coming suddenly alive when his interest is captured (which admittedly, is not often).
In one scene, Carl is engaged in battle with an alpha fly which has been buzzing around his office for quite some time disrupting Carl's naps. (flies are a frequent occurrence with Carl. Why did the author choose this mechanism to reveal Carl's character?). But never mind that. After an unsuccessful kill attempt with a bottle of White-Out...
He looked up and again caught a glimpse of his alpha fly, spotted with correction fluid. The bloody thing was everywhere.
Carl finally corners the thing in a small office where a deft snap of his secretary's finger finds Carl's nemesis launched into a cup of coffee:
[...]he watched the fly doing the backstroke in caffeine purgatory...
Who said Nordic writers do not have a sense of humor! (It was probably me). Ha ha. This book is full of them, despite the macabre crimes that lead the reader by the nose to the finale.
Assad, Rose and Yrsa (a new comer) form the trinity that surround Carl. And still, as with previous books, his colleagues remain shrouded in mystery. Who is Assad, really? Where does he live? Who was the middle eastern man with whom he was skyping? And what about Rose? Who is she, really? You're in for a bit of a shock on that one! The plot is superb, point of view expertly handled as we move into the minds of the various players in this excellent novel.
Enjoy!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Series Review:
Jussi Adler-Olsen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1950. Known for his 3 stand-alones (The alphabet House, The Company Basher, and Washington Decree and the famous Department Q novels his popularity in Denmark has finally migrated over to the U.S.
All Department Q novels are set in Denmark and reveal the writings of an author intensely interested in criticizing politics while simultaenously being agnostic to parties in general. Not that this is any great revelation as for the most part politics is the mainstay of most European dinner table conversations. On this topic of politics, the author says:
"If you with that ask me whether I'm critical of the political system, then yes. If you ask me whether I have a tendency to defend party-political opinions, then no. My agenda political wise is firstly to criticize regardless of what is to criticize, and no matter what the basis of view is, and secondly to appeal to the politicians in power that they should understand that they are our servants and not our masters, and that they first and foremost on their fields of activity should learn to acknowledge mistakes and to evaluate their own actions."
Through his protagonist Carl MØrck, a lone detective absconded to the basement of police headquarters, heading a cold case department of one, and for all the world a detective ostracized for his unsociable and arrogant manner we bump head-on into the political machinations of Denmark's finest if not the corruption of a government beyond. Not that corruption threatens to take over the story. The author is careful about that:
It's all about having and keeping empathy. If you have this ability in your writings, it will never be the corruption in itself that is the story's starting point, but the people and the relations that the corruption affects. It is as simple as that! If you want to be a writer, you have to learn to turn everything upside down.
Born a son to a father with a psychiatric degree and living on the premises of such mental institutions a portion of his life, Jussi Adler-Olsen has developed a keen insight into a human's boundlessness, self-centeredness if not the degree to which human beings can succumb to a lack of affection.
If it wasn't for these issues, there wouldn't be any thriller novels in the world. And the consequences of these character flaws give me a lot to work with. Revenge, strive for justice, and insanity.
As with most Nordic thrillers (Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell, Larson, etc), there's a certain ennui that pervades the populace. Perhaps that is due to the unique form of Scandinavian democracy that today seems to be under siege by more globalistic tendencies, a slight leaning to the right that highly values the individual instead of the public society so prominent in Scandinavian countries. As with these other thriller writers, we view a somber if not morose society...practical, but not affluent in that affection mentioned by the author.
We have had a very negative and sad period, but the right to criticize and reject bad ideas in their unblemished form still holds. And there is no other place on earth, in my opinion, that uses this right as frequently and thoughtfully, which I'm proud of.
But what is it about novels that is captivating readers across the globe? I can only speak for myself.
As always, translations must be kept in mind and my hat's off to those who attempt to translate a foreign language into English. It is an art in and of itself. Especially when one considers that it is possible to have thoughts in one language that are not possible in another. Being bilingual myself, I still wrestle with certain idioms not available to me when communicating in English. In this sense, Lisa Hartford does an excellent job in her translation from Danish to English. Indeed, in terms of immediate and enduring attention grabbing, Adler-Olsen is in the Chandler class.
As with most European and Scandinavian mystery/crime novels, the causation behind the crime is usually a simple event rationalized by an unhealthy mind. I love this about Nordic thrillers...how we are brought to fully understand motivation as part of the unravelling of a mystery. You could say that this is exactly what is wrong with Hollywood where everything is sensationalized, instead of sprung forth out of ordinary life.
Junior Detective Superintendent Carl MØrck has a brilliant mind and as is usually the case, brilliance inspires envy, and envy destroys achievements. The way Jussi Adler-Olsen portrays this within the Danish police force cannot be dismissed. Ever critical, he has created a character both perfectly ordinary as well as constantly critical of everything set before him. There is a quiet humor behind the man who has no qualms about doing nothing but placing his feet on his desk and complain that he is too busy...until of course he becomes interested at which point he becomes a Danish bloodhound.
