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A review by candacesiegle_greedyreader
Victim 2117 by Jussi Adler-Olsen
4.0
Followers of Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q series remember well the opening of the first book in the series when Carl Morck returns from leave and is tapped to launch Department Q, a dead-end, cold-case department located in a windowless basement. Exhausted and shell-shocked, Carl doesn't make a peep, seeing this as an opportunity to sit at a rickety desk and nap or watch soccer on his laptop. He needs a break from police work.
But his dream is interrupted early on with the assignment of Assad, a Syrian refugee, as his assistant. As cheerful as Morck is grumpy, Assad fills the space with fragrant Arab coffee, tasty meals brought by relatives, and colorful rugs. He gets them what ever they need with charm and gentle humor. But Assad is there to work, and he shows from the start that he has a good feel for the cold-case pile, getting Carl back into police work.
Over the series, we've seen flashes competence and skill from Assad that don't quite fit his origin story. In "Victim 2117" we find out why.
A photo on the front page of a Danish newspaper shows an older woman washed up on a beach with Syrian refugees. But this woman didn't drown, she was stabbed. And Assad knew her.
What follows is a hair-raising story that will change Assad and Department Q forever. I'm curious to see how the next novel will manage to blend horror and the humor that brightens the series.
I don't find the writing of the Department Q novels as good as some of the other Scandinavian writers. It's a little stiff, awkward, but the originality of this this novel's plot over comes that and makes for an exciting and heartbreaking read.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the digital review copy.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
But his dream is interrupted early on with the assignment of Assad, a Syrian refugee, as his assistant. As cheerful as Morck is grumpy, Assad fills the space with fragrant Arab coffee, tasty meals brought by relatives, and colorful rugs. He gets them what ever they need with charm and gentle humor. But Assad is there to work, and he shows from the start that he has a good feel for the cold-case pile, getting Carl back into police work.
Over the series, we've seen flashes competence and skill from Assad that don't quite fit his origin story. In "Victim 2117" we find out why.
A photo on the front page of a Danish newspaper shows an older woman washed up on a beach with Syrian refugees. But this woman didn't drown, she was stabbed. And Assad knew her.
What follows is a hair-raising story that will change Assad and Department Q forever. I'm curious to see how the next novel will manage to blend horror and the humor that brightens the series.
I don't find the writing of the Department Q novels as good as some of the other Scandinavian writers. It's a little stiff, awkward, but the originality of this this novel's plot over comes that and makes for an exciting and heartbreaking read.
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the digital review copy.
~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader