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

Okay

Story was good, but predictable. Narrator's accent made several characters sound the same. Okay story.

Plodding narration

Any additional comments?

I have listened to other books by this narrator, and I think I will avoid him in the future. Sorry, Erik, but it's tediously plodding. I'm about 2/3 of the way through the book at this point, and I'm only sticking with it to see how the story will resolve. I do have to admire his heroic rendering of a Danish accent, and it's no fault of the narrator, but all the names are so alien to me culturally that I can't tell any of the characters apart.

Best mystery I Have Listened to In a long time

I loved the interaction between Carl and Asaud. I am looking forward to downloading the next book in the series.

Excellent story

The book describes the main character, Carl Morck, as a deeply flawed character. While that may be true, I found him to be incredible, insightful, and a tad put upon by his family.

Morck begins heading a new police division that handles cold cases. And what a cold case!! I honestly had no idea how the situation would resolve itself. Very nicely, actually.

The narration was seriously excellent. This wonderful and gripping story was challenging but Davies made it look easy.

Rich Characters in a heck of a crime mystery

Great performance reading this fresh crime mystery from Copenhagen. Going backward in time from the present really worked to create tension and heighten the drama.

Okay, but no "Dragon Tatoo".

Any additional comments?

This book does have its moments, but I must agree with other reviewers who had problems with the reading. When Davies simply tells the story, he's not bad if a bit dreary, but his use of the Danish (sounded awfully German or Austrian to me) accent drains the dialogue of all color, flattening every line into the same singsong rhythm and making the characters nearly indistinguishable from one another. It doesn't help that the villains are one-dimensionally villainous and the overall plot pretty implausible. The best moments for me had to do with the changing survival strategies of the victim, who was by far the most interesting and sympathetic character.

I might give tis author another shot if another reader was used.

Loved it!

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

The story was woven and unraveled in a very clever way.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. I sometimes listen to audiobooks before bed but I couldn't with this one. If I did I would be up all night!

Any additional comments?

I struggled a bit with the Swedish names initially but once I was a couple of hours in it was ok. I'm glad I didn't let that put me off. Definitely one of favorite books of all time!

Complex & disturbing

Would you listen to The Keeper of Lost Causes again? Why?

Yes, but not right away. Once I started listening, I couldn't stop--eager for the many unsettling threads to somehow resolve. I need a little time & distance from the story. It cast a dark shadow over the mood around me while I was listening to it. I kept thinking, What are they going to do??

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

The characters are well developed & even though their struggles are not at all commonplace, their situations are easy to relate to. Being shaped by major events in our lives is what gives us all resources & limitations that we may have opportunities to become familiar with.

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

First one...very good narrator.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It didn't make me laugh or cry but it made me feel constantly unsettled from the first moment I started listening to it.

Any additional comments?

This is a great read for a time when you really want to get lost in a book--while traveling or on vacation. You won't want to stop.

Clever story, perfect reading

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

It takes a special gift to be able to write a compelling story with many unique twists, while at the same time make the listener laugh out loud at the understated humor. What a joy it was to listen to this book. Before this, I had never heard of Jussi Adler-Olsen, but I can assure you that he's on the top of my list now.
One of the best things about this book, aside from the story itself, was the reading. It can be easy for narrators to "over read" the story, making every paragraph sound like a high-school play. But in this case, Erik Davies (the narrator) got it. He understood the subtle humor in Adler-Olsen's writing and played it perfectly. He also did an amazing Danish accent, which made the story that much better.
This is the first time I've ever listened to a complete novel twice. It was that good.

What does Erik Davies bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Erik Davies should be used for every Adler-Olsen novel. He was amazing. He really understood the clever, understated humor.

A real suspense thriller!

What made the experience of listening to The Keeper of Lost Causes the most enjoyable?

The suspense was there until the very end of the book and the reader didn't know how it was going to end. The story was fresh and the descriptions were very vivid. look forward to more.