The Shadow Murders is the 9th (and penultimate book in the Department Q series), I read the first four books, but seem to have missed a few, which did hinder my enjoyment of the book.

A woman commits suicide on her 60th birthday, the case lands on a desk in Department Q, which nudges the memory of Carl and Marcus, they attended a tragic accident many years previously where the lady's son was killed in an explosion at a garage as she was walking there to collect her car.

After revisiting the case, they notice something sinister in the pictures, was the original accident actually a terrible murder?

On the whole, I enjoyed the book but feel I missed some of the nuances around Assad and his family.

The book ends on a cliffhanger and the mystery surrounding Carl and his old partner. I look forward to reading this when it comes out.

Department Q is back! I've enjoyed each and every book in Jussi Adler-Olsen's wonderful series. The latest entry (#9) is The Shadow Murders.
For those who haven't heard of this series...Carl Mørck is the head of Copenhagen’s Department Q - a small unit of four that investigates cold cases. They're an eclectic bunch and do things their way - which has not endeared them to the rest of the police department. But, what no one can argue, is their success rate. Their latest case is foisted on them by Carl's superior, Marcus Jacobsen. One of Marcus's first cases has haunted him for decades. When a woman from that case dies, he wants them to have another look. I'll stop there...

Adler-Olsen has crafted a dark, disturbing and devious plot. Parts of it are not so far from some of today's newspaper headlines. We're given a insider look at the perpetrator and their mindset. Scary...

The tension grows with each page turned. There's a deadline in place. Will Carl and the crew solve the whodunit it in time to save a life? Their investigation is hampered by a number of factors, making it even more of an 'edge of your seat' read.

Adler-Olsen has kept the lives of the four characters current and moving forward in every book. I've always enjoyed the banter amongst this eclectic four. And especially Assad and his proverbs. I find their personal lives are as much of a draw for me as the cases are.

While there's a satisfactory ending to the case, the door has been left open for the next book. Actually it's a bit more than the door being open. Metaphorically, Carl has fallen down the basement stairs. I can't wait to see what the next book brings.

The penultimate installment of the Department Q Scandinoir procedural series starts off with a bang, as a freak lightning strike kills six people standing outside a Danish university. One woman survives the direct strike, and responds to the paramedic attending to her with questions expected and reactions less so:

QUOTE
“Yes, we were together. Are they dead?”

Martin hesitated for a moment, but then confirmed.

“All of them?”

He nodded again and observed her face. He expected to see shock or grief, but her insidious expression told another story.

“Right then,” she said, completely composed. And despite evident pain, a devilish smile spread across her face.
END QUOTE

Fast-forward almost four decades later and the intrepid misfits of Denmark’s premier cold cases division are being told to drop everything and look into a very recent suicide instead. Our investigators are surprised at this directive from their Chief of Homicide Marcus Jacobsen, but apply themselves to the task. The dead woman, Maja Petersen, had once been collateral damage in an explosion that killed an entire garage full of people. Both Marcus and his lead investigator Carl Mørck had been involved in the aftermath, though at far lower ranks than they currently hold. The case was officially ruled an accident, but Maja’s death prompts Marcus to take a look at the file once more. One thing stands out to him this time: a notation on the presence of a small but noticeable pile of salt near the premises. He immediately asks Department Q to start looking for similar appearances of salt at other crime scenes.

The Department have their doubts about his hunch until they start getting hits, all on deaths attributed to accident or suicide. Could a devious serial killer with a Biblical calling card really have been in operation for almost thirty years now? As our investigators track down the disparate cases, they begin to establish a chilling pattern, one that suggests that the next ritual murder is coming far too soon.

Complicating matters are the fact that Christmas is also on the way, and that the latest wave of COVID-19 has struck, causing another government lockdown. Carl is especially incensed by how the guidelines are affecting his investigations, even going to confront Marcus:

QUOTE
“Is it true that you’ve decided once again that we have to conduct interrogations over the phone?”

“Yes, those are the superintendent’s guidelines.” He looked wearily up at Carl.

