The Scarred Woman: A Department Q Novel

Scottish actor Malcolm returns to ably narrate the latest installment of the Department Q series by bestselling Danish crime novelist Adler-Olsen. The series stars Carl Mørck, the cantankerous middle-age head of Copenhagen’s Department Q, a neglected cold-case division housed in the basement of police headquarters. As the book opens, Mørck and his team are investigating several unpromising and seemingly unrelated cases, which turn out to be linked. They’re also facing budget cuts, bureaucratic rivalries, and the disappearance of a mentally ill colleague. The book’s many subplots keep the listener attuned, and the resolutions are satisfying. Malcolm is an excellent stand-in for Mørck in both tone and temperament, and he also skillfully represents the book’s other characters, many of whom are young women. He’s called upon to employ a range of accents, including German and Icelandic, and rises to the challenge. This seventh outing for Mørck will delight Adler-Olsen’s many fans, and Malcolm once again delivers as narrator. A Dutton hardcover. (Sept.)