The plots are exquisite, driven not by the unveiling of a carefully kept ending held close to the chest by the author (I've read reviews where some partially dismiss this author for guessing the who-dun-it half way through) but rather by the unveiling of the true motivation behind the crime which gives the reader an entirely different satisfaction. Cold cases are tough and most of them are not solved. But, as Adler-Olson says:
It's all about having and keeping empathy.
This review will be the same for all Department Q novels...so if you've read this one, you've read 'em all. Updates will be included in subsequent novels in this series, if warranted.
Enjoy!
September 17, 2013
This felt like hard work...Maybe I'm missing something...
The book is over 600 pages long. I don't mind long books, however...The actual crime part is probably half of that. The rest seems to be utter nonsense about the various individuals employed by the police and those involved in Carl's life. These digressions into his personal life seem to have no point and certainly little or no relevance to the story overall...
I don't know if the Danish are racist as a nation, however this author certainly portrays them as such.
I really liked the first book by this author, but have been slightly underwhelmed by the second two stories in this series.
The book is over 600 pages long. I don't mind long books, however...The actual crime part is probably half of that. The rest seems to be utter nonsense about the various individuals employed by the police and those involved in Carl's life. These digressions into his personal life seem to have no point and certainly little or no relevance to the story overall...
I don't know if the Danish are racist as a nation, however this author certainly portrays them as such.
I really liked the first book by this author, but have been slightly underwhelmed by the second two stories in this series.
November 21, 2017
3-1/2 stars rounded up to 4.
Another solid entry in a series whose recurring characters are just as interesting and unusual as the storylines.
This book had one of the most diabolical and clever villains that I've ever come across in a realistic setting. Meaning, the crimes he committed are things that could actually happen. This wasn't a superhuman that did fantastical things...which made him all the more chilling because of what he was capable of and how he carried out his atrocities. Cold, calculating, and clever for sure.
The only reason I knocked a half star off of my rating is that this was yet another book that suffered from being about 100 pages too long. There were several passages I felt should have been tighter or eliminated, as it caused my attention to waiver. The book lost some suspense because of this.
However, I still definitely recommend this series. I found each book I've read so far just a little difficult to get into initially, but I was soon drawn into the story and engrossed in the unfolding events. Well worth the read.
Another solid entry in a series whose recurring characters are just as interesting and unusual as the storylines.
This book had one of the most diabolical and clever villains that I've ever come across in a realistic setting. Meaning, the crimes he committed are things that could actually happen. This wasn't a superhuman that did fantastical things...which made him all the more chilling because of what he was capable of and how he carried out his atrocities. Cold, calculating, and clever for sure.
The only reason I knocked a half star off of my rating is that this was yet another book that suffered from being about 100 pages too long. There were several passages I felt should have been tighter or eliminated, as it caused my attention to waiver. The book lost some suspense because of this.
However, I still definitely recommend this series. I found each book I've read so far just a little difficult to get into initially, but I was soon drawn into the story and engrossed in the unfolding events. Well worth the read.
October 17, 2024
Lectura anterior en Mayo del 2022. Releído en Octubre del 2024.
Creo que ya lo comenté. Este y el primero son mis favoritos de una saga que tengo en mi corazonín.
Una tensión tremenda. Una traca final de infarto que no da respiro. El chavalín con la botella que no se expresaba bien, las reacciones de los familiares cuando lo leen, que te ponen un nudo en la garganta sin necesidad de insistir en ello.
Un malo muy muy bueno, que no se vuelve loco de repente o hace cosas raras al final. Los mejores malos son los serenos y fríos, mucho mejores que los furibundos y locos. Y si son listos, mejor. Me ha parecido un malo excelente... con razonamientos inteligentes para salir de las situaciones, más listo que el hambre y frío como él sólo.
Un caso angustiosísimo que crecía en implicaciones a cada minuto.
Esta es una saga diferente dentro del negro nórdico. Menos siniestra y triste de lo habitual en dicho género. Con un sentido humor del humor casi inglés, que viene sólo en los pensamientos de Carl, pero que tienen una retranca tremenda. Con unos personajes únicos enormemente peculiares. Una saga original.
Cinco estrellas merecidísimas. Así da gusto leer🥰. La mano que mece la cuna (Departamento Q)
Creo que ya lo comenté. Este y el primero son mis favoritos de una saga que tengo en mi corazonín.
Una tensión tremenda. Una traca final de infarto que no da respiro. El chavalín con la botella que no se expresaba bien, las reacciones de los familiares cuando lo leen, que te ponen un nudo en la garganta sin necesidad de insistir en ello.
Un malo muy muy bueno, que no se vuelve loco de repente o hace cosas raras al final. Los mejores malos son los serenos y fríos, mucho mejores que los furibundos y locos. Y si son listos, mejor. Me ha parecido un malo excelente... con razonamientos inteligentes para salir de las situaciones, más listo que el hambre y frío como él sólo.
Un caso angustiosísimo que crecía en implicaciones a cada minuto.
Esta es una saga diferente dentro del negro nórdico. Menos siniestra y triste de lo habitual en dicho género. Con un sentido humor del humor casi inglés, que viene sólo en los pensamientos de Carl, pero que tienen una retranca tremenda. Con unos personajes únicos enormemente peculiares. Una saga original.
