The Purity of Vengeance by Jussi Adler-Olsen

 

(hb; 2013: fourth book in the Department Q series. Translated from the Danish by Martin Aitkin.)

 

From the inside flap

“In 1987, Nete Hermansen plans revenge on those who abused her in her youth, including Curt Wad, a charismatic surgeon who was part of a movement to sterilize wayward girls in 1950s Denmark.

“More than twenty years later, Detective Carl Mørck already has plenty on his mind when he is presented with the case of a brothel owner, a woman named Rita, who went missing in the eighties. New evidence has emerged in the case that destroyed the lives of his two partners─the case that sent Carl to Department Q.

“But when Carl’s assistants, Assad and Rose, learn that numerous other people disappeared around the same weekend as Rita, Carl takes notice. As they sift through the disappearances, they get closer and closer to Curt Wad, who is more determined than ever to see the vision of his youth take hold and whose brutal treatment of Nete and others like her is only one small part of his capacity for evil.”

 

Review

Purity, like its three prequels, is an entertaining, character-interesting, and slick police procedural that not only focuses on the main story (Storyline A) about a villain─or villains─that Carl Mørck and his associates are investigate, but also reveals more their personal-life mysteries and histories (the shooting involving Mørck’s two previous partners, Rose’s possible-alternate personality Yrsa, and Assad’s real home address). This one sports a wild twist near the end that turns Purity’s climax on its head. Worth reading and owning, this. Followed by The Marco Effect.

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The resulting Danish film, retitled Journal 64, was released on October 24, 2018 in Denmark. Christoffer Boe directed it, from a screenplay by Nicolaj Arcel and Bo Hr. Hansen.

Nikolaj Lie Kaas reprised his role of Carl Mørck (from the first three Department Q films). Fares Fares reprised his role of Assad (from those same films). Johanne Louise Schmidt reprised her role of Rose Knudsen (from The Absent One and A Conspiracy of Faith). Søren Pilmark reprised his role of Marcus Jacobsen (from the first three films). Michael Brostup reprised his role of Børge Bak (from the first three films).

Fanny Bornedal, billed as Fanny Leander Bornedal, played a young Nete. Birthe Neumann played Nete as an older woman. Clare Rosager played Rita, Nete’s untrustworthy roommate. Luise Skov played Gitte Charles.

Elliot Crosset Hove played a young Curt Wad. Anders Hove (Full Moon Pictures's Subspecies franchise) played Curt Wad as an older man. Marianne Høgsbro played Beate Wad. Nicolas Bro played Brandt. Anders Juul played Gunnar.

 

Note: This is the final Department Q film to retain the cast of Journal and its three prequel films, since screen rights for the franchise are no longer owned by Zentropa, but Nordisk, the latter of whom released the fifth Department Q film (The Marco Effect) in Denmark on May 27, 2021.

A Conspiracy of Faith by Jussi Adler-Olsen

 

(hb; 2013: third book in the Department Q series. Translated from the Danish by Martin Aitkin.)

From the inside flap

“Detective Carl Mørck holds in his hands a bottle that contains an old and decaying message, written in blood. It is a cry for help from two young brothers, tied and bound in a boathouse by the sea. Could it be real? Who are these boys, and why aren’t they reported missing? Could they possibly still be alive?

“Carl’s investigation will force him to cross paths with a woman stuck in a desperate marriage─her husband refuses to tell her where he goes, what he does, how long he will be away. For days on end she waits, and when he returns she must endure his wants, his needs, his moods, his threats. But enough is enough. She will find out the truth, no matter the cost to her husband─or to herself.

“Carl and his colleagues Assad and Rose must use all of their resources to uncover the horrifying truth. . .”

 

Review

Conspiracy is another slick, entertaining and thrill ride of a police procedural in the Department Q series, suspenseful and twist-filled, with supporting characters (e.g.  Assad and Rose)─with their secrets, some of them easy to suss out─who evolve in tone-consistent and surprising ways. Adler-Olsen again balances dark horrors with humor and warmth, and it’s a winning combination of tone and overall talent; top-notch mainstream work, this. Followed by The Purity of Vengeance.

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The resulting Danish film, Department Q: A Conspiracy of Faith, was released on March 6, 2016. Hans Petter Moland directed it, from Nicolaj Arcel and Mikkel Nørgaard’s concept.

