Book Log 2013 #8: The Absent One by Jussi Adler-Olsen


A 20 year-old case of a murdered brother and sister keeps showing up on Carl Morck's desk. And while there's not much to suggest that this cold case will ever heat up, he eventually starts to look into it, with the help of his Syrian assistant and a new staffer, an unwelcome transfer from another department. As Morck and his "team" start to fill in some gaps, it becomes clear that the case is linked to some very important Danes - and one homeless woman. In order to close the case, Morck has to find the woman before the others do.

I don't know that I liked this better than The Keeper of Lost Causes, as I find centering things on a conspiracy of the rich and powerful a bit stale. That being said, the book does keep things interesting, and I do like the way the relationship between Morck and his colleagues is developing. But I could have used just a bit more of Morck's home life and the ongoing fall-out of the botched raid that left one of Morck's fellow officers paralyzed (although I'm interested to see how things will work now that those two subplots are merging a bit). Still, enjoyed it and am looking forward to A Conspiracy of Faith, which I've not been able to snag at the library.