Detective Carl Mørck is an excellent detective, but his abrasive personality and brusque nature rubs his colleagues the wrong way. Following a traumatic incident where one of his partners is killed and another confined to a bed because of paralysis, the chief inspector is forced to create a new department just for Carl, since nobody else will work with him.
Christened Department Q, Carl’s prime directive is to investigate cold cases. Relegated to a basement and with only Assad, a Syrian immigrant driver as company, Carl starts looking at the case of Merete Lynnggaard, a young up-and-coming politician who mysteriously disappeared over five years ago. As Carl and Assad dig deeper, they uncover unsettling truths about Merete’s life and the people around her. They face numerous obstacles, including bureaucratic indifference and threats from those who want to keep the past buried.
Without revealing too much, Carl and Assad form a close bond and good working relationship, and Carl also grapples with his own past. As they work to solve Merete’s case, Carl finds a renewed sense of purpose, showing that even lost causes can lead to important revelations and connections. Excellent and gripping read, well paced and with an engaging narrative.