The Hanging Girl
A Department Q Novel
-
-
4.2 • 145 Ratings
-
-
- $12.99
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
New York Times and internationally bestselling author Jussi Adler-Olsen delivers an exhilarating mystery in the Department Q series, featuring Detective Carl Mørck and his enigmatic assistants, Assad and Rose.
In the middle of his usual hard-won morning nap in the basement of police headquarters, Carl Mørck, head of Department Q, receives a call from a colleague working on the Danish island of Bornholm. Carl is dismissive when he realizes that a new case is being foisted on him, but a few hours later, he receives some shocking news that leaves his headstrong assistant Rose more furious than usual. Carl has no choice but to lead Department Q into the tragic cold case of a vivacious seventeen-year-old girl who vanished from school, only to be found dead hanging high up in a tree. The investigation will take them from the remote island of Bornholm to a strange sun-worshipping cult, where Carl, Assad, Rose, and newcomer Gordon attempt to stop a string of new murders and a skilled manipulator who refuses to let anything—or anyone—get in the way.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The suicide of Christian Habersaat, a recently retired police sergeant from Bornholm, Denmark, kicks off Jussi Adler-Olson's underwhelming sixth Department Q novel (after 2014's The Marco Effect). Det. Insp. Carl M rcks looks into an unsolved case from 17 years earlier that consumed Habersaat's life the hit-and-run death of high school student Alberte Goldschmid. The story becomes more complicated when Habersaat's grown son, Bjarke, kills himself and young women start disappearing from the Nature Absorption Academy, a sun cult. The female characters are gratingly one-note: nearly all their narratives revolve around stealing men or getting revenge on the women who stole their men. Adler-Olsen is evidently relying on readers' knowledge of previous books to understand his characters' motivations, but without such a background, the detectives come off as flat and underdeveloped. It is a truism that good writing follows the rule of "show, don't tell"; unfortunately, when it comes to its characters, this crime thriller neither shows nor tells.
Customer Reviews
Nordic Crime, perfect
I love the department Q series! Whodoneit’s up there with the best of them. Fully developed characters who each are fascinating.
AMAZING!
I read this book in three days and loved it! I am such a huge fan! I'm already anticipating the next book!
Unfortunately, this one is not good
I love the Dept Q series. But unfortunately, of the 6 books, this is the weakest one. It is just long, drawn out, boring and too thin on the story line. Maybe also partly due to the translation, which is not as good as the others. Too bad. This one you can skip and you would not miss much.