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

Nearly stopped because of narrator

So thankful to see that the rest of the books in the series have a different narrator.

The narrator did an excellent job EXCEPT when it came to conversations. As others mentioned, he did this horrible "Danish" accent and it was often difficult to distinguish between characters when there was a conversation going on. When I was in high school I lived in Denmark and I don't recall having this much trouble understanding them when they spoke English.

This was a very intriguing story and I'm definitely hooked on checking out the rest of the series.

Great new detective series

There are many things I really liked about this novel, including the thoroughly developed characters and realistic consequences of their actions, the build-up of clues leading to the perpetrator (s), the teaming of an emotionally damaged police detective with an unusual assistant and, last but definitely not least, the fabulous narrator. He may not sound Danish to someone from that country (or, he may), but he pronounced a lot of words I could never pronounce and spoke the characters' lines with convincing accents that added texture to this engaging story. I hope Audible continues with this series and Erik Davies continues to voice the characters.

Misunderstood presentation

Considering that Jussi Adler Olsen changed the production of his movies, it is beyond comprehension that this presentation is allowed.
Whether Mørk being Ulrich Thomsen or Nikolai Lie Kaas, both speak English fluently. Neither having this German accent. I wanted to listen in English, to improve my language skills. I now need to find a Danish version. I just cannot listen to this. Could be me. Boomer.

Absolutely fabulous police procedural

I love the accents of the narrator even through he couldn't pronounce København (Kopenhagen) properly.
There is a lot of humor, especially interesting is the relationship between the police inspector and his mysterious Syrian assistant.
Just finished listing to this book a second time.
The whole department Q series among my very favorite audio books

A gripping and emotional tale.

For those of you that enjoy a dark journey with threads that glimmer and glint in an inconspicuous way this is for you. Things were not what they seemed in Department Q. In the beginning it seemed a rather lackluster character would follow some obvious plot points and stumble upon the correct answer, and then it changed the malaise character raced into a role of an emotionally drained and revitalized(barely) character that sought the truth in spite of the struggles of his own life. The story telling was splendid. The voice actor truly gave this story a life of its own with his commendable voice narration. I look forward to the next book in the Department Q series with high hopes for Carl and Assad.

A great book!

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

Well crafted thriller

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

I was riveted - the story twisted, turned, and kept me awake at night.

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

OMG! His performance was incredible - I couldn't pick just one! His voice ran the range between melodious to harsh depending on the character. I loved Carl Morck!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The Keeper of Lost Causes was so well written it is hard to pick one moment. I chuckled, cried, screamed silently, and enjoyed every moment.

Great Mystery

I couldn't put it down because I needed to see "what happened next". I enjoyed listening. I'm not accustomed to the accents but didn't let that prevent me from experiencing this book.

Want More

I loved this book. At first, I thought it was going to be to hard to follow but once in, I was in for good. Once done, I looked for more of Jussi Adler-Olsen's books on Audible.com. I want to listen to more of his books!

Keep Listening!!!

After reading the reviews I started this book with the prejudice that the narration was bad. And in the beginning I agreed, but by a quarter of the way through, I no longer felt that way. Keep listening! This has a fantastic storyline and I loved the relationship between the detectives. I was totally swept away by the story and wouldn't have minded if Oscar the Grouch had been narrating.

Great start for a great series!

Any additional comments?

I listen to this series over and over. At turns comic and agonizingly suspensful--I found myself turning the reading speed up at the end because I just COULD NOT STAND not knowing faster what was going to happen next. Highly recommended.