The Hanging Girl - Jussi Adler-Olsen

The Hanging Girl is the sixth novel in Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q series.

I absolutely adore this series - and it's because of the recurring characters.

Copenhagen Police Detective Carl Morck and his assistants Assad and Rose labour in the basement of Police HQ, taking on cold cases. Their success rate cannot be argued with. But their methods and idiosyncrasies do nothing but annoy those on the higher floors. (to Carl's great delight)

I'm always a sucker for characters that are left of center. And this trio definitely are. While Adler-Olsen creates inventive plots for every book,  it is the mystery of Assad (and to a lesser degree, Rose) that has me eagerly awaiting next entry in this series. Slowly but surely over the course of the previous five books, details about the enigmatic Assad have been slowly meted out.  Carl's personal life and attitude are also immensely appealing. His inner commentary in response to Assad keeps me laughing. I'm looking forward to see if newcomer Gordon will stick around - I hope so.

It's another 20 year old cold case for the team in The Hanging Girl. A seventeen year old girl on the island of  Bornholm went missing on her way to school twenty years ago. She was later found dead - hanging high in the branches of a tree. Adler-Olsen takes the investigation to a unique place. The reader is privy to the goings of a nature worshiping commune. More specifically to the machinations of one of the leaders of the commune, who is determined to have things line up as she sees fit. What, if any, could be the connection between the two? Even with 'insider' knowledge, Adler-Olsen managed to surprise me at the end.

I chose to listen to The Hanging Girl, as I saw the reader was Graeme Malcom, one of my favourites. He's done the previous Department Q books as well, so he has become the voice of Carl for me. His slightly gravelly tone and mild accent embody the mental image I've created for this character.

Another great listen for this reader. And although the case is solved, there's some lovely little loose ends that promise another book - and perhaps more answers.  If you've not read any of the Department Q novels, I encourage you to start from the beginning with the first book, The Keeper of Lost Causes. Listen to an excerpt of The Hanging Girl or read an excerpt.

"Jussi Adler-Olsen is Denmark’s #1 crime writer and a New York Times bestseller. His books 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."

A Conspiracy of Faith - Jussi Adler-Olsen

You many remember me raving about the first two books in this wonderful series. (The Keeper of Lost Causes  and The Absent One) The third book in Jussi Adler-Olsen's series has just released in North America - A Conspiracy of Faith.

Detective Carl Morck works for Department Q - housed in the basement of the Denmark Police Department. Department Q deals with old and cold cases. The department isn't very large - it's Carl and Assad - an enigmatic Syrian who started off as the cleaner, but has proven to be invaluable to Carl. They have been joined by Rose - and her sister Ursa this time 'round - both decidedly 'different'.

Adler-Olsen hooked me right from the start. A pair of boys is being held captive in a remote boathouse. The older brother knows they are going to die, but ingeniously manages to put together a message in a bottle and toss it through a crack into the ocean. Years later the bottle finally makes it's way to Carl's desk. And the hunt begins for a killer.

Now, we as readers, know who the killer is - and that he is still operating. His chapters are especially chilling. Adler- Olsen paints a particularly frightening picture of a sociopath. The hunt is on and we can only urge Carl and team to hurry - another pair of children are being held in the same old boathouse.

Adler-Olsen's plotting is excellent and the action and sense of urgency translated into late night reading for me. But what makes this series really shine are the protagonists. Carl is a brilliant investigator but is a man with a complicated personal life. The secondary storyline gives him more depth as a character, rather than just confining him to the police station. Assad is still a mystery, but Adler-Olsen has let a few more details slip about this intriguing character's background. The interplay and dialogue between the two pulls the reader in.

I've read the first two books, but chose to listen to this third entry. I didn't realize who the reader was until the opening lines of the first disc - then realized it was one of my favourites - Graeme Malcolm. He has such a rich, full sonorous voice. He has a Scottish accent, but bends it to fit Carl's personality. The voice he chose for Assad also worked well. Malcolm uses his voice very effectively - the killer's mind set was all the more chilling with the dispassionate tones employed. His voice was easy to listen to, extremely expressive and really brought the book to life.

A five star read and series for this reader.  I can't wait to read the next Department Q book! See for yourself  - read the prologue of A Conspiracy of Faith.

Call Me Princess- Sara Blaedel

The hot list of crime writers right now includes many from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Denmark. Here's another author from Denmark to add to your list.

Call Me Princess marks Sara Blaedel's North American debut.

Assistant Detective Louise Rick of the Copenhagen P.D. is called in on the case of Susanne Hansson - a woman who has been brutally sexually assaulted. As Rick delves into the case, she discovers that Susanne met her attacker through an online dating site. Susanne's not the only victim of this online Lothario. He know how to hide though - he's left virtually no clues.

I enjoyed the character of Detective Rick and her interactions with her fellow officers. Blaedel has filled the department with an overbearing superior, a quiet family man partner and a publicity seeking chief. They were all comfortable if not original characters. The foray into Louise's personal life was a solid secondary story line. I did not like the best friend, newspaper reporter Camilla at all. She came across as a user of people. The interactions between her and Louse just never rang true as a best friend situation.

Blaedel has peppered her story with lots of red herrings. Many of the male characters seemed they could be the perpetrator at one time or another - the ending provided a good twist.

All in all, a solid police procedural utilizing current events as a effective plot device. It was an easy read -  one that I was happy to pick up. For me, enjoyable but not outstanding.

Blaedel has an interesting background. She founded the first publishing house dedicated to crime fiction in Denmark. She was then inspired to write her own detective novels which have landed on the Danish bestseller lists. She has been voted the most popular novelist in Denmark in 2007, 2010 and 2011. You can find Blaedel on Facebook and on Twitter.

Read an excerpt of Call Me Princess.