Cinco estrellas merecidísimas. Así da gusto leer🥰. La mano que mece la cuna (Departamento Q)
June 21, 2017
Wonderful mystery.
Carl Morck of Department Q, is once again given a cold case to research, and this one is tantalizing from the start. Based on a note in a bottle found in the waters off Scotland, then traced to events in Denmark, it's a chilling story of a serial killer-kidnapper who targets the families belonging to reclusive religious sects. He kidnaps two children, demands a ransom, then kills one of the children to maintain the silence of the family. Fantastic premise, the story is high-tension throughout, and tempered only by the fact that Carl's two assistants - the weird Rose (and her sister Yrsa who replaces Rose briefly,) and Assad the Syrian - allow for some comic breathing space. (Though both will earn their badges for bravery in this book.)
The characters in this series are so well-written, so devoid of the usual stereotypes, that reading Adler-Olsen is a true delight. And other than the fact that I was on edge the whole time reading it, and needed breaks myself, (as I don't usually like criminal stories with 'children in peril,') this was a great read.
Looking forward to the next by Adler-Olsen.
Carl Morck of Department Q, is once again given a cold case to research, and this one is tantalizing from the start. Based on a note in a bottle found in the waters off Scotland, then traced to events in Denmark, it's a chilling story of a serial killer-kidnapper who targets the families belonging to reclusive religious sects. He kidnaps two children, demands a ransom, then kills one of the children to maintain the silence of the family. Fantastic premise, the story is high-tension throughout, and tempered only by the fact that Carl's two assistants - the weird Rose (and her sister Yrsa who replaces Rose briefly,) and Assad the Syrian - allow for some comic breathing space. (Though both will earn their badges for bravery in this book.)
The characters in this series are so well-written, so devoid of the usual stereotypes, that reading Adler-Olsen is a true delight. And other than the fact that I was on edge the whole time reading it, and needed breaks myself, (as I don't usually like criminal stories with 'children in peril,') this was a great read.
Looking forward to the next by Adler-Olsen.
October 15, 2023
Adler-Olsen comes through with a police-procedural thriller even better than his first, if that's possible. Here, the title derives from the bad guy, who hates organized religion with a religious passion. He finds a way to profit, kidnapping and murdering children of wealthy families living in devout, isolated communities. The victims' families don't report the crimes and the killer makes a career of serial kidnap, ransom, and murder. Until a clue to a 13-year-old unreported crime crosses the desk in Department Q. Detective Carl Morck and his assistants Assad and Rose are on the case, with ever-increasing tension as the scope of the crimes is discovered, including a kidnapping in progress. A violent, fast-paced ending to a clever cerebral investigation.
November 14, 2020
4.5 stars rounded to 5 from me. This series just seems to get better and better.
Carl Mørck is back with his mysterious and odd but very astute assistant Assad, as well as Rose who appears to enjoy pushing the boundaries of his sanity.
The small, dysfunctional but tenacious trio are presented with a message in a bottle that is quite illegible and hard to date. They soon come to understand that the message is a desperate cry for help and leads them to a series of despicable crimes targeting small religious sects.
The story is quite fast paced and there were moments where I was frustrated that the dots were not connecting fast enough.
I remain baffled that this series is not far more popular than it currently is as it is so well written, with the most wonderful characters and gripping story lines. Bring on book number 4!!!
This book has also been released under the title of A Conspiracy of Faith.
Carl Mørck is back with his mysterious and odd but very astute assistant Assad, as well as Rose who appears to enjoy pushing the boundaries of his sanity.
The small, dysfunctional but tenacious trio are presented with a message in a bottle that is quite illegible and hard to date. They soon come to understand that the message is a desperate cry for help and leads them to a series of despicable crimes targeting small religious sects.
The story is quite fast paced and there were moments where I was frustrated that the dots were not connecting fast enough.
I remain baffled that this series is not far more popular than it currently is as it is so well written, with the most wonderful characters and gripping story lines. Bring on book number 4!!!
This book has also been released under the title of A Conspiracy of Faith.
May 16, 2020
I like this series better with each book as you get to know the characters more. Assad and Rose are a hoot. And what I really liked about this book is Jussi Adler-Olsen gives women POWER :)
January 9, 2025
3.5⭐ Continúo avanzando poco a poco a través de esta serie ahora con el tercer libro, que ya desde la premisa llamó mucho mi atención porque lo del mensaje en la botella me pareció un aciertazo, por el enigma que plantea y la curiosidad que me despierta.
En realidad, es un caso muy bien planteado, narrado y original que gira en torno a un culpable complejo e interesante, y hacia quien es fácil tener sentimientos encontrados. Lo malo es que dicho caso tarda demasiado en ser tomado en serio. Nuestro protagonista pasa casi la mitad del libro poniendo más atención a sus asuntos personales y a casos que no son suyos, el resultado es que para cuando la investigación de verdad viene a aparecer ya tanto mi entusiasmo como mi interés habían mermado muchísimo.
