The Hanging Girl
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

*Starred Review* Department Q's sixth entry recaptures the investigative detail and seductive characterization of the series' reader-magnet debut (The Keeper of Lost Causes, 2011). Carl Mørck, the Copenhagen cold-case squad's prickly leader, has no intention of going to remote Bornholm Island, no matter how intriguing the case, and he quickly rejects Sergeant Christian Habersaat's request for assistance. Hours later, Habersaat commits suicide, and Mørck and his team, Rose and Assad, are forced to travel to Bornholm, where they must confront Habersaat's personal white whale: the 17-year-old killing of local student Alberte Goldschmid, who died after a hit-and-run flung her into a tree. Bornholm's investigators never found any useful evidence, but Habersaat was certain there was a connection to a VW bus and a nearby hippie encampment. Unfortunately for Mørck, the dead student's classmates and the hippies have moved on, and Habersaat's zealotry has alienated the few remaining witnesses. Adler-Olsen wields a one-two punch of psychological suspense, as his trademark parallel plot follows the remorseless killer's manipulations while the humorous, sometimes touching rapport between Mørck and Assad threatens to steal the show. A must for procedural devotees and fans of Scandinavian mysteries.--Tran, Christine Copyright 2015 Booklist

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 Morcks 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. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Cold Case Department Q gets pulled into an investigation on the Danish Island of Bornholm after receiving a mysterious email from retiring officer Christian Habersaat, who has just committed suicide. Twenty years ago, a young girl was found hanging dead in a tree, apparently hit by a car. While the local police ruled her death an accident, Habersaat ruined his career and family life determined to find the killer. It quickly becomes clear that things are more complicated than a simple hit-and-run, and Carl, Assad, Rose, and newcomer Gordon begin a near-impossible search for a mysterious man who may be the key to solving the case. By the end of the book, they will have not only found the killer but also uncovered nefarious activities connected to a secretive sun cult. Verdict While the plot is as intricate as expected in a Department Q novel (The Marco Effect), the story itself becomes bogged down and overly complex, leading to a less rewarding read than previous books in the series. Still, added insight into Assad's background will make this an intriguing read for devoted fans. [See Prepub Alert, 3/16/15.]-Portia Kapraun, Monticello-Union Twp. P.L., IN © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

*Starred Review* Department Q's sixth entry recaptures the investigative detail and seductive characterization of the series' reader-magnet debut (The Keeper of Lost Causes, 2011). Carl Mørck, the Copenhagen cold-case squad's prickly leader, has no intention of going to remote Bornholm Island, no matter how intriguing the case, and he quickly rejects Sergeant Christian Habersaat's request for assistance. Hours later, Habersaat commits suicide, and Mørck and his team, Rose and Assad, are forced to travel to Bornholm, where they must confront Habersaat's personal white whale: the 17-year-old killing of local student Alberte Goldschmid, who died after a hit-and-run flung her into a tree. Bornholm's investigators never found any useful evidence, but Habersaat was certain there was a connection to a VW bus and a nearby hippie encampment. Unfortunately for Mørck, the dead student's classmates and the hippies have moved on, and Habersaat's zealotry has alienated the few remaining witnesses. Adler-Olsen wields a one-two punch of psychological suspense, as his trademark parallel plot follows the remorseless killer's manipulations while the humorous, sometimes touching rapport between Mørck and Assad threatens to steal the show. A must for procedural devotees and fans of Scandinavian mysteries. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

In the sixth Department Q thriller (after The Marco Effect), a cold case involving a 17-year-old girl found hanging in a tree leads Det. Carl Mørck and his assistants Assad and Rose to a sun-worshipping cult on the remote island of Bornholm. Team newcomer Gordon joins the fray.

Cold Case Department Q gets pulled into an investigation on the Danish Island of Bornholm after receiving a mysterious email from retiring officer Christian Habersaat, who has just committed suicide. Twenty years ago, a young girl was found hanging dead in a tree, apparently hit by a car. While the local police ruled her death an accident, Habersaat ruined his career and family life determined to find the killer. It quickly becomes clear that things are more complicated than a simple hit-and-run, and Carl, Assad, Rose, and newcomer Gordon begin a near-impossible search for a mysterious man who may be the key to solving the case. By the end of the book, they will have not only found the killer but also uncovered nefarious activities connected to a secretive sun cult. Verdict While the plot is as intricate as expected in a Department Q novel (The Marco Effect), the story itself becomes bogged down and overly complex, leading to a less rewarding read than previous books in the series. Still, added insight into Assad's background will make this an intriguing read for devoted fans. [See Prepub Alert, 3/16/15.]—Portia Kapraun, Monticello–Union Twp. P.L., IN (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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 Mørcks 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. (Sept.)