“Does that also apply for indictments?” he asked almost in jest.

Marcus nodded.

“And if I choose not to give a shit, what are they going to do about it?”

“I don’t know. But if you end up with corona as a result, I’m sure you will give a shit.”
END QUOTE

Even more worrisomely, the ghosts of Carl’s past are returning to haunt him, as the underhanded actions of his former partner serve to incriminate him in terrible misdeeds. His second-in-command Hafez el-Assad is also dealing with the fallout of his own traumatized family’s return from Iraq, as well as the threat of deportation looming over them regardless of his own critical position in Danish policing. But the absolute worst happens when one of Department Q’s own is taken by a devious murderer, forcing the rest of the team to go underground in their desperate race to catch a serial killer before their own government shuts them down.

While you can certainly jump in and enjoy this ninth Department Q book without having read the prior novels in the series, I do recommend checking out several of the previous books in order to gain at least a passing familiarity with the main personnel and their diverse and entertaining backgrounds. William Frost ably translates the intriguing goings-on here from the original Danish, setting up the stage for what’s sure to be an epic finale. While the case of the Salty Serial Killer is solved in these pages with aplomb, the greater questions of Carl’s innocence and the welfare of Assad’s family will leave readers waiting impatiently for the series’ final novel.

Jussi Adler-Olsen's "The Shadow Murders," translated from the Danish by William Frost, is the latest entry in his popular Department Q series. Chief Inspector Carl Mørck and his team, Hafez el-Assad, Rose Knudson, and Gordon Taylor, tackle a gruesome case involving crimes committed by a vigilante who is convinced that certain men and women are too depraved to live. This megalomaniac targets individuals for execution and stages their deaths to appear accidental or the result of suicide.

This police procedural lacks the off-beat satirical humor, nuanced character development, and thought-provoking themes of Adler-Olsen's more compelling novels. On the other hand, the author skillfully and colorfully describes the painstaking efforts of Carl, Assad, Rose, and Gordon to identify and capture a dangerous psychopath. They spend many hours tracking down every lead, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

The final chapters are somewhat anticlimactic, since we know whodunit and why. The only remaining question is whether Carl and company will locate the perpetrator in time to avoid further bloodshed. Adler-Olsen tacks on a cliffhanger ending (Carl is in hot water again). It is likely that, in the next installment, we will find out how our hero will extricate himself from what appears to be a serious charge that could land him in prison. Be warned that "The Shadow Murders" is a depressing tale that contains disturbing scenes of graphic violence and horrific cruelty.

3.5 Stars
This is the ninth book in the Department Q series. Readers who are familiar with the series will enjoy being reunited with the members of Copenhagen’s cold case division.

Carl Mørck, the man in charge of Department Q, is asked by his superior to investigate a case from 1988. Slowly, Carl and his team of Assad, Rose, and Gordon discover a series of deaths, each with a signature pile of salt at the murder scenes. Then it becomes evident that another murder is scheduled so the team needs to determine the victim and stop the serial killer. A race against the clock begins.

The characters we’ve come to know behave consistently with their portrayal in previous books in the series. There is a sense of familiarity so reading the book feels like revisiting with old friends. The book makes references to events in the previous book, Victim 2117. I enjoyed learning about what happened following the end of that book. Especially, it’s a joy to read about Carl and Mona’s relationship.

Multiple points of view are used; once the identity of the perpetrator is discovered, the perspective of that villain is included, so the reader knows the plans and motivations.

The question is whether Carl and the others will be able to prevent the murder. The emergence of an old case has other police investigators looking at Carl’s past while he tries to focus on the present case. Covid lockdowns also complicate matters; the team is hampered in their work by restrictions because of the pandemic.

As with the other books, there are touches of humour. The banter among the team cannot but bring a smile. Assad, for example, continues to tell camel stories and to misuse idiomatic expressions.

Suspense is gradually ramped up, especially after a team member is placed in serious danger. Towards the end I was unable to stop reading.

