This novel is the kick off to the new special Department Q in which Carl Morck investigates unsolved cases.
The work of the police doesn’t only include solving current occurrences, there is also an abundance of long-forgotten cases which deserve to be reexamined. Hopefully, a new pair of eyes can shed some light on it and find something that went missing when the case was investigated.
Losing his partners in another yet unsolved case and problems on the homefront doesn’t give Carl Morck an easy start. And on top of that, he is not immensely liked by his colleagues, despite his outstanding work in crime-solving. Regardless of what his supervisor thinks, he dives into his first case to show what he is capable of. All of these cold cases have one thing in common, time is of the essence because no one knows how long Merete Lynggaard can hold on if she can endure the pain any longer.
I read this novel in German a few years ago and it captivated me again. I think this series has great potential and deserves its place on the bookshelf of every fan of suspenseful thrillers. In the beginning, it takes a while to get into the story, but maybe that’s also because this book is the first case of the Q investigation team. Therefore, the introduction is a bit more detailed, but this does not detract from the story. On the other hand, you don’t feel overwhelmed by the different characters, it reads pleasantly without getting bored. It was interesting to read how the members of the special department develop into a productive team, despite the cultural hurdles and misunderstandings. All in all, a successful prelude with an unexpected but quite exciting conclusion. There is only one thing left to do, look forward to the other cases.
