The Absent One: A Department Q Novel

Sin ninguna duda este libro, es por mucho mejor que el primero y eso, es mucho decir, porque el primero “La mujer que arañaba las paredes”, es sin duda un muy buen libro.

Los personajes están bien definidos psicológicamente, la manera en que nos muestra la sociopatía y psicopatía de un grupo de muchachos que se unen para apoyarse unos a otros en actos delictivos, es bastante perturbador, se nos ilustra perfectamente el éxtasis de los culpables a la hora de hacer daño y al mismo tiempo a cara del publico ser hombres muy respetables, esto muestra una enorme capacidad de Adler-Olsen para interiorizarse en sus personajes creados, es duro sin llegar ser escabroso.

Una historia muy bien manejada en todos los sentidos, tiene la show more ligereza de la narración, pero al mismo tiempo la profundidad de la historia, negra, fuerte y dura, por lo que la hace a mi parecer una historia redonda.

El Departamento Q, creado para investigar casos no resueltos, se encuentra con uno que aparentemente es un caso resuelto, pero que de alguna manera aparece en el escritorio de Carl, le van dejando pistas de tal forma que se da cuenta de que en realidad no es un caso cerrado como aparenta y que detrás de unos asesinatos cometidos 20 años atrás se encuentran un grupo de personas influyentes y respetadas.

Una persecución a una vagabunda, varios “accidentes”, amenazas veladas y más encontraremos en esta nueva entrega de la serie Departamento Q.

Por cierto que seguimos con la incógnita de quién es en realidad Assad y el caso en el que Mørck pierde a sus dos compañeros al inicio de la serie sigue siendo relevante pero incierto, una buena manera de mantenernos a la expectativa de una manera bastante sutil.

También me gusta mucho la mancuerna de Mørck y Assad, entiendo que el autor no pretenda ser gracioso, pero no puedo dejar de sonreír con algunas de las escenas entre ellos dos.
Muy recomendable esta segundo libro de Jussi Adler-Olden, quien por supuesto se ha consagrado con esta serie como uno de los escritores más leídos de novela negra en el mundo. show less

A cold case file mysteriously appears on Carl Mørck's desk and when nobody wants to admit to leaving it there, Carl and shifty Assad gets to go hunting for the perpetrators of a series of assaults and murders. After a somewhat unlikely plotline in the first book in this series, I shouldn't have been surprised that the plotline of this one too beggars belief a little. Adler-Olsen seems to pick only psychologically unstable characters for his bad guys, and, although many writers who use this device use it as a reason for the denouement to be a surprise, Adler-Olsen escapes the same trap because the resolution to the mystery isn't that the perps are disturbed - that's made clear from page one - so the actual storyline is how Department Q show more can catch the baddies.

As in the previous installment, it is our main characters Mørck and Assad that are the stars - their completely different personalities and temperaments give rise to quite a few hilarious moments and there's just no way not to be charmed by them. My only caveat is the new assistant, Rose, but mainly because I can't really get a feel for her role in the group yet, which will hopefully be made clear in future installments. Beware for a substantial amount of torture in this one, and if you prefer to avoid gruesome mysteries, I'd suggest staying away from this one. show less

The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen is a worthy follow-up to the debut Department Q novel, Keeper of Lost Causes. Copenhagen's Department Q handles cold cases and is headed up by ornery Deputy Detective Superintendent Carl Morck (they apparently like long job titles; at one point his sidekick Assad is referred to as "Assistant Assistant Superintendent"). This time a file mysteriously appears on Morck's desk regarding the 1987 murder of a teenage brother and sister in a summer cottage. It appears to have been done by a gang of privileged boarding school friends, out of which only the poorest of them confessed and went to prison. The rest went on to become extremely successful in the business world based on their high level connections. show more All except Kimmie, the one girl in the gang who is now homeless but far from helpless, and not happy at all with the rest of them. Morck and the Syrian Assad are joined by obstreperous Rose, who constantly spars with Carl but uncovers key information. The gang's activities may be even more extensive than first supposed. But why are they all afraid of Kimmie?

There is a fairly high degree of sadism and creepiness in this one, but for me it was well-leavened by the humor, hijinks and doggedness of Carl, Assad and Rose, as they deal with office politics and a high-up attempt to squelch the investigation. The series also features Carl's awkward efforts at romance with a therapist, and his struggles with his guilt over a partner who was paralyzed in a disastrous ambush. The first two in this Scandicrime series have been impressive, and I'm now looking forward to reading the third. show less

