Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Kirjan lukeminen lähti liikkeelle vähän nihkeästi, enkä sinänsä innostunut kehystarinasta, jossa virkamiehet kikkailivat Afrikan kehitysmaihin suunnattujen rahojen kanssa. Sen sijaan pidin Kööpenhaminan kerjäläislasten ja 'klaanin' kuvauksesta, erityisesti 15-vuotiaasta päähenkilöstä, Marcosta, joka oli vallan nokkela ja fiksu tapaus. Oli mukava myös palata osasto Q:n tuttujen tyyppien, Carlin ja Assadin, seuraan, Rosekin alkoi vaikuttaa aiempaa kiinnostavammalta ja kokonaisemmalta hahmolta. Sain hiljattain lahjaksi sarjan seuraavan osan suomennoksen, mutta taidan lukea jotain vähän kesympää sitä ennen :) Aika raakaa menoa oli tässä osassa.
Probably my least favorite Department Q novel, but I still enjoyed it. I got tired of all the chasing and escaping.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
More mystery this time as the story plays out, with a much more sympathetic “criminal”
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a book that I wanted to like more than I did.The basic story was really interesting. Carl and Dept Q get involved in a missing boy named Marco Jameson, who is part of an extended "family" headed by Zola, brother to Marco's father and leader of a clan. They had called themselves Gypsies, but really weren't at all. Zola is originally from Little Rock! He is really just a big scam artist who rules members of his "family" with an iron hand. Marco is one of several children who go out begging every day and lifting wallets, cell phones and anything else they can get from unwary pedestrians. Marco is exceptionally bright and wants out, but is torn at the same time because of his father and Maryam, one of the children in the group. Zola provides other services such as murder for hire as well. We also learn about a gigantic banking scam disguised as foreign aid for a pygmy group in Africa. It is supposed to help them become self sufficient by growing bananas. The amount of money is staggering and, somehow, very little actually goes to the people of course.
The problem I had with the novel is that, in my opinion, it suffered from not being edited enough. The first third of the novel, when it covers the main character, Carl and his peculiar Department Q, is taken up with another case that they are working on, his coworkers and the sudden departure of his boss who is replaced by someone Carl despises. He was in Afghanistan training police there for 6 months, but Carl never realized he was gone. Is he that obtuse? Maybe. I think, in the end, at least for me, I don't find Carl to be that interesting or compelling a character. He complains all of the time about everything. In this story, he is helped with quite a bit of luck. If it wasn't for Marco, he wouldn't have even known what was going on.
The other issue I have with this book (and this is the second one I've read in the series) is the language itself. It is stilted and doesn't flow well. I think the problem is with the translation. I've read other Scandinavian novels and haven't seen that in evidence as much except when there's foul language involved.
I DID finish the book, but I think this will be the last Dept Q for me unless they find another translator.
The problem I had with the novel is that, in my opinion, it suffered from not being edited enough. The first third of the novel, when it covers the main character, Carl and his peculiar Department Q, is taken up with another case that they are working on, his coworkers and the sudden departure of his boss who is replaced by someone Carl despises. He was in Afghanistan training police there for 6 months, but Carl never realized he was gone. Is he that obtuse? Maybe. I think, in the end, at least for me, I don't find Carl to be that interesting or compelling a character. He complains all of the time about everything. In this story, he is helped with quite a bit of luck. If it wasn't for Marco, he wouldn't have even known what was going on.
The other issue I have with this book (and this is the second one I've read in the series) is the language itself. It is stilted and doesn't flow well. I think the problem is with the translation. I've read other Scandinavian novels and haven't seen that in evidence as much except when there's foul language involved.
I DID finish the book, but I think this will be the last Dept Q for me unless they find another translator.
Solid thriller. It's just unfortunate that the ending lacks the same realism that makes the rest of the book so compelling.
Was torn between rating of 2 or 3. Like the series so I went higher but I found this book to be lacking and a difficult read