La segunda mitad es bastante superior, retomando ese ritmo que tan bien se le da al autor y al que ya me ha acostumbrado, aunque quizá para mí llegó demasiado tarde.
En realidad, es un caso muy bien planteado, narrado y original que gira en torno a un culpable complejo e interesante, y hacia quien es fácil tener sentimientos encontrados. Lo malo es que dicho caso tarda demasiado en ser tomado en serio. Nuestro protagonista pasa casi la mitad del libro poniendo más atención a sus asuntos personales y a casos que no son suyos, el resultado es que para cuando la investigación de verdad viene a aparecer ya tanto mi entusiasmo como mi interés habían mermado muchísimo.
La segunda mitad es bastante superior, retomando ese ritmo que tan bien se le da al autor y al que ya me ha acostumbrado, aunque quizá para mí llegó demasiado tarde.
October 4, 2025
Carl coraz bardziej irytujący, ale seria nadal bardzo wciągająca.
January 12, 2015
I like Detective Carl Mørck, despite a couple of his unlovable characteristics—he is quite a prejudiced guy, not really giving his assistants, Assad and Rose, much credit. He is also a gold-bricker, trying his very best to sleep through his final years in the cold case division before retirement. Despite his intentions, the case of this mysterious letter, written in blood and pleading for help, eventually galvanizes him into action and even into danger. It takes a lot of prodding on his assistants’ part to get Mørck moving, but eventually he is taking the situation seriously and starts to expect more of them in return.
The translation of this work annoyed me somewhat, however—the translator used British idioms, some of which sounded silly in the conversation of a Danish investigator. There were an awful lot of people who “couldn’t be arsed to do something.” Not a common turn of phrase in North America, although easily understood. There were several mentions of “stroppy teenagers,” which I’m guessing is a shortening of obstreperous. I found those things rather distracting, but decipherable. Those are the two that stick in my memory, although I remember having to decode another couple of expressions.
What I’m now wondering about is how much of the racism in the book (directed mostly toward Assad, the Syrian immigrant on police staff) is in the original and how much was influenced by the translator. Assad is referred to as a “camel driver” on one occasion, is shown getting into a fist fight with an Iranian officer [presumably about country-of-origin issues], and being less than truthful about where he lives. Much is made of how dark his skin and hair are and how much he stands out from the rest of the staff. I was relieved that by the book’s end, Mørck is treating him much more like an equal, valuing his input and his back-up in the field. Assad is definitely willing to work and finds all kinds of connections to current cases, stirring up several investigations and being the brains behind the operation on several occasions. And he is certainly the muscle during stressful situations. Mørck also comes to value Rose more highly and perhaps not to judge her by her appearance and gender.
Her work assignments also gain in importance as things progress and she gets treated more kindly.
In addition, there is a confusing situation in which Mørck’s former common-law wife takes up with a man of Indian origin—although Carl wanted her to find someone else & move on, he still seems affronted that she has chosen an Indian man and once again, skin colour and turban are referenced in uncomplimentary ways.
I think my Canadian-ness may be showing through here, as we are quite used to have a multi-ethnic society and think nothing of encountering Asian, Arab, African, etc. people on an everyday basis. [I found that as a very-white Caucasian, I really stood out in some areas of China that I visited and people would be quite pushy about wanting to be photographed with our tour group because we were considered so unusual. Since I have cousins who have Chinese and Korean ancestry, it took me a while to figure out what the fuss was about].
Enough of the anthropological dissection of the novel, however, on to the rest of the book! The action is well-planned and engrossing, plus the villain is suitably deadly, cunning, and mysterious. The plot is sufficiently convoluted to keep the reader interested. The exploration of religions of various sorts in a secular society also adds to the mix. Excellent summer reading!
The translation of this work annoyed me somewhat, however—the translator used British idioms, some of which sounded silly in the conversation of a Danish investigator. There were an awful lot of people who “couldn’t be arsed to do something.” Not a common turn of phrase in North America, although easily understood. There were several mentions of “stroppy teenagers,” which I’m guessing is a shortening of obstreperous. I found those things rather distracting, but decipherable. Those are the two that stick in my memory, although I remember having to decode another couple of expressions.
What I’m now wondering about is how much of the racism in the book (directed mostly toward Assad, the Syrian immigrant on police staff) is in the original and how much was influenced by the translator. Assad is referred to as a “camel driver” on one occasion, is shown getting into a fist fight with an Iranian officer [presumably about country-of-origin issues], and being less than truthful about where he lives. Much is made of how dark his skin and hair are and how much he stands out from the rest of the staff. I was relieved that by the book’s end, Mørck is treating him much more like an equal, valuing his input and his back-up in the field. Assad is definitely willing to work and finds all kinds of connections to current cases, stirring up several investigations and being the brains behind the operation on several occasions. And he is certainly the muscle during stressful situations. Mørck also comes to value Rose more highly and perhaps not to judge her by her appearance and gender.
Her work assignments also gain in importance as things progress and she gets treated more kindly.
