Victim 2117

A Department Q Novel, Book 8

By: Jussi Adler-Olsen, William Frost - translator

Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm

Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

In the heart-pounding next installment of the New York Times and number one internationally best-selling Department Q series, a terrifying international investigation reveals the complex backstory of one of the department's own - the enigmatic Assad.

The newspaper refers to the body only as Victim 2117 - the 2117th refugee to die in the Mediterranean Sea. But to three people, the unnamed victim is so much more, and the death sets off a chain of events that throws Department Q, Copenhagen’s cold cases division led by Detective Carl Mørck, into a deeply dangerous - and deeply personal - case. A case that not only reveals dark secrets about the past, but has deadly implications for the future.

For troubled Danish teen Alexander, whose identity is hidden behind his computer screen, the death of Victim 2117 becomes a symbol of everything he resents and the perfect excuse to unleash his murderous impulses in real life. For Ghaalib, one of the most brutal tormentors from Abu Ghraib - Saddam Hussein’s infamous prison - the death of Victim 2117 is the first step in a terrorist plot years in the making. And for Department Q’s Assad, Victim 2117 is a link to his buried past - and the family he assumed was long dead.

With the help of the Department Q squad - Carl, Rose, and Gordon - Assad must finally confront painful memories from his years in the Middle East in order to find and capture Ghaalib. But with the clock ticking down to Alexander’s first kill and Ghaalib's devastating attack, the thinly spread Department Q will need to stay one step ahead of their most lethal adversary yet if they are to prevent the loss of thousands of innocent lives.

©2020 Jussi Adler-Olsen (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Adler-Olsen supplies everything you could possibly want from a thriller and much, much more." (Kirkus)

Great...one of the best in the series.

Love the Dept. Q series. Interesting storyline and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Captivating story

Like his other books the characters themselves are fascinating, and involved in an extremely interesting plot. Every time the story progresses it's a surprise.

another absolutely fantastic Department Q

he had me crying and laughing in this one sometimes at the same time.

So satisfying!

I have enjoyed all the Dept Q books and Victim 2117 is not a disappointment. we get more depth inq the main characters, esp as Assad's past comes to light. Treated to a second and parallel mystery to be solved by Rose. I love the intricate detail & mystery Adler Olsen weaves into these stories.

What a story!

The worst thing about this book from my perspective is the last word! It means another long wait for the next dept Q novel. If you are reading this review without reading these books in order, you owe it to yourself to do just that!

Exciting!

Great characters, riveting plot, funny in parts, and a first rate narrator. Checks every box for me.

Another great Dept. Q

I enjoy Carl and Assad so much! I am transported each time I read Department Q books. Graeme Malcolm is a fantastic narrator.

This is the eighth book...

...and arguably the best in the entire series. An insane amount of character development. Loved it.

Meh!

This book is a lot more serious with few laughable moments we've come to know and love. But to be fair, this was Assad's background story as sad as it is. The story really didn't start going till halfway through but there were times I got lost because I'd lost focus..there was so much to wade through. Now that we've gotten this story behind us, I hope the next Dept. Q story will get back to laugh-out-loud moments!

BOY, HOWDY!

Never thought I would ever have occasion to use that phrase, but as I finished Victim 2117, it was all I could think of to express the wonder and awe I felt at the end. What an amazing book. Every page practically turned itself. Finally. I found myself with 2 chapters left and had that feeling all readers love - not wanting to finish it because then it would be over!

Karl and Assad, Rosemary and Gordon so perfectly in character and two stories running parallel with two terrifying villains and still no confusion whatsoever as we went from one to the other. .
Hats off to Mr. Adler Olsen - another masterpiece of detective fiction.

The reader, Graeme Malcom is without peer. With the possible exception of Ms. Rosenblat. He flowed between languages in a way that almost sounded like music. All characters were recognizable by the voices he gave them. Awesome. Another "Boy Howdy"