The ending of this book connects directly to the first book in the series, The Keeper of Lost Causes, and leads directly to the tenth and last book. I imagine this last book will finally bring closure to the case which left one colleague, Anker Høyer, dead and another colleague, Hardy Henningsen, a quadriplegic. I will certainly looking forward to that last book.

If you have not already discovered this Danish mystery series, do check it out. Be certain to begin at the beginning. As Queen Elizabeth II says in Alan Bennett’s The Uncommon Reader, “Can there be any greater pleasure . . . than to come across an author one enjoys and then to find they have written not just one book or two . . . “?

Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.

An incredible installment! This plot was so clever and twisted, I loved every page. Can’t wait to see Carl and team back in the next one.

One of the key mainstays of contemporary Scandinavian noir, as essential a cornerstone to the genre as Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander, Jo Nesbø's Harry Hole and Arnaldur Indridason’s Erlendur, Jussi Adler Olsen’s Department Q sees one of Denmark's best homicide detectives Carl Mørck investigate a series of cold cases with assistance from his team comprising of Assad, Rose and Gordon.

This series of book are dark and at times brutal, rich with social commentary, yet provide lighter elements such as strong team camaraderie and black humour. So far six of the series have been as feature length films in Danish with an intention for the full series to be adapted.

It was always Adler Olsen’s intention to complete 10 volumes in the Department Q series as per the tradition of the Martin Book novels by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. With The Shadow Murders the author appears on track to complete the series as planned in the next novel.

Simultaneous to the main crime story in each novel, the series has slowly unravelled the mystery of the Amager nail gun murders. Back in 2007 a surprise ambush led to the death of a police detective called Anker and the paralysing of another, Hardy. While he was only grazed by a bullet, the events of that day have cast a heavy shadow over Carl Mørck’s career. His actions on the day have left suspicions in the senior management which then saw Mørck sidelined to cold cases, while his own guilt at emerging virtually unscathed has also led to his subsequent care of Hardy. Which running as an undercurrent in the eight prior novels, a discovery during The Shadow Murders places not only his team’s investigation in jeopardy but also offers doubts over Mørck’s own future.

Following a pair of intriguing opening chapters set in the past, Carl Mørck is visited by Chief of Homecide Marcus Jacobsen. The death of a lady in her sixties by suicide has reminded Jacobsen of a case thirty years earlier in his career when a young baby boy was killed. At the time his mother was approaching a car repair shop which suddenly exploded. The blast killed the merchanics at work in addition to the young child. At the time the police were unable to establish a reason for the explosion nor a possible motive for a crime.

The one perplexing aspect to the case was a pile of table salt found close to the scene of the blast. This jigs something in Mørck’s memory and he asks Rose to check unsolved deaths and she unearths the death of a right wing politician who was believed to have comitted suicide in his car garage where salt was also found present. The team are then prompted to look for unsolved or unexplained deaths were salt was left on the scene, gradually uncovering a pattern over several decades.

As Carl and team start to interview those related to these cases, their questioning leads to a confrontation they are unaware of. At this point it is revealed to the reader who the main villan of the story is with some understanding of their motives.

With a long running series like Department Q there is a degree of formalisation. The historic cases tend to lead to the discovery of a current case as the police procedural evolves into a race against time thriller with lives at risk, including a member of the team. There is a degree of similarity with the imprisonment of Merete Lynggaard in the very first novel of the series. Other aspects familiar to the reader include Mørck’s continued attempts to smoke cigarettes in his office – which has become more troublesome now that the department has been located alongside the other investigating teams in the new police HQ in Copenhagen (also mentioned in Katrine Engberg’s The Harbour). Assad’s camel sayings and gramatical errors are still present and the continued interaction between the team also provides light spots contrasting with some of the more gruesome deaths in the storyline. It is to be expected that these elements would apply through this novel as they did through the earlier books in the series. The relocation of the department as well as restrictions in place during the Coronavirus epidemic do alter the team dynamic slightly.

