Nete Hermanson has achieved much during the last twenty years. Overcoming a past that is both heartbreaking and scandalous, Nete has finally relaxed into her life in upper class society with her well connected and wealthy husband. And then in an instant, with one ill timed remark, her life is shattered and in ruins.

Detective Carl Mørk, the head of Department Q, an unsolved crime unit at Police Headquarters in Copenhagen, begins to half heartedly investigate the disappearance  of a brothel owner named Rita.  While cleaning out the drawers in the offices of Department Q in a misguided attempt to be useful, Rose, Mørk’s new assistant, comes across a series of missing persons who all disappeared around the same time as Rita. Enlisting Assad’s help, his two assistants begin to pester Mørk, into taking the whole investigation more seriously when a connection to a right wing  political party whose popularity is on the rise, makes Mørk’s bosses nervous and causes them to interfere with the course of the investigation. Mørk, curmudgeonly and obstreperous at best, resents the interference and suddenly jumps into the investigation wholeheartedly.  Ably supported by his tireless assistant, Assad, they begin to make important head way in solving the case until a forgotten and shameful past comes to light and suddenly the case becomes less about the disappearance of  individuals and more an indictment against Denmark’s politics and a reminder of WWII’s fascist influence. As they pursue each lead and force the hands of those whose secrets they want to expose, the case takes a new twist and comes to a surprising end.

Adler-Olsen is a prize winning author in Denmark for good reason.  His characters are interesting and their interactions are complicated and humorous. Adler-Olsen is unafraid of taking on sensitive political issues but does it in such a way that it never takes away from the story, the characters or the plot.  I think these books are just as good or better than Stieg Larson’s Dragon Tattoo Trilogy, which makes the fact that there are several other Department Q series books that have been translated into English all the more satisfying!

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 Stars out of 5)

Recommend this book to: Sharon and Marian

Book Study Worthy: Yes

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