Part of Series
In the penultimate thriller of the 'New York Times' and number one internationally best-selling Department Q series, the team must hunt for a nefarious serial killer who has slipped under the radar for decades. On her 60th birthday, a woman commits suicide. When the case lands on Detective Carl Mørck's desk, he can't imagine what this has to do with Department Q, Copenhagen's cold cases division. It's a tragedy to be sure, but the cause of death seems to be clear. But his superior, Marcus Jacobsen, is convinced that this is not in fact a suicide, but a murder related to an unsolved case that has been plaguing him since 1988. At Marcus' behest, Carl and the Department Q gang—Rose, Assad, and Gordon—reluctantly begin to investigate. However, they quickly discover that Marcus is on to something: Every two years for the past three decades, there have been unusual, impeccably timed deaths with connections between them that cannot be ignored. As they dig deeper, it becomes clear that these "accidents" are in fact murders by a very cunning and violent serial killer. Faced with their toughest case yet, made only more difficult by COVID-19 restrictions and the challenges of their own personal lives, the Department Q team must race to find the culprit before the next murder is committed, as it is becoming increasingly clear that the killer is far from finished.
Author
Jussi 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.