In addition, there is a confusing situation in which Mørck’s former common-law wife takes up with a man of Indian origin—although Carl wanted her to find someone else & move on, he still seems affronted that she has chosen an Indian man and once again, skin colour and turban are referenced in uncomplimentary ways.
I think my Canadian-ness may be showing through here, as we are quite used to have a multi-ethnic society and think nothing of encountering Asian, Arab, African, etc. people on an everyday basis. [I found that as a very-white Caucasian, I really stood out in some areas of China that I visited and people would be quite pushy about wanting to be photographed with our tour group because we were considered so unusual. Since I have cousins who have Chinese and Korean ancestry, it took me a while to figure out what the fuss was about].
Enough of the anthropological dissection of the novel, however, on to the rest of the book! The action is well-planned and engrossing, plus the villain is suitably deadly, cunning, and mysterious. The plot is sufficiently convoluted to keep the reader interested. The exploration of religions of various sorts in a secular society also adds to the mix. Excellent summer reading!
February 5, 2020
It's crime at its darkest - standard fare from most of the Scandinavian writers - and one I was going to give two stars to when I first started reading but only because of the nature of the crime. But, of course, as I got further into the book, I was hooked. Detective Carl Morck of Department Q works the old cases, the cold cases, the ones others have given up on, and this case is old. A bottle found by a fisherman who turned it into a policeman who sat it on a shelf for a number of years and then finally some one took a look at it, broke it open and discovered a message in it. Morck's sidekicks Rose and Assad are intrigued by the message from the beginning, Rose going out of her way to try to figure out what it says, and what they discover isn't pretty . . . a message written in blood. It's a gruesome book with a nasty killer but the police procedures and process of deductive reasoning make it a gripping read until the very end.
March 19, 2018
Retomada la serie del departamento Q, después de haber leído el primero hace tiempo. He disfrutado con las situacione. a veces incluso surrealistas) a las que se enfrenta el inspector debido, tanto a sus ayudantes, un tanto peculiares; como a su carácter irascible.
Todo lo anterior no quita que las tramas sean un tanto escabrosas.
Todo lo anterior no quita que las tramas sean un tanto escabrosas.
January 26, 2015
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2022
Engancha tanto el caso que investigan como las relaciones entre los protagonistas. Con toques de humor y capítulos cortos, resulta muy entretenida.
June 7, 2024
Intriguojanti, įtraukianti, gal vietomis kiek ištempta knyga. Buvo vietų, su kuriomis nesutinku, bet tos pačios sektos skirtingose šalyse gal ir skirtingai elgiasi🤷♀️
November 23, 2021
A Conspiracy of Faith (Department Q, #3) - Jussi Adler-Olsen
يقدّم يوسي أدلر أولسن للقراء روايات جريمة بحلّة مختلفة ومخيفة ولا تسير على ذات النسق؛ نعم نحن نرافق فريق القضايا القديمة الذي عين مؤخرًا بقيادة كارل مورك ومساعديه غريبي الأطوار ولكن لا شيء آخر متشابه ربما أضيف القسوة اللامحدودة .
في روايته الأولى والتي كانت رواية جريمة معتادة، رافقنا الضحية طوال الوقت جنبًا إلى جنب مع سير التحقيق في اختفائها .
في الرواية الثانية كانت أقرب لقصة انتقام أكثر منها رواية حل جريمة؛ نعم نحن نعرف أكثر ما جرى لكن هل جرى هكذا تحديدًا وماذا يجري الآن؟
في الرواية الثالثة هنا: نرافق المجرم طوال الوقت؛ حياته وذكرياته وأفعاله الشريرة. ولكن لا نعرف هويته في حين تبدأ التحقيقات في مكتب فريق القضايا الباردة بعد وصول رسالة مروعة تحمل استغاثة من طفلين مخطوفين.
هذه رواية جرائم مروعة يرتكبها شخص معطوب بسبب استخدام العنف في تربية الطفل مصحوبة بالتشدد الديني. رواية حزينة ومؤلمة ورحلة تحقيق مليئة بالمنعطفات والمفاجآت التي تخطف الأنفاس.
يقدّم يوسي أدلر أولسن للقراء روايات جريمة بحلّة مختلفة ومخيفة ولا تسير على ذات النسق؛ نعم نحن نرافق فريق القضايا القديمة الذي عين مؤخرًا بقيادة كارل مورك ومساعديه غريبي الأطوار ولكن لا شيء آخر متشابه ربما أضيف القسوة اللامحدودة .
في روايته الأولى والتي كانت رواية جريمة معتادة، رافقنا الضحية طوال الوقت جنبًا إلى جنب مع سير التحقيق في اختفائها .
في الرواية الثانية كانت أقرب لقصة انتقام أكثر منها رواية حل جريمة؛ نعم نحن نعرف أكثر ما جرى لكن هل جرى هكذا تحديدًا وماذا يجري الآن؟
في الرواية الثالثة هنا: نرافق المجرم طوال الوقت؛ حياته وذكرياته وأفعاله الشريرة. ولكن لا نعرف هويته في حين تبدأ التحقيقات في مكتب فريق القضايا الباردة بعد وصول رسالة مروعة تحمل استغاثة من طفلين مخطوفين.
