The Absent One - (Department Q Novel) by Jussi Adler-Olsen (Paperback)

About the Book

Adler-Olsen delivers an electrifying follow-up to his "New York Times"-bestselling debut, "The Keeper of Lost Causes." Morck is back. He's settled into Department Q and is ready to take on another cold case. This time, it's the brutal double-murder of a brother and sister two decades earlier.

Book Synopsis

Copenhagen's Detective Carl Mørck is back and ready for action in the second Department Q novel from the "new 'it' boy of Nordic Noir" (The Times, London).

Carl Mørck has settled into Department Q and is ready to take on another cold case. This time, it's the brutal double-murder of a brother and sister two decades earlier. One of the suspects confessed and is serving time, but it's clear to Mørck that all is not what it seems. Kimmie, a homeless woman with secrets involving certain powerful individuals, could hold the key--if Mørck can track her down before they do...

Review Quotes

Praise for The Absent One

"Adler-Olsen, Denmark's leading crime fiction author, outdoes his outstanding debut, The Keeper of Lost Causes, with his second Department Q novel."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Adler-Olsen's humor and his portrayal of Kimmie's sad life make The Absent One stand out among today's flood of Nordic mysteries."--Kirkus Reviews

"The Copenhagen-set sequel to The Keeper of Lost Causes is quirky and wry."--The Sacramento Bee

"Adler-Olsen has created a wonderful addition to the detective fiction genre...Readers of detective fiction, international crime fiction, and suspense fiction will highly enjoy this thriller."--Library Journal (starred review)

More Praise for Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q series

"If you like the dark humor, wisecracking, and layered betrayals of Raymond Chandler, then read Adler-Olsen's Department Q series."--Men's Journal

"A tense, pleasurable read."--USA Today

"[A] sordid tale... inspired by actual events during a dark period of Danish history. Ah, but there is more, so much more in this frenzied thriller."--The New York Times Book Review

"Adler-Olsen merges story lines...with ingenious aplomb, effortlessly mixing hilarities with horrors...This crime fiction tour de force could only have been devised by an author who can even turn stomach flu into a belly laugh."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"This series has enough twists to captivate contemporary mystery readers and enough substance and background to entertain readers with historical and literary tastes."--Library Journal (starred review)

"When your series relies on cold cases, it's not always easy to craft plots that have both historical interest and an air of urgency, but it's something Adler-Olsen is very good at."--Booklist

About the Author

Jussi Adler-Olsen is Denmark's #1 crime writer and a New York Times bestselling author. His books, including the Department Q series, routinely top the bestseller lists in Europe and have sold more than fifteen million copies around the world. His many prestigious Nordic crime-writing awards include the Glass Key Award, also won by Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbø, Stieg Larsson, and Peter Høeg.