Overall this is another cleverly crafted novel which has been well researched by the author, who consults members of the police force to ensure procedural accuracy. While I probably would not recommend The Shadow Murders as a starting place to read Jussi Adler Olsen: The Keeper Of Lost Causes (AKA Mercy) and The Absent One (AKA Disgrace) are hard to beat. Yet for anyone who has read at least a few of the novels, this book will definitely satisfy. Unlike the usual clear resolutions of earlier novels, The Shadow Murders ends on a knife-edge. With approximately 9 months delay between the Danish language edition of this book and the English language version, eyes will soon begin to turn to see when the final volume of Department Q will appear. Be sure to catch up before then.

I couldn't put down this book -- any time I had even just 20 free minutes, I was reading it. It was a really thrilling premise and an exciting, mostly well-plotted mystery. There were a few big things that took away from my enjoyment of it. I saw many reviews that mentioned how realistically the COVID restrictions on the department were portrayed, but I actually found that aspect to be pretty shoehorned in. It seemed like for the most part the investigators just did whatever they would have done normally, but there were random references to people removing or putting on masks, or comments about how people were supposed to be working from home. I also found everything related to the investigation into Morck absurd and didn't think the pacing around it quite worked. It's hard to say more without spoilers, but absolutely everyone involved acted like a maniac in a way that seemed more like plot device than genuine characterization. Despite all of that, I think this book is worth reading for the very interesting mystery and tight, compelling writing.

446 pages

5 stars

Carl Morck and his team are in for a wild ride in this latest book in the Department Q series.

When Carl’s boss, Marcus Jacobsen, brings him a cold case involving murder and, oddly enough, salt, the whole teams becomes involved with several cold cases that were previously thought not to be connected. But they all have one thing in common - a pile of salt left at the scene.

This is a very twisty and odd tale. The reader is introduced to a group of vigilantes who are led by someone who believes they are God-chosen. The reader gets both the officers’ and the vigilantes' points of view.

The murder victims that are “chosen” seem to be all of questionable morals. The vigilantes are choosing people who have done wrong - at least in their eyes. The murders are occurring at two-year intervals. What is that about?

The police have a suspect, but do not have enough proof for an arrest warrant.

Meanwhile, an important business man goes missing. Is he the latest captive of the vigilantes?

Meanwhile Carl is being investigated regarding his participation in an old crime. And Gordon has an opportunity to show his stuff. I was very pleased to see him stand up.

Will this all end well for our heroes?

I’ve been reading Mr. Adler-Olsen for years. I really like his Department Q series. Their cases are different and fascinating. He certainly knows how to write an exciting story. He builds the tension slowly, until the reader is thoroughly hooked. And a hat tip to translator William Frost. A fine job.

I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group/Dutton for forwarding to me a copy of this fantastic book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

Whenever a new Department Q novel arrives it’s time to plan for a day of nothing else but reading and enjoying the twists and turns of Jussi Adler-Olsen’s characters and storylines. This novel has Department Q, the cold case squad of misfits who together form a cohesive team of sleuths, following up on mere hints of a lead, to connect disparate bits of information to determine who-dun-it and why. Over the course of this series of books each team member has undergone horrific personal trauma, including Inspector Morck. The author brutally takes us to the edge with each squad member, connecting threads of their past with the case at hand. And in this book, the team are tasked with closing multiple years-old cold cases, linked by a bit of salt left behind.

A twisty Scandi-noir novel about a cold case that echoes over the years- because there are multiple cold cases that haven't been previously connected. Except that there was a pillar of salt at each homicide site. Now, Department Q of the Copenhagen Police is looking for a villain who has eluded them over time. Detective Carl Morck and his team Ross, Assad, and Gordon, find themselves deep in a mess. This moves back and forth in time and perspective but the main action, i.e. the investigation, takes place in December 2020. COVID is integrated seamlessly as is the unusual motivation for the killings. This is hard to review without spoilers but know that it will keep you, like it keeps the team. guessing. I've only read a c0uple of the books in this series and it's been a long time since the last one for me so this was pretty much a standalone. There's enough info about each of the characters to plunge you in and the short chapters will keep you turning the pages. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A very good procedural.

