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Department Q Series

This detective series follows Carl Mørck, a Copenhagen police detective who becomes the head of Department Q, specializing in cold cases. His team, including his assistants, seeks to uncover the truth behind old crimes that have been neglected. The series blends suspense, psychology, and humor as Mørck grapples with his own demons. Each case presents new challenges and revelations that change the lives of those around him.

The Hanging Girl
Buried
Guilt
Redemption
Disgrace
Mercy

Recommended Reading Order

  1. 1

    Mercy

    • 503 pages
    • 18 hours of reading
    4.4(7498)Add rating

    At first the prisoner scratches at the walls until her fingers bleed. But there is no escaping the room. With no way of measuring time, her days, weeks, months go unrecorded. She vows not to go mad. She will not give her captors the satisfaction. She will die first. *** Copenhagen detective Carl Mørck has been taken off homicide to run a newly created department for unsolved crimes. His first case concerns Merete Lynggaard, who vanished five years ago. Everyone says she's dead. Everyone says it's a waste of time. He thinks they're right. *** The voice in the dark is distorted, harsh and without mercy. It says the prisoner's torture will only end when she answers one simple question. It is one she has asked herself a million times: WHY is this happening?

    Mercy
  2. 2

    Disgrace

    4.3(2848)Add rating

    In The Keeper of Lost Causes, Jussi Adler-Olsen introduced Detective Carl Mørck, a deeply flawed, brilliant detective newly assigned to run Department Q, the home of Copenhagen’s coldest cases. The result wasn’t what Mørck—or readers—expected, but by the opening of Adler-Olsen’s shocking, fast-paced follow-up, Mørck is satisfied with the notion of picking up long-cold leads. So he’s naturally intrigued when a closed case lands on his desk: A brother and sister were brutally murdered two decades earlier, and one of the suspects—part of a group of privileged boarding-school students—confessed and was convicted. But once Mørck reopens the files, it becomes clear that all is not what it seems. Looking into the supposedly solved case leads him to Kimmie, a woman living on the streets, stealing to survive. Kimmie has mastered evading the police, but now they aren’t the only ones looking for her. Because Kimmie has secrets that certain influential individuals would kill to keep buried . . . as well as one of her own that could turn everything on its head.

    Disgrace
  3. 3

    Redemption

    • 631 pages
    • 23 hours of reading
    4.6(3107)Add rating

    Jussi Adler-Olsen's internationally bestselling Q series returns with a gripping installment for fans of Scandinavian crime thrillers. Two brothers wake tied in a boathouse by the sea, abandoned by their kidnapper but aware he will soon return. With only a bottle and tar, they craft a desperate plea for help using blood for ink. Meanwhile, a woman is trapped in a tumultuous marriage, enduring her husband's secrets and threats. Determined to uncover the truth, she is prepared to confront the consequences. In Copenhagen's cold cases division, Carl Morck discovers a bottle containing a decayed message written in blood—a cry for help from the boys. He questions its authenticity, their identities, and whether they are still alive. In 2013, the creators of the Stieg Larsson films and The Killing will adapt Adler-Olsen's Department Q novels, including this one, for the big screen. Praise for Adler-Olsen highlights his status as a rising star in Nordic Noir. His exploration of abnormal psychology continues to captivate readers. Born in Copenhagen, he studied various subjects and worked as a magazine editor before embarking on his writing career, with all three Department Q thrillers achieving bestseller status in Denmark.

    Redemption
  4. 4

    Guilt

    4.6(4952)Add rating

    Nete Rosen thought she'd put her traumatic youth behind her. Her caring foster parents and loving husband helped her start again. However, when a man from her past reappears one night, Nete's new life could be shattered. But she won't be drawn back into that nightmare - she won't be a victim again...

    Guilt
  5. 5

    Buried

    • 592 pages
    • 21 hours of reading
    4.1(1871)Add rating

    Over three years ago, a civil servant vanished after returning from a work trip to Africa. Missing, presumed dead, the man's family still want answers. It is one of the many unsolved crimes left for Department Q, Denmark's cold case unit headed up by Detective Carl Morck. But what Carl doesn't know is that the key to the investigation is in Copenhagen. Fifteen-year-old Marco Jameson is tough, smart and suspicious of police. Sleeping rough and hiding in the shadows is his way of life. But what is he running from - and what does he know that's worth killing for?

    Buried
  6. 6

    The Hanging Girl

    • 596 pages
    • 21 hours of reading
    4.2(5216)Add rating

    Internationally bestselling author Jussi Adler-Olsen returns with the sixth book in his exhilarating Department Q series, featuring much-loved series character Detective Carl Mørck.

    The Hanging Girl
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10

    Locked in

    A Department Q Novel

    • 768 pages
    • 27 hours of reading
    4.1(361)Add rating

    The gripping conclusion of the Department Q series sees the team facing a personal crisis as they work to uncover the truth behind a cold case that has led to their leader's imprisonment. With enemies lurking and time slipping away, the stakes have never been higher. The narrative promises intense suspense and a deep exploration of loyalty and justice as the team races against the clock to save one of their own.

    Locked in