The Keeper of Lost Causes

Department Q, Book 1

By: Jussi Adler-Olsen

Narrated by: Erik Davies

Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

Get to know the detective in charge of Copenhagen's coldest cases in the first electrifying Department Q mystery from New York Times best-selling author Jussi Adler-Olsen.

Carl Mørck used to be one of Denmark’s best homicide detectives. Then a hail of bullets destroyed the lives of two fellow cops, and Carl - who didn’t draw his weapon - blames himself. So a promotion is the last thing he expects. But Department Q is a department of one, and Carl’s got only a stack of cold cases for company. His colleagues snicker, but Carl may have the last laugh, because one file keeps nagging at him: A liberal politician vanished five years earlier and is presumed dead. But she isn’t dead...yet.

Darkly humorous, propulsive, and atmospheric, The Keeper of Lost Causes introduces American listeners to the mega-bestselling series fast becoming an international sensation.

©2011 Jussi Adler-Olsen (P)2011 Penguin

Great 5 Star Read

What did you love best about The Keeper of Lost Causes?

The characters have well-rounded personalities...the good, the bad, & the ugly. Really liked the humor developing between Assad & Karl. It added to the development of pecking away at a 5 year old missing person file.

What other book might you compare The Keeper of Lost Causes to and why?

Very similar to Steig Larsson style.

What about Erik Davies’s performance did you like?

Difficult for me to catch on to the Danish names & locations, but easier than Larsson's Swedish locations. Erik handled the accents clearly & with charm.

Any additional comments?

I enjoy European authors because they take time to show the whole life of a character rather than just the facts about the crime as it is solved.

I'm hooked from just the first book.

Where does The Keeper of Lost Causes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 20. I'm falling for thrillers from Northern Europe. This series and Larsson have me looking for more.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I was constantly trying to find the motive and killers, and then at the climax could not figure the ending like I can with most novels of this type.

Have you listened to any of Erik Davies’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. He grew on me to the point I was let down tat e doesn't do book two. Others made fun of his "Schwarzenegger" accent was not bad. I think it fit perfectly.

Great characters, interesting story

What did you love best about The Keeper of Lost Causes?

I'm not sure how I came upon this series but I was very pleasantly surprised by it. The main characters are so interesting and entertaining. I really enjoy the Danish setting of the story .. a country and people I'd previously given little thought to.

The plot and the solving of the crime are very interesting as well.

overall a great read

a little slow to start, but hang in there as the story really gets moving about a quarter of the way in. I thought the accents from the narrator were a bit off at first sou,ding a bit like a Dane that learned English with a southern accent. after a while he got better and I didn't notice it by the end. liked the story enough to download the,second book in series. I am a fan of crime/suspense/mystery books and this was an enjoyable story

Traumatized cop not dead but buried

The beginning of department is a way to keep this policemen out of the way .the precinct is given money for the start up of this department Q for cold cases. They start the department but they failed to take into account the officer they have put in charge,at first his plan is to just sit around and do nothing but a cast of surrounding character refuse to let him rot . They peek his interest in a cold case and he is off and running causing trouble up stairs even tho his office is in the basement . He is given a man whose job it is to keep the basement clean but he turns out to be more than just a janitor he has deductive powers we don't know anything about him he himself is a mystery .Once you pick this book up you won't want to put it down until the end. Oh Yeah it's the beginning of a trilogy,can't wait to read books two and three.

Great listen by a great narrator.

If you could sum up The Keeper of Lost Causes in three words, what would they be?

Thoroughly engrossing thriller.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Keeper of Lost Causes?

Too many too choose from. Probably when Merete finally comes face to face with her nemesis.

What about Erik Davies’s performance did you like?

The way he shifted accents effortlessly. It was a very well-paced reading.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Thoroughly engrossing thriller.

Any additional comments?

None.

Best Mystery Thriller Release in Past 14 Months!

If you could sum up The Keeper of Lost Causes in three words, what would they be?

Fresh, Perfect, Exciting

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Keeper of Lost Causes?

The frantic conclusion

Which scene was your favorite?

The final, final scene..sorry I can't spoil it. It says too much about humanity and love.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Glass Key Award Winning Scandinavian Missing Person Thriller

Any additional comments?

This is a very artful novel that transcends the genre of the modern thriller mystery. This book is fast-paced and constantly engaging. The storyline is so creatively fresh and new. For fans of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, this is something even better. I am stunned at how fresh and creative this novel is. It is a book that you will long remember and treasure the experience of listening to Danish accented narration that brings the locale names into perfect pronounciation and adds to the atomosphere. It has an internal parallel contruction that reveals the plot's progress from different eyes which makes the story much more complex, rich in characterization and engaging. The ending is thrilling beyond description. The author creates characters of immense depth and enigma. This novel won the coveted Glass Key Award that recognizes the best of Scandinavian mystery novels. So you are talking about that kind of novel.

Total Immersion

Great road trip book and no way will you get sleepy listening to this edge of the seat cop thriller. It made the miles go by effortlessly and my wife was totally caught up in spite of herself.

Excellent read

I rarely give a 5 star review but this is well deserved. The book was good from beginning to end without dull spots. Narration is fantastic. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased the next book in the series and I can’t wait to start.

Excellent Adventure

This is a great story that was narrated beautifully. A very suspenseful novel beautifully told by the author.