I am a longtime fan of Jussi Adler-Olsen's Department Q novels. Department Q includes a small cast of clever out-of-the box thinking misfits who handle cold cases that are typically notorious, often gruesome and always beyond the detection and solving capabilities of ordinary officers. The Shadow Murders opens with a scene in which a woman survives a lightening strike that killed the other people in her group and a foreshadowing of madness, And then, the team begins to focus on what seems to be a non-case. A woman has committed suicide and the head of homicide, Marcus Jacobson remembers her as the mother of a three year old boy who died in an explosion in 1988. He never forgot the case, because he was nearby when the automobile repair garage blew up and the child's stroller was blown from his mother's hands. Marcus never quite believed it was not an intentional act as opposed to an accident in an area with a lot of flammable chemicals. And so, he asks Carl, head of Department Q to start looking at the old files and something strange becomes apparent in a crime scene photograph..

From this seemingly minor detail, the team begins reviewing and researching accidents or homicides that have a similar detail. We are also introduced to a strange cadre of people with a somewhat violent propensity for monitoring and correcting the behavior of citizens of common but annoying rudeness but with, a group whose darker purpose unfolds slowly through the novel.

As the title suggests, we learn about murders that have occurred over a period of time that might be related, the victims interesting and unlikeable characters. The theme for the next Department Q novel is established as well, and will focus on the old nail gun case that plays a recurring role in other books in the series. This is a well-plotted and at times nail biter story with, as is typical of Adler-Olsen psychological "action" style. And, as usual, what I like the most are the members of Department Q, Carl, Rose, Gordon, and Assad, each with a back story with several of them featured in other novels. This one adds some information on Gordon, but it is more of a team focused piece.

A Department Q novel is never less than four stars. This one is a five star for me. The intertwining of a variety of individuals connected to the victims, the weird cult-like group of people, the madness of their leader and the cleverness of Department Q was at its best in this one. As usual, there is a lot of humor, like when Rose is consigned to put out national bulletins seeking information and shoots dagger eyes at Carl because she will have to handle all the responses, more of a clerical duty smacking of her prior position in Department Q. Assad's family is featured, roiling from their escape from a horror story in Iraq and adjustment to Denmark.

I could not go into as much detail as I'd like due to spoiler. potential but highly highly recommend this whole series, TO BE READ IN ORDER unless you are not one for rather gruesome crime scenes or crimes, a hallmark of Adler-Olsen. (They can be read as stand-alone but they are so much better when you know the players and follow their development chronologically). The Shadow Murders is arguably tamer than some, but that says more about the others being more vividly terrible than this one, not to detract from the tension that Adler-Olsen brings here to his incredibly competent work in the psychological thriller genre. Looking forward to the tenth entry, especially since we already know its general focus.

When the book opens in Fælledparken, Copenhagen 1982, six people have been struck by lightning and there are charred remains littered everywhere. Paramedics arrive on the scene and are only able to save the seventh victim.
Fast forward to six years later, Maja Petersen a single mom has just dropped her car off at an auto repair shop to get fixed only to be informed later by the owner that her rear shaft has to be replaced.

When she finally picks her son up from school and rushes off to the repair shop she finds a man’s legs sticking out from under the vehicle.

Moments later there’s an explosion followed by another explosion. The mechanic and Maja’s toddler son die at the scene. Four more charred bodies are discovered later by the police.

Three decades later Chief of Homicide Marcus Jacobsen is called in to investigate the death of a woman who was found hanging in her apartment. The woman is identified as Maja Petersen.

Turns out Chief Inspector Carl Mørck, Marcus’s colleague handled the auto-repair fire case back in 1988 even though it remained unsolved. Unable to find any motives, the police rule the fire as an accident.

Before long Marcus finds out that the suicide incident is connected to the cold case related to Maja to which Carl was assigned.

Marcus suspects the explosion wasn’t an accident and immediately reopens the case and assigns Carl and the rest of the Department Q team to look into it.

