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

Slow to start

The characters and story is decent but the deliverance is slow and hard to handle, so speed up the speed to 1.3 that work better. The story was good with some interesting plots and enjoyed the two main characters. A different way of police work from US standards.

Engaging and thrilling.

Any additional comments?

This book was a little bit hard to understand given the accent of the narrator. After a few hours my ear adjusted and I couldn't wait to find out what developed next. It was intriguing, thrilling, suspenseful, thought provoking and not too far fetched as to be fantastical, but still horrifyingly unbelievable. Worth the time!

Drawn Out but a Good Read

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

I would listen to this book again. It had a decent number of twists and turns that made the story interesting, however towards the end it did get a little long winded.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting aspect was the type of case that was being investigated. Can't say much more than that without giving it away! The least interesting part was how it ended. It ended well enough just very abruptly and after a long drawn out series of events.

Which character – as performed by Erik Davies – was your favorite?

I liked Asaad (sp?!?) Erik gave him a life that I think would have fit with the written book very well.

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

I did have an extreme reaction to this book. There was one particular instance where I gasped because I was so shocked as to what was going on. It was great!

Any additional comments?

This book was good, and I would definitely listen to it again. It seemed to drag on towards the end so be prepared to kind of zone out for a little bit. I wish that it hadn't ended so abruptly, however since this book is part of a series I can understand why it ended the way it did. It seemed as though the writer wrote out one book, and then decided to make it into two. Even after saying that though I am very interested to see what happens in the book(s) to come!

Organized story & very likeable lead character.

Enjoyed the narrator - he did a nice job of the accent style without making it hard to understand. I want to learn more about the lead character and his side kick. I can't wait to start the next book in the series.

Have listened to all Q dept, love them!

Any additional comments?

Anxiously awaiting another book in the Q Department series, love the main characters and certainly enjoyed the laughs they unwittingly provided. I purchased the first one and quickly bought and downloaded the rest of the series. I spend my credits sparingly but this entire series exceeded my expectations. Credits well spent!

Good story but the narration was truly annoying!

I hated the narration. The fake Danish accent was maddening. Was the idea that all of the characters speak English with a heavy Danish accent?? Really?

One of the best stories I've listened to

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

One of my top five story lines and listens. The others are Ender, Robicheaux, Vorkosegan, Harry Hole and Lisbeth Salander.

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

Carl MØrck evolves from a flawed unlikable character to one that we give a grudging respect to at the end. The supporting cast is going to build with his department Q but begins with the marvelous Assad who has a hidden past but a love for life and his work with Carl.

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

Erik Davies performance is amazing and it is a shame he doesn't do book 2

Terrific story

I didn’t do the dishes ——stayed up way past my bed time——-thought about this plot when I should have been working. Liked the introduction
Assad. An interesting character.

I loved this book

It was different. It was interesting. I couldn’t turn it off. The criticism I read might be so but it really didn’t matter. The substance of this story overrides all criticism.

Couldn't put it down

I enjoyed listening to this book very much.
I love the two characters that make up Department Q. They are so different from one another, it's comical. The plot was fantastic. Writing/translation superb. Excited to read the next installment.