هذه رواية جرائم مروعة يرتكبها شخص معطوب بسبب استخدام العنف في تربية الطفل مصحوبة بالتشدد الديني. رواية حزينة ومؤلمة ورحلة تحقيق مليئة بالمنعطفات والمفاجآت التي تخطف الأنفاس.
February 10, 2013
What a great combination of action, suspense, and humor. Jussi Adler-Olsen is a master in the art of writing police novels. This book is even better than The Keeper of Lost Causes .
An old message in a bottle puts Department Q in full swing. While Carl Morck has to deal with personal issues (ex-wife, friends, and his dream woman Mona), his work at the office gets "kind-a-complicated." Assad and a new assistant are overly eager to solve the case and health-inspectors are threatening to close his downstairs offices.
Start reading on a Friday evening, you can't put this one down!
An old message in a bottle puts Department Q in full swing. While Carl Morck has to deal with personal issues (ex-wife, friends, and his dream woman Mona), his work at the office gets "kind-a-complicated." Assad and a new assistant are overly eager to solve the case and health-inspectors are threatening to close his downstairs offices.
Start reading on a Friday evening, you can't put this one down!
September 16, 2019
Das Hörspiel bei Audible war mal wieder grandios umgesetzt und ist einfach ein Genuss.
Der Fall war auch spannend, wobei man durch die Sicht des Täters schon einiges vorweggenommen bekommt und mir das zumindest hier und da etwas die Spannung genommen hat.
Das Ende war dafür schon richtig herzzerreißend.
Ein solider Krimi (würde ich ihn eher nennen als Thriller) bei dem ich auch die Charaktere einfach sehr mochte, weil sie mir so langsam ans Herz wachsen. Gerne höre ich weiter, um auch da mehr zu erfahren, nicht nur den nächsten Fall.
Der Fall war auch spannend, wobei man durch die Sicht des Täters schon einiges vorweggenommen bekommt und mir das zumindest hier und da etwas die Spannung genommen hat.
Das Ende war dafür schon richtig herzzerreißend.
Ein solider Krimi (würde ich ihn eher nennen als Thriller) bei dem ich auch die Charaktere einfach sehr mochte, weil sie mir so langsam ans Herz wachsen. Gerne höre ich weiter, um auch da mehr zu erfahren, nicht nur den nächsten Fall.
May 15, 2022
El departamento Q investiga en este caso unas desapariciones relacionadas con el fanatismo religioso.
Sabemos quién es el malo desde el primer momento. A medida que leemos vamos conociendo sus motivaciones y , por otro lado, como avanza la investigación policial.
Narrada en capítulos cortos, engancha desde el principio.
Una serie muy entretenida.
Sabemos quién es el malo desde el primer momento. A medida que leemos vamos conociendo sus motivaciones y , por otro lado, como avanza la investigación policial.
Narrada en capítulos cortos, engancha desde el principio.
Una serie muy entretenida.
May 26, 2013
Carl Morck, head of Department Q, is back at the closed files again. Along with his eccentric sidekick Assad, and his more eccentric secretary, Rose, they try to solve the crime of a serial killer who targets children who come from families of unusual and small religious sects. The killer tells the parents that he wants one million kroner in ransom and if the police are called or anyone is told of the crime, the other children in the family will be killed.
The characterizations in Adler-Olsen's book is wonderful. We have Rose who has a twin sister Yrsa. When Rose doesn't come to work, Yrsa takes her place dragging a shopping cart behind her. However, we come to find out that Rose and Yrsa are one in the same. Does Rose have multiple personality disorder? Carl Morck likes to sleep at his desk and is so politically incorrect that he has been banned to the basement of police headquarters and given old but unsolved crimes to investigate. Assad has a bundle of tricks up his sleeve but no one knows the truth of where he lives or anything personal about him except that he is Muslim and makes delicious tea and snacks.
The crime in this book starts with a bottle thrown in the ocean that is caught in a fisherman's net and turned into the police. It is sealed with tar and has an almost illegible note in it. It was written in 1996 so it is 16 years old. Together, Assad and Rose figure out most of the message and this leads to the start of an investigation of a serial killer.
The killer uses many false names and addresses and has been on the loose for way over two decades. He has an M.O. of joining a small and obscure religious sect, getting to know the members and then choosing a family that has multiple children so that he can kidnap two and there will be more remaining. He always kills one of the children and returns the other as a reminder of what will happen again if the family speaks to anyone of the crime.
Carl and Assad are also investigating crimes of arson in which pinkie rings are taken off of the victims that are burned up, or else the pinkie is cut off completely.
Many of the same characters from the first Adler-Olsen book translated into English are back again. Vigga, Carl's ex-wife is driving him crazy. His step-son, living with Carl, is given the task of finding her a boyfriend so that she does not bother Carl. Carl's ex-partner who was shot in the spine and is now a quadriplegic now lives with Carl and Carl's friend, Morten, who also shares the house, cares for him and does the cooking. The household is a circus but a wonderful one.