And why was there a small pile of salt outside the building? As the police investigate deeper into both cases, it becomes more apparent that these supposed accidents are part of a bigger scheme.

Faced with their toughest case yet, made only more difficult by COVID-19 restrictions, the Department Q team must race to find the culprit before they strike again.

Meanwhile, the basement under the police headquarters is being renovated. As a result, Chief of Homicide Marcus Jacobsen’s colleagues in Department Q (Chief Inspector Carl Mørck and Rose Knudsen) have been transferred to Teglholmen in Sydhavnen where the Copenhagen Police investigation unit is now located. Marcus is not too happy to have them there.

Marcus has been made aware by his higher-ups that his colleague Carl Mørck is currently being investigated for his alleged involvement in a drug trafficking scheme. Marcus vacillates between believing his superiors and defending his colleague’s reputation.

A solid Scandinavian detective story. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to Jussi Adler-Olsen, NetGalley, and Penguin Dutton for the arc of this book.

The Shadow Murders is the ninth book in the Department Q series by award-winning best-selling Danish author Jussi Adler Olsen. After attending the funeral of a suicide, Detective Inspector Carl Mørck’s boss, Marcus Jacobsen brings him a case for Department Q to review.

Burying sixty-year-old Maja Petersen, Marcus recalls the niggle about the case of a garage explosion that took five mechanics and Maja’s toddler son, Max, over thirty years earlier. The small, unexplained pile of table salt at the scene twigged a memory of another case with this same feature.

Mørck quickly sets his team to work tracking down that other case, while also examining anomalies in the garage case. A thorough examination of both files leads them to conclude that both were murders set up to look like accident or suicide.

They surmise there must be more cases and begin actively searching for others with the same salt feature, and when they look deeper, they discover that the common elements of the cases form a pattern: what look like ritual killings have apparently been going on for over three decades.

The victims, too, exhibit a common characteristic: all are morally deficient. Whoever is knocking them off is clever and imaginative, often relating their execution method to their source of notoriety.

With COVID cases, staff quarantined and another lockdown, Department Q find themselves assigned to a “hot” case: the murder of a woman charged with the very public murder of a thief, a case which, bizarrely, turns out to have links to their cold case.

Alternate narratives that start in 1982 and are intermittently inserted between chapters from Mørck and his team’s 2020 perspective describe a group of vengeful women, vigilantes or street avengers targeting societal decay.

With its quirky team members: Rose Knudsen, ever-vocal with her loud criticism and complaint, Gordon Taylor, enthusiastic but still wet-behind-the-ears, and Assad, with his (possibly intentional) Manglish; Department Q interactions are usually entertaining and often blackly funny.

While Assad is distracted by problems with gaining asylum for his family, until the narcs turn up, Mørck is unaware of an investigation into allegations against him and his partners, Hardy Henningsen and Anker Høyer involving murder, cocaine and cash from their thirteen-year-old Nail Gun Case. This necessitates the team getting creative to avoid Mørck’s arrest while they try to prevent the death of the next victim.

There’s plenty of good detective work tracking down some truly nasty characters in this, the penultimate instalment of the Department Q series, and the cliff-hanger ending telegraphs the topic of the final book that will take the reader back to before the first book. Gripping Scandi noir
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. The characters are intriguing and mysterious which adds to the story that is already mysterious enough…murder and mayhem…I have not read other books in this serious so was somewhat confused..the different timelines jumping back and forth added to that confusion. The details of the murders were provoking…that being said, this author has woven a story that is intriguing.

This is such a fabulous series! I love the dark ominous feel, and the way the cold cases and backstory are melded into the contemporary character development. The characters are defintely one of the major selling points for me, and seeing Carl, Assad, Rose, and Gideon continue to grow into ever more complex characters is one of the great delights of the series. So is the ongoing quest to figure out what, exactly, happened to Carl, Hardy and Anker all those years ago... Adler-Olsen has done an amazing job threading the explanation of the nail gun murders throughout the various books, constantly trading revelations for new questions in a way that has continued to surprise and intrigue me.

