The Keeper of Lost Causes

Department Q, Book 1

By: Jussi Adler-Olsen

Narrated by: Erik Davies

Get to know the detective in charge of Copenhagen's coldest cases in the first electrifying Department Q mystery from New York Times best-selling author Jussi Adler-Olsen.

Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl - who didn’t draw his weapon - blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of cold cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: A liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead...yet.

Darkly humorous, propulsive, and atmospheric, The Keeper of Lost Causes introduces American listeners to the mega-bestselling series fast becoming an international sensation.

©2011 Jussi Adler-Olsen (P)2011 Penguin

Narrator is truly awful

The narrator spends the whole time doing fake Scandinavian accents that sound like schwarzenegger with a mouth full of rocks. Not sure if I can even finish it, it's so distracting.

B R A V O

B R A V O!! This book was GOOD till the very last word of the epilogue. Narrartor was perfect. I'm sad the next book changes.

Steig Larson has made a lot of us I think newly interested in Scandinavian/Nordic crime novels. I’ve read a few by Nesbo and others I can’t recall at the moment but this one definitely stands out. Our crime solving duo is an odd couple: Detective Carl Morck (“read” audio so spelling may be incorrect) intuitive detective but recently cynical after a shooting and apparent demotion. Then we have his elusive assistant Assad who curiously provides key insight into their case and another the primary department is working on. We follow their investigation into a cold case involving a missing political figure. This was one of the first times the who dun it reveal was really a surprise for me. I so enjoyed this book and especially the tenderness of the final scene. So well done.

The only part I thought was kind of odd is when they broke the lock and entered the room where ALL of the crime details were displayed. Padlock and all it just seemed not quite right that it would be that obvious or in plain sight.

Danish Police Procedural-- Suspenseful

I should probably admit that I've never read any of the Stieg Larsson books so it wasn't the similarities of the covers that caused me to choose this book. I do have a weakness for northern European crime novels. This one is a Danish police procedural involving a missing person case. The chapters alternate between victim and detective and the years between 2002 and 2007. The plot involves one of the most fiendish crimes I have ran during a long time or reading crime fiction.

Carl Mørck is the new head of Department Q, a new department created to take a look at cold cases. He has just recovered from a gunshot wound following an attack that resulted in the death of one of his colleagues and the paralysis of a second. At this point he does not intend to do much detecting. But he is given an assistant named Assaud, a Syrian asylum seeker who has a lot of hidden talents.

Very suspenseful and exciting plot.

The narrator, Erik Davies, is quite good. He isn't over dramatic. His pronunciation of the Danish names sounds easy and unstained, no matter how odd they sound to my ears.

I couldn't stop listening

What did you love best about The Keeper of Lost Causes?

That's my guide - plain and simple. Does it hook me pretty soon? Do I get excited at the thought of taking it up again? This one did it for me - I kept thinking - find her! Find her! If I'm that into it - it's usually pretty good. Isn't that what you want in a good mystery?

Strengths outweigh the flaws

The book does have a few flaws: the hint of a southern drawl in the narrator's Danish accent, some small holes in the plot, and one too many noir cliches (the cliches may be due to translation). Nevertheless, the strengths, detailed character development, deep plot twists, and a sprinkle of humor, outweigh the weaknesses.

Great Denmark Thriller But a Bit Long

Fun listen but it is a bit too long as other Scandinavian books I've listen to tend to be. Book is nothing like Girl With a Dragon Tattoo as one reviewer suggested (and actually influenced me to buy it) except both are mystery novels. To suggest they are similar is to suggest all detective novels are like the Sherlock Holmes collection. Main detective character is not one that is easy to care about and it being too long are the only reasons I did not give it five stars. The story however is very original, I love that it is in Denmark (a country from which I have never read a story before), and the great reader make it a worthwhile purchase.

good story, oppressive performance

The reader's Danish accent is questionable, and the dialogue is delivered at a snail's pace. The book is good, but i took to speeding parts up to lessen the tedium.

Good enough, but rough in places

I chose this book after seeing the raves for the last one, so far, in the series, which was just released. (4.6 rating from about 300 reviews n clearly people like it!) I figured before reading it, I should read Book 1 to see how it all started. It was very slow getting going. I was a good 8 to 10 chapters in before the heart of the story started to take over the narrative. I think, though, in hindsight that it was time well spent. The characters were well on their way to being developed. That's one reason I had decided to start with Book 1.

There were places where I seemed to have missed something, but I don't know how. They were mostly small things so it didn't get in way on the story - too much.

I also had read in some of the reviews that some people didn't like the narrator. I thought the narrator was terrific. I know a bad narrator can destroy an otherwise good book. Believe me, that's not the case here.

I've now downloaded the most recent book in the series. I have high hopes that it will be an awesome listen.

you'll become a fan of Department Q

this is the kind of well written, fast paced, thrilling novel i love. you've got your grumpy Nordic anti-hero cop who'd got a "past" that haunts him, and an attitude that doesn't help him...but that you end up loving him anyway. the crime was well thought out and scary as hell...even if the criminals were clunky, they were still menacing.

i'll definitely be reading the rest of the Department Q series...

WOW!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Keeper of Lost Causes to be better than the print version?

Absolutely -- due to the fabulous narration.

Any additional comments?

One of the best audiobooks I've read/listened to in a long time. Narrator was wonderful, making all the characters come alive. Plot was so interesting and characters so compelling -- I can't say enough good things about it. I usually listen to these books in spurts in the car or on a plane, but this one was so good I couldn't wait until my next trip to find out what happened, so listened to the last hour or so at home.