I loved this book. It was a great page-turner, a wonderful mystery and thriller, and I devoured it in two settings. The novel is told from the perspectives of Carl and the killer.
The characterizations in Adler-Olsen's book is wonderful. We have Rose who has a twin sister Yrsa. When Rose doesn't come to work, Yrsa takes her place dragging a shopping cart behind her. However, we come to find out that Rose and Yrsa are one in the same. Does Rose have multiple personality disorder? Carl Morck likes to sleep at his desk and is so politically incorrect that he has been banned to the basement of police headquarters and given old but unsolved crimes to investigate. Assad has a bundle of tricks up his sleeve but no one knows the truth of where he lives or anything personal about him except that he is Muslim and makes delicious tea and snacks.
The crime in this book starts with a bottle thrown in the ocean that is caught in a fisherman's net and turned into the police. It is sealed with tar and has an almost illegible note in it. It was written in 1996 so it is 16 years old. Together, Assad and Rose figure out most of the message and this leads to the start of an investigation of a serial killer.
The killer uses many false names and addresses and has been on the loose for way over two decades. He has an M.O. of joining a small and obscure religious sect, getting to know the members and then choosing a family that has multiple children so that he can kidnap two and there will be more remaining. He always kills one of the children and returns the other as a reminder of what will happen again if the family speaks to anyone of the crime.
Carl and Assad are also investigating crimes of arson in which pinkie rings are taken off of the victims that are burned up, or else the pinkie is cut off completely.
Many of the same characters from the first Adler-Olsen book translated into English are back again. Vigga, Carl's ex-wife is driving him crazy. His step-son, living with Carl, is given the task of finding her a boyfriend so that she does not bother Carl. Carl's ex-partner who was shot in the spine and is now a quadriplegic now lives with Carl and Carl's friend, Morten, who also shares the house, cares for him and does the cooking. The household is a circus but a wonderful one.
I loved this book. It was a great page-turner, a wonderful mystery and thriller, and I devoured it in two settings. The novel is told from the perspectives of Carl and the killer.
November 14, 2015
Back in bed with the Q Department! My fav Nordic Noir of late.
New additions to the “gang” are Rose’s "twin" & also Hardy has moved in with the “family” after much humming & harring in the previous read. All add to Carl’s demeanour & obvious stress levels which does entertain as much as his colleagues exasperation at his criticisms of them all. Dysfunctional at Home & at work is the appeal to this series for me as well as a darn fine mystery every time which runs concurrent with department Q’s investigation.
The villain(s) in these series are quite a piece of work(s) & this one is no exception, your introduced to him quite early so it’s no spoiler to say he’s quite extraordinary is this one! Read PROPER NASTY that is!
Fast paced, crackerjack of a story is this & highly recommend for all those of the Nordic Noir persuasion as well as mystery / crime fans in general.
A clear 5 stars as this series gets better n better
New additions to the “gang” are Rose’s "twin" & also Hardy has moved in with the “family” after much humming & harring in the previous read. All add to Carl’s demeanour & obvious stress levels which does entertain as much as his colleagues exasperation at his criticisms of them all. Dysfunctional at Home & at work is the appeal to this series for me as well as a darn fine mystery every time which runs concurrent with department Q’s investigation.
The villain(s) in these series are quite a piece of work(s) & this one is no exception, your introduced to him quite early so it’s no spoiler to say he’s quite extraordinary is this one! Read PROPER NASTY that is!
Fast paced, crackerjack of a story is this & highly recommend for all those of the Nordic Noir persuasion as well as mystery / crime fans in general.
A clear 5 stars as this series gets better n better
February 7, 2016
Deja que se pronuncie sobre la vida quien está ante la muerte; quien sabe que va a ocurrir enseguida; quien ve cómo se le echa encima el momento en que todo se desvanece.Definitivamente esta serie no es para mí. Dudo continuarla.
El mensaje que llegó en una botella, en mi opinión, es un libro malo. ¿Por qué digo esto? Porque tiene muchas subtramas aburridas que no afectan en nada a la trama principal, el detective (Carl Mørck) es un personaje insufrible que nunca logró captar mi interés, es pesado, ritmo lento. Un tedio interminable.
Algo positivo que puedo rescatar es la caracterización del antagonista.
No lo recomiendo.
February 17, 2017
Denmark's Department Q, responsible for special and cold police cases, is in a state of chaos! Asbestos particles and flies are floating around in the basement offices where Carl Mørck heads the Q department, Rose Knudsen is gone temporarily in a huff and instead her even more annoying sister Ysra has come to help in her place as secretary, and Hafez el-Assad has unexpectedly discovered a clue on deadly arson cases which the rest of the police force was fruitlessly working but had not got very far with solving. There are of course, more urgent meetings!
At home, Vigga is threatening to move back in with Carl because she broke up with her boyfriend, Jesper is moving back and forth between Carl's home and Vigga's, Morten Holland and Hardy, ex-police partners, have moved in turning Carl's house into a combined bachelor's pad and nursing home as Hardy is a paraplegic confined to a hospital bed. Carl blames himself for Hardy's paralysis which occurred in book 1, The Keeper of Lost Causes.