Spannung, obwohl man die Täter bereits zu Beginn kennt? Mitgefühl für eine brutale Gewalttäterin? Witz und Ironie in einem Thriller, dessen Hauptthema das abgrundtief Böse zu sein scheint? Für das neue Buch von Jussi Adler-Olsen kein Widerspruch.
Wieder nimmt sich Carl Morck eines alten Falles an, obwohl dieser aufgeklärt scheint. Ein Mann wurde für den Tod eines Geschwisterpaares verurteilt und sitzt nach vielen Jahren noch immer hinter Gittern. Doch jemand scheint Zweifel an dieser Lösung zu haben, denn die Akte wurde auf unbekannte Weise auf Morcks Schreibtisch deponiert. Als man bereits zu Beginn versucht, seine Ermittlungen zu unterbinden, erwacht sein Widerspruchsgeist und er intensiviert seine Nachforschungen erst recht show more und landet bald in den höchsten Kreisen der Gesellschaft.
Man weiß bereits zu Beginn, wer für die Morde verantwortlich ist, ohne jedoch die Hintergründe zu kennen, die dazu führten. Nach und nach erfährt man die Einzelheiten und voller Entsetzen verfolgt man, wie Kimmie, die einzige Frau in einer Clique mit fünf krankhaft gewalttätigen Männern zu der wurde, die sie heute ist. Obwohl sie selbst nicht weniger brutal und grausam ist als ihre Freunde, ist man doch voller Mitgefühl für diesen Menschen, der ein Ausmaß an Kälte und Lieblosigkeit erleiden musste, das man seinem ärgsten Feind nicht wünscht.
Wie in seinem ersten Fall ermittelt Morck gemeinsam mit seinem Assistenten Assad, der zusammen mit Rose, der neuen und von Morck verabscheuten Sekretärin, wieder für manch witzige Einlage sorgt. Auch die Beziehung zu Mona Ibsen, der Polizeipsychologin macht Fortschritte: Sie geht mit ihm essen, was bei Morck nicht nur für Freude sorgt...
Spannend, witzig, brutal, kritisch - eine wirklich gelungener Thriller! show less

I've rarely had a problem reading about violence in mystery novels. My feelings are protected for the most case because its fiction.

But... this novel has one of the most outrageously violent plots I've come across. I've always thought psychopathic killers work alone or perhaps with one other person but here there's a terrifying group of them. Their business model is to assault people and offer them huge sums of money to keep quiet. Oddly it works for the most part, until it doesn't and many people are killed.

What these men do to their friend and classmate Kimmie is egregious, and they deserve her wrath and everything that happens to them. The fact that their families and friends were aware of much of what was going on and did nothing show more to stop it makes it so much worse and more frightening.

I'm grateful that Carl, Assad and Rose don't give up investigating this cold case which is really many cold cases in one. show less

The sadistic scenes are too much for me. I skipped them. I suggest you do as well, to save your soul. The detective is described as "deeply flawed" in the blurbs. He is more than that. His hot shot immigrant sidekick and assertive pissed off female assistant are abused but give back. No namby-pamby stuff. And then there are the perps--all pieces of work, as they used to say--with abusive family backstories and downright evil histories. Not a puzzle mystery. You know all the players early on; but a who-will-get-whacked-and-how-terribly-nasty-will-it-be mystery.

For those of us who tore through Stieg Larsson and then Jo Nesbo, the desire for another Scandinavian crime novel writer to follow has been acute. I like what I have found so far with Jussi Adler-Olsen.

The Absent One is the second book in Adler-Olsen's “Department Q” series featuring Copenhagen Deputy Detective Superintendent Carl Mørck. Carl heads a very small subunit in Homicide called Department Q, which was established to take a second look at cold cases. I didn’t read the first book in the series, but that unfortunate oversight on my part did not create a problem for me.

As the story opens, Department Q is given a file detailing some grisly murders from 1987. The crimes committed that are the focus of this investigation are show more way over the top, as are the outrageously depraved characters who commit them. (We are told right at the beginning who they are and what they have done, so there are no spoilers involved in discussing them.) I almost didn’t keep reading because of the absurdity (or at least, I hope, the absurdity) of these evil characters.

But Detective Mørck was appealing to me immediately, as was his most humorous sidekick Assad and the new department assistant Rose Knudsen.

The focus of the story weaves back and forth between the gang of killers and the members of Department Q. By this process we get to know both groups. I should warn potential readers that one manifestation of the degeneracy of the villains involves cruelty to animals. If you are familiar with Flaubert's short story, "The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitalier," the perpetrators may remind you of Saint Julian (prior to his repentance, that is).

Tension builds as Department Q gets closer to exposing these miscreants, and they in turn get closer to making sure the members of Department Q aren't able to expose anything or anyone ever again.

Discussion: I have to say I have rarely come across a more unlikely scenario, i.e., a non-dystopian society having in its top echelon a number of very, very sick people who are also rich and powerful movers and shakers. Surely in “real life” someone on their staffs would talk? Even given the greed that seems ubiquitous in this story, a tabloid newspaper or magazine would undoubtedly satisfy someone’s need for a payout. And could you even be so successful if you were so totally psycho? Well, I’m hoping it’s an unrealistic scenario! Nevertheless, it was a fast-paced, entertaining read.

Evaluation: I really enjoyed getting to know Carl Mørck and his colleagues. The humor associated with this motley crew provided a nice break from the violence and tension-filled activities of the bad guys. I’ll be seeking out the next book in the series for sure! show less