There's only one book left and I really how it didn't take two years to be released because the cliffhanger here demands resolution!!

Writing this review is very hard because I’m still hyperventilating and my hands are shaking. Seems like the author is thinking of ending the series at #10, so this volume is ramping up for what will probably be an epic conclusion. I’ve been a fan since the first book, was a little disappointed by the last one, and am now back on board with Carl Mørck and his team. On the one hand, I wanted Department Q to solve the murders that they’re investigating but, on the other, I was rooting for the killer. Yes, seems like it’s a special brand of psychopath but, when the victims are evil, it’s hard to feel sad about their demise. The events of the previous volumes are still being felt, especially in Assad’s case, but he’s back to being his awesome self (oh how I love the camel metaphors and I’m hoping for the conclusion of the story about the camels that buy a donkey). Normally, I don’t like real life to invade my fiction so at first I wasn’t sure about having COVID infect Carl’s world but, in the end, the restrictions that limit their movements worked really well. The plot is, as always, very suspenseful, especially after (mild spoiler alert) a very special character is in danger while the clock ticks down. Having to wait for who knows how long to find out what happens after that explosive ending will be torture, like the camel who wanders the desert surrounded by sandflies. Five stars!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#PENGUIN GROUP Dutton!

I didn't read the books before The Shadow Murders: A Department Q Novel by Jussi Adler-Olsen, but I feel the author did a good job developing the characters and their relationships so that I didn't feel I missed anything. I may go back and read some of the other books.

I was a bit confused in the story and some of the back and forth with dates and some of the characters, but it did come together at the end.

I liked Carl okay, and I really liked Rose and even Marcus. Marcus's demeanor was interesting and how he was portrayed.

The story takes place during the Covid-19 pandemic, which shows how the investigators had to struggle through complications in the investigation.

The story ends on a cliffhanger, so now I'll have to find out when the next book will be released to find out what will happen! That's why I give this a 4 out of 5 stars. This was a quick read for me as well as I was able to read it in one day.

#TheShadowMurders #NetGalley @DuttonBooks

The Shadow Murders by Jussi Adler-Olsen is intriguing, suspenseful, and original. It is the ninth book in the Department Q series and has been translated by William Frost. Detective Carl Morck, the leader of Department Q, the small cold case division in Copenhagen, Denmark, is given a recent suicide case. His superior, Marcus Jacobsen, believes it is related to an unsolved case from 1988. They are to drop other cases and work this one.

Carl’s team consists of Rose, Assad, and Gordon. As the four investigate, they realize Marcus is right. There is something going on. There have been unusual deaths every two years that have connections. Are they accidents, a series of coincidences, murders by a serial killer, or a combination of the three?

The author does a fantastic job of characterization. Every character seemed to come alive. Readers get a great sense of what they value in life and how they approach their days. Insights into Carl, Rose, Assad, and Gordon come over time and aren’t a data dump. Readers get a sense of both their personal and professional lives.

The prologue and a couple of chapters are flashbacks. Other than that, the chapters cover a short time period of November 30 to December 26, 2020. Each chapter focuses on a different individual, but the story moves smoothly between them. This police procedural and crime thriller has a stunning and deeply involved plot. The twists and turns will keep readers highly engaged and leads to an action-filled and emotional conclusion.

The book explores how individuals can twist religion and morality to suit their extremist views. Symbolism plays a role in this story line. Insight into the treatment of immigrants can be seen through Assad and the effects on his family as well as references to casual workers from other countries. The novel takes place during the Covid-19 pandemic. This adds difficulties and complexities to the investigation. There is a twist from the past that affects one of the major characters. This subplot is left unresolved and readers will have to read the final book in the series to see how it ends. This cliffhanger ending is my only quibble with the story.

Overall, this was an engaging, thought-provoking, and emotional story that kept me turning the pages rapidly. I am looking forward to reading the conclusion to this series. Those that enjoy well-done police procedurals and crime thrillers are encouraged to consider this book as their next read. Five books in the series have also been adapted into movies.

PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and Jussi Adler-Olsen provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for September 27, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

3.5 Stars. There is an enjoyment factor in the award-winning Department Q series, mainly due to its four quirky, misfit detectives. In the Shadow Murders, its cold case detectives have risen in the respect of the police department, where once they were regarded as dysfunctional. They have come a long way in reputation and are now seen as a cooperative and highly effective unit. Rounded up to 4 stars because of the intriguing characters.

I have read all 9 of the Department Q series, and due to its shocking cliffhanger, I am anticipating number 10. This can be read as a stand-alone, but the reader will be missing the backgrounds and growth of the characters, which adds to the pleasure. Carl Morck had come of a police action where one officer was killed, and another paralyzed and was living in his home. Before this disaster, it seems Carl was disliked by the Copenhagen police department and considered lazy. He was banished to a small, windowless basement room to be in charge of cold cases. He sat there with unopened files on his desk with no intention of working on solving any of the cases. He was angry and depressed. After discovering that some funds meant for Department Q had been diverted to other units, he demanded a janitor, secretary and a television set.

He managed to acquire a janitor, Assad, who claimed to have been a taxi driver in Syria. It is later revealed that he is using an assumed name and his past was mysterious. He encouraged Carl to start working on a case and became his much-needed partner, revealing skills in criminal investigation and brilliant police work. The banter between the outgoing Assad, with his misuse of words and parables about camels, and the grumpy Carl was an ongoing source of amusement. During an investigation, Assad's knowledge of torture led to suspicion as to whether he had been tortured or was one of the torturers in his former country. As time goes by, Carl shows renewed energy, bravery and dedication.

Rose, the new secretary, was a woman with serious and unresolved psychological problems. She managed to promote herself to detective and displayed intelligence and skills, and dominated the office when not lapsing into obvious signs of mental distress. She recently returned to the office after isolating herself for two years, inserting herself into the cases as if she had never been gone.

Less is known about Gordon. He used to hang around the office with a romantic crush on Ruth but is the latest person to join the ranks as a detective in Department Q. He was recently observed at his desk making Christmas decorations for the fast-approaching holiday season.

There is a lot going on in this plot which seems slow-paced and rambling at times. Department Q has been moved to a new building, sharing the floor with Homicide. It will soon be Christmas, and COVID is dominating the headlines. Many of the homicide detectives are out sick or in isolation, and the city has been in several lockdowns. Their cold case investigation is turning out to be numerous killings going back some thirty years. The case is convoluted and complex; all clues point to one intelligent and diabolical serial killer. The manner of killing was varied, as were the victims. They must figure out how the timelines between murders were organized and the crazed motivation of the serial killer.

Now they have been ordered by homicide to investigate a couple of recent murders because of the depleted force due to COVID. The detectives find a clue that links their unresolved cold cases with the current murders. They also figure out an ongoing timeline which suggests a new murder will occur on Boxing Day. They feel they know the identity of the evasive perpetrator but don't have sufficient evidence to make an arrest yet. It looks like a city-wide lockdown for Christmas.

The Department Q detectives are working under near impossible and desperate conditions. They have only a few days to identify and rescue the next victim to be killed on Boxing Day. With mask-wearing social distancing, and a new lockdown, it seems hopeless. Now Gordon has disappeared while tracking the suspected killer. They receive a photo of him bound to a metal chair in the same unknown location as the next victim, who has undergone weeks of torture.

To add to an unsurmountable situation, Carl has been charged as a drug lord who was operating in Denmark and other European countries. Both Homicide and Drug teams are looking to make an arrest as they believe they have found indisputable proof of his guilt. This causes the Q team to go into hiding and turn off their phones to avoid being traced. They are still trying to save Gordon and the Boxing Day victim and hopefully arrest the serial killer. How will it end? The pace becomes anxious and thrilling towards the conclusion.
A sincere thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC of this book, which is due to be published on September 27. Can hardly wait for the tenth book in the series.