It was almost unnoticed when a box was delivered with broken glass shards of a bottle with an old water-damaged note inside. The letter appears to have been written in blood, but what grabs Rose's attention is the word 'help', the only word which is clear. She decides to work on deciphering the rest of the note (this is before Carl pissed her off), while Carl decides to put his feet up on his desk and close his eyes for a minute or two, which is how he prefers to spend his time. Eventually Assad again will bring him to his duty and work as he usually does.
However, in between various work and personal ruckuses, it becomes clear the maybe almost decade-old note is a key to a number of cold cases of possible kidnappings and disappearances that went unreported in self-isolated religious communities. As Carl and Assad uncover fundamentalist families with missing children, they realize maybe a serial killer is at work. Could it be possible more recent kidnappings are still happening, and worse, maybe a kid or two are being held for ransom right now? Not all of the kids come back.
One of the character points of view in early chapters is that of the wicked killer. He loves using gullible women as much as he hates religion and fundamentalist parents. But especially he loves the feeling of revenge against the pious. He could make money honestly, but extorting it from the religious fundamentalists is SO much more satisfying - and easy! He feels only a few more kidnappings will set him up financially, but oh, he will miss it...
These books in the Department Q mysteries are both amusing and horrifying. It is such a weird contrast, I always end up being a bit discombobulated by the peculiar swings from charming warmth and cuteness, and disgusting cruelty and death, every other chapter. But here I am, planning to read the next novel in the series! They should be read in order, I think.
At home, Vigga is threatening to move back in with Carl because she broke up with her boyfriend, Jesper is moving back and forth between Carl's home and Vigga's, Morten Holland and Hardy, ex-police partners, have moved in turning Carl's house into a combined bachelor's pad and nursing home as Hardy is a paraplegic confined to a hospital bed. Carl blames himself for Hardy's paralysis which occurred in book 1, The Keeper of Lost Causes.
It was almost unnoticed when a box was delivered with broken glass shards of a bottle with an old water-damaged note inside. The letter appears to have been written in blood, but what grabs Rose's attention is the word 'help', the only word which is clear. She decides to work on deciphering the rest of the note (this is before Carl pissed her off), while Carl decides to put his feet up on his desk and close his eyes for a minute or two, which is how he prefers to spend his time. Eventually Assad again will bring him to his duty and work as he usually does.
However, in between various work and personal ruckuses, it becomes clear the maybe almost decade-old note is a key to a number of cold cases of possible kidnappings and disappearances that went unreported in self-isolated religious communities. As Carl and Assad uncover fundamentalist families with missing children, they realize maybe a serial killer is at work. Could it be possible more recent kidnappings are still happening, and worse, maybe a kid or two are being held for ransom right now? Not all of the kids come back.
One of the character points of view in early chapters is that of the wicked killer. He loves using gullible women as much as he hates religion and fundamentalist parents. But especially he loves the feeling of revenge against the pious. He could make money honestly, but extorting it from the religious fundamentalists is SO much more satisfying - and easy! He feels only a few more kidnappings will set him up financially, but oh, he will miss it...
These books in the Department Q mysteries are both amusing and horrifying. It is such a weird contrast, I always end up being a bit discombobulated by the peculiar swings from charming warmth and cuteness, and disgusting cruelty and death, every other chapter. But here I am, planning to read the next novel in the series! They should be read in order, I think.
May 20, 2017
4 stars!
This book was miiiiiiiles ahead of the second in the series, which was excruciating.
PROS:
-The religious aspect of the central crimes was fascinating.
-Carl continues to be an only-somewhat-lovable dbag, which is refreshing. No secret good qualities here, folks. Carl just sucks (#realistic), but you're on his side because he's ultimately on the good side.
CONS:
-WAY too many competing mysteries, some of which I will detail behind this spoiler curtain: Too much to keep track of!
-A little too long. This relates to the above "con".... a little simpler and a little shorter would go a long way. I get the feeling that Jussi is working really hard to land on the Steig Larsson side of Scandinavian murder-mysteries, rather than on the Jo Nesbo side. Meh. Wait... Denmark isn't even Scandinavian, is it? BLERG. Y'all know what I mean.
Overall, much better than the previous one; back on par with the first in the series. 4 stars!
This book was miiiiiiiles ahead of the second in the series, which was excruciating.
PROS:
-The religious aspect of the central crimes was fascinating.
-Carl continues to be an only-somewhat-lovable dbag, which is refreshing. No secret good qualities here, folks. Carl just sucks (#realistic), but you're on his side because he's ultimately on the good side.
CONS:
-WAY too many competing mysteries, some of which I will detail behind this spoiler curtain: Too much to keep track of!
-A little too long. This relates to the above "con".... a little simpler and a little shorter would go a long way. I get the feeling that Jussi is working really hard to land on the Steig Larsson side of Scandinavian murder-mysteries, rather than on the Jo Nesbo side. Meh. Wait... Denmark isn't even Scandinavian, is it? BLERG. Y'all know what I mean.
Overall, much better than the previous one; back on par with the first in the series. 4 stars!
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