Nikolaj Lie Kaas reprised his role of Carl Mørck (from Department Q: The Keeper of Lost Causes and Department Q: The Absent One). Fares Fares reprised his role of Assad (from the aforementioned prequels). Johanne Louise Schmidt reprised her role of Rose Knudsen (from The Absent One).

Amanda Collin played Rakel. Søren Pilmark reprised his role of Marcus Jacobsen. Morton Kirkskov reprised his role of Lars Bjørn (from the first two films). Michael Brostup reprised his role of Børge Bak (from the first two films). Jakob Oftebro played Pasgård.

Louis Sylvester Larsen play Trygve. Pål Sverre Hagen played Johannes. Lotte Andersen played Mia.

The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen

 

(hb; 2012: second book in the Department Q series. Translated from the Danish by K.E. Semmel.)

From the inside flap

“[Detective Carl] Mørck is satisfied with the notion of picking up long-cold leads. So he’s naturally intrigued when a closed case lands on his desk. A brother and sister were brutally murdered two decades earlier, and one of the suspects─part of a group of privileged boarding-school students─confessed and was convicted.

“But when Mørck reopens the files, it becomes clear that all is not what it seems. Looking into the supposedly solved case leads him to Kimmie, a woman living on the streetsk, stealing to survive. Kimmie has mastered evading the police, but now they aren’t the only ones looking for her─because Kimmie has secrets that certain influential individuals would kill to keep buried. . . as well as one of her own that could turn everything on its head.”

 

Review

Like the previous Department Q novel The Keeper of Lost Causes, Absent is an entertaining, slick and hard-to-set-down thriller/police procedural, this entry with particularly well-to-do and sadistic villains and a fascinating antihero (Kimmie) who’s stalking them. There are few surprises in Absent, but it’s still a good genre read, worth owning. Followed by A Conspiracy of Faith.

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The resulting 2014 Danish film, Department Q: The Absent One, was released in Denmark on November 23, 2014.

Mikkel Nørgaard directed the film, from a screenplay by Rasmus Heisterberg, based on Nikolaj Arcel’s concept.

Nikolaj Lie Kaas played Carl Mørck. Fares Fares played Hafez el-Assad. Søren Pilmark played Marcus Jacobsen. Morton Kirkskov played Lars Bjørn. Johanne Louis Schmidt played Rose.

Danica Curcic played Kimmie Katherine Greis-Rosenthal played Tine.

Pilou Asbӕk played Ditlev Pram. David Dencik played Ulrik Dybbøl.

The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen

 

(hb; 2011: first book in the Department Q series. Translated from the Danish by Lisa Hartford.)

From the inside flap

“The Keeper of Lost Causes, the first installment of Jussi Adler-Olsen’s. . . Department Q series, features the deeply flawed chief detective Carl Mørck, who used to be a good homicide detective─one of Copenhagen’s best. Then a bullet almost took his life. Two of his colleagues weren’t so lucky, and Carl, who didn’t draw his weapon, blames himself.

“So a promotion is the last thing Carl expects.

“But it all becomes clear when he sees his new office in the basement. Carl’s been selected to run Department Q, a new special investigation division that turns out to be a department of one. With a stack of Copenhagen’s coldest cases to keep him company. Carl has been put out to pasture. So he’s as surprised as anyone when a case actually captures his interest. A politician vanished without a trace five years earlier. The world assumes she’s dead. His colleagues snicker about the time he’s wasting. But Carl may have the last laugh and redeem himself in the process.

“Because she isn’t dead. . . yet.”

Review

Keeper is an entertaining, well-written, slick and hard-to-set-down police procedural/thriller with unique-for-the-genre elements (a Muslim janitor detective and villains who utilize a striking form of victimizing the woman they’ve kidnapped). The set-up’s easy to piece together─not a flaw, a feature: it’s the how and who that matters here. Great start to a series, this, one worth reading and owning.

Followed by The Absent One.

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The resulting 2013 Danish film, Department Q: The Keeper of Lost Causes, was released in Denmark on October 3, 2013. Mikkel Nørgaard directed the film, from a screenplay by Nikolaj Arcel.

Nikolaj Lie Kaas played Carl Mørck. Fares Fares played Hafez el-Assad. Sonja Richter played Merete Lyngaard.

Søren Pilmark played Marcus Jacobsen. Morton Kirkskov played Lars Bjørn. Per Scheel Krüger played Anker. Troels Lyby played Hardy Henningsen.

Mikkel Boe Følsgaard played Uffe Lyngaard. Patricia Schumann played Søs Norup. Rasmus Botoft played Tage Baggesen.