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catherine_the_greatest's review against another edition
3.0
A message in a bottle washes up in Scotland and takes years to make its way back to Denmark, where it's determined to have originated. And despite being written 13 years earlier, it leads Carl and Assad to solve a crime currently being committed. Department Q is supposed to be dedicated to cold cases, but so far they've all been alive and kicking.
Between the killer, his unfortunate wife, Carl, his many coworkers and housemates, there's a lot going on in this book. A little too much at times, but it mostly comes together with some loose ends that will be continued in [b:The Purity of Vengeance: A Department Q Novel|18079489|The Purity of Vengeance A Department Q Novel|Jussi Adler-Olsen|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1381258025s/18079489.jpg|14903228].
The translation worked better on this one, although the decidedly British slang/vocabulary was a bit distracting at times.
Between the killer, his unfortunate wife, Carl, his many coworkers and housemates, there's a lot going on in this book. A little too much at times, but it mostly comes together with some loose ends that will be continued in [b:The Purity of Vengeance: A Department Q Novel|18079489|The Purity of Vengeance A Department Q Novel|Jussi Adler-Olsen|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1381258025s/18079489.jpg|14903228].
The translation worked better on this one, although the decidedly British slang/vocabulary was a bit distracting at times.
shullerina's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sonjaaaa8's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
list_addict's review against another edition
5.0
Real score 5.00. I love the people. Such odd people Carl has around him. I love this series. It’s ace!!
nan_b's review against another edition
4.0
This is the third Dept. Q book I have read and I enjoyed it as much as the first two. The pace is steady and the twists and turns keep it interesting right up until the end.
doreeny's review against another edition
3.0
Department Q receives a message in a bottle; the message, written in blood 13 years earlier, is a plea for help from a young boy who, along with his brother, has been kidnapped. The investigations of Detective Carl Morck and his two assistants lead to the discovery that there have been several such crimes and, in fact, they are being committed in the present as well.
Besides giving Morck’s viewpoint, the book also provides the perspective of the kidnapper (who targets multi-children families of Denmark’s fringe fundamentalist religious sects whose reclusive nature and dislike and distrust of society result in the police not being informed when children are kidnapped for ransom) and his wife Mia (who becomes more and more suspicious of her secretive and controlling husband).
Morck continues to be an interesting character; he is a cantankerous sloth who enjoys his naps at work. Nonetheless, he is capable of flashes of brilliance and works non-stop when the situation becomes dire and people’s lives are in jeopardy. He is assisted by Assad, whose past in Syria continues to remain a mystery, and Rose, who is as competent as she is chameleon-like. Questions about Assad and Rose that are raised in the first two novels of the Department Q series are not answered here; in fact, more questions arise.
The depiction of the professional kidnapper bothered me in that he is just too perfect a villain. He is an expert in disguises and is a master manipulator because of his amazing psychological insight into the minds of his victim families. Flashbacks reveal his troubled childhood and provide motive for his actions: “To hell with them. He hated them more than anything else. To hell with all those who in the name of God believed themselves to be above all others” (318). These flashbacks may be intended to humanize the man, but any sympathy they might have aroused is entirely dampened by the amount of suffering he has caused.
This book cries out to be made into a movie. There is an incredible car chase scene and a great deal of suspense since several lives are endangered, although, unlike many crime dramas, this one does not have everyone escaping unscathed. The touches of humour lighten a plot which otherwise would be too stark with its portrayal of human depravity.
This is the third of the Department Q novels (following The Keeper of Lost Causes and The Absent One), but it can be read as a standalone. Although not perfect and the subplot involving a series of arsons and Serbian gangs is pointless and distracting, the book is a fast-paced read for those who enjoy Scandinavian mysteries. There will undoubtedly be a fourth in the series.
Please check out my reader's blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski)
Besides giving Morck’s viewpoint, the book also provides the perspective of the kidnapper (who targets multi-children families of Denmark’s fringe fundamentalist religious sects whose reclusive nature and dislike and distrust of society result in the police not being informed when children are kidnapped for ransom) and his wife Mia (who becomes more and more suspicious of her secretive and controlling husband).
Morck continues to be an interesting character; he is a cantankerous sloth who enjoys his naps at work. Nonetheless, he is capable of flashes of brilliance and works non-stop when the situation becomes dire and people’s lives are in jeopardy. He is assisted by Assad, whose past in Syria continues to remain a mystery, and Rose, who is as competent as she is chameleon-like. Questions about Assad and Rose that are raised in the first two novels of the Department Q series are not answered here; in fact, more questions arise.
The depiction of the professional kidnapper bothered me in that he is just too perfect a villain. He is an expert in disguises and is a master manipulator because of his amazing psychological insight into the minds of his victim families. Flashbacks reveal his troubled childhood and provide motive for his actions: “To hell with them. He hated them more than anything else. To hell with all those who in the name of God believed themselves to be above all others” (318). These flashbacks may be intended to humanize the man, but any sympathy they might have aroused is entirely dampened by the amount of suffering he has caused.
This book cries out to be made into a movie. There is an incredible car chase scene and a great deal of suspense since several lives are endangered, although, unlike many crime dramas, this one does not have everyone escaping unscathed. The touches of humour lighten a plot which otherwise would be too stark with its portrayal of human depravity.
This is the third of the Department Q novels (following The Keeper of Lost Causes and The Absent One), but it can be read as a standalone. Although not perfect and the subplot involving a series of arsons and Serbian gangs is pointless and distracting, the book is a fast-paced read for those who enjoy Scandinavian mysteries. There will undoubtedly be a fourth in the series.
Please check out my reader's blog (http://schatjesshelves.blogspot.ca/) and follow me on Twitter (@DCYakabuski)
schinn4's review against another edition
5.0
I love Jussi Adler-Olson! This is the third book I've read by him and I've yet to be disappointed. Great mysteries and horrific villains!
ms_greenwitch's review against another edition
3.0
This dragged more than the previous two books. I still enjoy these novels, but the story wasn't as tightly edited and tense as the other two books. It seemed to meander more, to no apparent point.
myreadingescapism's review against another edition
4.0
So far, all of these are very good... they're just a bit too wordy.